Well, in the end, it ended how we all knew it would, and how it so often ends against the better teams. We fall short. It happens every time under Hinkley, and it won't change. 12 years of evidence show it, this year's finals series further highlights it.
We weren't just beaten by Sydney and Geelong we were utterly belted by both of them. Two teams who are infinitely better coached than us, exposed the flaws in Hinkley's game plan in brutal fashion. I'd have this year's finals failure up there with the 2021 Preliminary final capitulation. Finishing second gave us the opportunity to take the easy path to a GF. Instead by halftime of the Geelong game we knew the ending to this movie. It was the same as it always is.
I tried during the finals to believe in the team, I really did. But deep down I knew how it would end. The club needs a change of coach and as much as the players claim he's a Father figure to them so do they. Until they get that they'll always fall short.
We also need to improve our list. Players like Narkle, McEntee, Burton, Ratugolea and Evans can't be playing against the best sides. They get exposed badly when the heat is on. But that falls back on the coach. He needs to trust his list more. The games Ratugolea played up forward should've gone to Lord or Visentini. Same with Dixon. Lorenz has more of a future than Evans and so on. The coach needs to trust those younger players so they can kick on.
In the end Hinkley has to go and this September showed him up once again.
We weren't just beaten by Sydney and Geelong we were utterly belted by both of them. Two teams who are infinitely better coached than us, exposed the flaws in Hinkley's game plan in brutal fashion. I'd have this year's finals failure up there with the 2021 Preliminary final capitulation. Finishing second gave us the opportunity to take the easy path to a GF. Instead by halftime of the Geelong game we knew the ending to this movie. It was the same as it always is.
I tried during the finals to believe in the team, I really did. But deep down I knew how it would end. The club needs a change of coach and as much as the players claim he's a Father figure to them so do they. Until they get that they'll always fall short.
We also need to improve our list. Players like Narkle, McEntee, Burton, Ratugolea and Evans can't be playing against the best sides. They get exposed badly when the heat is on. But that falls back on the coach. He needs to trust his list more. The games Ratugolea played up forward should've gone to Lord or Visentini. Same with Dixon. Lorenz has more of a future than Evans and so on. The coach needs to trust those younger players so they can kick on.
In the end Hinkley has to go and this September showed him up once again.
