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- May 14, 2017
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Many players are dropped early in their careers. Look what Nicks has done to our kids, but until your discussion I'd never considered what impact that might have on whether they'd (say, eg Curtin) get to 300 games, which has become some kind of mythical Milestone of Greatness.And you’re still going to claim that Craig’s dropping Tex early on has no impact on his career?
Tex has achieved greatness all ready; the only thing missing is a Flag, poor bugger.
Tex was a big, goofy kid back then (now he's a bigger, goofy adult lol). Maybe he didn't take training/diet/game day seriously enough? I can't imagine Craig thinking that he was gonna stop Walker from playing 300 games ie some vindictive motive.
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You mean 2008 or 2009? Tbh, I don't remember much angst about Tex's being ready/selected, or not.There's no alternate universe in which Tex wasn't ready for AFL games in year 1. Got screwed over.
Why do you reckon he got 'screwed over', please? Was Craig playing favourites, like Nicks does now?
(Digression: jeez, wouldn't we kill for Craig's W/L record, now?
With respect to you both, I think you've used some time-travel-hindsight logic re: Tex and 300 games.
Back in 2009 (Tex played 14 games), 2010 (18 games), 2011 (13 games) did either of you think
"Jeez, this [whatever happened back then] is gonna hurt his chances of playing 300 games" ...?
There are other factors too --- he did his knee in 2013, other injuries (back especially), suspensions, being rested/managed.
Without those, he'd have his 300 games now, Craig or no Craig. Btw, if Tex retires close to under 300 games, I doubt he'll be cursing Craigy for it.
(Speaking of that ACL injury, in 2012 he'd kicked 63 goals and was shaping to be a major AFL forward --- it took him 11 years to better that, 76 goals last year)
Funny thing: after he returned from his knee injury I remember people complaining about how he was slower, "turned like the Titanic" etc, yet he went on to become an excellent and highly respected Club Captain, our highest goalkicker, then polling his most Brownlow votes in his 13th (2021, 9 votes) 14th (2022, 14 votes) and 15th (2023, 18 votes) season.
Tex has become the Crows' shiraz