Graham Wright - ex-General Manager of Football

[Pies4shaw]

^
We did have one incredibly talented young player, plucked in the rookie draft by Hine. For some bizarre reason, Wright seems to have thought it was a good idea to trade him off to Hawthorn. It makes it difficult to believe that there was some sort of disagreement about him wanting to move the veterans on - the only change he made around that time, of any consequence, was to dump a brilliant 20 year old in favour of an average-ish 27 year old. Most of us assumed that the player movements were about reloading to have another crack (load up with help for your epoch-defining veterans and worry about the future later) - because it would have been beyond stupid to bring Schultz in to a team that was known to be going into rebuild mode this year. I don't but it at all - it makes for a fun narrative to blame everybody else, I suppose but Wright's the only one from the premiership football department swanning around on sabbatical in the middle of football season.

I was willing to wear the decision to move Ginnipig on and bring in Schultz on the basis that he was what they thought they needed, right now, for the gameplan with the existing personnel. In any other context, it was inexcusable.

[Big T]

I don’t disagree Pies but that’s not what I am arguing. The Schulz trade and the Ginni deals r both a disaster. Ginni I back the club boning him, stevie wonder can see he is a classless wanker with no humility and will be a long term culture killer, but wish we had of actually got something for him eg early second round outright.

But my point is, we have had consecutive draft failures going back 5 years and have minimal quality waiting in the wings. It’s a disgrace. Eg the 2020 draft. What a disaster.

[Big T]

And I am extremely concerned at the rose coloured glasses being worn by our president. If his delusion influences the list department then we are in for a world of pain.

[qldmagpie67]

The Ginnivan trade P4S speaks of wasn’t a planned move at seasons end until after his exit interview.
The coaching staff where looking for some contrition on his behalf about attending the races the night before the GF (remember flys presser after the GF about reading the room)
While it wasn’t a written rule the coaches expected the players to best prepare themselves for what was about to be the biggest day of their careers.
His actions were basically a slap in the face to the rest of the team.
It wasn’t his first indiscretion by any means.
He didn’t like being told some home truths about his professionalism by the coaches and it was then he instigated through his management to seek another club.
Once this happened the club decided to move forward without him.
Standards and culture need to be enforced and his attitude after the trade saying no one from the club reached out (given he was on his break and the standard policy is to leave the players alone during this time) he seemed to think this was insulting to him.
Well he learned he isn’t bigger than the club and the other players.
He sort the trade no matter how he tries to spin it.
The Schulz trade has nothing to do with the Ginnivan departure no matter what some believe. Schulz was bought in as a forward/mid to add another bow to our midfield.
It hasn’t been as successful as we would have hoped but given our injury issues he hasn’t been in a settled side

[Pies4shaw]

^ Independently of Ginnipig, getting Schultz was a stupid thing to do if Wright thought the Club needed to move on some veterans and rebuild. Schultz then only had a few seasons in him - whatever the quality of his football might have been expected to be.

As for Ginni, well, we put up with De Goey making a clown of himself for years before he finally buckled down and played some consistent football (for a while, anyway). A little bit of patience and persistence could easily have turned Ginni around as Hawthorn seems to have done. Ginnivan is a different sort of player, of course - he doesn't have De Goey's spectacular physical capabilities - but he is an extraordinarily skilled player. There are not many of those about. He is basically now the age Schultz was when he debuted. Statistics are not everything, of course - but neither Schultz nor De Goey has ever had a 30-disposal, 2-goal game. Ginni just had one of those againast us - meanwhile, we are all desperately concerned about the state of Collingwood's emerging midfield stocks. Really, why keep Macrae and move Ginni on? One will never be a decent-quality senior footballer; the other already was.

[masoncox]

As my best mate says.
Talent trumps culture every day of the week.
When Ginnie went for the interview the writing was on the wall for anyone to read.
He was not going to be sacked but he was told to fu..k off in a woke way.
our lost their gain

[pietillidie]

As my best mate says.
Talent trumps culture every day of the week.

He might be your best mate, but he obviously has his blind spots. Note, the very same coach using the very same approach just won a very famed premiership. When you achieve something like that, you get to make such calls, or even make such mistakes by over-playing the culture piece as you are inclined to think.

Moreover, winning coach after winning coach, and I can tell you from my own work, successful leader after successful leader, hold the complete opposite view, not simply to appease some dimwitted far leftist somewhere, but because they inevitably face constraints and opportunity cost. It's not because they don't want the best talent, which is a given for anyone with half a brain, but because talent is usually very heavily capped, whether by mechanisms like drafts and financial rules, or plain supply-demand pricing. Now, can poor culture still win with talent? Yes, but its prospects are fragile because cultural collapse or even a single bad apple can very quickly take a team or firm under, regardless of talent. Also, don't be fooled by contexts of low- or anti-competition, such as when the usual world football teams tap some billionaire hobbyist, Russian oligarch or oil baron for unlimited funding.

So, you might want to think that through a bit harder, or even get some experience in an appropriate field, before buying into the silly internet discussion on these things.

[pietillidie]

And I am extremely concerned at the rose coloured glasses being worn by our president. If his delusion influences the list department then we are in for a world of pain.

@Big T Can you expand on that? I haven't kept a track of that line of conversation.

[duggieboy]

^^^

Check previous page on this thread.

Also Afl.com interview with jeff browne.
you can still find it on afl.com - search jeff browne on the site - it comes up there

[BBHS]

Re: Wrighty - Can you leave a position for 6 months and just come back into it without the organisation moving on from you. In my experience nope.

[Mr Miyagi]

We have bigger problems if we can’t find success without Graham Wright. From experience, holding on to someone who doesn’t 100% want to stay is the worse thing you can do. Best to let them go with well wishes and gratitude for what they gave to the club, and find someone equally qualified who is able to give 101%.

[RudeBoy]

Re: Wrighty - Can you leave a position for 6 months and just come back into it without the organisation moving on from you. In my experience nope.

It happens in academia, as a matter of course. When I worked as a University lecturer, every 3-5 yrs I was encouraged to take a sabbatical overseas for several months at another University.

Hopefully, Wright returns after his overseas sabbatical. If not, then we simply move on.

[stui magpie]

^
It also happens every time a woman takes Maternity leave. 12-24 months off, then come back into the same or similar role. I've seen it happen multiple times, including people in Snr Mgmt positions.

[think positive]

^ Independently of Ginnipig, getting Schultz was a stupid thing to do if Wright thought the Club needed to move on some veterans and rebuild. Schultz then only had a few seasons in him - whatever the quality of his football might have been expected to be.

As for Ginni, well, we put up with De Goey making a clown of himself for years before he finally buckled down and played some consistent football (for a while, anyway). A little bit of patience and persistence could easily have turned Ginni around as Hawthorn seems to have done. Ginnivan is a different sort of player, of course - he doesn't have De Goey's spectacular physical capabilities - but he is an extraordinarily skilled player. There are not many of those about. He is basically now the age Schultz was when he debuted. Statistics are not everything, of course - but neither Schultz nor De Goey has ever had a 30-disposal, 2-goal game. Ginni just had one of those againast us - meanwhile, we are all desperately concerned about the state of Collingwood's emerging midfield stocks. Really, why keep Macrae and move Ginni on? One will never be a decent-quality senior footballer; the other already was.

Because keeping him could be detrimental to the whole team, all you need is a team wide **** you party on attitude and it's all over.

He’s a little shit, the big loss was olly, theasshole

[LaurieHolden]

Let's not let this drift into a Ginnivan discussion thread. By all means give some colour as to why you know definitively that Wright was the architect of his departure, but let's not unpack the whole Ginnivan > Schultz > Draft Pick > Hine in this thread.

LH on behalf of the BBMods