This year wasn’t and shouldn’t have been a rebuilding year. Our list demographic and the fact we would have expected improvement from finishing 7th said as much
It’s becoming one quickly though based on Neeld’s new midfield strategy & game plan change plus the inability of the coaches to get players to understand it or do it.
Based on the way it seems like things work these days, if Langford feels like he being jerked around and another club is interested (especially a Victorian club), I’d assume it’d be more or less a done deal by the bye round.
Should be played for the remainder of the season, simple as that. There can be no argument if he’s given a clear run at it week after week and given the chance to show what he’s got. My view is that he would repay that faith and entrench himself in the team by seasons end - but he has to be given that opportunity. If not, he’s gone, and who can blame him?
I think there’s a fair argument to give Clarke an extended run too, and to see others such as Redman and Long given some game time. Let’s see what they have to offer. Reckon they’d give the team spirit a bit of a bump too.
I have no info on this and am as confused as most. But… what if, as a crazy scenario, we found out that Langford had already decided to leave after his contract ended, and therefore it’s pointless to play him?
Crawf-Hirdy podcast (this week I think) Crawford said when Clarkson started he showed the players what the team would be in 2 years time. Lots of senior players were missing, including Crawfords, and showed gaps that had to be filled. But he understood that was the reality of the situation.
It depends where we honestly are on the premiership window/clock cycle. And if it has changed by what’s happened so far this season. For a number of reasons we have to take an honest and hard look at the list and "who will be best 22 in 2019-2021, and play/recruit players accordingly. So yes, let’s get a good number of games into the key kids.
He has had his opportunities. I actually thought his first game this year vs Adelaide was very good, and that he would kick on from there. I would keep playing him, but he put in a poor one and then got dropped.
He does remind me of Melksham in this, Jake would play a good game, then not turn up for a week or three, then pop up in a game with a clever piece of play and roost a goal. If you watch him now, he is very consistent. Maybe better coaching and a a bit older.
Hope you are wrong about Langers, and that he gets a go this week. I love BJ and Bags but they are on the way out, and playing Baguley in the forward line is just nonsense.
Here ya, Speedy. We’ve underperformed, completely agree. However, I don’t think we ever had the cattle to challenge the top two or three this year… we still need a big bod or two in the midfield who isn’t as slow as treacle, and a couple of slightly bigger, endurance guys, across all lines. If it were up to me (thank fark it’s not) I would’ve treated this year as a development year to get Mutch, Clarke, Begley, Lang, Laverde up to speed for a serious tilt next year. Actually, I would have spent half of last year doing the same thing TBH.
That, to me, has been the biggest coaching/recruiting fark up across the last two seasons. Would’ve also gone after Kennedy at Carlton - been injured so jury still out on him this year, but reckon he looks ok and would’ve got games with us.