I don't care that's none of our 'prized' players are leaving. Tutt, Pearce, Jones, Higgins have all quit the club. That's four players right there who no longer want to be a part of what we're offering them. Four players. Not delisted, not retiring, four players who want to leave to explore other options. That says something.
Add that on top of the Minson rumours, Boyd's resigning being very, very acrimonious and very close to not happening at all (he probably wouldn't get a game anywhere else in the league save GWS), and it's not really painting a pretty picture is it.
Despite the rhetoric of many of the BigFooty brethren, I believe his time is almost up. Poor start at the beginning of next year and very much wouldn't be surprised if the axe is swung.
Irrespective of a coaches' grand plans and how long they take to implement, irrespective of the list that we had when we got our coach, in modern, business footy you cannot give a coach four years to develop a team. That's too long. Brisbane, with half of their talented young players walking out and the first year of a new coach, have already moved passed us. GWS, with half their team injured, beat us in Round 23. It wouldn't surprise me if St. Kilda moved pass us as well.
Maybe we'll make some bold off-season moves. Maybe it'll all work out in the end. Maybe despite the many shortcomings of our coach and half our list walking out, the sheer talent of some of our players due to drafting means that we'll improve anyway.
But seriously. We lost to Melbourne in 2013 when they were one of the worst teams in the modern era, and the entire tactical shortcomings I posted a lot of in the review thread.
We lost to GWS in 2014, one of the worst teams in modern history, when they had something like a 20 strong injury list of which 15 would have made the team given that they were fit. And we dominated stats, but were comprehensively outcoached.
What's to say that any of our successes were not the coach, just individual brilliance of the raw ability of the players in spite of the coaching? Bonts' two last quarter goals against Melbourne, including what should have been GOTY... but that's just sheer individual brilliance. We still only beat Melbourne twice by single digits. How about that win against St. Kilda, or that great performance against Essendon before they overran us - both sheer individual brilliance by players like Stringer.
We're developing a great young list with some tip top talent. Lets just hope that our coach doesn't screw it all up, firstly by mismanaging players like Jones, Tutt etc, and secondly by simply being a poor coach.