While we are to blame for poor recruiting, for the position we find ourselves in, the AFL has also contributed significantly.
When we were at the bottom they brought in 2 new teams, gave them all the best players and made our chances of recovery very difficult.
They then brought in 2 new rules which led to senior players Moloney, Rivers, Sylvia and maybe Chip being allowed to go to top clubs or at least clubs of their choice and one to go at age 19 to GWS. That is 5 players or 25% of our best team. That is nothing short of murder, committed on a football club. Worse still it was committed on a club at the bottom of the ladder, struggling to improve.
They then put the cream on the cake, or buried the corpse to use another analogy, by changing the PP rule, when we clearly because of games won, would have got one and then even though we filled the criteria for one under their new rule, refused to give us one, using a totally BS excuse.
I won't even mention the tanking farce punishment, for being found not guilty and with no other club who did the same as us, even being investigated.
Yes, we are to blame of course, but so are the AFL and it should be made crystal clear to them, when we ask for help, as we should.