I cant fathom this never see it ever again. The guys we are talking about are 27 turning 28.
Most players peak at these ages, and having an injury now isnt an indicator of the future.
Its so defeatist.
It's not defeatist Thry
It's facing reality.
One or two may get back to a semblance of their best.
Others are passed it, and are approaching the end of their careers
And some have suffered significant injuries, not just once , but have had a number of seasons derailed by injury.
Injuries can have a cumulative effect.
When you're young you can recover quickly.
As you age it takes it's toll.
Injuries to a back can lead to compensatory injuries in the hamstrings, calves and feet, due to an imbalance.
Some injuries are degenerative and time (and age) is the enemy.
Now in a group you may get one or two who can make a full recovery and play there best football in their late 20's early 30s.
But if that group is large, the more likely result is that you've seen the best of some of these players.
Of our All-Australian players currently listed I would reckon the majority will never see AA again.
And that was the point.
That they'll all never reach that level again.
We'll have others who will come on...but not all of that group.
But time will tell
Totally agree.
Part of the issue is that some of the players you mention (Weitering, Cripps) are forced to carry an extra load because of missing parts of the structure.
It also means they lack the support that would normally allow them to play their natural games.
McKay, Curnow and especially Walsh are injury carrying/ susceptible.
They're a different kettle of fish.
I'd add Jack to that list because he's become an important part of the defensive structure this year and a support for Weitering.
To me their effectiveness and returning to something approaching their best (and that includes their durability and consistency of performance) is very much a wait and see.
That all sounds pretty reasonable to me.
Tend to agree.
The list definitely needs an overhaul. With the top end talent, some are getting near the end and tough calla need to be made (eg Doc), some may have injury concerns we don't know about (Crippa, Charlie).
The middle/bottom end needs a clean out. I would be cutting / trading in no particular order - Motlop, Fogarty, Evans, Fantasia, Acres, Williams, Young, Guv and O. Holland's.
I don't believe any of these players are the future. Cut deep now, rip off the band aid.
I don't mean to be offensive, but how in God's name did Denver Grainger-Barras get selected so high? I can't say that I've seen much of him before, but he reminded me more of Monahan last season, or Duffy this season. He doesn't look smooth, he's awkward and doesn't run to the right spots ...Be a No from me on DGB, heard some unflattering stuff about his training attitude at Hawthorn and being full of himself.
Granted that he was useful last night, but ...
I think he has done his dash as a defender. Do we persevere with him as a forward? He ended up getting enough ball to be dangerous and he does leap well (although he doesn't always get close to it). His kicking ... his kicking reminded more of Percy Jones, to be honest.
I agree with all you've said here, but there is also the old "to be the best you need to beat the best" and everyone a chance to pit themselves against the reigning premiers. You might find the young kids putting their hands up begging for a crack at them. If they do, it's to be encouraged I reckon. Its all part of the learning.
Yep
I'm not overly fussed if they try something like Lemmey and Ben Camporeale this week.
As Kruddler mentioned there's not a great deal hanging on it now.
We can manage the minutes.
If it turns to crap we can move a few magnets.
Just wondering though, with the changes last week, and similar changes suggested for this week...is it too much all at once.
There's probably a couple of schools of thought operating here.
One would be for trying to halting the situation with an element of stability.
The other would be for as much youth and experimentation as possible.
A combination would probably be the best approach with a couple of youngsters getting a try each week and replacing a couple of other youngsters.
Give them a couple of games each before the end of the year, and we go into the off-eason with a bit of an idea how they perform at senior level.
How come Essendon and Scott aren’t coming under intense scrutiny, they’re going crap too
I agree with all you've said here, but there is also the old "to be the best you need to beat the best" and everyone a chance to pit themselves against the reigning premiers. You might find the young kids putting their hands up begging for a crack at them. If they do, it's to be encouraged I reckon. Its all part of the learning.
It might be about finding the right moment and the right side to bring them in against.
Do we go for the 'hard' lesson
Moore on Lemmey, or Ben C against the Collingwood midfield might have been an excellent learning experience.
It could also be a confidence sapper.
I'm not sure the Brisbane game is the right one either.
Melbourne would be the game.
But we'll see what they do it might be this week.
When they do get their chance we have to appreciate this is just for development purposes and judge them accordingly.
Lemmey's out of contract this year but I reckon he's worth persisting with for another year