A question

[tigerman]

How much of a difference would a fully fit Coughlan, Cousins and Cotchin have made if they had all been playing from round one?

Whilst i am gutted by our start to the season, i expect a big improvement when these three players are back playing for the Mighty Tiges!

 

[hopper]

Plenty of sides have/get injuries and don't fold like the deck of cards we seem to be. Fragile seems to be the buzzword of the week - appropriate too.

 

[SfB_AkA._DeLiCiOuS]

We need all our better players out there, No depth.

 

[ROLLS ROYCE]

Cotch will be a superstar no doubt, barring long term injury. The guy looks a born leader.

But to say he and Cuz and Cogs, both more than 18 months put of the game, would have made us 3-1 or 2-2 is nonsense.

Football is a team game and until our players learn to work for each other and r given a solid game plan to adhere to not even a superhero (no, not Richo in a cape) will save them.

 

[Backbone]

How much of a difference would a fully fit Coughlan, Cousins and Cotchin have made if they had all been playing from round one?

Whilst i am gutted by our start to the season, i expect a big improvement when these three players are back playing for the Mighty Tiges!

Carlton game wouldn't have been as bad, but no different.

Would have possibly won the Geelong game.

WB - probably no difference.

Would have won against Melbourne.

 

[grumpytiger]

my recollection from last year is that lids played a lot better when cotchin was in the side. maybe the competition stung him into action and challenged lids to lift. don't know what it was, but i remember a bit of discussion about it on pre. i reckon that again, lids will lift when cotch is in the side

 

[mld]

Lids might lift even further long term if Cotchin replaces him in the side. Just a thought.

 

[tigerman]

Even if Cogs has lost a yard in pace he will still win the hard ball and give us first use of the pill.
It's a tragedy that he and Foley have only played in the same side about a dozen times.
Cogs, Cuz and Cotch will make big difference

 

[gustiger12]

Its a valid point, whilst Tuck and to a lesser degree Axel, are good hard in and under they don't really hurt you with the ball. Axel can, but has done so as much lately. That means they can concentrate theier best taggers on Lids who can really hurt you by foot and we all know Lids is not yet adept at shaking a heavy tag.

Bring in Cotchin and Cuz and there are two more quality mids that other teams have to pay attention too. Cogs adds another in and under elements which means when you have a few good in and under feeding some quality ball users its that much harder to shut them all down.

Simply comes down to numbers and at the moment we don't have the number that really hurt the oppositions going forward. Thats where we needs guys like Cuz and Cotch to step up and punish the opposition.

 

[Massai]

I reckon Delidio has to be testing the patience of the coaching staff and then some. Problem is so too would Tuck and Foley, both of whom are just not up to what they did in the last half of last season.

That said, having Coughlan, Cotchin and Cousins, fit and ready to go, puts significant pressure on Delidio, Tuck and Foley to fire up and perform. Delidio to me has always been a outside receiver, rather than an inside retriever. If he has both Cousins and Cotchin doing the hard yards inside, then he as the outside player along with Foley should be able to deliver the goods up forward, and the forward line would look a million dollars better because of it.

We'll just have to wait and see what develops and hope that Delidio, Tuck and Foley knuckle down and do what is required of them to get this team into some sort of winning position.

Otherwise more than one of them may find that they are going to be traded come the end of this season.

 

[Broadsword95]

How much of a difference would a fully fit Coughlan, Cousins and Cotchin have made if they had all been playing from round one?

Whilst i am gutted by our start to the season, i expect a big improvement when these three players are back playing for the Mighty Tiges!

Coughlan has been out for years. Cousins wasn't at the club last year. Cotchin is a 2nd-year player - we should not be looking to him for the boost we need.

We have the shortest injury list in the AFL atm (especially if, like me, you don't count Johnson as a contributing player anymore) and we have had a gentle draw.

No excuses.

 

[Tygrys]

If *smile* had not had two knee reconstructions, if Cousins hadn't spent the best part of two years out of the game, didn't have dodgy hamstrings and was 25 instead of 31 this year - then no doubt a big difference. It's been a very, very long time for *smile* and a never for Cousins in terms of on field contribution. One has been kept on the list out of sheer hope and loyalty and the other was a speculative last moment selection of a player that every other AFL club rejected. It's like musing over the results if Brown had never had a broken leg and was in his mid-20s again. You just can't legitimately factor that in. Both may as yet make some contribution (although I have severe doubts), but to pin our hopes on a dramatic improvement because of these two smacks of desperation - a decent club with a decent list would never ask these 'if only' questions (and yes of course Crotchin would have helped).

 

[Massai]

If Coughlan had not had two knee reconstructions, if Cousins hadn't spent the best part of two years out of the game, didn't have dodgy hamstrings and was 25 instead of 31 this year - then no doubt a big difference. It's been a very, very long time for Coughlan and a never for Cousins in terms of on field contribution. One has been kept on the list out of sheer hope and loyalty and the other was a speculative last moment selection of a player that every other AFL club rejected. It's like musing over the results if Brown had never had a broken leg and was in his mid-20s again. You just can't legitimately factor that in. Both may as yet make some contribution (although I have severe doubts), but to pin our hopes on a dramatic improvement because of these two smacks of desperation - a decent club with a decent list would never ask these 'if only' questions (and yes of course Crotchin would have helped).

Ah yes and in your quote above lies the answer. For too bloody long too many bloody inefficient and lazy Richmond Football Club players have relied on the few to make sure the many (rest of the team) get over the line.

Having a fully fit Cousins, Cotchin, Coughlan, Richardson is only 4 out of a possible 22 players for a game. Bowden contributes, Raines and Morton likewise, Tuck, Delidio, Foley, Moore, McGuane, Newman, Riewoldt yeah yeah and the rest sit around sucking their thumbs thanks to the suckers in the recruiting and coaching departments of the RFC.

Cousins, Cotchin, Coughlan, Tuck, Foley and Delidio, you'd think that would be in the top 6 midfields of the AFL instead of its present position of 15. Only time will tell if they can get their acts together for whatever game they have left. Still only 6 players out of 22 on the field for a game and there's what another 17 or so on top of that on the playing list.

Pretty damn ordinary really, it will take a major miracle now for the RFC to turn this seasons effort around and around would be a 50% win 50% loss ratio and even then I'd seriously doubt that a number of these players will be around next year - at least I bloody hope not.

 

[the claw]

hmm i tend to not focus on just 3 players.

want to improve the team improve these things. or play as many players as we have who fill the criteria.

footskills first and most important. size and smarts is a close second. height structure intensity and development.lastly you want some leg speed in the team as well. we have so many poor kicks ive tried to trim it down to 6 on game day. i always pick 6 talls and 2 ruckmen. this is height and structure as well as development. size or player type is important it aides your sides ability to be combative apply genuine pressure and play with intensity.
we dont have any real big blokes down back to compensate for this i play moore as a flanker. pace decent footskills accountable reads it well.

okay trying to fit the criteria in place and picking a side that best fits those criteria.

B/ Moore Thursfield Tambling
HB/ Rance Schulz/mcguane Deledio
C/ Collins Thomson/Hislop Newman
HF/ Connors Riewoldt Post
F/ Morton Richardson Foley/Nahas
R/ Browne Coughlan Cousins
INT/ Graham/Putt Polo
in doing this exercise it shows just how far we have to go potentially 7 ordinaty kicks. if schulz is not picked it lacks size down back size in general not to bad two out and out skinnies in nahas and collins. still forced to play richo forward have thrown browne in the deep end but am forced to play graham hoping putt can play a role at some stage.

 

[Juffaricho]

Having those guys in (assuming they are fit) will make a huge difference. The football IQ of our current midfield is extremely low and it is equivalent to playing a man down. No wonder we are getting whipped in contested ball and all the stupid turnovers and simple free kicks given away are robbing momentum and killing our Inside 50's totals. Kane Johnson's football brains in tight have been sadly missed (despite his speed issues) and when you think his time in the midfield has been replaced by Daniel Jackson (Football Intelligence of a Tree Stump) that has been a massive hit. Until they put the brains in the midfield before the athletes we will continue to get pasted in contested ball.

But that will turn around because we have brains in the squad, they just have to be fit and selected. But the recent inclusions of Nahas and Collins are positive and as long as they play a taller CHF so Riewoldt can be the 3rd tall he will improve night and day. Speed off the back is still a major issure but Rance's inclusion is a positive step there now, like Claw suggests we just need Deliedio and Tambling attacking from the back and you won't believe this is the same side. I strongly suggest Richo is played CHF and Cleve at FF. If not Cleve then Gourdis. Either way we need Richo at CHF, Riewoldt 3rd tall and someone who can kick straight at FF and let the intelligent mosquito fleet go beserk on the crumbs (Brown, Nahas and Connors).

I suspect we will start stringing together several strong performances once Wallace and his silly dopes figure this out.

 

[Broadsword95]

hmm i tend to not focus on just 3 players.

want to improve the team improve these things. or play as many players as we have who fill the criteria.

footskills first and most important. size and smarts is a close second. height structure intensity and development.lastly you want some leg speed in the team as well. we have so many poor kicks ive tried to trim it down to 6 on game day. i always pick 6 talls and 2 ruckmen. this is height and structure as well as development. size or player type is important it aides your sides ability to be combative apply genuine pressure and play with intensity.
we dont have any real big blokes down back to compensate for this i play moore as a flanker. pace decent footskills accountable reads it well.

okay trying to fit the criteria in place and picking a side that best fits those criteria.

B/ Moore Thursfield Tambling
HB/ Rance Schulz/mcguane Deledio
C/ Collins Thomson/Hislop Newman
HF/ Connors Riewoldt Post
F/ Morton Richardson Foley/Nahas
R/ Browne Coughlan Cousins
INT/ Graham/Putt Polo
in doing this exercise it shows just how far we have to go potentially 7 ordinaty kicks. if schulz is not picked it lacks size down back size in general not to bad two out and out skinnies in nahas and collins. still forced to play richo forward have thrown browne in the deep end but am forced to play graham hoping putt can play a role at some stage.

Alas it will never happen while Wallace remains at the club. Pity.

It just shows when you prioritize size and footskills that we really are quite bare. Not as much depth as we all thought.

 

[RedanTiger]

footskills first and most important. size and smarts is a close second.

B/ Moore Thursfield Tambling
HB/ Rance Schulz/mcguane Deledio
C/ Collins Thomson/Hislop Newman
HF/ Connors Riewoldt Post
F/ Morton Richardson Foley/Nahas
R/ Browne Coughlan Cousins
INT/ Graham/Putt Polo

Interesting Claw, but I think the more important one is the decision-making before footskills.

B/ Thurfield Moore Tambling
HB/ Cotchin Rance Deledio
C/ Jackson Tuck/Thomson Newman
HF/ Post Richardson Riewoldt
F/ Morton Simmonds Connors
R/ Graham Thomson/Tuck Foley
INT/ Browne/Pattison Polo Cousins Collins

My reasoning Moore is more agile and able to attack. Thursfield and Tambling are there to beat their man and give off to half backs. Rance the same as Moore but more to give off. Cotchin and Deledio are expected to be the best, challenge them to the hardest job the same as Hodge in the GF - cut the opposition supply, beat their man, help all other backs and direct all rebounds. Jackson, Tuck and Newman to provide the grunt and coverage for the halfbacks and to kick long if the last resort. Post and Riewoldt to play high as leading targets. Richo to use his work rate to lead in ALL directions, not simply straight ahead. Morton and Connors to roam the whole forward line crumbing and supplying open ground targets. Simmonds simply because he's all we've got as a marking static forward and is usually a good kick at goal. Graham, Browne and Pattison can fight for the ruck spots. The others are all regulation on-ballers but with the aim to either break clear or give off at the first option.