rpfc

The answer isn’t less access to the media - it’s engaging in the right way. And the leaking that pits club against player (and the reverse from his agents) is obviously happening - regardless about what you think about the embellishment of Morris and Purple.

Squaring that circle…

‘The media started it’ How are people squaring that circle after all that has come out and that guarded and stilted press release? Just surrender yourself to the truth; we got some issues to deal with.

Some nuanced responses, some (ahem) less nuanced - but I appreciate the gravity. I think @JJJ hits the nail pretty close to the head on the type of leader that Max is and how that can be great in some areas (player comfort, self-actualisation, young players allowed to be themselves, etc) and lacking in the areas that a hard arsed, zero compromising leader would be. I suppose I would want some home truths for Max if nothing else - if we are to do a review it should include the playing group and the leadership in the locker room. And of course that would include Jack, Jake, Steven, and Christian. Just a final thought - Max is likened to the great Jimmy Stynes in leadership and values; he even seems to model and imbue it. Stynes was never captain and had some very strong leaders - in personality and style to partner with. One can take that multiple ways and they are probably both right.

I expected the response, and I don’t think it is wrong. Where I am coming from is that we (the royal ‘we’ - not each individual) are questioning Pert, Roffey, Richardson, Lamb, and Goodwin for various aspects of the predicament we are in. Max can’t be questioned as the leader of the group having such problems? Of course he can be, and any Coach or Footy Head or Director worth their salt should be asking strong, possibly disrespectful, questions of the democratic leader of the playing group. And I am not taking about performance, I am talking about standards, behaviour, and the seeming schism in the leadership of that playing group. Maybe its Lever now, maybe its a redeemed CP5 in 2026, but I just haven’t been impressed and it’s worth a discussion.

I think it’s time. You don’t have to agree but I think it’s a conversation worth having.

Anti-Gawn as captain. And it’s nuanced - I would much prefer to let him get the most out of his last few years without the burden. But, tbh, I have been a captain of a team and a group, and if it got to the point we are at - I would have handed it in already… I know there is a level of Max the Messiah with his AA jackets, flag winning leadership, and his great personality but we are not in a great spot across the group with maintenance of standards and leadership being on completely different pages. I just think it is time to move on.

As someone from Canberra-proper, yes I am serious. I will admit that this urge is more anti-Gawn than pro-CP5 but if he puts the work in he has to be considered, otherwise he isn’t worth keeping around.

Perhaps. Whatever the case, I think Max has run his race.

Maybe he is that tho. I think most of the arguments people will come at me with are also arguments against retaining him.

5 year contracts are a real sobering thing… In all seriousness - some on here will not like it - but we have to have a talk about the captaincy for 2025. I am not saying there isn’t work to be done but I have been saying for 3 years now that CP5 is the next captain. I want to hold to it.

In all fairness, they could have done that before this press release.

Well we certainly haven’t become much of a brand…

I said it somewhere else - I think the next 6 months will be the making of Goodwin. He’s not an abrasive coach, say what you will about his style and the drawbacks of being a ‘players coach’ but he is that. CP5 has issues with how we have handled him and with our ‘brand’, ANB and Kozzie are homesick - they are hardly on SG. Culture is definitely in his gamut of responsibility but more so for Gawn and the leaders, noting that ‘culture’ is a misnomer at clubs - they are all works in progress battling the issues of a collection of 20 something blokes. I think we have the right person in that role for right now.

You could build a 22 of blokes that don’t want to play for him, amirite?

Having thought on it some more - I actually endorse them and will join the ticket if I can. They have to promise me a cabinet position but there it is.

We hardly knew ye

Yeah, when pert Roffey and Gawn were extolling our ‘culture’ a couple years back I knew we had drunk the Kool-aid. Ah well, let’s see what Goodwin can salvage.

Forged a great tenure at the club. Will be good to see new more new ideas at the club though as we evolve how we move the footy. Wonder if Chaplin could move forward if he sticks around, it is so important the assistant coaches for the game style, keeping things fresh, improving and developing players and yet it is so opaque for those from the outside to judge.

It will happen and it will be fine. Fun even. 8 teams from 18 teams playing finals leave mechanisms like the ‘wildcard weekend’ as useful to keep people interested in their team, and by extension, footy in general. Get upset about more important things.

Huh? I’m talking about relationships and pathos. That’s what keeps these stars around. The gameplan will continue to evolve as they realise they can’t ’defence’ their way through. But the people side is most important right now. Let Goodwin be Goodwin.

I think the next 6 months will be the making of Goodwin. Oddly, I have absolute faith he can navigate this crucial period.

I don’t know why it couldn’t happen next year.