2018 is going to be a year not unlike 2010. Where 2 years prior a major culling began. In 2008, 14 players walked in, the likes of Ballas, Hilly, Suban, Walters, De Boer etc. In 2009, we added Mora, Fyfe, Silvagni, Barlow, Roberton etc. In that period 24 players started their Freo careers. We played in finals in 2010 beating Hawks at home before losing to Geelong the following week. Fast forward 7 years, and since 2015 we're likely to have similar intake of newcomers to the club, making 2018 a likely finals year. The one glaring difference between the 2 periods is that in 2010, there were more experience players complementing our younger brigade. No doubt while the club have drafted well in 2015,2016, the likes of Hill and Hamling was a big coup. The case to bring in more players with AFL experience will be high on the Agenda. That's why 2018, is no longer a rebuilding phase but a period of finals participation. Perhaps it was always going to be a 2 year rebuild rather than 4.
