I think in terms of pure player talent, it’s definitely not the worst team MWSE has ever had.
But ..... whatever word you want to use; culture, feeling, vibe or simply just attitude, this is the worst I’ve ever seen it.
When Des came back in 2019 it seemed like the old Des from the late 2000’s. The team was building nicely and just seemed to be getting better and better, until the unlucky loss to souths in the semi. 2020 was looking promising until Turbo broke down (again) in the Canberra game. From that point it’s been all downhill.
There’s lots of reasons why, we are where we are, but I can’t get past the notion that something’s up with Des. Mentally he seems off. He’s continually picking players who appear out of their depth and others clearly out of position. The game plan (I’m assuming there is one) is completely ineffectual and the players aren’t responding to it anyway.
I’ve heard over the years, commentators refer to a coach that’s “lost the dressing room” but never really gave it too much consideration. Now I understand what it looks like. Last night, the panthers looked like a team that enjoyed playing a game of footy. Most of our players looked like, they were only doing it because they were contractually obligated to.