What is Grant Thomas' problem??

[MIKE85]

Hey guys,

not sure how many of you watch footy classified but the last few weeks Grant Thomas keeps harping on about how he cant understand how the Eagles are going so well, this season and last.

He keeps saying "it defies logic that their players play better than they are" almost implying we are doing something dodgy.

Now could be sour grapes from when he coached the Saints and we dominated those middle years of the 2000's and made two grand finals and won a flag and the saints kept choking, but he obviously has some gripe with the Eagles and thinks we are all on the gear again (not that any of our boys were on it during game time that's another argument for another day)

I mean when you look at our team we have AA full back, 2 of the best young KPD's in Schoey and Emac, waters and Hurn down there too.

Best ruck combination going around, a runner up brownlow medalist in Kerr in the middle, the number one clearance player from last season in Priddis, Number one tackler from last year in Scooter who has only got better this year. Norm smith medalist on the wing, when not injured, one of the most potent forward lines in the game!

I just cant understand what he is on about.

Sorry for the novel but just thought I'd see what you guys reckon.

Cheers.

 

[lusheslewis]

I can see why someone just looking at the team list might think that, we are lacking in outright superstars like Ablett, Judd, Franklin etc... but we make up for it with good depth, a solid gameplan and no real weaknesses.

 

[MIKE85]

Still got a few AA players, premiership players etc, just typical Victorian commentator that hates to see the eagles do well!

 

[oak79]

I can see why someone just looking at the team list might think that, we are lacking in outright superstars like Ablett, Judd, Franklin etc... but we make up for it with good depth, a solid gameplan and no real weaknesses.

Disagree - on paper we DO look good. We have arguably the best forward line atm (the tallest anyway ), the best ruck duo, supported by a decent midfield - plus we've always had a good back line. We have one of the most balanced strong teams at the moment.

The superstar comment is right though - we dont have a Ablett, Judd, Franklin - at least as far as the media is concerned.

A couple of years ago Thomas, Walls and a few others said we had no future, and that they didn't rate our kids compared to Freo - this included players like NicNat, Scooter and Shuey. Basically some people don't like the Eagles, so never actually took the time to see what we really had.

I'm happy to be underrated... all the way to a Flag!

 

[SumRandom]

Sounds like he is underrating the quality we have.

Grant Thomas seems to run himself into trouble with saying silly things, thats why he is not as well respected as others in the media.

Gerard Healy >>>>> Grant Thomas

 

[pantskyle]

Who the **** is Grant Thomas?

 

[MIKE85]

I have no problem with being under rated, its just the way he keeps saying it as though we are somehow cheating, and none of the other panelists say anything, like they all agree too. If he made those comments about say collingwood garry and hutchy would be all over it.

 

[sTeeL]

I dont think he has a problem with the Eagles. I think its just general ignorance. We may not have outright superstars but consider this. Most players you would consider a superstar are determined by a high level of skill level, then the media latch onto this and create a frenzy. We get less coverage of our players over there so not a lot of people see our players week in and week out. Therefore, we are perceived to have no real superstar players. For instance, the best example I can think of is Hurn. Should have been AA last year. Is pinpoint with his ball movement and critical to our success. This man should be considered by many a star yet I doubt many outside WC supporters think of him as anything other than a long kickout.

Honestly, Thomas would be lucky to have seen a single game of ours. Our gameplan relies on the fact that we have no weaknesses and a bloody good bunch of marking forwards. Who cares. Lets keep them thinking we are weak.

 

[SHURN]

It is only because we have no 'sexy' midfielders or 'electrifying' forwards.
Our backline is superb, our midfield very good without being intimidating and our forward line potent when the ball is in the air. Worsfold is a very good motivator and has his charges playing disciplined, tough football with an emphasis on pressure.
Grant Thomas has always had a gripe with Ruckmen. The fact that we possess 2 ruckmen of superstar status/potential is not going to impress him.
I also believe he attributes our 'rise' to veterans reclaiming form (Embley, Cox, Glass, Kerr) and fails to acknowledge the development of our more recent draftees.
He strikes me as one of the most stubborn men in football. Instead of shifting his perspective on what makes up a good team, he insinuates that we will get found out and have been lucky for the last two seasons. I suspect he is not a very good listener and is perhaps too 'proud'.
He also must have some sort of personal vendetta against Worsfold.
'Back to the pharmacy Woosh' - his words in the middle of 2010.
Very patronising to a premiership coach.
If I was an AFL player with Thomas as coach, I cannot imagine 'playing for him'.

 

[sTeeL]

I also believe he attributes our 'rise' to veterans reclaiming form (Embley, Cox, Glass, Kerr) and fails to acknowledge the development of our more recent draftee

This is the biggest thing I have disliked about the media last year and it continues on. I honestly dont think our success has had anything to do with Embleys form. Not that Cox, Kerr, and Glass havent been great.

As in my previous post, our success is due to our gameplan and allround workrate of the whole team.

 

[Galileo9]

I saw what he said and my reaction was that he was complementary to our club. Let's not get too paranoid people.

 

[SumRandom]

I hope he is not implying there is some kind of cheating, how ridiculous.

When Collingwood started to dominate a few years back, I always saw them as as a team with no real stars but just play good allround footy with no weaknesses like we are now. Pendelbery, Swan etc were not superstars when they started but now have become some of the biggest players in the game.

I think we are in a simular bracket were players like shuey & scooter are not brownlow material yet but will be in 1 or 2 years.

 

[SumRandom]

This is the biggest thing I have disliked about the media last year and it continues on. I honestly dont think our success has had anything to do with Embleys form. Not that Cox, Kerr, and Glass havent been great.

As in my previous post, our success is due to our gameplan and allround workrate of the whole team.

Totally have to agree with you.

Our younger player are developing well which means less pressure is on our senior guys which makes them play better too.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

Maybe he isnt actually a a good eye for talent then is he?

Im sure our structures, depth and lack of superstar ego will take us a long long way this year

 

[SumRandom]

I cant wait until Nic Nat wins the Norm Smith medal and shuts up all the vic haters.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

At the same time though i was also disgusted with this comment. He wouldnt even watch an eagles game. The sooner the media is out with all the people born before 1990 (pre AFL) the better. Not to mention the only time a non-victorian club really gets any credit on that show is when they have done something superbly well or superbly bad. Though Lloyd was a great addition and the show was much better minus one d i c k head maybe we can get rid of the other 3?

 

[paran]

How these guys still have jobs in media is ridiculous. Do some f'n work - how can you have no idea why the top team in the comp is the top team in the comp?? National game my ar$3

 

[East coast eagle]

The answer to this is simple Grant Thomas is an idiot...
All last season i noticed this, and every week he had to eat his words..
And every week agian he would say we will fall over this week because were no good.. Then sure enough its word eating time again..
he obviously is that arrogant with his vic bias that he wont even watch one of our games to realise how wrong he is.. I have no other answer than this..
For a whole year i watched him arrogantly tell everyone that its only a matter of time untill we are undone..
He clearly has a chip on his shoulder, i live in Melbourne and all my vic team supporting mates didnt beleive me about how stupid this guy is, after showing them time after time the ridiculous things he was saying they now beleive , and now realise how little this guy really knows..
Then you have Mark Mclure, he is exactly the same.. All last year and this year he has gone out of his way to say we are no good.. This is clearly because he just doesnt like us.. And he is a Carlton tool, which doesnt help. Continually telling everyone that we will fall over soon and Carlton are a far better outfit.. WTF
Im glad im not the only one who thought this, it really pisses me off. And the more of an outcry from us we give, the more they will have to get him to shut their mouths and call it as they see it with out there own agenda's clearly clouding their judgement..

 

[bodazoka]

Could always watch a game?

I though it was obvious, all our players to a man are more commited at the contest then any other team. That's why we beat more overtly talented teams. IMO

 

[Genesis67]

Then you have Mark Mclure, he is exactly the same.. All last year and this year he has gone out of his way to say we are no good.. This is clearly because he just doesnt like us.. And he is a Carlton tool, which doesnt help. Continually telling everyone that we will fall over soon and Carlton are a far better outfit.. WTF

Don't know if I agree with that. While being pro-Carlton, I found him to generally be fairly sympathetic to us, particularly how went about the game defensively.

I haven't seen a lot of AFL 360 this season, so I can't comment about this year.

 

[Scotland]

The sooner the media is out with all the people born before 1990 (pre AFL) the better.

Yes, the football media will be fantastic when it consists entirely of DT-obsessed Gen Ys statistically "proving" that Scott Thompson and Jack Redden are the best players in the AFL on a weekly basis...

 

[Mordecai]

I found the comment strange as well. I don't think he was implying you guys are cheating he was just flabbergasted at your rise. It really has been amazing to watch. To me it looks like your senior players have stepped as the youngsters have developed/come in to the side. You're very consistent across every line.

 

[Eagle87]

At the same time though i was also disgusted with this comment. He wouldnt even watch an eagles game. The sooner the media is out with all the people born before 1990 (pre AFL) the better. Not to mention the only time a non-victorian club really gets any credit on that show is when they have done something superbly well or superbly bad. Though Lloyd was a great addition and the show was much better minus one d i c k head maybe we can get rid of the other 3?

I trust this post is deeply ironic...

Otherwise you'd be genuinely arguing that "the world" (AFL world at least) would be better off if it was run by a bunch of confused, well meaning but ultimately shallow and clueless kids under the age of 22....

As I said, assume its deeply ironic ...


On topic proper, this sort of "how are they doing it post" comes up everytime a young team makes a run up the ladder... Especially one away from the eye of the majority of the media. There was a time when the Eagles had a group of unknown kids who seemed to be overachieving on the back of great coaching by a Victorian. 5 or 6 years later the kids like Jakovich, McKenna, Worsfold, Matera, Worsfold, Heady etc etc had a different profile and we had morphed into "unfairly advantaged by the draft concessions and gifted a state team"...

In a few years the current group will possibly be viewed as "ridiculous that a club that won a flag in 2006 got so many high draft picks between 2007 and 2010 and were gifted 8 to 10 stars"....

Of course people born after 1990 may not remember that earlier teams rise

 

[Marlin01]

I think Thomas has a point. I don't think we have an overly talented list. What we do have is a group of players who have been playing together for a few years now, with continuity in coaching and development. It's amazing what happens when a club's board has patience and its coaches send a consistent message.

 

[SumRandom]

Maybe we can turn this thread into something positive?

Who is your favorite AFL Media Person?

I have a few:

Gerard Healey
Dennis Commetti
Leigh Mathhews
Mick Malthouse
Cameron Ling
Brian Taylor