Interesting OP.Johnny Member wrote: ↑Sun 11 Jun 2017 11:18am This season, of course it is.
You know my view, as per the 'We're Just Not Good Enough' thread as to where our list is at and the fact that we don't have enough really good players. We constructed a plan to get "3 picks in the top 20 for 3 years" and pretty much achieved that. The problem is that we didn't nut any pearls in that period.
We expected to. And anticipated it. We set our targets and goals based on it. But it didn't work out how we thought.
The 'We're Just Not Good Enough' thread was based on the club's very public plan of "top 4 by 2018 and a flag by 2020".
I think in hindsight, that plan was a mistake and most likely is the reason we're in the s*** we're in now.
Now I'm making some assumptions here, but I think reasonable ones:
When a coach arrives and gets told that his team must be top by 4 by 2018 and win a flag by 2020, it's reasonable for him to set out to achieve that. It's also not really an unreasonable expectation, given that he had time, and was being drip fed top 20 draft picks including a pick 1 and a pick 3 early on.
I don't think Richardson would have complained too much about the task he'd been set either. I didn't, as a spectator. I think it all looked fair and quite reasonable.
But fast forward to now, and it's obvious that we're nowhere near being a top 4 side. And looking at what we've got out on the park - we still won't be close in 2018.
But who's fault is this?
I don't like what Richardson is bringing to the table in terms of strategy - but we've got to be fair about it. You can't on one hand lament how s*** our list is, but then also blame the coach for us not being able to play the way he wants us to.
I actually blame the club.
I'm assuming that the club's blueprint for success still stands. We've heard nothing to suggest it doesn't, and frankly we're being coached to suggest that it certainly still stands. I'm assuming that Richardson will probably lose his job if he can't achieve the goal he was set when he was hired. He was told he had to have the team in the top by 2018, and winning a flag by 2020.
And as per above, the club was going to provide him the cattle to do it. But the club hasn't lived up to their end of the deal. They haven't delivered him the cattle. Not yet anyway.
This 'core' looks pretty good to me:
Steven
Ross
Stevens
Armitage
Carlisle
Steele
Roberton
Webster
Billings
Acres
McCartin
Gresham
Bruce
Hickey
Membrey
Goddard
Freeman
Long
Battle
Pick x (from Hawthorn this year)
Pick x (ours this year)
Big fish
Some picks and guys in there are speculative of course - but that's the point. The above 'core' is nowhere near good enough to be top 4 by next year. But it well and truly could be in 2 years time. In 3-4 years time is actually when realistically the above group will be at that prime age bracket.
So if the coach is still coaching toward us being top 4 by next year, then he's going to fail. The players just aren't up to it yet. And the issue is that if he is coaching for top 4 by next year - what sort of long term damage can be done in the meantime?
Could we be stifling guys in the ressies just so we can carry out the clubs plan? Could we be giving up high picks for 'big fish'? Could we be playing guys in 'safe' positions instead of experimenting?
It's not all doom and gloom for the Saints. The current group with some more talent added over the next year or two will be really good. Not next year or the year after though. But in 3-4.
But if the club and coach keep sticking to the 'blueprint for success' then we may well be in trouble for quite a while. The club really needs to bite the bullet, and admit they got it wrong. The idea was right, but the execution failed. No biggie.
It's only a biggie if you don't accept it and change direction.
I tend to agree.