...and in today's Herald sun ..... and "No", I haven't become an overnight fan of that bias, *favouring, AFL Commission mouthpiece of a rag, I just have access.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ ... 3b4b5893b6Quote:
the Blues will give them games when they deserve it but believe they have a strong balance in a side regularly playing five 30-year-olds but also young talent.
Teague was adamant after the Blues pushed West Coast only to fade out late in the game that the balance was right.
“We will rotate when we need to. We are going to put our best team out there if our players say they are right and we believe they are right,” he said.
“We will just manage it week by week. David Cuningham (calf) might be back. Paddy Dow played really well in our game beforehand, Caleb Marchbank played his first game (since March with a knee injury), Sam Philp, Josh Honey, we have a lot of guys in our team who could comfortably play in our AFL side.”
That last line is what I find a bit baffling. So, who is keeping Dow, or Philp, or Honey out if they could comfortable play in our AFL side? especially if we drafted them to develop and play the next level, let alone our 17th Flag.
We need speed, and either of those 3 offer that.
We are bereft of defensive midfield work, and Philp has shown that quality.
We are developing for the future, so are we developing them all in a 12 v 12 hit out?, and will that be helpful?
If so, why was our mantra in the last 3 years, development, and thereby gifting them games to fast track their development, and now, that they are capable, we are leaving them ALL out?
If the answer is for WINS, then, get us wins, and why the wild 5-7 goal swings you'd expect from a young developing team, when we are playing the 4th oldest team in the AFL? If the oldies (Simmo, Murph, Betts) aren't holding the kids back, then it must be some of the others: Newnes, Gibbons? Just sayin'.
I have a hunch the kids are not being given a fair go, and are expected to be bashing the door down in a 12 v 12 game, but the reality is the MC are waiting for injury to find out where the kids are at, because the MC don't really know, until they find out by accident/ injury forced changes.
This year is a strange year, and whilst finals are not out of the question, I am not so precious about the kids being overlooked, this year.
I am assuming, the MC think the kids will negatively impact the possibility of finals, and that's fair enough, coz I want wins and us to be a Destination club to attract the A grade talent we have been longing for the last 3 years and missing out (Martin nominated us because of Betts), but next year, I expect Simmo, Murph, Newnes, Newman, Gibbons ... to make way for the talented kids we have, let alone the A grade FA/Trade ... and I wont be surprised to see Kemp pushing for selection too; he has a ready made body for the AFL.