So apart from p-ssing around in the first post I haven’t really given my thoughts.
After careful consideration I’ve decided I’m not disappointed because we went pretty much exactly how I thought we’d go at the start of the year. From the 2018 Predictions thread:
In my view, we had problems at the start of the year that simply weren’t going to resolve immediately. Our pressure had been terrible for years, our midfield depth was awful, and the addition of the SSS was probably going to cause a few teething problems, at least initially. Any hope that we were going to do well in 2018 was just that, a blind hope, in my view.
However I feel like we’ve made real progress this year. Parish, Langford and Guelfi now give us real depth in the midfield. Our pressure is now one of the best in the comp. All of the SSS have been fabulous, and all are still young.
Our best players, the ones we will build a premiership team around, are all young; Daniher, Smith, Fantasia, Zerrett and Stringer. We’ve got real young guns coming through in Langford, Parish, Francis and Guelfi. Our depth is finally looking good, with players like Dea, Begley, Laverde, Redman and McKernan who will all likely not be in the best 22 but pushing hard for spots.
For the first time in literally decades, I won’t be blindly hoping for success next year, I’ll be expecting it, knowing that the building blocks have finally been out in place.
This year was the building year we had to have. Next year I expect us to finish top 4, while 2020-2024 is our time to have a lengthy, sustained crack at it.