WARNING IRRATIONAL RANT FOLLOWS - WRITTEN AS A NEXT ROUND PREVIEW BUT WITH A FAIR BUT OF VITRIOLIC REVIEW THROWN IN AT THE END.
Before I fire up let me say I know it is unjustifiably harsh, I know the players turn up with the intent to try their best even if some days they don't fire a shot, I know some busted a gut today and all who play at this level have not only skill beyond us mere mortals but also courage I can't honestly say I know i would display (albeit that courageous is a word that was often used to described my pathetic playing career but largely because to my skill level my courage was impressive rather than it being objectively so) and that they by and large make sacrifices in their lives to ever get to that level but most of us couldn't and/or wouldn't BUT DAMN IT I HAVE LOVED THIS CLUB SINCE 1968 AND I AM GOING TO BE IRRATIONAL ALL RIGHT!
With any luck the competition might be shut down and/or this game cancelled due to Covid.
By my calculation there were 14 players not playing today who might be fit enough to play next week ("the Fit 14"). That would be 14 of my starting 18. If any don't come up it saves another "player" (and I use the term loosely) from today. That leaves 9 spots including medical sub. I would fill them with those that most deserve to be there - a mix of performance this week (not that many get a plus mark), effort over the season, effort over their career and those that need another game under their belt to develop (maybe Honey), continue a comeback (Charlie) or show they are worth a place on the list next year (arguably Kennedy, Dow, O'Brien etc) So category 1 for example would be Newman possibly our best player today, category 2 Walsh, category 3 - well we may as well carry Murph to 300 games now, and category 4 Charlie.
In terms of who played well enough today to have any case to argue for staying in the side - well there's Newman, Walsh, Ed Curnow. Others weren't disgusting but these are the 3 that I reckon flew the flag. Of course Walsh is in category 2 (and H Mac if he is fit but for the sake of the exercise I will assume he is out injured) and Ed C in category 3, so let's start listing "THE NON-SACKED NINE"
Category 1 Newman E Curnow (also could be in category 3)
Category 2 Walsh
Category 3 Murphy
Category 4 TBA
Cripps would also deserve category 3 status for his career, but for the sake of this exercise I am going to say (as may well be the case) he deserves even more a rest for his battered body.
Add Charlie C as category 4 - so 4 more to go. Given I have already suggested only 3 fit category 1 let's look to categories 2, 3 and 4. To my mind we should address category 3 first - those whose body of work over their career with the Blues has them deserving to avoid the ignominy of the cull. Possibles excluding Cripps as aforesaid are Betts of course, Jones and maybe even Weitering albeit he is still young. In any event Weits would surely get in under category 2 for his season performances. That would make 22. I also think JSOS deserves a spot on his year and his drive (and no doubt the family name subconsciously comes into play), so without having any consideration of category 4 we are already at 23 but let's see whether any category 4s deserve to oust any and how many of the names above.
I see the category 4s beyond Charlie as being:
Young guns Honey Stocker Dow
Last chancers Kennedy Williamson O'Brien
Comebackers Nil
I think all but O'Brien have either shown enough or had enough chances to make a decision on their future without needing another look - I won't digress into who I think should stay and who should go that's for the list management discussion, but ... no I won't digress.
So if you include O'Brien there is 24, one miss out (be one of the 3 emergencies not medisub) and two other bodies to also be named an emergency. End of the day I think Honey's goals probably earn him at least an emergency slot and that leaves 1 emergency and I don't give a rat's tossbag which of these underwhelming (I'll again use the term loosely) "players" get that spot but forced to pick one I'd go Williamson as a harder body who is trying to save his career. Of course if any one or more of the Fit 14 don't come up then one or more of the emergencies and (if we had a run off injuries to the Fit 14 - and let's face it with our injury run this year anything's possible) even beyond might get saved, but for the sake of the exercise let's go with Fit 14 plus 9 plus 3, and I'd line them up with the Fit 14 plus 4 others starting on field ike this:
Williams McDonald Parks
Cottrell Weitering Ramsay
Carroll Setterfield SPS
Durdin McGovern Fogarty
Casboult C Curnow Owies
Jones Kemp Murphy
Then bench plus medisub
E Curnow Newman JSOS Walsh / Betts
Emergencies: MEDISUB Honey O'Brien Williamson
Eddie gets medisub to hopefully limit his workload and set him up fresh for round 23 just in case it is his last game. Smurph gets to play all day (injury aside) in his 300th, that is how it should be for anyone's 300th if the season is over, and he should retire at the final siren or better still announce it before the game. Not that I expect he would do that,, but if I ran the club I'd tell him it's that or medisub for his 300th and see which choice he would make - but if he said medisub I'd start him anyway, his career deserves it. I am a softy/romantic at heart.
Of course no AFL club would do such a thing but it would send such a message. Of course the team would get pumped unless the Port coach completely stuffed up (by which I mean their bus breaks down and they don't reach the ground). But that is the point - the players today other than the ones I have named forfeited the right to wear the first team guernsey for one week at least and it's only the rules around player lists and availability that save even them. It was a collective failure and warrants collective consequences. On on the point of consequences surely the Teague train has been derailed. He should get on the phone to Clarko himself and offer him the job (and ideally stay on as senior assistant with a Roos/Goodwin deal to take over in a few years). Again never going to happen, but then neither was my 3QT suggestion he send one assistant coach out to tell the "players" words to the effect "if you aren't going to turn up for us then we're not going to turn up for you" and then turn around and walk off.
END RANT
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