Re: To win or not to win - Draft pics V late season wins
TigerMasochist said:
Pretty simple isn't it.
The Cats and Sydney have been working to the same basic principle.
Take your picks at the draft table, trade if you must to adjust the balance of your side and put every iota of energy into developing the best possible practices, performance and integrity out of the players you have.
It's something called " culture '' and will always hold you in good stead when the sh!ts hitting the fan.
I'll take it any day compared to rolling over and baring the bottom to get hammered, because you can guarantee that taking the easy option is a much easier culture to develop than busting the proverbials at all costs.
geelong and sydney havent had much choice in the matter of tanking now have they.
sydney have missed finals just twice since 1995 thru massive concessions that all other teams didnt get other than brisbane, so they have been able to stay up.
but now that many concessions are coming to an end or most other sides are being put on an equal footing their recruiting policies are starting to catch up to them, already they are screaming out for more concessions and they havent yet missed finals. by the way the two yrs they missed 2000 10th and 2002 11th they had a percentage that suggested they were top 5 or 6.
from 1990 to 1995 they had finishes of 13th in a 14 team comp, 12th in a 15 team comp,15th in 15 team comp. ditto 93 ditto 94 then 12th of 16 in 95. 6 yrs of shocking finishes with early picks and then a gf they built a core group that would take them well in to the new millenium. the afl just had to make sydney a success.
the simple fact is it is not an equal playing field the afl will not allow sydney to flounder near the bottom of the ladder for to long.
geelong well they have been done to death it has been pointed out by many that their team has been mainly built on the back of 3 drafts yrs when they had low finishes. they have not had a need to bottom out because they have had good core groups to build around since the 80s they have not allowed their lists to deteriorate into a shambles.
30 of their list has come in the first 3 rounds of the draft they have had an ability to trade into picks in these rounds
at the end of the day how for run down your list is determines how far back you have to go. also the changing climate of the draft or professionalism nowadays if you like where 1st and 2nd rnd picks are heavily coveted means all sides will now have to spend their fair share of time at or near the bottom because increasingly all clubs are coming to the conclusion that first dibs at the kids is paramount.what you do while near the bottom will determine how far you climb.
the bottoming out process is not a guarantee of a premiership but if done correctly it is a guarantee of sustained finals performances over a 3 or 5 or more yr period. the old saying you have to get their to be a chance rings true.
ive said this before i will say it again we have never embraced a proper bottoming out process utilising as many early to mid range picks as we can get our hands on never. we have had 26 yrs of going on to win meaningless games and it has had us mired in mediocrity for 24 of those yrs.
winning meaningless games against poor opposition has kept us mired in mediocrity.
last yr we were a bottom two side the yr before that we were and the yr before that and the yr before that etc etc .its time after 26yrs of doing one thing to do the other. bloody hell reality people we are crap looking forward we have the worst list in the comp and yet the vast majority are in denial of this simple fact.
olice:
