When can we contend again?

[wayToGo_]

This year we get to really see whether all our own hype about how exciting our young up-and-comers is justified or not:

• I look at Weller, who is a guy who I thought was over hyped by our supporters last year, but in a few short rounds he has stepped up leaps and bounds,. I can't see any reason why he won't keep developing and become a gun.
• Alex Pearce, thrown in the deep end last year, and like most young KPPs didn't exactly light the place on fire but showed signs. This year, looking like he could well become a future elite KPP, and sure it will take some time but he will be playing in our AFL team from now onward so will get every opportunity to keep developing at the highest level.
• Crozier and Grey will have ample opportunities to show what they have to offer - in just a week we've seen a few things and enough to get excited about them.
• Hughes, Blakely and Langdon haven't really had their shot yet but they will very soon. What's promising is all three have been incredibly consistent in the WAFL, and imo that's exactly actually the types of players we need them to be given their positions. They probably aren't going have enormous x-factor but they are going to play their part week in, week out and commit to developing. I don't see any reason yet why all three can't succeed as long term AFL players.
• And then we have our latest draftees... Tucker and Balic, who both well could have been top 10 picks last draft and we got for a bargain. Tucker is all class and whose decision making and kicking will be invaluable from half back through the wing, and Balic, who should overcome his injury later this year, is that athletic aerialist we kind of need to take some pressure of Fyfe having to play every position.
• Meanwhile Collins has been one of our best performers at Peel, and although he may not have the natural gifts other KPDs have his attitude is top class, and you can just tell this guy has the discipline to do whatever it takes to make it.
• Apeness, the only first round draft pick we have used on a KPP in recent times is finally overcoming his injury. I have absolutely no idea if he'll make it or not but heck any guy that's stuck it out getting over an injury for a couple of years gets my full support to at least be given a crack at it for the next couple of years at least.
• I don't think any of us really saw Tanner Smith making it before the year started but his move to the forward line has shone a new light on him. It will take some time but even if he just becomes a fringe KPF that's pretty valuable for us at the moment.
• He's still got a long journey ahead but Uebergang seems an ideal project KPP for us. He's got some great raw attributes and even if he doesn't make it, it's going to be great watching him develop at Peel this year.

I don't think we need to be delusional thinking that we have the best young talent in the league because we don't but almost all of these guys have showed something already and most have far more chance of making it than not. Combine these with our (relatively) young superstars Fyfe, Bennell, Walters, Hill, Neale plus potentially Morabito and Sheridan. Plus our elite Mundy and Sandi might be around for a couple more years yet. And I wouldn't completely write off all our other players yet either. Is our future list really that bleak? I don't think we'll get a true sense until later in the year when some of our stars are back and our youngsters are settled in playing AFL instead of WAFL. I think the development of our youngsters will be a key indication of how soon we'll contend again.

 

[free tara brown]

Yeah but as it was 9 years ago we didn't need to.
We needed the midfield in fill. Which we got with Hill, Suban, Clarke, Morabito and Fyfe to go with Palmer...the Palmer who won the rising star not the one who blew his knee and slowed down.
It should have been done at the 2010/11 drafts

Yeah but by definition it was a mini rebuild. We still had the structure in place such that we could dip for a couple of years and contend.

The full rebuild we are about to embark on may look very much like 1998-2001 in terms of win-loss.

 

[Yato]

This year we get to really see whether all our own hype about how exciting our young up-and-comers is justified or not:

• I look at Weller, who is a guy who I thought was over hyped by our supporters last year, but in a few short rounds he has stepped up leaps and bounds,. I can't see any reason why he won't keep developing and become a gun.
• Alex Pearce, thrown in the deep end last year, and like most young KPPs didn't exactly light the place on fire but showed signs. This year, looking like he could well become a future elite KPP, and sure it will take some time but he will be playing in our AFL team from now onward so will get every opportunity to keep developing at the highest level.
• Crozier and Grey will have ample opportunities to show what they have to offer - in just a week we've seen a few things and enough to get excited about them.
• Hughes, Blakely and Langdon haven't really had their shot yet but they will very soon. What's promising is all three have been incredibly consistent in the WAFL, and imo that's exactly actually the types of players we need them to be given their positions. They probably aren't going have enormous x-factor but they are going to play their part week in, week out and commit to developing. I don't see any reason yet why all three can't succeed as long term AFL players.
• And then we have our latest draftees... Tucker and Balic, who both well could have been top 10 picks last draft and we got for a bargain. Tucker is all class and whose decision making and kicking will be invaluable from half back through the wing, and Balic, who should overcome his injury later this year, is that athletic aerialist we kind of need to take some pressure of Fyfe having to play every position.
• Meanwhile Collins has been one of our best performers at Peel, and although he may not have the natural gifts other KPDs have his attitude is top class, and you can just tell this guy has the discipline to do whatever it takes to make it.
• Apeness, the only first round draft pick we have used on a KPP in recent times is finally overcoming his injury. I have absolutely no idea if he'll make it or not but heck any guy that's stuck it out getting over an injury for a couple of years gets my full support to at least be given a crack at it for the next couple of years at least.
• I don't think any of us really saw Tanner Smith making it before the year started but his move to the forward line has shone a new light on him. It will take some time but even if he just becomes a fringe KPF that's pretty valuable for us at the moment.
• He's still got a long journey ahead but Uebergang seems an ideal project KPP for us. He's got some great raw attributes and even if he doesn't make it, it's going to be great watching him develop at Peel this year.

I don't think we need to be delusional thinking that we have the best young talent in the league because we don't but almost all of these guys have showed something already and most have far more chance of making it than not. Combine these with our (relatively) young superstars Fyfe, Bennell, Walters, Hill, Neale plus potentially Morabito and Sheridan. Plus our elite Mundy and Sandi might be around for a couple more years yet. And I wouldn't completely write off all our other players yet either. Is our future list really that bleak? I don't think we'll get a true sense until later in the year when some of our stars are back and our youngsters are settled in playing AFL instead of WAFL. I think the development of our youngsters will be a key indication of how soon we'll contend again.

Agree totally - plus the players we will hopefully pick up through draft and trading at the end of this year!

 

[Righteo]

Keep content relevant to the thread topic thanks.