It’s a joke isn’t it. You get punished because the North’s and Saints of the world are basket cases.
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End of an Era
- Thread starter RemoteTiger
- Start date
Understandable that they want to avoid a handful of clubs dominating the competition. But the alternative is that everyone is dragged down to the lowest common denominator.
They stripped out too much out of it. $3m is the figure. That’s $3m North wouldn’t have spent anyway. But for a team like us that’s an extra handful of staff we would have otherwise paid for.
It’s like telling Man City that they have to spend the same amount of money as Luton Town.
This is exactly what the arseclowns at HQ. have been striving for over the last thirty years. Everyone gets a turn at being on top no matter how green n furry the teeth, what the wing pits smell like or how often they fart in bed.
Fortunately so far, the well run clubs have simply been able to do far better no matter what kind of restrictions Gilligan n his cohorts have been able to throw in front of them. But eventually the system will be so badly skewed in favour of the inept n incompetent that the AFL competition might just as well become a computer game as no one will care or even notice.
I thought he meant Jean-Luc Goddard's Dr Ageless, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombers' Illegal Offsite Injection Program.
Close. We signed him for three more years at 28 (he turns 29 in October). He'll turn 32 as his contract expires at the end of 2024.
I haven't posted in this thread yet because I don't know what to think. It was dispiriting sitting there on Friday night.
Someone opined in a group chat that we might have been in a heavy training load. I hope so; it would explain the fumbles and skill errors. It would mean Dimma's eyes were on the prize and getting us set to peak in September even if it comes at the cost of a game or two along the way and we have to do it from 6th. (7th or 8th might be too hard with the possibility of two cutthroat interstate finals back to back or at least 2 in 3.)
But I dunno. Would we train heavily in a bye week coming off three weeks on the road involving four flights across the country? Maybe, I'm no conditioning expert. But we saw how tired we were at the end of the West Coast game. So I doubt it.
I think we're tired, full stop. As others have noted, last year's late end, all that time away, short off-season, on top of four years going deep and it's all caught up with us.
So the only way to win it this year is to freshen up. We can't win every game from here - it would take too much out of our depleted reserves, I see that now. I have real doubts we can win it without Balta and Broad too, but if Cotch and Houli have one last big month in them, you never know.
But is it the beginning of the end? Or the end of the beginning?
We're never going back to the dark old days. We're a strong, smart, well-positioned club. But the equalisation measures get every dynasty in the end.
We need to recruit well. Matt Clarke's judgement cometh and right soon. His last four years will come under the microscope (drafted: Higgins, CJ, Balta, Naish, Miller, Baker, RCD, Ross, Turner, English, Stack, Pickett, Dow, Cumberland, Martyn, Ralphsmith, Nyuon, Ryan, Rioli, Parker). His next six months are crucial. Blair has more runs on the board: Houli, Grigg, Maric, Nank, Dion, Caddy, Lynch. We need you to find us some more, Blair. (Ed Richards off Houli's flank?)
Another but: Cotchins don't fall in your lap. There's not even one of them in every draft. Fourteen years ago, in the depths of Wallace flanker hell, we got kissed on the *smile* by Carlton's tanking and misjudgement. We got a second helping when Rance fell to 18. The year before we got Jack and Sheds. Two years later we got the mother of all gobbies when Melbourne told Carlton, "Hold my Beaujolais".
I don't think we have a next Cotchin, Rance, or Riewoldt on the list. The next Dusty probably hasn't been born.
When there is a Cotchin or a Dusty in the draft, you need a top-3 pick to get them. I doubt there's one we can get our hands on in this draft. But if GC want to give pick 3 for CJ we should say thanks. (He's not the next Jack or the next Lynch.) We need top-shelf, classy mids - Sonsie and Matt Roberts look top-shelf.
We have the picks and can make the cap space to trade in. We can refresh and snatch another flag while we still have the greatest footballer we've ever seen. We'll need to nail it though.
Great post,,You only have to see the Saints match to see we aren't switched on mentally.
I still think the current crop of player's have the ability and potential to be in the grand final 2021-2022,of course their are some who played The Saints who aren't in our best 22,but you bring back Nank ,Astbury,Lynch,and our side is quickly improved.
8 games of footy to go before the finals is a lot of opportunity to re-centre and build momentum embracing the challenges. They're smart and proud cookies down at tigerland and expect this belting will reignite the hunger and respect that seems to have waned. Better now than round 22.
Can"t see how unless a good half dozen of the youngsters step up and replace the likes of Edwards 33yo next year, Houli 34, Reiwoldt 33, Cotchin 32, Astbury 31, Dusty 31, Grimes 31, Lambert 31, Pickett 30. Even Caddy, Prestia, Lynch and Broad are past their best at 29yo. Count how many of those have had medium to long term injury in the last year or so. There's simply too much top-end talent there to replace quickly. I'm afraid the era is over. It happens to every club that experiences such immense success over a few years. I've enjoyed it, it's something in 2016 I don't think many were expecting.
Of that list of 30yo's, I don't think any have really shown any sign of falling off a cliff.
sure the cliff comes fast, and Shocking has tried to herd us off it like lemmings on a Disney documentary.
We might have to replace Bachar next year; Stackman, Melee, Dow are all candidates.
We might have to replace Cotchy the year after; he is irreplaceable, but Bakes did a middle-class, poor man's version earlier this year, and RCD is an intergenerational underclass version
absolutely no way is our window closed.
Im not writing off 2021 because of the horror anomalous performance on Friday night,
Im writing it off because we seem to have lost a third to a half of our critical back 6 for the remainder of the season.
and there's absolutely nothing age-related about our injury list.
good signs, I'm arguing against myself, and its only Sunday.
Balta is out for the year.
Ive read Broad out for up to 2 months.
Is there a verdict on Nick?
Losing Balta is disappointing, but a less i reckon we cover well. As long as Astbury returns soon.
Losing both Broad and Vlastuin for any length of time may shake my confidence a little.
WTF is all this BS? we have played the top sides this year with 3 to 4 top players out or with one or two coming back from injury. Not writing off anything until the end of August, then see!
I see basic comprehension isn’t your strong suit.
I suggest you reread my post slowly before dismissing it entirely as BS.
This. If they can’t get their act together off the field then why do the rest of us that can have to suffer just so they continue to exist? They’re actually weakening the competition and losing talent off field because of this.
We shall see. I'm calling it over just trying to be realistic. 2021 was the last chance. 4 to 5 years. That's was the timeframe for the Hawks, Cats, Brisbane during their reigns. It's not about players falling over a cliff. It's about the reduced collective performance that makes you a less effective team. Add to that the game plan is not as effective due to rule changes and other teams working us out. Alot of our injuries has been age-related. It's not a coincidence. With injury comes disruption to team harmony. Older players take more time, once back, to hit form. I just can't see it. I hope I'm wrong.
Ha ha, just messin’ with ya Burg.
I have no intention of trawling through old threads for oops moments. Plenty of strange folk on here prepared to do that for me.
I far prefer PRE posters to actually have a crack at saying something.
And I do love my own occasional nuclear hot take
In terms of your position, I think you’re going too early. We will look very Richmondy by the time September rolls around. I think Hardwick is just tinkering and got a bit ahead of himself.
