To all St.Kilda, Collingwood, Brisbane, Melbourne and Fitzroy supporters.

[Cats2001!]

I choose all of you because I want to ask about whether it is worth it if you finish on the bottom of the ladder. Its embarrasing that you get the wooden spoon, but do all the benifits you get out of it worth is (ie - number one draft pic etc?)
StKilda seemed to have fared the next best to Essendon last year.

I know its harsh to talk about my footy club like this (Cats to get the wooden spoon), but the way they played against Brisbane, you cant blame me. At this moment - they are the worst team in the comp. At least Fre can be competitive for three quarters.

So are the benifits worth it for finishing last? Or is finishing 15th better than the dissapointment of 16?

 

[sabre_ac]

Originally posted by Cats2001!
I choose all of you because I want to ask about whether it is worth it if you finish on the bottom of the ladder. Its embarrasing that you get the wooden spoon, but do all the benifits you get out of it worth is (ie - number one draft pic etc?)
StKilda seemed to have fared the next best to Essendon last year.

I know its harsh to talk about my footy club like this (Cats to get the wooden spoon), but the way they played against Brisbane, you cant blame me. At this moment - they are the worst team in the comp. At least Fre can be competitive for three quarters.

So are the benifits worth it for finishing last? Or is finishing 15th better than the dissapointment of 16?

From a supporter thats team looks desinted for the spoon, with concession pics.
I would prefer to finish last than 10 or 12 again like we seem to have been finishing since we entered the comp.
Considering the last time we finished with under 6 wins we snared haselby and Pavlich.
I think I can put up with the spoon.

That said, 6-7 years of finishing down or near the bottom is getting a bit much.

 

[ptw]

don't think Port will finish last this year.

Last year I was really proud that we did not fiish last (we finished 14th). Half way through the year we were last...and from there you can go 2 ways....accept that last is OK because of the draft picks and see it as an investment (not throw games, just play kids and try new positions etc) or you can say "bugger that" the Port Adelaide Football Club does not finish last and get off your arse and do something about it.

To accept finishing last over 15th means you accept losing games....this to me is a losing culture which is something to be avoided at all costs. If players get the idea even sub-conciously that it is OK to lose then you will never win a flag.

ptw

 

[FitzroyJamesDio]

hell yeah..go for broke and finnish on the bottom, and take the draft pick to help get the ball rolling the following year...

 

[dees01]

In the end it probably was good. We got many draft picks that we would not have got and becasue we won less than 5 games we got an extra one. At the time it was awful but in reflection OK as we made the Prelim the next year, although no one had ever done that before.

 

[dee_girl9]

i would have to say no to most things, becuase thats not the way our club is heading, but i still think it is viable to finish in the middle of the ladder, then end up getting say the 5th or 6th picks every round, and their are still good picks around then, so i would say no its not good finishing 16th

 

[GFCFAN]

I can see where you are coming from Cats2001 and am just as disappointed in the season so far as you are. However I really don't think we are going to finish last or anywhere near last. Have a bit of confidence. We'll come good.

 

[sainter]

It's hard to say Cats2001,

There's nothing worse than finishing last. On average we have finished last approximately once in every four seasons. There's a stigma attached to finishing last that no one wants at all.

However, I will acknowledge that finishing last does have its benefits. If you finish last and win less than five games (which I don't think anyone will do this year), you get the number 1 pick plus a concession pick. These are worth their weight in gold and we did everything in our power not to lose these first two selections despite going on a recruiting spree.

Aside from the national draft, you also get the first selection in the pre-season draft. While the depth is often not great anymore, this selection is extremely valuable. For instance, if an uncontracted wants to join your club, they are able to do so for nothing because the player can be selected number 1 by the club in the pre-season draft. Aaron Hamill decided to join St Kilda and we could have got him for nothing had Carlton not struck a deal at the last minute. To Aaron's credit (and perhaps Carlton supporters should take note), he insisted that Carlton be compensated for his loss. Steven Lawrence wanted to come to St Kilda and could have been picked no 1 in the draft so again it forced Brisbane into making a deal. Collingwood got Shane O'Bree for nothing, we got Brett Voss for nothing.

So in bargaining terms, winning the wooden spoon is a benefit. It's hard to say that I would prefer that we finished off the bottom because we may not have secured as many players in the off season, but the stigma of us winning another wooden spoon hurts like hell and I hope we never win one again.

 

[Mobbs]

Only if the powers that be offer the concessions fairly.

In honesty, I would prefer to avoid the wooden spoon, even to finish second last, simply to avoid the anti-prestige of it. If that means sacrificing some benefits, so be it.

 

[orion]

In my opinion it is not whether you finished first, last or anywhere on the ladder, what is important that the club belongs and remains in the competition. Members and sound administration are what is needed for a long term benefit of all concerned, what good is worrying about where you finish on the ladder if there is no club there to worry about..First things first lt us get all clubs on a firm footing.