04-24-2017, 10:01 AM
Q1-What did Bolton really think going into this last game? Did he expect the possibility of a 100 point thrashing or did he expect the kids to put on a bit of a show?
I'm sure he'd hoped we'd put in a gutsy effort with a team of blokes putting in for their mate. The final margin would be irrelevant. As it turns out, what he'd hoped for didn't occur...and the final margin just highlighted that fact. He'll be very upset with the lack of effort.
Q2-Has that result influenced the selection process for upcoming games?
Yes, i think blokes who are unwilling or unable to put in effort will be spending more time in the 2's. Be that young, old or otherwise
Q3-No doubt youngsters will benefit from game time… but is that more beneficial when you’re surrounded by more experienced players?
There is a balancing act. Young players learn what to do off senior players. The more young players, the less senior players and the less learning they can do. I've got no problem with bringing in kids, but we probably should have dropped a couple back for some of the recently promoted ones.
Q4-What do the senior players feel about being surrounded by such a young group? How do they feel about carrying an extra burden with the knowledge that they may not be around to taste any success?
If you spend too much time thinking about the future, the don't spend enough time focusing on the now. They should be focused on doing their role, which includes helping the kids coming through.
Q5-How do experienced fringe players feel about being passed over for selection to get games into kids? The message for these guys is “You’re finished!”…how does that affect team dynamics? They may not be the future but they are the “here and now” and as such can be a positive or a negative influence depending on how they’re managed.
How do they feel? Depends on the individual. You can be a Laidler and sook it up and get sent packing. Or you can be an Armfield who knuckles down and earns a spot in the leadership group. I've been banging on about the culture of this club pre-Mick and this is an example i've used to explain why we've kept the players we have and delisted others. We need the right character in our players and we need to weed out ones that are not.
Q6-Despite comments to the contrary, wins don’t seem to be important at the moment and it’s all about development. But how long can folk hold the faith while that process occurs?
Wins are not important, effort is. Bring effort and wins will come. Wins are a byproduct of effort. With effort comes development, belief and confidence in the whole direction the club is heading.
Q7-How good a match day and tactical coach is Bolton. He has wraps on him as a developer of character. What’s he like as a developer of footballers.
Whatever happens long term with Bolton as our senior coach, he is the right coach for now. Whether he can take us to a flag, or even close, he is fixing the culture. Get that right and we'll be better placed to understand if he can actually coach on match day.
Q8-Are we asking too much of Weitering and Cripps…both appear to be hampered by injuries that aren’t serious enough to stop them from playing but what’s the mental toll of continuing to push the injured body?
Yes we are, but unfortunately we don't have many options. We have a list full of kids, some of them will obviously not be up to the rigours of AFL footy 22 rounds a year. So you are already limited in who you can pick. Go a step further and realise some blokes are just simply not good enough to deserve a game. In the end you are left with very few blokes to choose from who can be half competitive. A broken Weitering and Cripps are twice as good as whoever their replacements might be.
Q9-We’ve seen some “flashes of brilliance” by a few of the young fellows (e.g.Fisher’s goal) but does that necessarily indicate a champ in the making? I remember a “weave and dodge” from Boekhorst in one of his early games that had us a bit excited, but nothing much has come of that….yet. These guys will develop at different rates. Some won’t meet expectations others will exceed them.
I'm properly more conservative than most when it comes to evaluating talent. Most people see those examples and write them in for a 10 year career. Reality shows us that even if that trend continues upwards, they might get injured or want out. I'm not sold on any of them yet. Look at Yarran as a classic example.
Q10-Can we hold the group together? Players like Cripps and Weitering, should they continue their development, will attract decent offers down the track. Will we be at a stage where some of the burden has been shouldered by others and they’re happy to stay?
The club has put a lot of faith in them, signing them up to long term deals. You can't predict the future, but the club has done well to give us the best chance of keeping them in Navy Blue.
I'm sure he'd hoped we'd put in a gutsy effort with a team of blokes putting in for their mate. The final margin would be irrelevant. As it turns out, what he'd hoped for didn't occur...and the final margin just highlighted that fact. He'll be very upset with the lack of effort.
Q2-Has that result influenced the selection process for upcoming games?
Yes, i think blokes who are unwilling or unable to put in effort will be spending more time in the 2's. Be that young, old or otherwise
Q3-No doubt youngsters will benefit from game time… but is that more beneficial when you’re surrounded by more experienced players?
There is a balancing act. Young players learn what to do off senior players. The more young players, the less senior players and the less learning they can do. I've got no problem with bringing in kids, but we probably should have dropped a couple back for some of the recently promoted ones.
Q4-What do the senior players feel about being surrounded by such a young group? How do they feel about carrying an extra burden with the knowledge that they may not be around to taste any success?
If you spend too much time thinking about the future, the don't spend enough time focusing on the now. They should be focused on doing their role, which includes helping the kids coming through.
Q5-How do experienced fringe players feel about being passed over for selection to get games into kids? The message for these guys is “You’re finished!”…how does that affect team dynamics? They may not be the future but they are the “here and now” and as such can be a positive or a negative influence depending on how they’re managed.
How do they feel? Depends on the individual. You can be a Laidler and sook it up and get sent packing. Or you can be an Armfield who knuckles down and earns a spot in the leadership group. I've been banging on about the culture of this club pre-Mick and this is an example i've used to explain why we've kept the players we have and delisted others. We need the right character in our players and we need to weed out ones that are not.
Q6-Despite comments to the contrary, wins don’t seem to be important at the moment and it’s all about development. But how long can folk hold the faith while that process occurs?
Wins are not important, effort is. Bring effort and wins will come. Wins are a byproduct of effort. With effort comes development, belief and confidence in the whole direction the club is heading.
Q7-How good a match day and tactical coach is Bolton. He has wraps on him as a developer of character. What’s he like as a developer of footballers.
Whatever happens long term with Bolton as our senior coach, he is the right coach for now. Whether he can take us to a flag, or even close, he is fixing the culture. Get that right and we'll be better placed to understand if he can actually coach on match day.
Q8-Are we asking too much of Weitering and Cripps…both appear to be hampered by injuries that aren’t serious enough to stop them from playing but what’s the mental toll of continuing to push the injured body?
Yes we are, but unfortunately we don't have many options. We have a list full of kids, some of them will obviously not be up to the rigours of AFL footy 22 rounds a year. So you are already limited in who you can pick. Go a step further and realise some blokes are just simply not good enough to deserve a game. In the end you are left with very few blokes to choose from who can be half competitive. A broken Weitering and Cripps are twice as good as whoever their replacements might be.
Q9-We’ve seen some “flashes of brilliance” by a few of the young fellows (e.g.Fisher’s goal) but does that necessarily indicate a champ in the making? I remember a “weave and dodge” from Boekhorst in one of his early games that had us a bit excited, but nothing much has come of that….yet. These guys will develop at different rates. Some won’t meet expectations others will exceed them.
I'm properly more conservative than most when it comes to evaluating talent. Most people see those examples and write them in for a 10 year career. Reality shows us that even if that trend continues upwards, they might get injured or want out. I'm not sold on any of them yet. Look at Yarran as a classic example.
Q10-Can we hold the group together? Players like Cripps and Weitering, should they continue their development, will attract decent offers down the track. Will we be at a stage where some of the burden has been shouldered by others and they’re happy to stay?
The club has put a lot of faith in them, signing them up to long term deals. You can't predict the future, but the club has done well to give us the best chance of keeping them in Navy Blue.