We rolled the dice, and lost

[Palace03]

There are times were you just have to put the future on hold for a minute, realise your opportunity and go for it. We did that, and personally I was happy with the clubs decision to keep some of our sgeing stars and go for it.

Unfortunatly some of these ageing stars have been a liability this year. I don't think we will win the premiership with them in the side, so we may as well make the tough decisions now and give some younger guys some finals exposure.

The players I'm talking about are Aker, Eagleton, Hahn and Johnno. The first 3 I would be not play again this year, they have been very good servants of the club, however they cannot not give us their best footy anymore. I make an exception with Johnno, he is an absolute champion of this football club and as captain I think he should be given until the end of the year.

Leave Wood and Grant in the side, get Everitt and Williams in and give Jones, Moles and Roughead an opportunity.

 

[acker]

We rolled no dice

We dropped 3 attacking players from the West Coast game..got 1 player Ward who played a top line game, got another player Higgin's who played at VFL level and another player Reid who had a red blooded go but probably should have replaced a struggler like Hahn.

And our coaching strategy is pure cr*p

Rocket Eade and very recently axed Brazilian Coach "Dunga" seem to be similar types IMO

We even have soft midfeider types like "Kaka" who literally "kak" themselves as well..

 

[charcoalchicken]

Agree with probably Hahn and Eagleton I still fell Aka has something to offer if he can get it together over the next few weeks in the 2nd's.

 

[the dog's kennel]

We rolled no dice

We dropped 3 attacking players from the West Coast game..got 1 player Ward who played a top line game, got another player Higgin's who played at VFL level and another player Reid who had a red blooded go but probably should have replaced a struggler like Hahn.

And our coaching strategy is pure cr*p

He is referring to 2010 as a whole. i.e. getting Barry Hall, and keeping Johnno Aker and Eagle on the list, while not trading any of our senior players out.

We played for a premiership this year, rather than trying to build a stronger team for the future. And at this stage it's not paying off. But I'm glad we went for it.

 

[acker]

He is referring to 2010 as a whole. i.e. getting Barry Hall, and keeping Johnno Aker and Eagle on the list, while not trading any of our senior players out.

We played for a premiership this year, rather than trying to build a stronger team for the future. And at this stage it's not paying off. But I'm glad we went for it.

4 guys dominate our possesion and are supposedly meant to stop the oppositions main 4 guys possesion

Cooney
Boyd
Cross
Griffen

They still dominate our possesion...but defensively they seem to go missing in action for long periods of the match

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

There are times were you just have to put the future on hold for a minute, realise your opportunity and go for it. We did that, and personally I was happy with the clubs decision to keep some of our sgeing stars and go for it.

It hasn't worked out but you can understand the clubs decision to go with the old timers. They so badly want to deliver a premiership to the fans after so long, that they wanted one last crack with Johnno, Aker etc. It was a roll of the dice. You win some, you lose some.

IMO it is no coincidence that the two clubs with one premiership rolled the dice. Us having players over 30, and St Kilda taking Lovett. The club made the decision though with the supporters best interest at heart. You can't judge decisions with hindsight.

 

[dogwatch]

I agree with the OP. We have three players aged 33 and two aged 31 plus Hahn who is 29 but playing like a 33yo.

If we do happen to win a flag this year it will not be with a side that has all of Eagleton, Johnno, Aker, Hall, Hudson and Hahn in it.

Hall and Hudson would be certainties (if available) and then maybe one or at most two out of Eagleton, Johnno and Aker. Hahn simply hasn't put together one compelling game all year and I think has to make way for an Everitt or a Jones or whoever.

We are tantalisingly close to the best but look like we might just fall short again. So there needs to be a cleanout at years end because the most of the older players will continue to decline (Hall and Hudson maybe excepted).

 

[Palace03]

It hasn't worked out but you can understand the clubs decision to go with the old timers. They so badly want to deliver a premiership to the fans after so long, that they wanted one last crack with Johnno, Aker etc. It was a roll of the dice. You win some, you lose some.

IMO it is no coincidence that the two clubs with one premiership rolled the dice. Us having players over 30, and St Kilda taking Lovett. The club made the decision though with the supporters best interest at heart. You can't judge decisions with hindsight.

I can absolutely understand why the club did it and fully supported the decision at the time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I'm not critical of the club, just dissapointed it hasnt worked out.

 

[cammo78]

While I agree with the concept of this thread - I'm not convinced it's a bad a problem as some make it out to be. This club will not bottom out in the coming years IMO. We have an abundance of young talent coming through, pushing for a crack in the ones. Most importantly, we also have some young key position talent for the first time in decades.

We have (possibly) the best backline in the league and our midfield is of elite class (even though they do go missing at times).

Losing Johnno, Eagle, Aker, Hahn IMO will have very little impact on us, I believe, and there is no reason with the age of the remaining players that we can't load up and have another crack in a couple of years time with the current core playing group and players such as Cordy, Jones, Everitt, Grant, Higgins, Ward, Reid, Wood, Roughead making big contributions.

 

[hilly84f1]

very positive cammo
looking at our talent 2012 is not out of the question for us being a premiership threat, looking at Geelong came close in 04 and 05, before falling in a whole in 06, but bouncing back in 07 with a Hungry list, the rest is history as they say
although given how we have pushed all the top sides this year, if we can crack it for a close win somewhere, against good opposition, the belief to play the football we know we are capable of then there is still hope for 2010

 

[malh]

I agree. Hahn, Eagleton, Akermanis should make way for younger players. Also Higgins should play VFL till he shows something. Players who are not playing well should be dropped quickly not given chance after chance to find some form, we need to be more ruthless in team selection.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

I can absolutely understand why the club did it and fully supported the decision at the time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I'm not critical of the club, just dissapointed it hasnt worked out.

Agree, I think most supporters would be in the same boat.

It is an extremely relevant thread topic and OP. Because I think if we have a bad season, then the media and supporters will heavily question the clubs decision to go withthe "oldies". I remember last year after the finals, there was a thread about the very same issue and it was debated hard from both sides. Some posters wanted to retain Aker, Johnno and Eagleton, some posters wanted to retain some, some wanted to retain none. There is never a right or wrong thinking, it is the end result that determines the success or failure.

From a list management point or recruiting point of view, I don't think it hurt us because it was a thin draft. And our young talent is looking great, so it is not as though we are not regenerating a team for the future.

From a salary cap point of view, I am not sure if it has hurt us or not. Aker and Eagleton are not on much of a salary and Johnno is on the veterans list. But the sum total of these might add up to something reasonable, especially if the estimated salary on Johnno from the HS was anywhere accurate. I am not sure what the current status of our veteran list is. If Johnno wasn't retained, did we have another player that could have gone on to the Veterans list? If not, then it doesn't make as much of a difference.

 

[2691617]

Everyone is a bit down at the moment, we are not quite out of it yet and still a rough chance for 4th (remember Freo have lost Barlow)

I still remember Adelaide in 97 seemingly being out of it with 6 weeks to go but still won the flag.

Totally agree with the club retaining Aker, Johnno (who would have thought he would have been run over by a golf cart) and Eagleton (who is still useful)

 

[Lightning_Mcqueen95]

I agree. We rolled the dice and it hasn't payed off. The thing is how long do we keep playing players who are not up to it any more. If Hanh is not dropped I will not understand this club at all. Especially with a Fit Williams, Everitt, and Roughead available and playing well.

 

[Leezorr]

I like this thread. We gave it a crack, it failed.

Bodes well for next year imo. Games into Grant, Stack, Hill, Ried, Wood, Roughead. This is a very very good thing.

If i was in charge of MC i would give Hahn, Eagleton and Aker their marching orders and play the kids. Get some finals experience into them and go for it in 2011 with Barry and Hudson as our only remaining over 30's. I would even consider trading Minson with the intention of playing Roughead and cordy all next year.

 

[Fellaheen]

I like this thread. We gave it a crack, it failed.

Bodes well for next year imo. Games into Grant, Stack, Hill, Ried, Wood, Roughead. This is a very very good thing.

If i was in charge of MC i would give Hahn, Eagleton and Aker their marching orders and play the kids. Get some finals experience into them and go for it in 2011 with Barry and Hudson as our only remaining over 30's. I would even consider trading Minson with the intention of playing Roughead and cordy all next year.

I don't agree, we gave it a crack - we haven't failed yet, if we manage this moment of truth for the team we can pull it off! I think Higgins and Hahn need to get an opportunity to refocus at Willi, give Everitt, Stack, or whoever best matches up a run and set up for the finals......

 

[josh the gent]

I don't agree, we gave it a crack - we haven't failed yet, if we manage this moment of truth for the team we can pull it off! I think Higgins and Hahn need to get an opportunity to refocus at Willi, give Everitt, Stack, or whoever best matches up a run and set up for the finals......

Hear, hear. You are right on the money.

At 8-6, the season isn't over. What is to say that we won't get on a run and power through the last 8 rounds.

We were pretty good against the Hawks, losing to them by under a goal (and having more scoring shots) is no terrible effort, and in fact, if we HAD won, we would be 3 in a row right now.

Keep faith, if we finish 15-7 this year, with our %, we will have great form (as we will need to win 7 of 8) and a top four position.

Also, I don't really buy this 'we roll the dice and lost' idea cos if hadn't, we'd not have drafted in Hall, and 'gone for it' this year, and I am quite sure that Jarrad Grant would be talked about as another Tim Walsh example - he was headed that way until this year if you ask a number of posters on here. Barry has helped him develop beautifully, and he looks to be a real player. We have Jones coming along as well in the background, those two will be our twin towers from 2012 onwards.

2010 all starts this weekend for us though, we simply have to beat Carlton and put our hoodoo against them to bed.

 

[James Cuming]

We rolled the dice but we have not lost yet. We can still get that premiership by playing our young stars.

All depends on how the selection committee goes from now on. If they select players like Wood, Ward, Everitt, Grant, Williams, Roughead and maybe even others such as Jones, Hooper, Howard or Rose and NOT revert to the washed up over-the-hillites like Johnson, Akermanis and Eagleton and known duds such as Addison and Stack, then we can win the premiership this year.

Alak and alas, this was all known in at the end of September last year. Could have dropped those oldies and duds and picked up a potential Brownlow Medalist and Coleman Medalist, amongst others.

They took the wrong risk. Risked on the oldies continuing their form and the duds coming good. Dumb. Should have taken a safer and more reliable risk on the youngies and new recruits.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

We rolled the dice but we have not lost yet. We can still get that premiership by playing our young stars.

All depends on how the selection committee goes from now on. If they select players like Wood, Ward, Everitt, Grant, Williams, Roughead and maybe even others such as Jones, Hooper, Howard or Rose and NOT revert to the washed up over-the-hillites like Johnson, Akermanis and Eagleton and known duds such as Addison and Stack, then we can win the premiership this year.

Alak and alas, this was all known in at the end of September last year. Could have dropped those oldies and duds and picked up a potential Brownlow Medalist and Coleman Medalist, amongst others.

They took the wrong risk. Risked on the oldies continuing their form and the duds coming good. Dumb. Should have taken a safer and more reliable risk on the youngies and new recruits.

I knew you would throw the "Stack is a dud" line somewhere in the post even before I read it. You seem to do it all the time. Not sure why you think he is a dud when he has only played 10 games. Seems a bit harsh to me

With the recruits we could have picked up, I assume you are referring to Barlow and Jpod. It is a good point you make. A lot of clubs misjudged that. I got Jpod extremely wrong as I wasn't sure that he was good enough for AFL football. Wow, he really proved me wrong. He would be more than handy in our forward line at the moment. But at the same time, if we had of been playing Jpod, would we have been playing Grant? Maybe everything happens for a reason. Good luck to Jpod though, I am really happy to see him doing so well. Seems like a lovely guy and it is a really positive football story