My review of the TIGER 22

[Harry]

Spot on John and TG, Newman always give everything he has, doesnt leave anytihng out there, and thats what we need.

The best thing about him are his 50 metre, hard, flat passes which hit Richo on the chest.

A great example of a guy who wasnt setting the world on fire at Coburg, got an oppurtunity and ran with it. His training is really good too, trains hard, and it shows in the way he plays.

DF - exactly right. Newman really did struggle at Coburg but you could always see he had something. Something called TALENT and footy smarts. Something McGrath definately has. Now will it take richmond to lose 9 straight like last year for a player with talent to get a call up. Like Newman, Mcgrath isn't setting the world on fire at Coburg. But who out there would dispute whether he has got talent. Who out there would say that a Rogers, or King, or Biddiscombe for example has got more talent or has more to offer the future of RFC than a McGrath has. Let's keep building our team instead of being stagnant - beacause sat night showed us that we've still got a long way to go.

 

[MC24]

Why is it that our best players are continually beaten in big games???
… And now we are seeing history repeating itself. Excluding the West Coast game, Johnson has been well beaten against Collingwood, Port and now Sydney. all top 8 sides when we played them. Coughlan while better was still largly ineffective against Sydney.

Maybe its because these guys don't get the support other teams players do in big games. Maybe its coaching …

Yes, maybe it is because the good players are only as good as the support they have around them.

I think you're being a bit harsh on Johnson and Coughlan, don't you TF? They have been amongst our best virtually every week this season. For the amount of attention they cop from the opposition each week, they're team mates might like to provide some support to them instead of standing back and watching.

As an aside, Cogs hasn't had anything under 18 possessions since Round 12, 2002. The number of possessions means nothing, I know, but it says he's consistent and when others had given it away on Saturday night, he was still contributing to the end.

To judge Johnson and Coughlan on a game where we had a shocker as a team, is harsh, in my book. They'll come back. They're too good not to.

Make an assessment over a period of time and not just one game.

Don't mean to sound like I'm going off at you TF, I just think it's an early call to make. I'd agree with you if I thought your concerns were founded and I can understand you being worried that we might not be as good as we had hoped. But, based on the type of players these two have shown themselves to be, I really don't think you need to be that worried or critical. Particularly given their efforts prior to Saturday night.

Remember too that Mark has just played 30 games. He's still learning the game and about coping with the attention he is receiving. If anyone wants to judge him, or any other player, at least give them the opportunity to prove themselves over time.

If we play as a disciplined team, then we're going to look a lot better than the rabble we looked like on Saturday night.