We are a crap side....

[Voice of Reason]

Originally posted by Mark Viduka
This is our team for the next 10 years

Not possible to do that in the AFL.

I hope you're right on the rest of it though.

 

[ozzult]

We are not a crap side. The talent and the youth is there to build a strong club.

We just managed to scrape into the finals the last two years, and do absolutely nothing once we got in. Now we have had to put our faith into the future of the club, six debutants in one year, plus all the guys that have played around the 50 games or less mark. All those added up, plus losing our best player just spells for mediocre season.


We are in the process of building a decent spine, IT TAKES TIME FOR **** SAKES! Players like Jon Brown who burst onto the scene at 18-19 and become solid key position players from day one are extremely rare. Even Matty Lloyd only kicked about 20 goals in his first two seasons.

Right now, we seem to have the base for a really good side. Add in some more clever recruiting, drafting, coaching, trading and development, and I'm confident we will have a team which is vying for a flag for the next few years.


Patience is a virtue.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by ozzult
We are not a crap side. The talent and the youth is there to build a strong club.

We just managed to scrape into the finals the last two years, and do absolutely nothing once we got in. Now we have had to put our faith into the future of the club, six debutants in one year, plus all the guys that have played around the 50 games or less mark. All those added up, plus losing our best player just spells for mediocre season.


We are in the process of building a decent spine, IT TAKES TIME FOR **** SAKES! Players like Jon Brown who burst onto the scene at 18-19 and become solid key position players from day one are extremely rare. Even Matty Lloyd only kicked about 20 goals in his first two seasons.

Right now, we seem to have the base for a really good side. Add in some more clever recruiting, drafting, coaching, trading and development, and I'm confident we will have a team which is vying for a flag for the next few years.


Patience is a virtue.

Completely agree. My eternal optimism is back, lost it there for a few days because I was so disappointed in that result.

 

[Goldenblue]

Originally posted by Belgarion
We are a very young side and I know that we cannot expect too much of many of the youngsters, but what I expect of the whole team and all the time is to man up on your opposition and we have been doing this very poorly.

I agree. I noticed in the first quarter that we were playing man on man and giving contests over the ground and generally winning it. From the second quarter Collingwood had free players everywhere.

Originally posted by Belgarion
Glass and Lynch are ok, but they are not champions of the game and I don't think they have it in them to become champions of the game.

I can't agree. I still remember Jakovich and McIntosh in their first season and they were not the champions that they were to become. The clangers from those two at times made me beg to Mick in silence to bench them. They matured and were part of the Flag in 92. Both players were at their peak in the mid 90s

 

[Mark Viduka]

Originally posted by Goldenblue
I can't agree. I still remember Jakovich and McIntosh in their first season and they were not the champions that they were to become. The clangers from those two at times made me beg to Mick in silence to bench them. They matured and were part of the Flag in 92. Both players were at their peak in the mid 90s

Yes exactly... get a copy of Jakovich's book.... he talks about how in 1991 Mick Malthouse clocked him one in the jaw at half time because he stuffed up a kick that cost a Hawthorn goal... and Jakovich didnt play at all in the 2nd half... Jako thought his career was over.

It takes time.

 

[BlueBoy83]

Originally posted by Mark Viduka
Agree 100%. Our draw this year has been horrendus... to play 7 of the top 8 sides in the first 9 weeks.... and now we are about to get Collingwood, Adelaide and Geelong while they are resurgant and not the bottom teams they were at the beginning of the year. It seems like nothing is going our way this year.

Problem with supporters is they want everything now... but take a look at where St Kilda was this time last year.... the difference between St Kilda then and now is CONFIDENCE..... and they have been able to get confidence up because of the fact for almost 15 weeks of football from the end of 2003 until about round 8 this year they had almost not played a single top 8 side because of their benefical draw. Confidence is everything and we have none of it at the moment.

Maybe us making the finals the last 2 years raised our expectations... but take a look at the list of young players we have who are currently playing in our team.

Fletcher, Chad 86 games
Embley, Andrew 85 games
Kerr, Daniel 72 games
Cox, Dean 65 games
Judd, Chris 56 games
Sampi, Ashley 36 games
Gaspar, Travis 26 games
McDougall, Andrew 21 games
Humm, Jeremy 21 games
Lynch, Quinten 20 games
Staker, Brent 16 games
Nicoski, Mark 7 games
Jones, Brett 5 games
Selwood, Adam 5 games
Waters, Beau 4 games
Seaby, Mark 4 games
Butler, Sam 2 games


Thats 17 young guys who are getting a game and are in the team because of their ability and the form they had shown in the WAFL/AFL. They aren't just there because of injuries... they are all earning their spot and doing very well. It takes time... if you look at someone like Andrew Embley and Fletcher who probably didn't start playing well until around game 70..... Cox is just now at about game 60 coming into his own as a ruckman and still improving.... these kids take time and some of them havent even played 10 games yet!!!!!!!

This is our team for the next 10 years and 10 of those 17 have not even played 1 full season of football yet in terms of games. I don't know about you guys but I am excited by it.

considering ive been following the weagles this year a bit, i thought id offer my two bobs worth.

uve lost many of ur kpp over last couple of years. ie wilson, mcintosh, jacko etc. now uve got the most innexperienced spine in the game. but the likes of glass, hunter, mcdougal, staker, gasper etc will benefit greatly from being played this year, and it will speed up their development.

ur doing a similar thing to what melbourne did last year. altho ur not playing as crap. they tried completely new kpp, ie miller at chf, building for the future. thats what woosha has done. add to the fact uve had a ****ty draw, and best player out, uve got a lot of things to look forward 2.

 

[ozzult]

Originally posted by BlueBoy83
considering ive been following the weagles this year a bit, i thought id offer my two bobs worth.

uve lost many of ur kpp over last couple of years. ie wilson, mcintosh, jacko etc. now uve got the most innexperienced spine in the game. but the likes of glass, hunter, mcdougal, staker, gasper etc will benefit greatly from being played this year, and it will speed up their development.

ur doing a similar thing to what melbourne did last year. altho ur not playing as crap. they tried completely new kpp, ie miller at chf, building for the future. thats what woosha has done. add to the fact uve had a ****ty draw, and best player out, uve got a lot of things to look forward 2.

Cheers for that, its good to see an outsider with an unbiased view. It also allows us to reassure ourselves we aren't deluded when we talk up our chances in the future!

 

[LexyBaluca]

Originally posted by jod23
Oh get off it....you havent been around long enough to know that I am usually always positive. But there comes a time when you have to wake up and realise that our side is ****.

Cant take a mark to save our lives.

The Eagles have NEVER had a decent, reliable mark in their team since say 1 - except maybe Gardy

Lexy

 

[Thrawn666]

Originally posted by LexyBaluca
The Eagles have NEVER had a decent, reliable mark in their team since say 1 - except maybe Gardy

Lexy

I think thats stretching it just a bit

I can think of a half dozen players who could all take a good grab over the years. None really in the current team other than Gardy stand out though