Steve_C7 wrote:
The Duke wrote:
We're 5-10 years behind the movement of clubs like Essendon**** and North - which is terrifying!! Not only do you not need to 'bottom out' anymore, it's now a completely dumb and outdated strategy.
There is no strategy to bottom out, we are simply cutting dead wood from out list which to be fair has allot more of it than most other teams.
The Duke wrote:
Essendon**** will get another couple of good kids plus a free agent or two and have the base to grow for a flag.... while we're still trying to determine whether Bolton can actually coach
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How did Essendon** go when they lost 12 players due to doping?
Pretty similar year to us, yet they could plan for it and the AFL gave them replacements in seasoned mature bodies to play out the season so that they still have a full squad at their disposal.
I don't think that Bolts had a great year from a coaching aspect, but I think he did a great job in keeping the team spirit up, bonding as a group and fostering camaraderie that will hold us in great stead in future years.
Or how have Collingwood gone. Despite a horrific run of injury they went up 9 places. Injuries are no excuse for a poor game plan, poor structure, total inability to move and use the ball to set up out players in the F50. If you saw sembelence of that then you might be seeing some progress but we see none of that. We are so poorly drilled that we got smashed u goals to 1 in a qtr by a side with 16 men. We sacked Ratten on the back of "only" 11 wins from 21 games due to a horrible injury run but it's ok to keep this bloke after 2 wins and a year we have gone nowhere with our onfield system. Ratten's been available too yet we keep Bolton. Like to see Ratts with SOS rather than that dud Wayne Hughes. We could well have pushed no.17.
The biggest killer though has been the total lack of effort and pressure in many games. 3 x 100pt defeats, embarrassing thrashings by bottom sides. That's a lack of respect for the coach. Once you've lost that then you're done. We were defined by our pressure according to Bolton. That's gone. But hey, let's keep him. Wish Ratts got the same leniency.