The Rhino wrote:
It's not just about the pick (although its pertinent for mine we end up with a top 6 pick, whether its through ladder position or aggressive recruiting, I don't care)
The difference between now and the last time we talked about tanking is obvious.
Last time there was no other way. We needed to tank. The playing list wasn't going to regenerate by itself. I remember the likes of Akermanis and Koschitzke openly mocking the prospect of coming to us as a club. "I'll go to any club....but Carlton" was a fairly common catchcry come trade week.
We were so bad though, that it created excuses and justification to never deal with the off field issues. The recruiting staff were handicapped. No-one else wanted to be on the board, so these guys deserved credit for sticking their neck out. Pratt and Mathieson could do what they like because "they saved the club". Journos didn't want to question it in case it was over analysing a simple case of a poor football side. Salary cap penalties. Broke club. Playing the kids. Simple article.
Now there's no excuses. We've had the draft picks. We've challenged for a flag. We've turned profits. We've had time and opportunity to democratically elect our board.
The microscope should be on why the recruiting has consistently made the same mistakes. Why our membership levels underachieve. Why there's a lack of supporter sentiment represented on our board. Why there's constant apathy towards supporter engagement and development of talent on and off the field.
Right now the amount of journos that can smell the blood in the water is growing with each loss. Even the ones that can't see which way tide is going are managing to discuss themes and topics of conversation that until recently, were only discussed by the absolute die hard club insiders.
I want Jon Ralph to discuss why Richard Newton and Ryan Trainor have been cut off at the knees before ascending to the presidency.
I want Damien Barrett to ask what's happening with our recruiting team - Luke WIlliams, Graeme Wright, Wayne Hughes' sudden departure
I want Mark Robinson to write about Bootsma, Watson and Lucas. I don't even care that Jon Ralph's effort was inaccurate and generally awful. The microscope is still there.
I won't read it. Sponsors, current and potential alike will though. Opposition clubs will, and the good ones won't miss a beat to publicly crow about how they run theirs better. The AFL may read it and intervene and work with us to ensure we're getting the right people through the right processes. It may finally publicly shame the status quo into rethinking the way we do things, or to get out while they can.
You can't afford a "she'll be right, mentality", when everyone is watching you waiting to see what decision you make.
Agree that the off field stuff is vitally important for a successful club
however, our record in the first and second round of the draft over the last 5 - 7 years has been diabolical
our strike rate is bordering on pathetic just looking at those names above (add Hampson, Grigg and Bower to that list)
as a minimum you would have thought that one superstar would have emerged during that period
in our case we recruited players who have added nothing and set us back five years
doesn't matter how good you are off the field with recruiting like that
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