RD 7 : Blues V Giants (Pre-Match Pre-Amble)

[RiverRat]

If he's not as fast as Carrots and not a great kick, why is he here?

The team is slow but the fans are not patient.

[PassIt2Carrots]

I wasn't arguing that the approach is a raging success  )

But I think it is a better path than thinking a few games here and there being lost, but providing experience to young players is a good thing. Yes a young player will get 100 minutes of football. But in a side that he knows is not serious about winning. Seems a good way for players to then play for themselves and not the team. It creates self preservation and entitlement.

But who said the side wouldn't be serious about winning? You are serious every time you go out regardless of players picked. You are not focusing on losing by picking the kids, you are focusing on development, which is what a rebuild is.

GWS and GC both had lists of young players and indeed were stacked to the gills with them. GWS have however put some more experience in, and not put too much store in a Gary Ablett type to generate success. It may be working as GC seem to be demonstrating some problems that comes from a bunch of talented juniors getting games and then not progressing and

GC are struggling because they made a terrible decision at board level, much like us. GWS are progressing because they went with the kids early (whether by choice is up for debate) but the fact remains that those kids have now played around 60-70 games each and are ready to blossom. Getting the games into those kids, collectively, will make all the difference in the long run, whereas having lost all those games badly early will have made no difference at all.

[kruddler]

You have failed to grasp the concept of a rebuild.

You still don't get it.

If you take a bunch of privileged rich kids, stick them in a prison with hardened criminals. Will they come out of it the same?

The environment of the club is having a detrimental effect on our players, staff and definitely the members/supporters.

Melbourne were tanking playing kids and everyone knew it....including the players. It bred a bad culture. A losing culture. Some of these kids wanted out as a result. Tom Scully being your #1 on that list! Roos is still trying to change that. No matter how many high draft picks they get, they are still trying to shake their past.

What we want to build or rebuild is our determination/confidence/integrity as much as our playing list. We need to rebuild our culture. Play players who play for the team. Get some wins. Introduce kids sparingly, be careful not to overload them (remember Kreuzer?) but reward effort!

Rebuilding is more than getting games into some kids.

[PassIt2Carrots]

But that is a major part of it. There's nothing to say you are not creating a winning culture just by going with the kids. That argument is just silly. You're effectively trying to deflect from what we're talking about here by trying to label it 'tanking'. There is a huge difference, but I'm sure you know that.

[Rational_Expectations]

You still don't get it.

If you take a bunch of privileged rich kids, stick them in a prison with hardened criminals. Will they come out of it the same?

The environment of the club is having a detrimental effect on our players, staff and definitely the members/supporters.

Melbourne were tanking playing kids and everyone knew it....including the players. It bred a bad culture. A losing culture. Some of these kids wanted out as a result. Tom Scully being your #1 on that list! Roos is still trying to change that. No matter how many high draft picks they get, they are still trying to shake their past.

What we want to build or rebuild is our determination/confidence/integrity as much as our playing list. We need to rebuild our culture. Play players who play for the team. Get some wins. Introduce kids sparingly, be careful not to overload them (remember Kreuzer?) but reward effort!

Rebuilding is more than getting games into some kids.

Well said.

[Baggers]

You still don't get it.

If you take a bunch of privileged rich kids, stick them in a prison with hardened criminals. Will they come out of it the same?

The environment of the club is having a detrimental effect on our players, staff and definitely the members/supporters.

Melbourne were tanking playing kids and everyone knew it....including the players. It bred a bad culture. A losing culture. Some of these kids wanted out as a result. Tom Scully being your #1 on that list! Roos is still trying to change that. No matter how many high draft picks they get, they are still trying to shake their past.

What we want to build or rebuild is our determination/confidence/integrity as much as our playing list. We need to rebuild our culture. Play players who play for the team. Get some wins. Introduce kids sparingly, be careful not to overload them (remember Kreuzer?) but reward effort!

Rebuilding is more than getting games into some kids.

Precisely.

It's a balancing act. Culture is imperative, critical. The Pagan years and Kreuzer Cup just about ruined our culture... it's a long road back from there.

If playing loads of kids is a recipe for success then why didn't GWS and Suns rip the league a new one from the get go? Successful club introduce newbies gradually and hopefully into a winning culture so they run out each week expecting to win, knowing how to win, understanding winning and what it takes. Introducing a newbie too early is a good way to crush his enthusiasm. Better a bloke has a week or two too many in the Magoos than come into senior footy too early - that's in an ideal world of minimal injuries and a great culture. We're creating a new culture and getting it right now is incredibly critical to our success in two, five ...ten years time.

[PassIt2Carrots]

It's a recipe for success for the future, not the present. Not rocket science.

[PassIt2Carrots]

Either way you spin it, the coach has failed dismally. No getting around that. Whatever he's trying to do, it's not working. I'm sure any rational person can clearly see that.

[Thryleon]

But that is a major part of it. There's nothing to say you are not creating a winning culture just by going with the kids. That argument is just silly. You're effectively trying to deflect from what we're talking about here by trying to label it 'tanking'. There is a huge difference, but I'm sure you know that.

Its about competition for spots.  Makes everyone raise the bar eventually.

It's taking a lot longer with us, but this year our Vfl team has more players from our afl team playing starring roles than any other year before save for when Teague was here.

Either way, factors such as age shouldn't be a reason to gift games to people.

Playing for this footy club is a privilege to be earned.

Step one is being recruited.  Step two is earning a game.  some have a harder road than others due to what is in front of them for a game.

Sometimes we can't figure it out, so we hope there is a rational explanation behind selection.

Choosing players based on merit is the only recipe for success.  Where it gets precarious is what everyone understands as merit.  What you and I see and what the player actually does can be very different and I expect the mc have various instructions they expect to be upheld. 

[Baggers]

Either way you spin it, the coach has failed dismally. No getting around that. Whatever he's trying to do, it's not working. I'm sure any rational person can clearly see that.

Seems most rational people believe he aint got the cattle and the club's something of a cot case... in fact most rational people seem to believe that sticking with MM is the sensible thing to do. Can't say I agree with it, but that is the overwhelming opinion in the footy fraternity.