2021 may be the best yet | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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2021 may be the best yet

TheCan

Tiger Superstar
Jul 17, 2011
1,556
306
Chin up folks.

I get it, the hounds are at the door. We just got owned by a team we usually use as a gym session for early season lethargy. Anzac Day Eve was a very disappointing loss - you could see it in Dimma's face afterwards. Melbourne asserted themselves and we had no answer. It was so un-Richmond that most of us were left with a vaguely queasy feeling in the gut. What if this is it? The beginning of the downward slope?

Already, celebrated doyens in the media landscape have all but written us off. Galaxies of tactical experts are frothing at the idea of someone - anyone - usurping the throne. 1954 all over again, they say. A Melbourne-Footscray throwback to a bygone era.

We are losing stars at a rapid rate and those already on the sidelines keep being pushed back. Some prime movers are rusty and others are flat out of form. The kids aren't showing much. The VFL cupboard looks threadbare. Worst of all, our talisman, our hero has concussion and will be nursing his foot when we front up to an undefeated challenger.

Year after year the king of the jungle finds it harder to succeed. 17 other teams have dissected how we play from every conceivable angle. 17 other teams have teased fringe and depth players free as we circle the wagons around the core stars. 17 other teams have poached elite coaching talent we cannot possibly retain within a compromised soft cap. Moreover, every player on the list with a premiership medal must find it within himself to go again. To go with the fanaticism that is necessary to cow belligerent challengers for the crown.

The AFL are not benign patrons for the champ. There are marquee fixtures to arrange, prime time spotlights to fire up. The best teams from years past are lined up in a death gallery, chomping at the bit to bring us down. Meanwhile the worst teams are gifted home games against us, allowing us precious little respite between the brutal blockbusters.

Everyone wants to bring the king down. Once blood is spilled, a frenzy of malicious intent follows. Such is the way of AFL football.

But there are seeds of hope to be found. Maurice Rioli Junior lurks in the emergencies like a deadly dancer waiting to strike. Callum Coleman-Jones looms as the One to bring balance to a sputtering, impermeable forward 50. The attacking zone is where 17 other teams are eying our demise. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. You can't do much about our pressure, our ability to hunt and strip the ball at will. But you *can* squeeze our forward structure, make it difficult for us to plant a flag and keep the ball where we like it to be.

We like to cheat a forward structure, you see. We play -1 down there, sometimes -2 or -3. This is how we look like we have men everywhere in defence and on the outside of packs. The forward line is filled by insanely hard runners in Lambert, Rioli, Castagna, Aarts and McIntosh. Often Jack and Tom are simply required to fight and scrag until the "rest" of the forward line arrives. When we are truly on song, when Nank and Soldo can run a supreme tandem and we win first use more often than not, our forwards can stay at home and provide marking / crumbing / pressure options galore.

This isn't happening at the moment. Opposition teams have gone to work on us and know they can launch their own counters from D50. If our forwards can't retain the ball, our mids are running *long* and lonely sprints from arc to arc. For the first time in years we are blowing up. In short, forward line permeability is critical. Against Melbourne our forward arc was like a sheet of glass - the ball came straight back out with painful regularity. When we have so many players willing to run kamikaze to follow the damn thing, this often means we are caught on the hop if the D50 user (Salem) can find targets.

So, our Achilles heel then. One part of the ground has presented a problem and you can bet the solution will be forthcoming. We could keep our small forwards deeper in transition, taking more risks out of defence. We could change the structure so CCJ, MRJ and Caddy can separate oppo key backs, trusting in our own backs to absorb more oppo entries. We could (if we had one) play a second ruck and bolster the midfield with ball hunters, capitalizing on quick entries.

Hardwick will look at all these things and pick a team based on the strengths of those coming in. I'm tipping we go with a third marking forward to test the Bulldogs' defence, but whatever we do, it will come from a place of elite tactical expertise. I am 100% confident Friday night will be the most Richmond-like game we've ever played.

The problem is both definable and manageable. If our forwards can find their teeth again, the road to September will have begun. All hail the system - I for one am backing us in.
Great post but meh we are buggered, until we tweak and find a refreshed 22

houli
Jack
Cotchin
Shedda

are the heart and soul of the dynasty but we need to phase them out nurse them to 300 and say thank you. Otherwise we hampering the development of next in line

so we need to rotate more youngsters into this 22 sooner rather than later have full teust in blair and recruitors to do this.
 

Mr T.

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 11, 2007
2,575
1
2,758
Melbourne
Great post @Carter

I just came back home from a primary school presentation delivered by the guy who was invited to RFC in 2017 to talk to the club about the Resilience Project… he told a story about Dusty and how he fills in his journal with Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness everyday and that helps Dusty become a better version of himself daily, not on the field as an athlete but as a human being… really inspiring stuff, if you’ve not been to one of these presentations check them out as they are on in Melbourne in May.

I have faith in the club more than ever after tonight’s presentation, knowing it puts so much preparation into players to be the best that they could be. As supporters we want more, the winning feeling is great and addictive, but a loss is when we learn the most.

This weeks game and the next month will be challenging, but our players will be focussed… our coaching staff will have sleepless nights planning but guaranteed they will give it a red hot go. So come this Friday I’ll be looking for the positives, the small wins throughout the night (maybe MJ debuts, that’s a win). Or maybe a win is that you go and see the game live with a loved one. ;)
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
20,623
18,118
im gonna have to meet you a quarter way to the middle Aces.

Balta I'll give you as half a ruckman,

but im not giving you an inch of ground on DTLD
I was clutching at straws with Astbury but you get my point.
Hardwick needs to stop disrespecting the ruck position.
 

DavidSSS

Tiger Legend
Dec 11, 2017
10,525
17,880
Melbourne
I'm staggered by the pessimism on here to be honest.

Port are as good as team in the competition at home and the only reason we lost there was Robbie Gray executed when it counted and Riewoldt and Castagna didn't.

The Sydney loss was a classic early season opposite preparation contest and our early game against Melbourne should have seen us 4 goals up at least.

We are in great shape for another flag.

I can understand this perspective. We had a dud game against South, we weren't great against Melbourne but weren't really bad either. Best to have dud games at this time of the year. Plus, our draw at the end of the year is very good.

But we don't want to go too far the other way either. We're in good shape, I wouldn't say great. There are some adjustments to be made. There always are, but the rule changes have made a difference and must be keeping the coaching staff busy.

Just have to keep perspective, learn from every game, get some players back, blood some new players and keep working on the best ways to win - I'm not sure any game plan or system is ever finished, always trying to improve.

Listening to a couple of podcasts no-one seems to be writing Richmond off, I think it was The Age podcast which said we have earned the right not to be written off over the last 4 years. Nice to see some respect, took long enough.

DS
 
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tigersnake

Tear 'em apart
Sep 10, 2003
23,483
11,633
I was clutching at straws with Astbury but you get my point.
Hardwick needs to stop disrespecting the ruck position.
I reckon you've got some rose coloured glasses about Griggas efforts Smoking. He did a great job, all things consiedered, the proof was in the pudding and winners are grinners, He was in the ruck, but he didn't really ruck.
 

Jonesracing82

Tiger Champion
Sep 30, 2011
4,505
3,250
Ala #lolnorf in 2016? Amazes me that no one in the media mentions that when the talk of the Dees and the Dogs turns towards flags.
Remember when it was us flying early in '18 all we heard from the media "teams have a whole yr to work them out, it's a long time they'll have to be up for to win it" where is that commentary since then? every early flyer in recent yrs has fallen over in the end.
 

AngryAnt

Tiger Legend
Nov 25, 2004
27,017
14,792
I'm staggered by the pessimism on here to be honest.

Port are as good as team in the competition at home and the only reason we lost there was Robbie Gray executed when it counted and Riewoldt and Castagna didn't.

The Sydney loss was a classic early season opposite preparation contest and our early game against Melbourne should have seen us 4 goals up at least.

We are in great shape for another flag.


Exactly. We know we start slow, we will come home with a wet sail if we stay relatively injury free in the second half of the season.

Too soon to retire Cotch, Houli, Shedda. They still have one more big shot at a flag this year.
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
20,623
18,118
I reckon you've got some rose coloured glasses about Griggas efforts Smoking. He did a great job, all things consiedered, the proof was in the pudding and winners are grinners, He was in the ruck, but he didn't really ruck.
Exactly my point. He didnt ruck. But his smarts as a player let him get away with it and actually help the team. Pickett doesnt have the ability to do that.
 
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eZyT

Tiger Legend
Jun 28, 2019
21,434
25,778
Great post @Carter

I just came back home from a primary school presentation delivered by the guy who was invited to RFC in 2017 to talk to the club about the Resilience Project… he told a story about Dusty and how he fills in his journal with Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness everyday and that helps Dusty become a better version of himself daily, not on the field as an athlete but as a human being… really inspiring stuff, if you’ve not been to one of these presentations check them out as they are on in Melbourne in May.

I have faith in the club more than ever after tonight’s presentation, knowing it puts so much preparation into players to be the best that they could be. As supporters we want more, the winning feeling is great and addictive, but a loss is when we learn the most.

This weeks game and the next month will be challenging, but our players will be focussed… our coaching staff will have sleepless nights planning but guaranteed they will give it a red hot go. So come this Friday I’ll be looking for the positives, the small wins throughout the night (maybe MJ debuts, that’s a win). Or maybe a win is that you go and see the game live with a loved one. ;)

nice story MrT.

but im gonna swim against the tide a bit.

in the dusty tributes, both Cotchy and Bachar go

'dusty is an incredible player, but more importantly an authentic and loyal human'

now i dont agree its more important. In fact i think it glib to say so.

I know dozens of authentic and loyal people,

but there is only one

greatest footballer of all time in the whole universe.

that is the most important thing

why hide from it?
 

FitenFitenWin

Listen to the thunder RFC
Jul 30, 2009
3,228
1,439
Brisbane
I reckon we’ll do our dynasty different to the rest. My prediction is that injury and lack of maniacal interest will do us in this year. Some of the oldies and some of the youngies will get sorted. We’ll have a bumper draft.

Then we win our threepeat 2022/23/24.
 
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MD Jazz

Don't understand football? Talk to the hand.
Feb 3, 2017
13,329
13,714
Sam McClure showed something on this on Footy Classified last night. We are around a year and half younger than the Hawks and over 2 years younger than the Lions were at this stage of their dominance. He was highlighting that we still have plenty left in the tank, despite Hutchy trying hard to get people to agree with him to write us off.
Look at the numbers posted by LTRTR. So far this year we are older in H&A than those 3 other sides. Not sure where SAm is getting his stats but I’m backing LTRTR.
 

LeeToRainesToRoach

Tiger Legend
Jun 4, 2006
33,186
11,546
Melbourne
Look at the numbers posted by LTRTR. So far this year we are older in H&A than those 3 other sides. Not sure where SAm is getting his stats but I’m backing LTRTR.
McClure's numbers were the average ages of the B&F top 10's. They didn't include players who missed a big chunk of the year like Houli, Edwards, Astbury plus Riewoldt.
 
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Brodders17

Tiger Legend
Mar 21, 2008
17,664
11,707
So he cherry picked. Not a fan of Sam I am.
no stat tells the whole story, but i reckon having Short, Baker, Bolton and Balta in our top 10 in a premiership B&F should give some hope for the future, as our older players move on.
 
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Carter

Tiger Legend
Nov 14, 2012
9,348
7,515
no stat tells the whole story, but i reckon having Short, Baker, Bolton and Balta in our top 10 in a premiership B&F should give some hope for the future, as our older players move on.
four bona fide stars right there