^I suspect I haven't missed a thing. You know you take any opportunity to jump on him at any point. I suspect most of it is you like the reactions but hey, it's an open forum you're entitled to say what you think. But let's at least be objective.
I don't think he's a sacred cow by any stretch, but we don't have an effective replacement that can pick up 20+ disposals over a full season and still
impact games.
Just for a moment, look at his 2024 statistics, but when you do, remove his name. Without an able replacement with respect to what we have on our list, he's been more than serviceable. Might the Club have been the one to request he plays on?
https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pp- ... sidebottom
We've 11 players between 100 and 200 games and 5 greater than >100 and less than < 150 games.
If we don't trade in players in that aforementioned bracket, good luck trying to evolve the <50 game players.
IF we had able-bodied replacements to force Sidey from the named starting XXIII, then the selectors I suspect might be more willing to have phased him out by now, and he might just have seen fit to call it time, or as you term it, self-awareness.
A bloke that has played 10 seasons (let alone 16) might will inevitably hit the wall, and it's rarely on their terms, but let's not let the frustration of the season become the reason you ride him into the ground while he's in the departure lounge. He's owed more respect than that.
But we currently need the experience while the likes of JDG, Pendles, McStay, Howe, Elliott that have been sidelined for long periods. Is that Sidebottom's problem?
@qldmagpie67 I get we have some untried talent who might make it as good or very good AFL players but if we keep prioritising keeping veterans on our list over giving kids time to develop then we wonder when we improve
This is such a simplistic statement at so many levels. Who would you have given a body of games in front of Sidebottom?
We've had injuriesa nd as a result we've had more debutants than most seasons, but we don't have the depth in the mid-tier bracket.
Players that have had under 3 pre-seasons simply do not possess the stamina to run out games. Only a very few gifted athletes can do that. e.g. Harrison who is starting to labor.
This is a list management development issue discussion. Our veterans have been left exposed due to a congruence of injury, draft busts and lack of talent within the 100-200 game bracket not pushing through a ceiling into anything that resembles A grade territory. IQ, Lipinski & Noble are the only real youth we have in this games bracket, but they're simply average role-playing footballers, not the ones that will stay in or break open a game.
Bring in players too early and their careers are much more likely to stall. And the body of evidence to this? GWS, The Suns, Kangaroos have been replete with untried talent. What they lacked more than anything is culture, and with that Sidey oozes Collingwood DNA and culture that the next generation need to glean.
Finally, on the 'self-awareness?' Consider that the analysis is the aspect that requires self-awareness and bring in some objectivity to remove the singularity on the continued focus on one player.
