Reflecting on some of the comments here re the Eagles, I would wonder how many times in the last 15 years that they have missed the SANFL finals? I would suspect not very often if not at all! They have been a very strong club over a long period of time not unlike Central District who have also seen success over a similar time span.
WWT still managed to make the finals once again this season and there is no real suggestion that they will not be there next season.
I can understand the frustrations of West Torrens people about the club losing traditional areas to West Adelaide. Yet I put it to you that the SANFL worked hard to ensure that the areas around the SANFL clubs home grounds would be retained. History shows that WWT chose Woodville over Thebarton and moved the club in that direction, along those lines giving WWT traditional Port Adelaide territory makes more sense than allocating it to West Adelaide who have no connection there whereas Woodville very much does.
As for Godden, not many clubs would sack a coach that took their league side into the finals, I suspect that he would be given another season based on this year's performance.
My concern for WWT is not unlike some of the other SANFL clubs and that is the state of the books and how they stand in relation to the promises made to them by the AFC and PAFC in terms of increased income streams? Sacking coaches, getting the best players out of the VFL and so forth comes back to that issue. I hope that WWT have been able to break even this season, I recall that plans to renovate the club and expand the training facilities have been put on hold due to financial issues. It is my observation that this problem if it is a problem is the one that has the potential to do the club real damage as opposed to recruiting and coaching staff.
Good post Sojourner.
Some of the issues that have been raised have been discussed here since Fuller was there, especially speed through the midfield.
Our recruiting over the last couple of years has been "all-in" and to not deliver, especially this year, has to be judged a failure, both on and off field IMO.
Recently we've gone towards the big names in recruiting and recycling average league footballers, whereas before that we seemed to recruit players with better character either from interstate or capable players not getting a league game eg Grocke. This served us and Centrals well, and, to give Fuller his due, is something he tried to bring to South, and it appears to now be bearing results.
Sure, a lot of clubs would have like to have our last 15 years, but it seems to me sometimes clubs live off the memories of certain momentous flags and occasions, eg Sturt's '76 flag up until 2002, Norwood's 1984 flag right up until the last couple of years (even despite their 1997 win), Glenelg back-to-back, the Eagles 1993 flag (which was why finally winning in '06 was great). In all this time Port and Centrals just got on with the business of winning again and again. Our 2011 flag was deservedly recognized as a great win, but we can't live off that day any longer.