Synbad wrote:
Is a Grange really worth $500??...
My oath it is.
On Pagan, I think given our poor win/loss ratio, coupled with the apparent success, if you could call it that, of Eade and Wallace it is only natural to question Denis' results at Carlton. Given that both Eade and Wallace were available to us at the time we signed Pagan it adds even more curiosity to the debate. Would we be in this position with Eade or Wallace? Nobody really knows.
This year is probably the toughest to take in some ways because many of us, myself included, were expecting so much more off the back of 2004 and the Wizzer Cup.
I can't answer the question if any other coach would have been better for us. The beauty of speculation is it always allows for best case scenarios, so in that way it may be easy for people to mount a case saying we might be better off without Denis.
The thing to remember is that Pagan, or really it should be Carlton, is operating in a somewhat unique scenario to the other 15 clubs and our list problems began before Pagan arrived, he's not only dealing with our inability to accept the draft pre 2001, but he's also dealing with our inability to use the draft in 2002 and 2003, Walker excepted.
I still believe that Denis has the abilities to get us back in the finals and am still happy that he is our coach. However, I too have been a little unsure how to interpret the team selections over the past few weeks. Indeed it scares me in some ways to establish theories as to what he is doing.
C'est la vie. We'll be back, of that I am certain.