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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
We all know that it takes about 50-60 games to start figuring out AFL football and start approaching your potential. Guns like Cotchin are valuable earlier in there career but still will be much better after 50-60 games. With that in mind here is our team based on guys who have played enough games to be starting to reach their potential.
Backs: Andrew Raines (53), Will Thursfield (40), Matthew White (38)
Half-Backs: Chris Newman (133), Kelvin Moore (46), Jordan McMahon (136)
Centers: Ben Cousins (238), Shane Tuck (91), Richard Tambling (75)
Half-Forwards: Nathan Brown (206), Graham Polak (106), Kane Johnson (220)
Forwards: Joel Bowden (253), Matthew Richardson (276), Kayne Pettifer (109)
Rucks: Troy Simmonds (179), Brett Deleidio (84), Nathan Foley (70)
Int: Mark Coughlan (83), Adam Pattison (53), Jay Schulz (67), Daniel Jackson (47)
This game spread is the type a Premiership team looks like, but there is no way the above team is a Premiership calibre side.
My question is why the hell are some of these guys still on the list? There is no way some of these players who have reached or are approaching their potential should get a game ahead of Cotchin, Riewoldt, Morton, McGuane and Connors for start. And how are we going to get the likes of these boys and Edwards, Vickery, Polo and Hughes to 50 games ASAP so we can see their potential?
These are the scenarios: We play a senior team and chase a final 8 spot but stunt the development of our juniors who spend the year on the VFL mudpacks.
We play the juniors and frustrate a heap of senior players who spend the year at Coburg causing bad team chemistry, numerous late delistings, and a guaranteed VFL Grand Final Appearance. Meanwhile, our rookies get stuck in Coburg 2's. And the Club looks silly having so many seniors (and Player Payments) running arund at Coburg.
Or my 3rd and favorite theory: The seniors have a range of soft tissue issues (nothing major) forcing them to step aside weeks at a time and the juniors have to play giving them vital development while the seniors altough a little frustrated don't get all grumpy down at Coburg and at the end of the year there is a huge cleanout of these guys who have had their 50+ games but are already getting overtaken by the young ones.
I guess my point to all this is I am willing to sacrafice a "back door prelim spot", by that I mean what St. Kilda got this year and what we got in 2001, (when you make the prelim but you are not even close to the Grand Final Sides") in order to get 50 games into the youngies. I look at it now and I wonder is Connors going to get the 22 games he needs this year? What about Collins and Edwards? How are these guys going to contribute to a so called 2011 Premiership tilt if they don't get consistent games under their belts now rather than playing here and there and half of those games they're on and off the bench?
It is obvious that Riewoldt replaces Polak and Morton takes Pettifer's spot but what about the rest?
Backs: Andrew Raines (53), Will Thursfield (40), Matthew White (38)
Half-Backs: Chris Newman (133), Kelvin Moore (46), Jordan McMahon (136)
Centers: Ben Cousins (238), Shane Tuck (91), Richard Tambling (75)
Half-Forwards: Nathan Brown (206), Graham Polak (106), Kane Johnson (220)
Forwards: Joel Bowden (253), Matthew Richardson (276), Kayne Pettifer (109)
Rucks: Troy Simmonds (179), Brett Deleidio (84), Nathan Foley (70)
Int: Mark Coughlan (83), Adam Pattison (53), Jay Schulz (67), Daniel Jackson (47)
This game spread is the type a Premiership team looks like, but there is no way the above team is a Premiership calibre side.
My question is why the hell are some of these guys still on the list? There is no way some of these players who have reached or are approaching their potential should get a game ahead of Cotchin, Riewoldt, Morton, McGuane and Connors for start. And how are we going to get the likes of these boys and Edwards, Vickery, Polo and Hughes to 50 games ASAP so we can see their potential?
These are the scenarios: We play a senior team and chase a final 8 spot but stunt the development of our juniors who spend the year on the VFL mudpacks.
We play the juniors and frustrate a heap of senior players who spend the year at Coburg causing bad team chemistry, numerous late delistings, and a guaranteed VFL Grand Final Appearance. Meanwhile, our rookies get stuck in Coburg 2's. And the Club looks silly having so many seniors (and Player Payments) running arund at Coburg.
Or my 3rd and favorite theory: The seniors have a range of soft tissue issues (nothing major) forcing them to step aside weeks at a time and the juniors have to play giving them vital development while the seniors altough a little frustrated don't get all grumpy down at Coburg and at the end of the year there is a huge cleanout of these guys who have had their 50+ games but are already getting overtaken by the young ones.
I guess my point to all this is I am willing to sacrafice a "back door prelim spot", by that I mean what St. Kilda got this year and what we got in 2001, (when you make the prelim but you are not even close to the Grand Final Sides") in order to get 50 games into the youngies. I look at it now and I wonder is Connors going to get the 22 games he needs this year? What about Collins and Edwards? How are these guys going to contribute to a so called 2011 Premiership tilt if they don't get consistent games under their belts now rather than playing here and there and half of those games they're on and off the bench?
It is obvious that Riewoldt replaces Polak and Morton takes Pettifer's spot but what about the rest?