The Geelong team he had taken over had just been blown out by 80 points in a GF against a West Coast side that looked like an all-conquering dynasty.
Maybe he felt he was freshening up the side by rooting out elements that were contributing to such high profile failures (their third in six seasons). Ironically he obviously took them just as far the very next season before falling to the all-conquering Carlton team of '95.
I often wonder whether we'd have gone a ways to avoiding the shitstorm that was 05-12 if Williams had cleared the decks and not kept topping up with chaff.
Geelong of 1994
lost All Oz CHF Barry Stoneham in Rd 22 with a broken leg
Week 1 of the finals won after the siren against Bulldogs in the 4 v 5 clash with Brownless kicking a long goal after he took a mark just before the siren.
Week 2 played Carlton who finished 2nd who lost to Melbourne 7th in first week of finals. All Oz Mansfield was ruled out Thursday night and the morning of the game 3 All Oz players and the engine room in Bairstow, Couch and Hocking all pull out with injuries. So Geelong have 5 All Oz players missing but whip Carlton by 5 goal. An amazing effort.
Week 3 beat North after the siren with goal to Ablett from just outside the goal square after mark seconds before the siren. Still IMHO one of the greatest games of all time I have seen
GF - nothing, nada, zilch left in the petrol tank. That's why they got smashed, not the side was coming to the end of its glory days. West Coast only just beat Collingwood at Subi in week 1, get a week off and then smash Melbourne in the PF at Subi.
They made the GF next year because they still had a star studded side. But in 1995 they came up against a Carlton who were hell bent on wanting to avenge a 1993 GF loss when they were favourites and going out in straight sets in 1994. Carlton were the first team to have a 20-2 season.