Josh Kaplan wrote:
I think everyone here is missing the point besides Synbad.
Look at Hawthorns defence- Brown, Gilham, Croad, Birchall- 2 former rejects, one mid 30's pick, one rookie.
Sydney- Roberts Thompson, Bolton, Kennelly, Barry- rejects, no hoperrs, Irishmen
Adelaide- Rutten, Bassett, Bock, Johncock etc- again players nobody gave a chance to and one taken in the draft at 70+ have turned into a cohesive unit in defence.
Roos- Firrito, Pratt, etc
The problem with our team is that we dont play for EACH other. We dont gut run for one another, get back to help each other out in defence, tackle in numbers, basically do all the things that the good teams do.
We dont need top ten picks to do this as BO suggests, we need an injection of spirit and a well drilled gameplan, something the Malthouses, Worsfolds Craigs Roos's and even bluddy Laidley's of this world know how to execute and get from their players. Our challenge is to have Ratten execute a similar mindset in our players.
hang on Josh, lets untangle a few things here.
Okay so we are fairly happy with the list (BO wants a few more but the rest seem okay)
We have now got a new coach and a strong board and money spend in areas that needed money etc
and so we expect changes/improvement - all of us do.
And the argument as far as I can tell appears to be about how quickly we might see that improvement
Is Synbad saying we should already be seeing it?
And is that what you agree with?
Because if it is I disagree. In many respects this is the hard bit now. No excuses. No a grader crap/tanking stuff (and in a way Steve is right - tanking is only a part of the process and affects, negatively, the next part - why work hard when it is apparent the club's goal is new talent - and maybe you are not a part of that goal?)
What has to happen over the course of this season is
a) Ratts keeps drilling in the game plan.
b) players accept we have entered a new stage, they have survived the culling and can now put their heads down., bums up, work their arses off and they may just survive into a full blown career. Players like Banno/Wiggens and so forth are not stupid, how many of them really believed they'd still be around? They are.
c) Ratts has to convince them the opportunities are real, that he will give them all chances so long they work their arses off for the team and do all the team things (like when a player points to their man because he has slipped away, the player pointed to takes off after them without thought)
d) The team needs to develop a strong understanding, a realization this is it, this is the team, no more culling, its up to them and grab the opportunity and learn who each other is - their strengths/weaknesses etc. And that all are equal - all have an equal part to play.
e) That Ratts and his team must now work through who can play what role, what their weaknesses/strengths are etc.
To me expecting much more than a glimpse (which I think we got on Thursday) of the above after seven games and 1 preseason (a preseason where the culling occurred again - I am not talking about 3/4 players going - I am talking about shock choices to gain the new 'list'- Kennedy, Whitnal etc... shocks to the group, not to us the supporters, we are not part of this @#$%&! process...to them, shocking, unsettling, confronting and ultimately, undermining - is far fetched at best.
Patience.
The real work is beginning, much like that first season of Clarkson' - thats where we are, thats how far behind we slipped under Pagan, and under this habitual search for superstars. Now that we have landed Judd I hope this is over and we can concentrate on building a TEAM.
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