Sharp Axes

[hujsh]

I'm not convinced dropping all our older players, regardless of the form of the young players replacing them, at the expense of results now necessarily will build a better team. We've been better with Keath and Doc playing and as much as the kids need time in the team to develop getting bullied doesn't help them much either. Plenty of kids are getting exposure and we have for the most part remained competitive. That's probably a better environment for the likes of Sanders, Gallager etc than the alternative.

I'd still like to see more opportunity for players in the middle consistently as we settle Libba and Richards back in with Bont and Treloar though. Can't go back to a 3-4 man show.

Bus looks likely to get a taste this week and we can assess after that if Keath is needed right away.

[JanLorMill]

Who should get a game from the current VFL team to replace the older players?

We don't have the cattle

I never said they shouldn?t be getting games. I said we ain?t really rebuilding.

[jeemak]

I never said they shouldn?t be getting games. I said we ain?t really rebuilding.

Not in the traditional sense, rather, in the way the coach described it a few weeks ago because he doesn't believe you are likely to get success with a traditional rebuild anymore.

I guess you might be able to do it, but look at Norf and a couple of others. The view I think is changing to changing while you still have senior support to maintain competitiveness.

[soupman]

I never said they shouldn?t be getting games. I said we ain?t really rebuilding.

Are we claiming we are rebuilding?

We have said we are "evolving", which i know is semantics but a rebuild implies starting from the ground up. We are doing much more of a replication of Sydney/Geelong style changing of the guards where young guys are given variably meaningful roles within a senior structure that is still competitive. This involves still picking old guys where they make us a better side, ie Duryea, but picking young guys where they have scope to improve beyond what we currently have in a position and who's output on a week to week basis is not likely to leave us vulnerable as a cost ie. Gallagher.

[jeemak]

Are we claiming we are rebuilding?

We have said we are "evolving", which i know is semantics but a rebuild implies starting from the ground up. We are doing much more of a replication of Sydney/Geelong style changing of the guards where young guys are given variably meaningful roles within a senior structure that is still competitive. This involves still picking old guys where they make us a better side, ie Duryea, but picking young guys where they have scope to improve beyond what we currently have in a position and who's output on a week to week basis is not likely to leave us vulnerable as a cost ie. Gallagher.

You sound as if you may have been listening to the plain words uttered clearly in public by our coach, who everyone knows, talks indecipherable nonsense every time he's got a mic in front of him.

[JanLorMill]

Are we claiming we are rebuilding?

We have said we are "evolving", which i know is semantics but a rebuild implies starting from the ground up. We are doing much more of a replication of Sydney/Geelong style changing of the guards where young guys are given variably meaningful roles within a senior structure that is still competitive. This involves still picking old guys where they make us a better side, ie Duryea, but picking young guys where they have scope to improve beyond what we currently have in a position and who's output on a week to week basis is not likely to leave us vulnerable as a cost ie. Gallagher.

Yes some on here are.

[Mofra]

Well, Keath for Buss seems a no-brainer.

[Happy Days]

We’ve had picks inside the top 5 (or so) for 3 of the last 4 drafts. It might not a literal rebuild in practice but we’ve stumbled into sharing a lot of traits with one.

[Sedat]

I'm on the fence.

We've been pretty good since the Richmond game. Friday Night sucked but we look desperate for a rest and we're simply down too many quality players.

The spirit of the group has looked different to 2022-2023.

I'll write the Brisbane game off, but only that one. I expect a more committed performance vs Fremantle.

If we continue to show spirit and fight, and Bevo wants to lead a rebuild, I'm inclined to go that way but it means getting on the same page collectively and making some big calls on a number of big name players.

If we revert back to how we were prior to the Richmond game, I'll be wanting a new approach for 2025.

The good thing about our current situation is there's no rush. We can review at the end of the year with a full body of 2024 under the belt. If we fall away badly I don't think Bevo will stay beyond this season in any event - the evolution/regeneration process has already started so we haven't lost/wasted time like the entire club did in 2022/2023. If we continue to evolve/improve and do make finals, he will get the 2025 season to continue the progression.

What is crystal clear is that Bevo still has the players eating out of the palm of his hand, and the changes in coaching and F&C personnel are helping to build a more sustainable game plan and playing list - it appears that Bevo has embraced this shift more often than not. We aren't going to get perfection, but it is clear we are trying to fast-track to a better version of ourselves this year, which I don't think we did in the last 2 seasons. I have enjoyed this year to date so much more than the last 2 seasons, even if results are virtually the same at around 50/50.

[Jasper]

We’ve had picks inside the top 5 (or so) for 3 of the last 4 drafts. It might not a literal rebuild in practice but we’ve stumbled into sharing a lot of traits with one.

It's definitely not the classic defined club rebuild where senior players are let go to get extra picks in the first and second rounds of a draft but we have struck a balance of bringing in younger and older players to address the needs.
Clubs on a genuine rebuild don't bring in the likes of Lobb, Jones, O'Brien, Harmes and to a lesser extent Coffield, Bramble, Poulter and Baker.
At the same time we have kept bringing in first round picks. Weightman, Ugle Hagan, Darcy, Busslinger, Sanders and Croft confirm we have kept a sharp eye on the longer term future.

Based on this I just wonder if the club is happy enough to stay competitive while it continues to strengthen it's financial position rather than bottom out and potentially take a hit to the membership and attendance numbers? Beverdige is copping the heat but have the club really been going for a flag or are they working on a stealth rebuild? I'd say we are comfortable in our current position rather than really committing to a flag tilt or a rebuild.

[my plums]

The last thing you should be doing is playing kids for the sake of playing kids IMO. The kids currently playing are deserving of a spot in the side atm. Some of the more mature players are passengers right now, but once we get some bodies back, you'd think they would be sent back to the VFL and the good kids will stay in. That's what I hope anyway.

[Mantis]

It's definitely not the classic defined club rebuild where senior players are let go to get extra picks in the first and second rounds of a draft but we have struck a balance of bringing in younger and older players to address the needs.
Clubs on a genuine rebuild don't bring in the likes of Lobb, Jones, O'Brien, Harmes and to a lesser extent Coffield, Bramble, Poulter and Baker.
At the same time we have kept bringing in first round picks. Weightman, Ugle Hagan, Darcy, Busslinger, Sanders and Croft confirm we have kept a sharp eye on the longer term future.

Based on this I just wonder if the club is happy enough to stay competitive while it continues to strengthen it's financial position rather than bottom out and potentially take a hit to the membership and attendance numbers? Beverdige is copping the heat but have the club really been going for a flag or are they working on a stealth rebuild? I'd say we are comfortable in our current position rather than really committing to a flag tilt or a rebuild.

Pretty much every club brings in ''discards'' from other teams to add depth or fill gaps... you can't rely solely on the draft, especially in trying to fill gaps when it can take 3-4 years for the draftees to be AFL ready.

[FrediKanoute]

Based on this I just wonder if the club is happy enough to stay competitive while it continues to strengthen it's financial position rather than bottom out and potentially take a hit to the membership and attendance numbers? Beverdige is copping the heat but have the club really been going for a flag or are they working on a stealth rebuild? I'd say we are comfortable in our current position rather than really committing to a flag tilt or a rebuild.

I think absolutely the club wants to avoid a North/WCE style bottom out. What we have seen is that bottoming out can become sticky and that a 2 year bottom out becomes a 4 or 5 year bottom out. For a small club like ours it would be very problematic. It has been a stealth rebuild to date. I think a pretty good one. Darcy looks like a generational talent; JUH looks ready to explode; Sanders has time and space; B Smith is a gun; Weightman is Brad Johnson with a leap.

[azabob]

If I was Beveridge I would walk away.

The players are doing him no favours.

[EasternWest]

If I was Beveridge I would walk away.

The players are doing him no favours.

I mean, I would never walk away from 800k a year, unless they'd asked me to skin puppies or something. But I get the gist of what you're saying.