I’m not saying the team selected shouldn’t go out to win the games – of course they should – but if Darcy’s knee needs a rest (or worse, surgery), then I’d rather do that now, get a few more games into Meek, and have us jump out of the blocks next season than wait until the end of the year and have Darcy miss the early stages of pre-season.
Mundy looks a little spent. Of course you’d pick him if you were trying to play finals at all costs, but maybe we could let the old guy have a weekend or two off before the end of the season, especially if it means we can see Tucker get a run in the middle again for bursts; his contract ends this season, and we’ll either need to sign or trade him, so it might be good to let him demonstrate his worth before the season is out, because playing at half-back hasn’t done him any favours.
Maybe it’s giving Logue a different role as a precursor to next season if we have most of our defenders back, or throwing Henry or Young on the wing for a quarter. Are Watson and Duman going to be around next year? Why not get a look at them before their contracts expire at the end of this year?
I think Schulz has done enough to show he’ll be around next year, and frankly he looks a bit cooked, so why not give Western more time? Nothing Colyer does in the next four rounds will affect his status for next year.
I’d rather a team of young guys out there playing for their careers against Richmond. I actually think it’s our best chance to win, because our team looks a bit tired. And to be honest, I’d rather we rest a few players this week and come out firing in the Derby, because even though we might not improve on our wins and losses for the season, it would be nice to at least beat that lot for a change.