So losing ward and Harbrow " we should take in our stride" is just utter crap and is just plain wrong.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.
Agree about McCartney Match day wasn't great, but to put forward that losing those two and shit drafting previously, and add GWS and GC winning lotto in the draft, how could you even remotely think that wouldn't effect our club in its forward thinking? The clubs drafting and development of our young blokes has had more hits than misses since 2012.