A difficult year!

[Brettstigers]

Forgetting the forum's general over-reaction (it got a bit emotional) to the loss to Carlton, I think there is a large swell of opinion both on this forum and from the commentators that this is going to be a difficult year for the club.

My personal belief is that bottom four is like a deep well that we are going to have to do very well to escape. We will need a fair bit of luck in terms of injuries and players form to make the escape a reality, none of which has appeared so far. So the question occurred to me - at what point do we start playing for next year. I obviously don't wish any evil on the club and I am not attempting to suck the life out of the season at this very early date - I am just interested in when PREnders believe we should put the starry eyed glasses away and start seriously looking inwards and testing our list - with a view to change. Eg, dropping Gas forever etc, etc

To those who state that it obviously depends on how many wins we have, as a bottom four side, I am for the sake of argument suggesting we are winning one game in four. (Therefore the numbers in brackets).

 

[cagedtiger]

Start playing for the future now and win games.

 

[nwonash]

the coaching staff have stated not to expect big things already.

Keep blooding the youngsters and it will provide valuable exprience in the long term.

 

[Chiang Mai Tiger]

Wrong its going to be another real stinker. 4 wins is about as good as its gonna get.

 

[Chiang Mai Tiger]

and time for a new avatar I think

 

[Dyer'ere]

We're already playing for the future.

Our youngsters are being taken along slowly. They get jobs they can manage from our coach. Not to say they always manage them.

We don't set McGuane the job on Fevola because he's not ready. He gets Kennedy, a much bigger lad of the same age. Polo gets Murphy, not Nick Stevens.

Wallet was trying to find space for Deledio on the HBF. Pagan had other ideas and tagged him with Jordan Russell, who can match him for pace and had shut down Luke Power at his previous outing.

In as much as we play for the future rather than the four points, I don't think Wallet could conscionably do much more.

As a comparison, Grant Thomas threw his youngsters into roles that there bodies were not ready to withstand. The players are broken and he's at the CES.

Seems to me that recruiting is what you do for the future.

If playing for the future means trying to lose so you get better draft choices, well, I reckon that's lower than cheating. I reckon it's a crime.

 

[Phar Ace]

If playing for the future means trying to lose so you get better draft choices, well, I reckon that's lower than cheating. I reckon it's a crime.

Very insightful post Jack'ere. Think you nailed TW's dilemma well.

And as for the above statement, I think the AFL would agree with you too - they would be like a rat up drain pipe if they could prove such manipulation. Do we need stewards like in racing

 

[Richmond United]

I'm amazed at the over reaction to a loss in the 1st round.....then again...maybe not!

 

[jb03]

As a comparison, Grant Thomas threw his youngsters into roles that there bodies were not ready to withstand. The players are broken and he's at the CES.

Players didn't look too broken on Friday night. And Thomas has made two prelims plus last years finals series. While he may be now at the CES coaching wise his media career is booming.

 

[Dyer'ere]

As a comparison, Grant Thomas threw his youngsters into roles that there bodies were not ready to withstand. The players are broken and he's at the CES.

Players didn't look too broken on Friday night. And Thomas has made two prelims plus last years finals series. While he may be now at the CES coaching wise his media career is booming.

Well, mate, only a Richmond supporter would stick up for him. ;D They hate him at StKilda.

A lot of his youngsters have missed huge chunks of footy through injury. Koschitzke, back injury at 19 but GT played him anyway (remeber the AFL threatened to investigate?) and JK missed a lot of footy. Those Clarke boys must enjoy their Saturdays at the races. Xav finally got back into the swing on Friday. Nick Riewoldt- yeah, he finally took the heat off him by giving him on-ball time. But he'd been hammered for years prior.

How old do reckon Luke Ball's body is? Thomas should have been rotating him through a HBF from day one. But he let him bust his nuts in the packs and only rotated him through HBF after he got OP. Had Luke Ball been rolled through HBF in his youth, he'd be a better and physically sounder player today.

Ross Lyon has managed the injuries a lot more conservatively (and already better IMO). He was very defensive about Maguire's injury because he's been so careful not to break his players in February. They're a bit sensitive about injury management down at Linton Street.

As for his booming media career, let's talk about it next year. ;D But good luck to him. He's not satan, just a flawed football coach.

 

[jb03]

As a comparison, Grant Thomas threw his youngsters into roles that there bodies were not ready to withstand. The players are broken and he's at the CES.

Players didn't look too broken on Friday night. And Thomas has made two prelims plus last years finals series. While he may be now at the CES coaching wise his media career is booming.

Well, mate, only a Richmond supporter would stick up for him. ;D They hate him at StKilda.

A lot of his youngsters have missed huge chunks of footy through injury. Koschitzke, back injury at 19 but GT played him anyway (remeber the AFL threatened to investigate?) and JK missed a lot of footy. Those Clarke boys must enjoy their Saturdays at the races. Xav finally got back into the swing on Friday. Nick Riewoldt- yeah, he finally took the heat off him by giving him on-ball time. But he'd been hammered for years prior.

How old do reckon Luke Ball's body is? Thomas should have been rotating him through a HBF from day one. But he let him bust his nuts in the packs and only rotated him through HBF after he got OP. Had Luke Ball been rolled through HBF in his youth, he'd be a better and physically sounder player today.

Ross Lyon has managed the injuries a lot more conservatively (and already better IMO). He was very defensive about Maguire's injury because he's been so careful not to break his players in February. They're a bit sensitive about injury management down at Linton Street.

As for his booming media career, let's talk about it next year. ;D But good luck to him. He's not satan, just a flawed football coach.

I wouldn't have thought we've had much better luck with injuries than the Saints.

 

[Dyer'ere]

I could type the names of our youngsters and how many games they've missed through injuries they acquired at the club but that would be an invitation to disaster, jb.

Hartigan, who played a full debut season under Frawley and missed most of his first under Wallet is an exception. But he was playing HBF. Where else can you hide them?

Thomas slaughtered his young players IMO.

We're slaughtering the older ones. But it's no big deal because not many of em can play. ;D

 

[capitaltige]

I dont care whether its round 1, or round 22 with no wins on the board - you should always field the best available side and play to win - winning is habit forming and its what we need to learn more than anything.

The blind faith some people have in finishing lower to get 'better' draft picks is crap, few of the top few teams bottomed out like us to achieve the success they have now, its all about selecting and developing players better.

Create the right environment and culture and success will follow, and that all begins with getting wins on the board and giving players and the whole club some belief.

 

[Brettstigers]

We're already playing for the future.

Our youngsters are being taken along slowly. They get jobs they can manage from our coach. Not to say they always manage them.

We don't set McGuane the job on Fevola because he's not ready. He gets Kennedy, a much bigger lad of the same age. Polo gets Murphy, not Nick Stevens.

Wallet was trying to find space for Deledio on the HBF. Pagan had other ideas and tagged him with Jordan Russell, who can match him for pace and had shut down Luke Power at his previous outing.

In as much as we play for the future rather than the four points, I don't think Wallet could conscionably do much more.

As a comparison, Grant Thomas threw his youngsters into roles that there bodies were not ready to withstand. The players are broken and he's at the CES.

Seems to me that recruiting is what you do for the future.

If playing for the future means trying to lose so you get better draft choices, well, I reckon that's lower than cheating. I reckon it's a crime.

Good post, and I can't think of any side that tanks - the sport is just too competitive. I suppose what I was getting at was putting fringe players into the side for the specific purpose of seeing whether they were worthy of more time at RFC. To give them a chance to prove or disprove the coaching staffs thoughts. This might mean playing players like Hartigan, for the sake of argument, who might otherwise on his perceived form not deserve four games in a row. In this instance you are not playing your best 22

I can see from the posts that the poll wasn't set up well and needed a "never" option which it would appear would be the most popular reply.

Given how many mature players we really don't have on our list anymore I agree that there is not too much more that can be done without risking a kid being butchered. Eg. Bassett picking off Jetta twice in ten minutes.

 

[graystar1]

Round 1, and here we have some suggesting we are playing for the future. Well, maybe we are and maybe we aren't. TW muddies the water in this regard, talking about 2011.

For me, I would like to see us trying to win as many games as possible, as someone earlier said winning is contagious...or something like that. Doesn't matter really, as the sentiment is the same. Winning breeds confidence, and don't forget the membership needs. That's where a large slice of our income is derived. Keep losing and watch those numbers decline next year.

 

[Ruthless Tigers ?]

Sorry but I think this is a silly thread after only one round.

There are 21 rounds to go and anything could happen. I just cant believe the narrow sightedness of some who have already written 2007 off. Scan back thourgh the pre-season comments and we were readingc omments about not caring if we went backwards as long as we had a go....and now after two hours its all doom and gloom.

The future is now and the players avaialable should be playing for now....not November draft picks.

Things turn around quickly and evern last year after a woeful start we gave a red hot go and nearly made the finals...yes 9th again...but the figures were up on 2005.

I am looking forward to another game on Saturday and win lose or draw Iwill be barracking my hardest and looking forward to seeing the boys again.

It aint gonna be easy but its gonna be one hell of a ride.

GO TIGERS!

 

[felix]

Doesnt matter how bad i guess at least we know we will see richmond next year , not like the poor fitzroy suporters

 

[Punxsutawney Phil]

I personally don't want to see another year down in the depths of the ladder- draft picks or not. In reality, bottoming out hasn't won any club a flag yet, while it has made sides better (ie St.Kilda) it hasn't brought the ultimate success.

We have been down for so long, got early draft picks who haven't pushed us up the ladder. We have already bottomed out!!

I would like to see as many wins as possible. A bloody long year if we only win a handful of games.

 

[emerald]

go for the win every week, regardless of position on ladder, a win is a win.
think about draft picks when our season is over, with or without september action.

 

[Chiang Mai Tiger]

yep a win is a win ruby but dont expect to see too many of 'em this year pal :'(