12-01-2017, 12:35 AM
(11-30-2017, 11:27 PM)cookie2 link Wrote:I think that the club will persevere with the list rebuild at least for 2018 and possibly beyond. Our pursuit of youthful talent demonstrates that, together with the attempts to bolster the more senior ranks somewhat without selling the farm at this stage The loss of both Gibbs and Docherty will be challenging, although we did manage to hold on to Gibbs for 2017, but I'm looking forward to the emerging talent rising to fill those gaps, together with new recruits such as Mullet, Lang and Garlett.
The 2018 draft and trade periods will likely put the main finishing touches to the rebuild as such and we may even add a marquee player or even two? We are following a good strategy IMO, bearing in mind our recent dire predicament, and I'd be very very surprised if any faction in the club gets any opportunity to pull the pin on it for at least the next two years. By which time I believe the benefits will have become obvious! (puts head on block).
New look list needs a new captain to steer the new direction......2019 I would change the leadership group and start with a new captain.
2018 is meant to be a strong draft...IMO its the last one we should be going hard on young kids and we should be starting to get some A grade readymade talent through the door...problem with that of course is we need to win more games to sell the club as finals bound and I think with Gibbs and Docherty missing thats going to be the hard bit .
Kennedy, Lang and Lobbe were fringe players at their previous clubs..Mullet was dumped for being soft....Garlett is a unknown quantity for several reasons...not to say these players wont grab their opportunity and be good players for us but at the moment improvement and coverage for the loss of Gibbs and Docherty is very speculative and their isnt one game on the fixture I would back us in with a concrete guarantee we would win. 2018 is a holding year IMO, if we win more games its a bonus and the likes of Lynch, Patton might want to come our way but I'd temper that with common sense that losing your best player(Docherty) for 12 months and one of your top 5 ie Gibbs isnt an easy fix with fringe players from other clubs and lightly built kids fresh from the draft.
Another injury or two to key players and we would be on the ropes...all while trying to discover a new attacking game style and integrate new kids into the senior team.. we have to hope also that some other teams go backwards at a big rate of knots and some of the others on the rise stagnate...