A different view on how to create a winning culture out of nothing.

[billyb#40]

The only way forward is recruiting the best available player at every draft pick. No shortcuts, put maximum resources into getting the best raw players available then coach them to become the best.

The models are easy to see, WC, Adelaide, PA, Brisbane and now Collingwood

The players must be quick, able to kick, hard at it, and able to play defensively and offensively

Same should apply to the coaching team.

If we dont have senior playing leadership (and we dont) then the coaches have more responsibility to coach the youngsters to become the leaders

Priorities are excellent recruiting and superior coaching

And since we are a third world club expect to have our better players, recruiters and coaches raided by the best practice clubs, if they stay with us then they are probably not really that good. Thats the legacy of having been crap for decades.

 

[The_General]

Brisbane wasn't exactly the model culture to build a club around. They were perennial losers, they were merged with a club as bad as richmond, and a few years later, with most of those Fitzroy players gone or going. They managed to achieve a great amount of success even without a successful player group to mentor them.

 

[mexican_radio]

Forget about the past god damn it.

Those who do not learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
(potentially misquoted but you get the idea)

 

[Dyer'ere]

Forget about the past god damn it.

Those who do not learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
(potentially misquoted but you get the idea)

You could have quoted his sig, MR. ;D

 

[mexican_radio]

d'oh yeah...that's quite funny isn't it ! Well we all need a laugh at the moment

 

[Dyer'ere]

d'oh yeah...that's quite funny isn't it ! Well we all need a laugh at the moment

Or a humane dose of cyanide.

If your dog barracked for Richmond, by law, you'd have to kill it. RSPCA would step in otherwise.

 

[RemoteTiger]

Phantom - another area of change at the RFC in the mid 60s that I remember was the training methods of Tom Haffey.

He took on the John Kennedy "Commando Training" style and had his players super fit. In fact he would run them into the ground on the training track between games and darn near cost us premierships because the Tiger players were obviously very tired in the last half of the 4th quarter of those Grand Finals.

Kennedy at Hawthorn did the same thing in 61 - I can still see the headline in the Sporting Globe - "Kennedy's Commandos" - they went on to win their first flag.

This new style of training back then brought the playing group close together and hence they played team football - add to that a touch of brilliance from legends like Hart, Bourke, Barrot, Clay, Bartlett etc. and you have the formula for a successful team.

Today's training methods are far more sophisticated and hence Haffey's 60s methods are deemed to be a thing of the past maybe even folklore. But I ask myself why do young players from the Weagles, Hawks, Blues and Magpies seem to bulk up quicker than our young players? Is it because their gym facilities are better or their fitness and weight regimes superior.

This is where one answer lies for the RFC IMO - upgrade our facilites to the level of eliteness that is required - then subject all young players to their individual routines but have them working at those routines together as a group thus fostering comradeship.

Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree - or - maybe this is being done now - just an observation from what I remember as a teenager in the 60s......RT

 

[Tiger Attack]

or we could get all the players to do a diagnostic leadership survey......that would work!

 

[Growl]

OK, now back at home & able to consult my favourite reference, "The Tigers Of Old" (P.Hogan), there is a pattern emerging.

In 1954 & 1955, the Richmond Reserves won premierships with Col Austin as captain-coach. Then he disappears with that 1955 win & the ressies don't play in a GF for a decade.

In 1964, after a decade of being coached by Harris, the Tiger Ressies break through for a losing GF appearance against Geelong.
The team is captained by "Bull" Richardson.
1967 Senior Premiership players in that team are Richardson, Tony Jewell & John Perry.

In 1966, John Nix takes over the Tiger Ressies and they go through the season undefeated. Neil Busse is captain of the team and Mike Patterson is Best & Fairest, but for some reason Patterson doesn't play in the winning GF team that beats Collingwood.
1967 Senior Premiership players in that team are Michael Green, Graham Burgin, John Perry, Royce Hart & Barry Richardson. Others in that team were Busse, Eric Moore ('69) & Wayne Walsh ('73 & '74).

So 7 players in the 1964 & 66 Reserve GF team go on to play in a Senior premiership team the following year, and 2 others are to play in future wins.

Hmm, that's a good start.

Phantom, wasn’t there something about a player could not play in the Reserves’ finals if he had played a certain number of games for the seniors in that season?

From my records I know for certain Patto played at least 10 games for the seniors, including his 100th in Round #9 against St Kilda.

Yet he also won the B & F for the Reserves. He played the last 2 games for the seniors when we were hoping to make the finals and I have nothing on him being injured – so that is the only reason I can think of as to why he didn’t play in the Reserves’ finals.

As for Nix (who was a fave of mine) or the Reserves having any influence on Hart, I don’t hold with that view. I think you will find that Hart played most of the season in the Thirds and was elevated to the Seconds for the finals. Hart won the goal-kicking for the Under-19s with 52 goals.

 

[Growl]

Is Slug Jordan still with us? From memory he coached the twos and Juniors in the early 70's, we won multiple flags, went to North to help Barrass develop the kids, North won multiple flags, then went to bombers to help sheeds and guess what Bombers won multiple flags. Certain;y having a good youth development system and pathway into the seniors is a good idea.

We need to fing another Ray Jordan - maybe Andy Collins is the man though.

Pagan was able to translate success at U19s and reserves caoching to the senior gig as well!

Lamby, Ray “Slug” Jordon never coached any other team at Richmond except the Thirds, Under-19s. They won 5 flags under Slug and prob would have won another in 1966 but they had 7 match wins deducted from their total for playing an unregistered player. Those 28 points dropped them out of the finals and South Melbourne went in.

Jordon then went to North and coached their Seconds (for 2 flags) and the Thirds for one flag. After that he went to Melbourne and won 2 flags for their Thirds and one for their Seconds. In all, he has coached teams to 11 premierships.