It has been apparent that the football dept at RFC, for too long, have not had confidence in their abilities to identify and develop young talent …
Never a truer word spoken Harry H.
I wouldn’t normally post about such things, for a variety of reasons and was going to leave this until about Round 14, but as it seems obvious that things aren’t going to turn around (barring a miracle), and that change is almost assured at season’s end anyway, then why wait?
And after almost five years, if that isn’t enough time in which to expect to see results then how long is enough?
So, no more Mr. Nice Guy and no more sitting on the fence for me. Because I have ‘lived’ with a lot of things I haven’t liked in the past, but I can no longer tolerate the fact that players are recruited to this Club, only to have little, if any, chance of achieving anything like what they are capable of.
It’s abundantly clear to all that change has not and will not happen under the current coaching staff, barring the aforementioned miracle. And if it wasn’t evident during and after 2001, it has become so over the last two and a bit seasons that this is the case.
Throughout the past five years, our Club (coaching staff) has not changed its approach in any way, shape or form that would give anyone confidence that we are heading in the right direction on the field. And without on-field success, it seems that off-field success is nigh on impossible.
I doubt that it’s normal for a supporter to feel sorry for young players who are recruited to their Club. But that’s how I’ve felt for at least the last two seasons, because I know what awaits them. They obviously have some talent and ability when they arrive and hopefully some confidence to match, but after spending enough time here they somehow come to doubt themselves and their ability, or at least that’s how it seems to me. On the occasions that players seemingly progress, they then somehow mysteriously go backwards or plateau.
And it’s never as if the whole team has ever clicked at one time, because it’s always through the solid efforts and contribution of a few that we carve out our wins. I won’t even start on the style of game, because for one thing, I don’t know what it is and for another, I don’t want to bore you as it does everyone who sees us play.
Most of our young players seem to spend most of their time sitting on the bench, game after game, losing confidence all the while. Meanwhile, after starting behind us not more than 3 seasons ago, other Clubs have once again leapt over us and those young players at other Clubs somehow magically play like seasoned campaigners and seem to have such confidence in themselves and their teammates that it makes you wonder why it can’t happen at our Club.
For anyone who may be waiting for the Saints to fall over, I wouldn’t be holding my breath. Even if they don’t succeed this season, what they have achieved to now has been on the back of a lot more than just emotion and momentum. And you can at least see that Grant Thomas is setting the foundations for consistent success at his Club.
Geelong may not be as far advanced as the likes of St. Kilda, but there you can also at least see some improvement from when Mark Thompson started to now and that there is a definite direction in how they are going about things. I wish I could say the same for us.
As you suggest Harry H., a lack of confidence in our ability to draft and develop players is bleeding obvious. And despite telling us on several occasions that we needed to change, effectively, nothing has changed at our Club.
God helps those who help themselves.
Next.
