Yep. The last top ten pick we had we traded for Prestia.
Edit: I want Ross in too, so maybe Garth has a rest??
Hunger. Hard to go back to the well when you’ve already been there.
The same reason so many 2nd year players struggle to get 1st season form, hunger is a massive motivator.
My perspective on season 2019...
Let me just get the expletives out of the way first:
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******* BULLSHIT ******* SON OF A campaigner MOTHER****** I HATE OUR ******* GODDAMN LUCK SOMETIMES!!! WE ARE ******* CURSED AND IT IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT HOW MUCH ******* SHIT WE HAVE COPPED IN ONLY THREE ******* GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCREW THE campaignerS WHO WISHED INJURIES ON US THEY CAN JUST GO AND GET FUUUUCCCCKKKEEEDDDD!!!!
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Okay now that I got that out of my system, yes, I feel like we are desperately unlucky at the moment and there are no expletives strong enough nor deep enough to express how I feel about that. Our end to last year after being 18-4, with Astbury and Dusty crook for the Prelim, was quite cruel. We then go and splash big coin on Tom Lynch and cue the whole team getting injured and/or suspended. It's just savage, absolutely savage luck, considering this is our window, whilst the Rances, Riewoldts, Houlis, Griggs, Edwards and even Cotchins are around and in/still near their prime. But, it hasn't worked out our way. Not this year anyway.
So, can we take it as a blessing in disguise? Perhaps we can.
Had this not happened, we probably would have coasted along, finished with 15-18 wins, but still not really evolved nor found any new players, which we do need for the future but also to improve a little even now.
Now we are forced to play nearly all of Garthwaite, Stack, Naish, Balta, Ross, Collier-Dawkins, Bolton, and Baker, and perhaps even Townsend will get his chance again.
With more forced games into these players, we will only improve and thus hopefully even prolong our window.
Let's all be honest, our midfield is the main weakness, so we can only be better off for getting early forced games into Ross, RCD and Bolton.
Imagine how strong we are going to be Round 1, 2020, with our full side back, Rance back with at least 2 more years to go, and a solid midfield with a couple of new, quality faces added in.
And that's not to say I'm even writing off 2019, because I'm not. We can still be a top 8 and maybe even a top 4 side. But my thoughts are that this is a speedbump year that, whilst horribly and savagely unlucky given the timing of having only just gotten Lynch into the side, will make us much, much stronger leading into 2020.
Carn the Tiges
Other thing about 2nd year players is that opposition clubs put more time into them and often play better players on them than they’d attract than when they’re in their first year.
SS looked a natural in his position. (More than I can say about Balta cos he is getting thrown from one end to the other.) I would leave him at HBF. Houli & Grimes IN adds some experience to the back half. I'd prefer Markov out of the back half. Give Markov 1 more game. Ports fwd line is small. Ryder, Ebert 189 and 4 smalls. So maybe not a good week to have Garth IN.
think about his autobiography...Shane can ghost write it
with Ross you now have 6 OUTs and 6 INs.
Contracts are reward for good years leading up to it. Dusty's 16 & 17 were great so he is effectively back paid for that to some degree. Dogs paid for their flag with big coin to Boyd, we did it with big coin to Martin. $6mill for a flag? Whatever it takes
Yep.
are you taking a shit in your avatar ?
