Well I tried to respond DB, but 400 characters or less...well, when have I ever been able to restrict myself to that? I tried to chop it down about 4 times and ended up canning out, so here it is in full here:
I believe it is all about balance. The future is the kids no doubt and haven't we got some good ones? Kids need game time to acquire confidence, whether that is in the VFL or in the AFL. How to choose which is the best for their development? Simple really: Pull all these fringe youngsters aside: Betts, Davies, Russell, Hartlett, Blackwell, Kennedy, Bower, Edwards, Raso, 2x O'hAilpins, Smith, Batson, Jackson & Flint (some injured and some rookies, so subject to restrictions) and tell them this:
"OK, guys we are embarking on a new and exciting phase of the club. We are going to treat the rest of this season as a transition period. We really want to know who is going to make it. Only you can tell us that. This is what we are going to do. When you are in the top 3-4 of possession winners at VFL level for 3 consecutive matches, we will reward you with elevation to the AFL for a minimum of 3 matches where you will get a minimum of 40 minutes total of ground time each match. If you are in the top 15 of possession winners over this period, you will be retained in the 22 for the balance of the season".
This way the kids are incentivised to bust their gut to stand out in the VFL and if they get elevated they know they will get ground time to stake their claim. Only a handful will make the step up and only a few will stay there, but at least we will know who amongst them is prepared to work to succeed. I’m betting at seasons end there will be at least 6 new permanent fixtures to add to the likes of Simpson, Bentick, Carrazzo, Walker & Murphy. That gives us half a team of kids and half a team of experienced but generally young players. The rest subject to retirements, trades and drafting might be made up of this solid core: Stevens, Fevola, Waite, Whitnall, Fisher, Thornton, Lappin, French, McLaren, Houlihan, McGrath, Scotland, Saddington, Livingston, Bryan, Wiggins & Prendergast. Now add a couple of ready to play lads in the upcoming draft and we are starting to get some real balance.
