Last year he stood out amongst poor cattle. This year, with better cattle, he is just another footballer. Thats not spinning it any other way that reality.
So lets either find someone whom can go past the incumbents,...
That not my reality. Last year the players were fine, or at least there were enough good players to field a decent team. The problem was the coaches, who didn't know who the best players were, where to field them, or how to manage them.
The backs included Lowry, Durante, Fenton, Cacace, Mullen, Galloway, Doyle, and Fox - there's a decent back four or five in there.
For mine, Fox didn't stand out, Dura was the best of the backs, and Galloway was underrated by the coach, and others.
It's not as black and white as it sounds. Yes, Rudan brought in Taylor and Kurto which improved our "goals against" figures. But it is more important what he did with those players he inherited, including Fenton and Cacace. So it is his team recruitment and team selection, but also what he expects from the players (fitness) and how he leads by example (commitment). I have not seen that level of intensity previously, maybe except in early Ricki days.