McCartney: We need patience

[bornadog]

The issue becomes when the club bows to the demands of the ignorant and short sighted supporters and takes those quick fix solutions. It could be easily argued one of the reasons Richmond had been a rabble for 30 years is they continually bow to the demands of impatient fans. We've been guilty of it in the past and I hope this time around we're strong enough to stick to the plan.

I don't think our club has ever really done that. The only coach that we got rid of quickly was a mistake anyway and rushed in because he was cheap. We have stuck to the plan, particularly since the 90's when we rebuilt a number of times and made finals throughout the 90's and 2000's. We are on the same path again and we will rebuild and be back playing finals again.

Richmond were like that but since Wallace they have also stuck to their guns, however, they still haven't played finals, so it doesn't always work.

[mjp]

Add Stevens, Young and Lower as all players that can at least compete at seniot level. Brett Goodes has also looked effective.

No secret I am a fan of Stevens - and I like Lower and Goodes just fine. I guess your 'depth' point is true in the case of each of these players (and Young as well - though he is even more unproven than the others)...but I am actually frustrated that our recruiting from other clubs has been based on building depth where I would like to see it based on getting in some real quality - negatively impacting our rivals and adding to our own 'star power'. I suppose I am still frustrated that Essendon had the foresight to pinch Goddard from St Kilda, Sydney snared Tippet from Sydney and we didn't do anything of that magnitude.

Again, I am a frustrated supporter and my views should be taken as such - but I don't understand why a rebuilding process has to take 3-5 years. Cant we try to win NOW whilst looking to win it all in 3-5 years? I hope all my fears are unfounded but I am concerned that the best case scenario for players such as Goodes, Lower, Howard, Tutt, Pearce, Jung, Roberts (and on I could go) is that they become solid contributors...in the meantime, we have to sit back and wait for the potential match-winners in Stringer and Macrae - plus the assumed high draft picks we will get again at the end of what everyone seems to think will be a miserable season - to mature and hopefully join a peaking Wallis, Liberatore, Jones, Dalhaus and maybe, just maybe Griffen is still hanging on...

I don't want another year like the second half of 2012. I was really, really, really upset with our efforts in Mandurah last week - I know it was pre-season but is that really the type of performance our club accepts? - and I want to be looking forward with confidence, not trepidation. Patience? Sure - how much do I need to have? The winning doesn't phase me, but this season if we are not moving the ball with a lot more efficiency than last year and at least impacting the scoreboard then I am NOT going to be very patient. Improvement has to come in 2013 - it needs to be tangible on the scoreboard, and not just in terms of kicking efficiency stats. I don't think expecting this is being unreasonable or impatient.

[jeemak]

MJP, I suppose to snag one of the big names a club needs to be bold, but it also needs to be in a position where it can offer the potential big name a short term future result above what his own club can.

Do you really think a Goddard would have come to our club, considering its current position and Goddard's need to join a club that is potentially going to win a flag in the next couple of years?

I appreciate your views on depth, and agree with them somewhat. I suppose when apart from your veterans you have a club full of unknown quantities it's pretty hard to prepare for replacing players who command their own spot on the field. For me, this aspect of building our list is extremely troublesome. We need players to establish themselves in positions this year to provide clarity in our list management going forwards.

As for your assessment of last week's game at Mandurah, you were there, and the vast majority of us weren't. Though the numbers suggested we were on a hiding to nothing, and we copped hammerings last year with a vastly more experienced side playing game for points. I'm not saying it was acceptable, but I couldn't imagine a game where there were more mitigating circumstances than there were last week, epecially considering Fremantle were lining up with a side close to the one that made week two of the finals last year, and we rocked up with a bunch of novices.

Enough of us have played games under similar circumstances ourselves, or coached them. It's a bloody tough ask to walk away with anything significant. IMO we need to show something this week when we're stronger.

[G-Mo77]

In regards to the quick fix argument. Jade Rawlings anyone? He was our "saviour" and instead turned out to be a big pile of cow dung that we had to pay another team to take on. That's one but there's more. Richmond has done this for so long. Fans call for blood - draft picks traded for recycled players - slight rise - big drop - Repeat cycle.

If we're going to bottom out and rebuild I'd like to see it done right and from a list POV I think we're going along OK. Other areas are a concern but I'm patient on that front. I think we'll show some signs after the half way mark this year.

[Topdog]

Just a shame we chose such a crappy time to need to rebuild. We are one of 5 clubs trying to do it and 2 of them had 30 more first round picks than us (slight exaggeration)

[jeemak]

Just a shame we chose such a crappy time to need to rebuild. We are one of 5 clubs trying to do it and 2 of them had 30 more first round picks than us (slight exaggeration)

I'm not entirely confident they'll be able to keep them all by the time they get to the age of 23-24. Nor am I confident their development programs will be as solid as established clubs.

We're into year three for GC, and year two for GWS. Each of these sides are at least three or four years away from contending for a top four spot as it stands, assuming they're able to hang on to their talent and make the most of it.

Just like everything the AFL contrives, I think they're going to have many issues in being productive.

[Topdog]

It will be impossible for them to keep them all BUT importantly for them with the current FA system in place they will be getting good draft picks for years and years to come. I think the AFL has helped them way too much. I hope I am wrong.

[Ghost Dog]

All new coaches have a honeymoon, and this coach is leading a re-build so do the math and predict that either we win 5 or so games minimum and are competitive, or the fans are going to be jumping up and down.
Nobody wants to fork out money to see games that are complete whitewash.
Alright if you have little aths there anyway, but you have to feel for the poor folk who trekked all the way to WA for that game!

[GVGjr]

No secret I am a fan of Stevens - and I like Lower and Goodes just fine. I guess your 'depth' point is true in the case of each of these players (and Young as well - though he is even more unproven than the others)...but I am actually frustrated that our recruiting from other clubs has been based on building depth where I would like to see it based on getting in some real quality - negatively impacting our rivals and adding to our own 'star power'. I suppose I am still frustrated that Essendon had the foresight to pinch Goddard from St Kilda, Sydney snared Tippet from Sydney and we didn't do anything of that magnitude.

Jason McCartney and Simon Dalrymple talked about this sort of scenario at a function I attended a few weeks back and the view was that while a big name might have a lot of benefits it wouldn't necessarily help us challenge for a top 4 or 5 spot because we are still a few seasons away from that.

Getting someone 23 or 24 (like a Dangerfield) would be something that they would be very interested in considering.

The better approach would be to focus on the youngsters and get some stronger bodies (Goodes, Lower, Stevens and Young) to support them without losing early draft picks.

Like you, I'd like to get a big name recruit but topping up on older star players like Akermanis isn't what we need now.

[Bulldog Joe]

I don't want another year like the second half of 2012. I was really, really, really upset with our efforts in Mandurah last week - I know it was pre-season but is that really the type of performance our club accepts? - and I want to be looking forward with confidence, not trepidation. Patience? Sure - how much do I need to have? The winning doesn't phase me, but this season if we are not moving the ball with a lot more efficiency than last year and at least impacting the scoreboard then I am NOT going to be very patient. Improvement has to come in 2013 - it needs to be tangible on the scoreboard, and not just in terms of kicking efficiency stats. I don't think expecting this is being unreasonable or impatient.

I am certainly on the same page in not wanting a repeat of late 2012.

I don't think the game at Mandurah means anything. We simply took nobody there to give us any chance to be competitive. Cooney was the only experienced player, against a Freo side in full dress rehearsal.

Jarrad Grant was the 2nd most experienced player.

That side would have been less experienced than any side fielded by GWS or Gold Coast.

I also need to see tangible improvement in 2013.

[wimberga]

Jason McCartney and Simon Dalrymple talked about this sort of scenario at a function I attended a few weeks back and the view was that while a big name might have a lot of benefits it wouldn't necessarily help us challenge for a top 4 or 5 spot because we are still a few seasons away from that.

Getting someone 23 or 24 (like a Dangerfield) would be something that they would be very interested in considering.

The better approach would be to focus on the youngsters and get some stronger bodies (Goodes, Lower, Stevens and Young) to support them without losing early draft picks.

Like you, I'd like to get a big name recruit but topping up on older star players like Akermanis isn't what we need now.

I agree GVGjr but I also agree with MJP in that at the end of the day, this game is about winning.

I believe that right now we are not in a position to target a big name. However, in the next 2 years or so I would really like us to go out there and try and drag a big name across. Hopefully free agency will make this easier for us. Bringing in new talent via the draft is always good but imo, when looking back over the teams that have bottomed out like your Melbourne's and your Carlton's, I think its hard to throw your full support behind this strategy.

We have had those good picks now and hopefully used them wisely with Stringer/Macrae. I think the way forward from now is to develop a cohesive game plan that the group can learn together, start putting winning ahead of development, have another year of relatively high list turnover and then really start to push teams and become that club that other teams dread playing and other players want to play for......

[F'scary]

McCartney. I am being patient. BUT IF WE DON'T WIN MORE MATCHES...