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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
If we are to be serious finals contenders in 2009/10 as TW and GM contend, then the list as it stands at this moment must contain the greater majority of players that will make up the future top 22. The team for 2009/10 will need to be an experienced squad – so it will not contain any significant number of players recruited via the upcoming drafts in 07/08.
My guess is that the trend of obtaining at least one mature/developing player through the PSD each year will continue and that those players will form part of the squad for 2009/10. My guess is that GM will be having a quiet word with several developing ruckmen in that time – perhaps Wood from Brisbane (who is too good to be the Big Burgers apprentice and will be suitably frustrated for meaningful playing time) or Maric / Meesen from Adelaide. And perhaps a forward pocket player – although who that would be is anyone’s guess.
So what will the team look like? Here’s a guess for 2009/10 (with possible games experience at the start of the 2009 season in brackets):
King(40) Thursfield(50) PBowden(100)
O-Nicholls(40) Polak(90) Raines(60)
White(55) Connors(40) Polo(60)
Tambling(65) Reiwoldt(40) Pettifer (100)
*?(future PSD selection) Hughes (40) Schulz (55)
Wood (40) Deledio (65) Foley (50)
Newman (130) Simmonds (180) Edwards (40) *(07 draftee)
But this represents a very young team – in no way capable of beating a more mature and experienced squad. If recent history shows us anything about Premiership sides it’s that they are made up of hardened and experienced professionals.
The figures shown also suggest that the players in question will need to get their games in the very short term to reach the requisite numbers. It implies that players like Johnson, Tuck, Hall, Gaspar, Richardson, Tivendale, Brown, J Bowden will be phased out much sooner than later – ie over the next year. For Richo, Brown, Johnson and Bowden in particular, this is just not going to happen.
So with that in mind how about this for a team in 09 -
Raines(60)Thursfield(50) JBowden (250)
O-Nicholls(40) Polak(90) PBowden(100)
White(55) Coughlan(130) Polo(60)
Tambling(65) Reiwoldt(40) Pettifer (100)
*?(future PSD selection) Kingsley (150) Schulz (55)
Simmonds (180) Deledio (65) Foley (50)
Newman (130) Wood (40) Johnson (240) *(07 draftee)
The first team is a squad that won’t be realistically challenging for a flag until at least 2011/12.
It seems like a long way away.
My guess is that the trend of obtaining at least one mature/developing player through the PSD each year will continue and that those players will form part of the squad for 2009/10. My guess is that GM will be having a quiet word with several developing ruckmen in that time – perhaps Wood from Brisbane (who is too good to be the Big Burgers apprentice and will be suitably frustrated for meaningful playing time) or Maric / Meesen from Adelaide. And perhaps a forward pocket player – although who that would be is anyone’s guess.
So what will the team look like? Here’s a guess for 2009/10 (with possible games experience at the start of the 2009 season in brackets):
King(40) Thursfield(50) PBowden(100)
O-Nicholls(40) Polak(90) Raines(60)
White(55) Connors(40) Polo(60)
Tambling(65) Reiwoldt(40) Pettifer (100)
*?(future PSD selection) Hughes (40) Schulz (55)
Wood (40) Deledio (65) Foley (50)
Newman (130) Simmonds (180) Edwards (40) *(07 draftee)
But this represents a very young team – in no way capable of beating a more mature and experienced squad. If recent history shows us anything about Premiership sides it’s that they are made up of hardened and experienced professionals.
The figures shown also suggest that the players in question will need to get their games in the very short term to reach the requisite numbers. It implies that players like Johnson, Tuck, Hall, Gaspar, Richardson, Tivendale, Brown, J Bowden will be phased out much sooner than later – ie over the next year. For Richo, Brown, Johnson and Bowden in particular, this is just not going to happen.
So with that in mind how about this for a team in 09 -
Raines(60)Thursfield(50) JBowden (250)
O-Nicholls(40) Polak(90) PBowden(100)
White(55) Coughlan(130) Polo(60)
Tambling(65) Reiwoldt(40) Pettifer (100)
*?(future PSD selection) Kingsley (150) Schulz (55)
Simmonds (180) Deledio (65) Foley (50)
Newman (130) Wood (40) Johnson (240) *(07 draftee)
The first team is a squad that won’t be realistically challenging for a flag until at least 2011/12.
It seems like a long way away.