There are exceptions to the rule, but generally, teams need a number of finals campaigns before they can be considered genuine contenders. We have a long way to go before we are anywhere near close to resembling that.
Our list is too unbalanced, and our depth not very deep, for anyone to consider us even being good enough to make finals this year. Other teams will have to fall over themselves and everything will have to go our way for that to happen.
4 years is a long time in footy. The Lions went from wooden spooners (98) to multi-premiers in that space of time while Sheeds has continually rebuilt the bombers list in 4-5 year cycles for the past 25 years.
The difference between them and RFC is that those clubs had lists that took them to the finals on a regular basis, before they became premiers, so people could rightly talk them up. We cannot really measure how much difference it makes to teams that have that sort of experience, and it’s hard to say whether home and away games really prepare teams for the step up needed to play finals footy. But you’d think it would give teams an advantage.
If we’ve had 1 or 2 finals campaigns by 2009 people can start talking us up then. Right now, the ‘potential’ of our list alone isn’t enough to convince anyone of anything. Only finals footy can really do that. And, basically, I’m not expecting a whole lot from us until our depth improves, which will take a few more seasons yet, as others have outlined.
