I don't like the "Give me one or 2 low picks in the draft and suddenly all will be good" attitude.
We're in the process of rebuilding in a number of ways:
• In terms of our manpower on the field; and
• Attitude both on and off the field.
We've seen how poor we can be when our skills are below-average. Combine that with bad attitude, and we are truly shocking. Remember, we played good, attractive, fast footy when our attitude was high.
Part of the re-organisation of players after this season will be to not only improve our playing stock, but to improve our attitude stocks also. There's no point having skilled, yet sulky players in the midst of developing youngsters.
About your point of Richmond as an example:
Yes, they've had a great turnaround in a very short space of time. IMO, only a small part of this has been due to the influx of quality draftees. They will assert their quality next year or later. Judgement on how far Richmond has truly come has to be left til the end of this season. With Brown's injury, Richmond has had a lot of air taken out of their sails, as he seemed to be a huge part of their resurgence, and his loss will see them lose matches that they otherwise would have won.
But, to your point, I'm keeping the faith. They're my team, and I'll support them through thick and thin.
I look forward to the next Blue Wave.
PS: contact the AFL about your PP question. try emailing
football.operations@afl.com.au (maybe it's without the ".")