@ivan this is the thread for these musings. Welcome finally
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For me itās a journey that began last year. I was thrilled with the season we had and the reestablishment of a sense of pride in the club. We didnāt win a final but it was the most enjoyable season for more than a decade.
I donāt see this team going backwards
We may not win a final but I am sure we will win more games. The final win will come eventually. But itās not a maybe anymore. Itās an inevitability.
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Edited for the thread
Reads much better, thanks
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In 1998, after a disappointing start to the season we unexpectedly thump a St Kilda team expecting to contend, and we go on to lose to in week 1 of the finals to the eventual runners up.
We all know what happened next.
In 2021, after a disappointing start to the season we unexpectedly thump a St Kilda team expecting to contend, and we go on to lose to in week 1 of the finals to the eventual runners upā¦
Lid off!
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Whoa whoa whoaā¦ can we choose which parts of the āwhat happened nextā that we get?
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Itās not up to me
I humbly accept this responsibility.
We get the three-peat we deserved.
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The mindset has changedā¦ā¦ Itcomes from Rutten, and itās been a natural progression from the young players.
For the first in a long time, there is no excuses being thrown up by the coach. If we lose, weāre not happy about it and weāll makes changes (and hard work) to fix it.
The previous regime; was lots of excuses, and if what we were doing wasnāt workingā¦. We stick with it, until it does work.
The players are hungrier to win, eager to work hard & wanting to prove themselves. Theyāre so much more competitive, and refuse to let another team bully them around.
The last few years, how many times did we watch Merrett getting smashed behind the ball??? the players and coach did nothing.
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Not sure if this is the right thread but found it interesting the club has now updated player height and weights for next season that a significant core of our young players have put on significant weight compared to last year.
All part of the natural development but Iād say it would have to be pretty rare to have such a large core part of the young brigade all put on such substantial weight over the same off season.
Jones (10kg), Cox (7kg), Reid (6kg), Baldwin (8kg), Durham (10kg), Bryan (4kg), Eyre(8kg) all have put on substantial weight/muscle.
Very promising for next season if a couple of these can step up from role player to key player.
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Any players lose a bit of weight?
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Jones 10kg was going to happen he will be much better for it this year
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Thatās another thing Iām happy to see. Not just the improvement of numbersā¦. But the mindset.
After the WB match, it was clear as day that we werenāt big enough to compete against them in the wet. The players responded, and have put on the weight which will hold them in great stead to compete against the top sides.
For years, weāve been bashed up in the contestā¦. And the players have come back to preseason slimmed down to improve mobility & Endurance, when Itās clear as day we have needed to get bigger.
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Yeh but to counter that point only one of the players listed in my post actually played that final. I agree with your sentiment though
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Looks like Stringer has lost a kg or two which is noticeable in photos.
Heās only 88kg now. I still think he has another 6-7kg until heās at optimum weight.
Seriously promising prospect.
Coleman in next 2-3 years
Joint Coleman with Baldwin. Heās a great shot up close
It would be great if we defied all (most of?) the pundits and won the Premiership in our 150th year. Hereās hopingā¦
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