Something else that has genuinely irked me for the past 3 - 5 seasons. We never reward the guys doing the right things at VFL level. We have had an abndance of guys I feel that have been helld back or not been given the opportunity to succeed at AFL level because of the poor development at EFC.
BrunoV's love child Jordan Ridley simply had to play games last year. He wasn't "banging the door down"but he was (is) talented enough and despite not dominating VFL games was doing all the right things at the level to want a step up imho.
This year we have hardly had a kid dominate for long stretches, perhaps Trent Mynott early in the season (bests in 7 weeks were, 5, 1, 0, 2, 0 , 6, 3) but instead of giving him an opportunity we go back to the well of Kyle Langford as an inside midfielder. IT baffles me. Not only do we have a natural midfielder (Mynott) but someone who was poor in the position (Langford) we had someone pushing to take the place.
In the case of Ridley, we need to understand that our back 6 is our strength. Arguarbly one of the better, well balanced groups in the comp. He was going to struggle to fit into it, but in the case of the better teams, when a player is demanding AFL selection, you fit him in and give him an opportunity. Feels like we continually go back to the square peg/round hole dilemma that has plagued our club for so long. Obviously structures don't always allow for this to happen but you need to make it work and often sacrifice a more senior player for the betterment of the team/club.
Not to mention that Ridley was good when he played AFL.
It's weird, I dont know why poster are so ambivalent about him playing.
Unless everyone managed to predict in April that he'd lose form in July.
He wasn't being developed in other parts of the ground either. Yes there was a quarter here and there but what we were really doing was holding him in reserve as a KPD.
It's like I've been saying. There is an enormous disconnect between list management/recruiting and player development and coaching.
Most of the talent recruited in the last 4 drafts is developed in the same part of the ground meaning it doesnt fit in a team.
It's staggering.