Football Department Review

[PaulP]

As much as I hate to admit it, it may well be the only way forward from this mess, and as I've posted before it is not without risk, but that doesn't mean it is not the right direction to go in.

I can't accept that the report of a dissatisfied playing list torpedoed the coach if that dissatisfied list is made up of spuds and list cloggers. If the also-rans were the problem you cut half the list before you'd cut Weiters, BigH, Walsh, Cripps, De Koning, etc., etc.. So it has to be the case that some significant talent torpedoed the coach, and that is therefore a massive problem if the playing list remains configured as it currently is. Fans do not appreciate what this means, they aren't thinking deeply enough about it, they look at players through rose coloured glasses.

I think I wrote this the other day, "There is a rotten Apple Jim!" it's a line I pinched from a movie, it has to be the case, and we need it removed before the whole lot goes off! Changing coaches won't make a shred of difference.

According to one of those 3 Fox articles I linked earlier :

Teague’s camp believes key figures played pivotal roles in his sacking. They point to Stephen Silvagni – a long-time critic of CEO Cain Liddle and footy boss Brad Lloyd’s appointment - and his close friendship with board member Craig Mathieson. They argue that Marc Murphy, frustrated at the way his career finished, was one of several players to openly express disenchantment with the coach in the back half of the season to other players.

Jack Silvagni is now likely to stay on a multi-year deal, but the club had been privately hopeful he would find a new home in the trade period until recently, despite improved vastly form. There was a suspicion from the Teague camp that he was on a similar wavelength to Murphy.

Co-captain Patrick Cripps publicly defended his coach earlier this week, but behind the scenes he was aware of grumblings from teammates around the coach. Fair or otherwise, Teague said he was hurt by suggestions he had lost the playing group.