It should be noted the WCE in ‘92 & Port in ‘04 were built around a core of mature bodied, almost State of Origin talent. WCE had a complete WAFL pool to draw from and brought back some Vic-based WA talent in Wilson, Glendinning & Annear to name a few.
Port paid a stack of talented players to remain in the SANFL and not nominate for the draft once they knew they were getting an AFL licence.
The Dockers were never in the position to do either.
Just for the record, of that list CA, there is a total of 2,383 games experience and yesterday we were missing 1,323 of them. Some of those include Fyfe, Sandi, Spurr and AAJohnno.
It’s not just the number of games but the talent behind them. I think most would agree that Sutcliffe is done from a Freo perspective. AAJohnno and D.Pearce are already announced as done. I expect Spurr and Ballas to go as well. Sandi is not looking good to go around again either with his injury issues.
Matera and Wilson are playing their first season for us and it is generally accepted it takes new players, even experienced ones, to adjust to their new team, game plans, travel burden, etc.
So of that list, I expect about 1,151 games of experience to depart at season’s end.
I would put it to you that we have one of the least experienced Dockers lists (in terms of games played for the club) since the very early years.
Our best forward has been out since Round 5 and we are missing our captain and best player and best ruckman. Apeness was showing a bit before his body let him down again. Cox and Darcy will develop into players, IMHO, but not overnight.
Our backline is looking good long-term and the opposition scoring is more a result of a lack of midfield pressure than from our backs losing one-on-one contests.
Our midfield has shown the ability to match it with good sides (not great sides, but good ones) and if we can lock in Cerra, Langdon and some of the other young guns that’s looking good long term as well.
So I’ll state the obvious and say our forward line needs work - plenty of it.
Key forwards don’t grow on trees - WCE only got Kennedy via the Judd trade - and they rarely want to come to Perth. Not in their prime, anyway. Even those from WA (Franklin & Hogan) would rather stay in teams that either play every second week on the MCG, only travel 5-7 times a year, and/or who only have to make one hour flights when they do.
Until the V(A)FL even out the travel for WA sides this will continue - and there is more chances of a GF being played at Perth Stadium before that happens.
But as bad as yesterday was - I still remember 2001 and we are not that bad.
I have attended 3 games recently I expected to lose and we won 2 of them. Back in those dark years that would never have happened - more like I would attend 3 games against lower placed sides expecting to win and lose them all. Then we’d beat some team that was flying, usually away from home, then return to form.
You don’t have an average winning percentage of 44% (which has been brought up considerably under Roly’s tenure as he is going at 56%) by winning games you’re expected to. To put that in some perspective, even with the past 3 seasons included, Roly has coached a third of our total wins.
So no, this is neither our worst season or the worse we have ever played.
That said, yesterday was terrible and I’m somewhat glad my industrial-strength hangover from my 50th party the night before allowed me the excuse to depart at 3/4 time. Inexcusable I know (apologies Morgan - no post match catch up this time!), but once in 24 years is ok, isn’t it??
