Michael Jezz wrote:
Once again the Thomas Crap. Thomas is a genuine midfielder. It cost salary cap. We took the injury risk. It may not have worked but do you include Everett, Wood, Docherty in your post? Last year was the closest we have come to decent recruiting in 10 years and you focus on the negative because of a personal bias against the coach
Again it comes down to the direction of the club - at the start of 2014 were we contending now? or rebuilding to do so in 2-3 years? - answer the question.
everitt -> recruited as a 24/25yo with NO injury issues - no issue there
docherty -> recruited as a 20 yo with no injury issues - no issue there
wood -> mature age rookie pick given that we've 2 injury prone ruck men - no issue there
A 26yo Thomas (now 27) - A genuine midfielder that had played a handful of games over 2 years and nowhere near his best and doubts about his ability to get back to his best - no issue IF the coach thought we were contending (in which case, malthouse has under performed this year) - massive issues if we came into 2014 expecting that we were 2-3 years away from contending (by which time thomas would be 29+)
Bias against the coach? give me a break - I said last year that malthouse should have our full support initially and be judged on year 2-3 rather than year 1 due to the need to implement a new game plan/strategy/approach.
So how about you answer some questions - Were we rebuilding or contending? IF we were rebuilding, when do you expect us to be ready to contend?
If we needed to rebuild, why would a 29yo thomas be a better option in 2-3 years time than a 20-21 yo 2nd round draftee?