- Dec 31, 2013
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All the "evidence" is either circumstantial or just opinions. For every piece of evidence that someone claims to have, it's really just emotional rhetoric, based on how they feel about certain players or coaches.
It's like the Ryder/Ladhams debate. There is literally no evidence to suggest that Ladhams is a better forward or ruck than Ryder, because Ryder isn't playing in the SANFL and never has. Could Ladhams be a better ruck/forward? Sure - but the way people talk about him on here is like he's a top ten draft pick and not the rookie listed player we selected him as.
Same with Frampton - I said that Dixon would show you what an AFL key forward does, and even in his first game back from injury after 10 months, he does what Frampton can do on his best day in the SANFL. He even missed two goals he said himself he should have kicked. Imagine what he'd do if he was fully fit.
The real facts are that certain people have an agenda with the list, which is basically for Hinkley to do what Primus did in 2011/12 and blood kids so that when he's gone at the end of his contract, the next coach won't have to develop them. And even if he did that, he wouldn't get any credit from these people for developing those players - players that he's had since 2013. Howard, Houston, Byrne-Jones, Lienert - they are all products of the development of Ken Hinkley.
What they fail to understand is that **** policy of throwing kids in regardless is exactly the reason why players like O'Shea, Moore, Pittard, Young, Butcher etc failed to do anything of substance in the AFL. If you're gifting games to kids regardless and not making them earn it on merit (merit being actually doing what is asked by the coaches, not racking up stats to try and impress that way), then there is no reward for actually playing properly.
As long as the players know why they were dropped, and are clear in the method, they can work on their game. That's how a player becomes better. Not some arbitrary 'everyone gets a gold star' ********. If Frampton wasn't dropped against St Kilda, it would have been a mistake after his game against Hawthorn - which some people have tried to dress up as being a kid developing but was, in fact, just a poor performance from a kid who fell into bad habits against Gold Coast in the second half.
The same thing happened with Marshall. Started off okay, fell into a slump against Carlton where he wasn't even seen near the ball, got dropped, came back for the West Coast game and played an excellent team oriented game, then fell into a slump again where he couldn't even be bothered contesting for the ball against Adelaide, and got dropped. Again, falling into bad habits of fading in and out of games which he needs to break the cycle of lest he become another Westhoff.
This board doesn't have the patience required to develop a list, because most of the people on here grew up with Port Adelaide winning premierships every second year. All I've ever said is I'd wait until we get our full list of players back (minus Watts) before I make a judgement on whether Ken Hinkley can or can't coach. Because this year is the first year since 2014 that I've seen the playing list commit 100% to what they are trying to do...and more importantly, have the talent and experience that is necessary to turn it into a reality.
Look, I know nothing is going to change your mind. We could get those players back, miss the 8 and there would still be an excuse up your sleeve.
All I'm saying is that the negativity you point to isn't without reason. You say people look overwhelming to the negative, well that's just because there's an overwhelmingly large amount of evidence that's negative.
Faith doesn't even come into it anymore. That was lost a long time ago.