Winning isn't everything

[Thryleon]

Great post Tragic.

I decided to actually track how SOS used very limited currency on that 2015 list into what we have today.

Still on the list:

• Marc Murphy
  Kade Simpson
  Matthew Kreuzer
  Patrick Cripps
  Liam Jones
  Sam Docherty
  Ed Curnow
  Dale Thomas
  Levi Casboult
  

All these players are still contributing to the current team when fit.



Retired/Delisted/Gone for nothing:

• Andrew Walker
  Chris Judd
  Matthew Watson
  Robert Warnock
  Blaine Boekhorst
  Dillon Viojo-Rainbow
  Sam Rowe
  Kristian Jaksch
  Cameron Giles
  Nick Holman
  Jason Tutt
  Mark Whiley
  Clem Smith
  Jayden Foster
  Dennis Armfield
  Dylan Buckley
  Matthew Dick
  Nicholas Graham
  Andrejs Everitt
  Michael Jamison
  Simon White
  Andrew Carrazzo
  David Ellard
  

Lost some good players to retirement, and cleared a LOT of rubbish.
Probably the only one here that is still contributing at another team is Nick Holman.

Trades:

• Troy Menzel, Lachlan Henderson > Phillips, Plowman, McKay
  Tom Bell > C.Curnow
  Chris Yarran > Cunningham
  Zach Tuohy > Polson, Marchbank, Pickett, Macreadie, Williamson, Kerr
  Bryce Gibbs > O'Brien, Schumacher, De Koning, McGovern
  

This is where it gets interesting.
I think SOS has done EXTREMELY well in converting just a few players with currency into some quality and depth coming back. The players we got where either from trading the picks we received, or using those picks in the draft.

I can't see anyone making a reasonable argument that SOS could have done any better in going from that 2015 list to now.

Great points.

For extra emphasis and specifically for those people who like to quote 4 in 40, have a look at how many of this list actually have played significant footy for us since the start of 2016:

• Marc Murphy - 53 games - missed half the season in 2016, and half a season in 2018
  Kade Simpson - 71 games - Probably the most consistent performer on this list, and lo and behold, one of the few that has been ever present at the ripe old age of 31+ for his last 71 games and has only missed a game or so per season.
  Matthew Kreuzer - 57 games - Missed half the season in 2018 and broke down frequently when he was in.
  Patrick Cripps - 66 games - Missed a chunk of 2017 with a leg break from memory.
  Liam Jones - 44 games -  learning a new role, was on the outer until he transformed into a full back 2 years ago.
  Sam Docherty - 44 games - (food for thought, has been out with an ACL for all of 2018 and will miss most of 2019)
  Ed Curnow - 63 games - missed half of last season with a fractured larynx??
  Dale Thomas - 64 games - missed a few per season I think from suspension more than injury.
  Levi Casboult - 58 games - enough said.  Not consistent enough but our only viable key forward that has been ever present for the last 4 years

The rest of our weekly starting 22 has been either kids, or stop gaps whilst we have our draftees coming along.


For anyone who is focussed on Bolton's record, have a look at these numbers coming from the most experienced component of our list in terms of a Carlton history and then take a cursory glance at say for arguments sake, Richmond. 

They boast a core group of players from before Cripps and Docherty's first game of AFL football.  Let me repeat that.  A core group of 13 players who are superstars of their team, from before our current best players (and captains) debut at AFL level.

For anyone who wants to complain that this is crap, really have a think about the following list of players:

Dylan Grimes
Dion Prestia
Dustin Martin
Brandon Ellis
Shaun Grigg
Jack Riewoldt
Trent Cotchin
Shane Edwards
David Astbury
Bachar Houli
Alex Rance
Tom Lynch

Contrast that with our list.  Process it.  Look at it.  Why don't we win more games?? The answer is really simple.  Our senior list is actually not that senior.

Id wager if you perform that exercise with any other squad in the AFL, you will not find that level of transition from old to new that is so significant in terms of difference in experience at this level.