Is our future bright?

[Mattdougie]

Hrovat will be a 200 gamer. Easily. Wallis too. This post will be bump worthy in 10 years.

Then we have 8 years of not making finals ahead

 

[immortalmike]

Hrovat will be a 200 gamer. Easily. Wallis too. This post will be bump worthy in 10 years.

You forgot to add "And that's an order!" Sarge.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Hey, you never know. North have made the finals twice with Bastinac in their best 22.

 

[immortalmike]

Hey, you never know. North have made the finals twice with Bastinac in their best 22.

Hell Hrovat is already better than half of Collingwood's 2003 list. Seriously go look up that coach's nightmare.

 

[Gigantor]

You've got good young kids.

Everyone has good young kids.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Hell Hrovat is already better than half of Collingwood's 2003 list. Seriously go look up that coach's nightmare.

I'm sure he'll manage to register a stat in a Grand Final (given the opportunity), at the very least!

You've got good young kids.

Everyone has good young kids.

The difference in this case being that our good young kids aren't flight risks.

 

[Gigantor]

I'm sure he'll manage to register a stat in a Grand Final (given the opportunity), at the very least!

The difference in this case being that our good young kids aren't flight risks.

Maybe.

We do have some flight risks (although the majority have been pinned down now, and a bit of impending finals action acts like a pretty good sweetener).

The evidence over the last few years is that the poorer clubs have the most trouble of all in holding onto players.

 

[immortalmike]

You've got good young kids.

Everyone has good young kids.

Carlton don't.

 

[immortalmike]

Maybe.

We do have some flight risks (although the majority have been pinned down now, and a bit of impending finals action acts like a pretty good sweetener).

The evidence over the last few years is that the poorer clubs have the most trouble of all in holding onto players.

Except North haven't lost anyone they didn't let go of. You want to know why?
Because they are making finals.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Maybe.

We do have some flight risks (although the majority have been pinned down now, and a bit of impending finals action acts like a pretty good sweetener).

The evidence over the last few years is that the poorer clubs have the most trouble of all in holding onto players.

That's true. Other than Shiel, the kids seem happy enough in Sydney from an external perspective, and finals could be closer than many think.

The danger is that Victorian (for the most part) clubs will give them plenty of opportunities to set themselves up financially, and there are so many potential factors to their decision - was Boyd spooked by Patton's injury, for example?

Dahlhaus aside, I'm not concerned in the least about young players looking elsewhere. They've all signed contract extensions well before the expiry of their existing contracts, most are Victorians, and they're all happy at the club - most importantly (and perhaps an indictment on previous drafting/development) is that many are already in the best 22 and pushing for positions of leadership.

Who knows, though. I never thought Callan Ward would leave, until he raised the white flag in his last 5 or 6 games for us.

 

[Gigantor]

That's true. Other than Shiel, the kids seem happy enough in Sydney from an external perspective, and finals could be closer than many think.

The danger is that Victorian (for the most part) clubs will give them plenty of opportunities to set themselves up financially, and there are so many potential factors to their decision - was Boyd spooked by Patton's injury, for example?

Dahlhaus aside, I'm not concerned in the least about young players looking elsewhere. They've all signed contract extensions well before the expiry of their existing contracts, most are Victorians, and they're all happy at the club - most importantly (and perhaps an indictment on previous drafting/development) is that many are already in the best 22 and pushing for positions of leadership.

Who knows, though. I never thought Callan Ward would leave, until he raised the white flag in his last 5 or 6 games for us.

Cal Ward has been huge for us. I mean he was only a couple of years older than most of the list in our first year. I shudder to think what we would have been like those first couple of seasons without him. I reckon he will want to return to the doggies in his twilight years, and I wouldn't begrudge him that at all.

 

[immortalmike]

Cal Ward has been huge for us. I mean he was only a couple of years older than most of the list in our first year. I shudder to think what we would have been like those first couple of seasons without him. I reckon he will want to return to the doggies in his twilight years, and I wouldn't begrudge him that at all.

I would. You can keep him.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Cal Ward has been huge for us. I mean he was only a couple of years older than most of the list in our first year. I shudder to think what we would have been like those first couple of seasons without him. I reckon he will want to return to the doggies in his twilight years, and I wouldn't begrudge him that at all.

Yeah, no doubt. The guy was already doing good things in RW&B, it was an unbelievable gift to get him when you did.

He won't come back. He might've if we'd held onto Griffen, Cooney and Higgins, but he wouldn't have too many friends at the Kennel anymore.

 

[Mattdougie]

Cal Ward has been huge for us. I mean he was only a couple of years older than most of the list in our first year. I shudder to think what we would have been like those first couple of seasons without him. I reckon he will want to return to the doggies in his twilight years, and I wouldn't begrudge him that at all.

I'd take him back in a heart beat

Great player, Great bloke

He left for an offer no one could refuse, much like a bloke called Tom Boyd did this year so we can't have it both ways

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

For what it's worth, the Ward discussion could heat up if they go ahead with the proposed free agency changes.

The idea is that players that have served 4 years at their current club will become restricted free agents, but only if they've been in the system for 8 years. Funnily enough, this coincides with the expiration of Ward's contract at the end of 2016

I'm still steadfast in believing that he won't come back (GWS captain, lure of success, has been joined by mates in Griffen & Cameron etc), but it'd make for a very interesting year if they were to introduce that rule, regardless.

 

[Proffessor]

Our future is not about how many A graders or B graders, or even C graders we have on our list. It's not about KPDs or KPFs either

It's about making smart choices at the trade draft and selection tables, and it's about providing good coaching direction, and coming up with game strategies that make the most of the playing talent that we have.
It's about doing things smart day after day, week after week.

Over the past three years we have made a series of horrible decisions week after week, that have left us at the bottom end of the ladder. Fortunately we eventually made the important decision to part ways with McCartney who as senior coach was ultimately the man responsible for most of the bad decision making. We then made another good call to give the captaincy to Bob Murphy.

It's a long way back up the ladder but every great journey starts with a single step.

We may stagger a few times but we need to focus on taking small steps forward rather than looking for quick fix shortcuts.

The ironic thing is that once you start making regular smart decisions, is that it can have an avalanche effect and things can turn around very quickly anyway.

 

[Bazza Bulldog]

Fortunately we eventually made the important decision to part ways with McCartney who as senior coach was ultimately the man responsible for most of the bad decision making. We then made another good call to give the captaincy to Bob Murphy.

Two points -
1. Why do you persist in wanting to bring up your first sentence above in every thread? This thread is about our 'future'
2. I like the positive comment in the second sentence.

 

[Ozimandas]

That's true. Other than Shiel, the kids seem happy enough in Sydney from an external perspective, and finals could be closer than many think.

The danger is that Victorian (for the most part) clubs will give them plenty of opportunities to set themselves up financially, and there are so many potential factors to their decision - was Boyd spooked by Patton's injury, for example?

Dahlhaus aside, I'm not concerned in the least about young players looking elsewhere. They've all signed contract extensions well before the expiry of their existing contracts, most are Victorians, and they're all happy at the club - most importantly (and perhaps an indictment on previous drafting/development) is that many are already in the best 22 and pushing for positions of leadership.

Who knows, though. I never thought Callan Ward would leave, until he raised the white flag in his last 5 or 6 games for us.

Did anyone ever in our wildest dreams think Griffen would go?

We have always been easily picked off by other clubs.

 

[ducksonthepond]

I remember us winning games this season due to efforts of Jones and Tutt. We will finish Bottom 3 for next few years. Then if we are capable of holding onto our players we can start to go up.

HOWEVER we lost our best player and Captain and the administration were blind-sided. We are seriously fooked.

I remember too! but we have replaced them with Tom Boyd and Caleb Daniel, both talented players, get down to training in the new year and have a look at them.

 

[Proffessor]

Two points -
1. Why do you persist in wanting to bring up your first sentence above in every thread? This thread is about our 'future'
2. I like the positive comment in the second sentence.

To understand where you are heading you need to know where you are, and understanding how you got there can be pretty useful too.
We need to ensure that we don't make the same mistakes again.

I think too many posters, particularly those that supported our recent coach, fail to recognise the core reasons for our current predicament, which did not primarily result from the post 2014 season defections (they were effects not the cause) but from the direction the club embarked on way back in 2012.
The head charlatan may be gone but we haven't fully recovered from our psychosis just yet.

 

[paul scholes]

That's just nonsense ^^
The club come of reeling from losing a future capt ( ward ) and a key running Backman ( Harbrow )
Losses that can't be put at the feet of McCartney. McCartney's " cracking in" mantra has merit because that's what wins big finals.
Our issues can be attributed for numerous 1st round recruiting flops of Clayton and Darymple in year 1.
Yes McCartney is a development coach, and yes his communication issues with to many on the list meant he had to go. For me also he leant to heavily on the inside type players, but let's not put every issue the clubs had since 2012 at his feet.
I'll be interested and not surprised if the panic and hysteria card is played if we don't improve rapidly and I'll feel for Luke Beveridge.
No doubt the faceless social media keyboard warriors will be out in force

 

[Bazza Bulldog]

To understand where you are heading you need to know where you are, and understanding how you got there can be pretty useful too.
We need to ensure that we don't make the same mistakes again.

I think too many posters, particularly those that supported our recent coach, fail to recognise the core reasons for our current predicament, which did not primarily result from the post 2014 season defections (they were effects not the cause) but from the direction the club embarked on way back in 2012.
The head charlatan may be gone but we haven't fully recovered from our psychosis just yet.

I apologise (to the board) for giving you another opportunity to cover the same ground. It's well beyond whether I agree or disagree or somewhere in between. It's DONE. Move on!

 

[Proffessor]

I know that some still don't get it and probably never will, but the core problem was the 'rebuild' direction and mentality that permeated throughout the club. It was compounded by poor day to day decision making and the belief that there is a 'right' way to do things that also happens to be the only way to be successful.

Our club wasn't 'reeling' from the losses of Ward or Harbrow (who had already gone a year earlier with minimal impact), and we should have taken their losses in our stride. We self-destructed because we gave up trying 'today' to focus on a distant 'tomorrow'.

Although we are now in a position list wise, where we are so young that we still have a 'not yet' flavour to our club, the message that 'you don't get very long before you need to achieve results' has been reinforced by recent events.

Seeing the club start to react to that message is why the future is already brighter.

 

[Mutt]

I know that some still don't get it and probably never will, but the core problem was the 'rebuild' direction and mentality that permeated throughout the club. It was compounded by poor day to day decision making and the belief that there is a 'right' way to do things that also happens to be the only way to be successful.

Our club wasn't 'reeling' from the losses of Ward or Harbrow (who had already gone a year earlier with minimal impact), and we should have taken their losses in our stride. We self-destructed because we gave up trying 'today' to focus on a distant 'tomorrow'.

Although we are now in a position list wise, where we are so young that we still have a 'not yet' flavour to our club, the message that 'you don't get very long before you need to achieve results' has been reinforced by recent events.

Seeing the club start to react to that message is why the future is already brighter.

What a load of shit.

 

[Bazza Bulldog]

I know that some still don't get it and probably never will

Some people don't get that we get it and don't need to hear it anymore.