It is tough to see the club in this situation. But let me ask you, is it negative to call a spade a f&^ing shovel?
To me, being negative is just hating on certain players, thinking the world is falling in because we have a single loss etc. Never do I equate being negative with telling the truth when its deserved.
The club is headed for a world of pain. Thats just brutal honesty. We have a board thats struggled to get the most basics of deals done to find a new headquarters. We have a board that appears to be void of leadership. We have an off field full of individuals. I think we have clear factions within the playing group developing and a disconnect between the coaches and players.
The current selection policies have dissolved all selection integrity.
Being positive is simply putting lipstick on a pig. At the end of the day its still a pig. This is what the happy clappers do.
If we had no injuries, I have no doubt we'd probably have made finals. But injuries are part of the game and they will take a toll. But the issue for me isn't so much this year, its the next two years. Tex is certain to retire. Fogarty isn't going to lead our forward line like we need him too. He isn't trying to bring Curtin into a much needed running position, probably to replace Milera who could be cooked.
The fact is that if you don't future plan as well as plan for the match in front of you you are asking for a world of hurt. Nicks threw everything he had at a finals appearance with this years best 22, throwing out all development. we could only win 50% of our games and missed out. He blatantly tried again, cycling through the best 22 he could muster each week for a shot at finals and we have only won 4 games for the year. Dowling should have played 4 weeks before now. Curtin should have played 4 or 5 full games by now. Cook, Nank should have played 6-8 weeks before they actually came in last year and then again this year.
This is the problem when you have no eye to the future. Nicks is not going to take us to be a regular top 4 contender. Its like he if going all out to hang his hat on a solitary finals appearance at the expense of anything regarding the immediate following seasons. He had 4 good years of a low injury count and its clear he took it for granted by incorporating this ridiculous golden tickets club. He has been exposed so bad right now.
Nicks is a Plan A coach. Next mature body comes in. Thats it. What we saw tonight was a coach bereft of ideas and planning.
Nicks for me is nothing more than a Robert Shaw type coach. Will go down in history as probably our worst coach. Which is quite the effort.
