He has to the same point in their careers. In Grant's second season at the club he played 1 game and got 1 kick. I'm not convinced Skinner will make it but Grant has delivered very little over an extended period of time.
It it weren't for a string of good games back in 2010 Grant would have done nothing of note in his 5 years at the club.
You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus
Good thread SS. I must confess that I get frustrated with guys like Grant that struggle to reach their potential because they often come across as lax.
That being said, we have to keep him at all costs and try our best to make it work.
The next 12 months are huge for him in my opinion.
Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"
I think that the Coach is determined to re-build and re-educate Grant. The way McCartney has spoken about Grant I'm sure he will stay on our list and will remain a project player (albeit a high draft pick project player.)
You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus
Fifth. Better get rid of 'im eh?
Just a couple of points to note, he came out of the under 18's very under-developed, and had his first year ruined by OP and a Stingray bite.
2009 saw him play one very ordinary game while developing.
2010 saw him play alonside Barry Hall in a side that could move the ball forward. He played many good games, kicked thirty goals or so and had a highest tally of six goals (isn't another player on the list that has managed to do that).
2011 was disappointing, though he wasn't helped by our decline in quality ball movement.
2012 is similar to 2011, and a poor start to the year saw him paddocked to build fitness and weight. It must be noted that he is adjusting to a new coach, and after coming back from a spell he played his best game of the year up forward, and has since played out of defense (for some reason, I suppose most likely development).
I can understand why some criticise him as he seems to be an exceptional talent that can't put it all together consistently. I also quesiton some of his efforts when the tide is against him.
What I can't understand is the expectation that such a clearly under-developed player was going to play consistent football for us over the first half of his career, especially recently considering we don't have a developed key forward to take the pressure off our younger ones and we can't kick the thing to a forward to save ourselves anyway. I also struggle to understand how anyone expects him to be a competent backman after a couple of games adjusting to the position in a team that is giving every opportunity to the opposition to dominate and kick massive winning scores.
Sundays game may have been painful watching Grant get run around by Edwards but it may also be a very handy lesson too. Everything is not always a catastrophe.
Personally I think Edwards is a pretty smart player too.
To be brutally honest, I wouldn't be fazed if Grant were moved on. From an outsider's view, he just doesn't seem to have what is required in the intensity department. Don't wish him any ill will, but wouldn't be that disappointed to see his name on the trade table.
[B][COLOR="#0000CD"]Our club was born in blood and boots, not in AFL focus groups.[/COLOR][/B]
He's out again this week. I would take it the MC didn't think much of his efforts. Perhaps he feels hard done by as well. I wonder if he and his manager would be interested in a trade?
You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus
I fully expect to see Grant at the club next season and under the careful tutelage of BMac. Anything else and the teaching mantra starts to ring awfully hollow.
Unless Grant doesn't meet McCartney's "teaching quality people the right way to play " mantra.
It seems to me McCartney has invested a lot of time in Grant this year to try to turn around a player that had badly stagnated and appeared to have lost direction, perhaps he feels that effort is being reciprocated.