It all starts at the top

[samuraisaint]

Have had a bit of time to get over the disappointment of last night's third quarter, and have had time to think about the problems we have.
The club did the wrong thing in building expectations of making the finals when three of our very best players came off the list. Our best forward, and one of the all-time club greats, a fantastic midfielder with leadership capacity in spades, and our best defensive intercept marking player. To think that this wasn't going to impact on a young team, who lack elite talent was just completely disingenuous, and the comments about us playing finals and being good enough to win the Flag this year were ill-conceived.
That's the first issue.
The second issue is that although over the past two seasons, while we had certainly improved, we still had some of the old brigade winning games for us at the expense of playing the younger draftees. I believe that this, along with a soft fixture in 2016 as much as anything artificially boosted our improved win-loss ratio. Decisions made by the board based on that improvement, I believe, are not at the moment bearing fruit. They still might. I don't know. Nobody does.
The third issue is that our younger players are not developing as we thought we would. A lot of our players have massive question marks over them and I reckon this is due to the development program at the club. It is not due to lack of talent, but natural talent only takes you so far. I don't know what we are doing wrong, although I think that having our own reserves team would help, but it's very expensive and we probably can't afford it at present.
We are still competing, and fighting games out, but only once they are irretrievable. However, we are going to be sorely tested in the next three games. If the hidings are going to come they will come in the next three weeks. These games, against Richmond at the MCG, West Coast in Perth, and the Sydney Swans, are all games we are highly unlikely to win. At worst, we must fight out all three of these games and play guys from the reserves who deserve it, and who will help the structure of the team, in a bid to win our second game of the year, which will most likely be against Gold Coast up on the Gold Coast. That game we must win. No excuses, zero tolerance. Must win.
My fourth issue is a question about Austin Logan who we recruited from Port Adelaide: Why is he not playing if we gave up our second round pick for him? We seem to have a bunch of guys who we have not seen much of. Goddard is another obvious one.
I would like the president to come out publicly and address some of the issues we are having onfield at present, and think that a revised strategy for the club moving forward needs to be articulated, because this year is a write of if all of the players just start playing for themselves out of a survival instinct.

[To the top]

Correct

It starts from the top

So the competency of the Board both in regards the ability to identify and attract a football department and in regards the financial operation of the Club

And then monitor progress to expectations set

I agree that the impact of the retirement of key players has been detrimental because those retirements have seen our batch of recent high Draft Picks now needing to develop minus the cover of those Champion players who have now retired - so they are the opposition focus players when playing St Kilda and they have only played at most 60 odd games and most far less than that

The failure to attract Free Agency players has also impacted - and I repeat that of those ee have recruited from other Clubs only Carlisle and Freeman were subject of offers for them to remain at their existing Clubs

"Rebuilds" take near a generation - look at Melbourne and Carlton

We last played in a Grand Final in 2010 - and who is now left?

So that is the start point

Plus we have had injuries which have impacted on development

The Draw in 2018 has and is not doing us favours

And it does not over the next few weeks including also more Interstate trips

Richmond have shown how difficult it is to win in Perth

Geelong are an entirely different side at Kardinia Park

That said, excuses are not acceptable because you look to put a side in the Park to win every week - and in any competition that is the measuring stick by which you are judged

However the reality is that in 3 years time we would look for Mc Cartin to be a leading forward in the competition, Billings to be an elite goal scoring flanker, Clark and Coffield to be rebounding defenders, Dunstan and Acres to be competition best mid fielders, Gresham to be an elite small forward, that hopefully White comes on, that the high Draft Picks we get this year and over the next 1/2 years are elite prospects fitting into the structure the afornamed affords them to develop at the cream on the cake

That Carlisle and Freeman deliver on why we sought and obtained them

Then we will again have a structure to builds on

So patience is required as we look at individual performances to witness the signs that development is in progress

Then we are in the Free Market game because we will have the blocks to build on and we will. able to sell that

There is a core of players we are giving games to at present because we have to - not because we want to

In regards Austin, my info from inside PA was that he has the abiiity but is physically where he needs to be with a need to add to his frame - so a future prospect worth the investment

So, as with our List, a work in progress

These times come to all Clubs

[To the top]

Not only to AFL Clubs mind you

Over the last week I have watched Travis Head put together a second innings 60 in a losing cause (Siddle took 5/40 to roll Worcs) then make 30 yesterday in a winning One Day side again at Worcs - and I view that he is one of the batsmen Australia require to become competitive again

60's and 30's don't cut it - but the signs are there

He has the class.

[Teflon]

Correct

It starts from the top

So the competency of the Board both in regards the ability to identify and attract a football department and in regards the financial operation of the Club

And then monitor progress to expectations set

I agree that the impact of the retirement of key players has been detrimental because those retirements have seen our batch of recent high Draft Picks now needing to develop minus the cover of those Champion players who have now retired - so they are the opposition focus players when playing St Kilda and they have only played at most 60 odd games and most far less than that

The failure to attract Free Agency players has also impacted - and I repeat that of those ee have recruited from other Clubs only Carlisle and Freeman were subject of offers for them to remain at their existing Clubs

"Rebuilds" take near a generation - look at Melbourne and Carlton

We last played in a Grand Final in 2010 - and who is now left?

So that is the start point

Plus we have had injuries which have impacted on development

The Draw in 2018 has and is not doing us favours

And it does not over the next few weeks including also more Interstate trips

Richmond have shown how difficult it is to win in Perth

Geelong are an entirely different side at Kardinia Park

That said, excuses are not acceptable because you look to put a side in the Park to win every week - and in any competition that is the measuring stick by which you are judged

However the reality is that in 3 years time we would look for Mc Cartin to be a leading forward in the competition, Billings to be an elite goal scoring flanker, Clark and Coffield to be rebounding defenders, Dunstan and Acres to be competition best mid fielders, Gresham to be an elite small forward, that hopefully White comes on, that the high Draft Picks we get this year and over the next 1/2 years are elite prospects fitting into the structure the afornamed affords them to develop at the cream on the cake

That Carlisle and Freeman deliver on why we sought and obtained them

Then we will again have a structure to builds on

So patience is required as we look at individual performances to witness the signs that development is in progress

Then we are in the Free Market game because we will have the blocks to build on and we will. able to sell that

There is a core of players we are giving games to at present because we have to - not because we want to

In regards Austin, my info from inside PA was that he has the abiiity but is physically where he needs to be with a need to add to his frame - so a future prospect worth the investment

So, as with our List, a work in progress

These times come to all Clubs

Good post
These times do come to all clubs - the difference between us and great clubs; like Hawks etc, is we grossly over estimate the capability of the list and then this dumb BOard comes out selling this BS notion to mers that we are “top 4” bound
Seriously, people are laughing at this pure incompetence and the they extend a coach whose done nothing and was chased by no one
It’s obvious SUmmers Finnis et al have brought into the Richardson positivity spin and the recruitment dept is amateur at best
Full independent review required major clean out required