Offer Newnes a three year extension

[prwilkinson]

He’ll be off the list or surely squeezed out of the 22 in 2020.

[samuraisaint]

I see the past whipping boy on here, Hickey, is playing first ruck against Richmond today.
It's about developing the players - this hasn't been happening at St Kilda for a very long time.

[skeptic]

This is the legacy of the Weller strategy ...

Take a player that was decent over a patch of time ala Weller 2016

Play them unconditionally the following season no matter how badly they play to the agitation of every supporter watching the game

Then drop them for a small period of time and then bring straight back in despite them not really earning a recall

Be sure to have them supersede numerous players at Sandy that have consistently been performing better

There you have it... the perfect recipe for both destroying a player’s credibility, making the fans hate them unconditionally and also absolutely shattering said players confidence

[Ghost Like]

He would be a valuable asset for Sandy next year

Life Saving Club?

[Ghost Like]

This is the legacy of the Weller strategy ...

Take a player that was decent over a patch of time ala Weller 2016

Play them unconditionally the following season no matter how badly they play to the agitation of every supporter watching the game

Then drop them for a small period of time and then bring straight back in despite them not really earning a recall

Be sure to have them supersede numerous players at Sandy that have consistently been performing better

There you have it... the perfect recipe for both destroying a player’s credibility, making the fans hate them unconditionally and also absolutely shattering said players confidence

& trust, confidence of every player overlooked. Would be hard to sell commitment, effort, recognition, transparency, honesty, reward for effort when selection anomalies like that appear ingrained.

[skeptic]

This is the legacy of the Weller strategy ...

Take a player that was decent over a patch of time ala Weller 2016

Play them unconditionally the following season no matter how badly they play to the agitation of every supporter watching the game

Then drop them for a small period of time and then bring straight back in despite them not really earning a recall

Be sure to have them supersede numerous players at Sandy that have consistently been performing better

There you have it... the perfect recipe for both destroying a player’s credibility, making the fans hate them unconditionally and also absolutely shattering said players confidence

& trust, confidence of every player overlooked. Would be hard to sell commitment, effort, recognition, transparency, honesty, reward for effort when selection anomalies like that appear ingrained.

Agreed but it's also a case of IMO it stifles player development. Granted he's had a few down weeks compared to his earlier form but being dropped and forced to correct the deficiencies in his game didn't exactly do Lonie any harm nor Dunstan.

It's not like being dropped is a death sentence for a career.

Work on x, y, and z and then come back and apply said developments to senior football. It's an essential part of development

[Linton Lodger]

Not sure what’s happened to him?.... confidence or body?

He was a solid B Grader for 3 years... now he is hopeless.

I seriously think he is playing 5kg heavy, at his best he was a hard running wing/he with most of his possessions uncontested. He was in the top 3 of the club for 3k and used that run in games.
Since then he has relied less on his running, and has become a HF with a contested, defensive focus.
I don’t think it works for him, and as such is pretty useless

I think he plays his best footy on the half back flank, seems to be consistently good when he plays there. So its a matter of playing him on the HBF or not playing him.