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Pick 72: Ryan Garthwaite
- Thread starter puregreen
- Start date
I have noticed like other posters that Garthwaite has been exposed for a lack of pace repeatedly in 2019. But he hasn’t had a perfect preparation going into 2019 and with interchange caps his TOG is incredibly high for such a young player. Interestingly the two games he played 100% TOG were games we won easily. One against Freo and the other against the bombers. Given his age and setbacks, there is still improvement left in his running game, so I’ll be reserving judgement until I’ve seen another season or two. So if we pardon his running in the short term based on mitigating circumstances, what is the greatest crime, if there is one at all, about Ryan Garthwaite’s presence on the Richmond list? Or more to the point, the Richmond 22?
I’m not sure if it’s the ungainly kicking action or his concerning lack of height for a key back who lacks speed. The fact it’s debatable is concerning. But he does have virtues. I remember him rucking in a JLT game in 2018 against the Bombers and being blown away about his tenacity and thirst for the contest in a role he was hopelessly unsuited in. But that determination alone barely gets your foot in the door at the Tigers these days. So why did our recruiters see fit to give him a go with a fully fledged spot on our list and extend his contract to the end of this year? It’s the fact he has almost always overcome these limitations in winning sides. Murray Bushrangers, Richmond VFL and AFL all win regularly while he is playing key back. And he isn’t just capable of halving a contest, his spoils have the potential to come back the other way and turn defence into attack. And he spoils a lot. More than Daniel Talia (7.9) in fact. 8.6 spoils per game places him in the top five in the AFL and just 1.5 behind the leader in Harris Andrews. Garthwaite can also mop up a mess and force a stoppage in the face of the increasingly draconian anti-stoppage measures players must navigate, which is a recommendation for his football IQ.
Garth is dour and unfashionable. Every bit a fifth round draft selection. But he finds a way to win and busts his arse off the park as well as on it to get the job done for his team. He’s not going to become an intercept king like Jeremy McGovern. He doesn’t have the closing speed to become like unheralded premiership stopper Joel Hamling. Ryan Garthwaite has to overcome limitations that many recruiters wouldn’t forgive. An analyst can’t afford to become obsessed about finding the exception to the rule, but equally he/she can’t afford to miss it either. We should be happy that our club is prepared to give the bloke who might be an exception to the ironclad axioms of recruiting a chance, and we need to also understand that they won’t always be vindicated in doing so. So why have this premiership winning football department, not brought in a mature key defender to cover the worst case scenario? Is that their crime?
The club has taken a calculated risk on its key defensive stocks in 2019 and has taken a long term view of its list. Rather than gift Jonathon Marsh our final rookie slot they put the acid on Sydney Stack to prove himself. Stack didn’t meet expectations on professional standards in the preseason. He exceeded them. Thus moving Marsh to the VFL list, to earn his AFL rookie spot in our VFL meritocracy like Jake Aarts, or aternatively, be upgraded sooner should the unthinkable happen and the best defender in the competition go down long term. Unfortunately, Jake Carlisle succumbed to his back problem first, and Marsh is now at the saints. Leaving us without our contingency. It’s not ideal, but the risk hasn’t been exposed as a losing one yet, as Richmond has a positive win/loss differential at the bye rounds despite being hamstrung by injuries all over the park.
So with Astbury down too, and Marlion Pickett showing the recruiters to be unwaveringly resistant to myopia, Garth is all we’ve got. We need him to stand up and play like a player beyond his 20 years. We need him play like a player more experienced than his 8 games. We need him to deliver despite an interrupted preseason and without the help of three of our unrivalled premiership defence there to support him to do so. It sounds dire and perhaps in the short term it is. But this isn’t the Richmond of 1981 to 2016. This is the new Richmond and that means taking the long term view. And the new Richmond simply can’t be convicted of crimes against recruiting and list management in the most recent times. This isn’t a crisis either. This is Ryan Garthwaite’s opportunity to vindicate another unlikely selection by our recruiting staff. At pick 72 no less.
I’m not sure if it’s the ungainly kicking action or his concerning lack of height for a key back who lacks speed. The fact it’s debatable is concerning. But he does have virtues. I remember him rucking in a JLT game in 2018 against the Bombers and being blown away about his tenacity and thirst for the contest in a role he was hopelessly unsuited in. But that determination alone barely gets your foot in the door at the Tigers these days. So why did our recruiters see fit to give him a go with a fully fledged spot on our list and extend his contract to the end of this year? It’s the fact he has almost always overcome these limitations in winning sides. Murray Bushrangers, Richmond VFL and AFL all win regularly while he is playing key back. And he isn’t just capable of halving a contest, his spoils have the potential to come back the other way and turn defence into attack. And he spoils a lot. More than Daniel Talia (7.9) in fact. 8.6 spoils per game places him in the top five in the AFL and just 1.5 behind the leader in Harris Andrews. Garthwaite can also mop up a mess and force a stoppage in the face of the increasingly draconian anti-stoppage measures players must navigate, which is a recommendation for his football IQ.
Garth is dour and unfashionable. Every bit a fifth round draft selection. But he finds a way to win and busts his arse off the park as well as on it to get the job done for his team. He’s not going to become an intercept king like Jeremy McGovern. He doesn’t have the closing speed to become like unheralded premiership stopper Joel Hamling. Ryan Garthwaite has to overcome limitations that many recruiters wouldn’t forgive. An analyst can’t afford to become obsessed about finding the exception to the rule, but equally he/she can’t afford to miss it either. We should be happy that our club is prepared to give the bloke who might be an exception to the ironclad axioms of recruiting a chance, and we need to also understand that they won’t always be vindicated in doing so. So why have this premiership winning football department, not brought in a mature key defender to cover the worst case scenario? Is that their crime?
The club has taken a calculated risk on its key defensive stocks in 2019 and has taken a long term view of its list. Rather than gift Jonathon Marsh our final rookie slot they put the acid on Sydney Stack to prove himself. Stack didn’t meet expectations on professional standards in the preseason. He exceeded them. Thus moving Marsh to the VFL list, to earn his AFL rookie spot in our VFL meritocracy like Jake Aarts, or aternatively, be upgraded sooner should the unthinkable happen and the best defender in the competition go down long term. Unfortunately, Jake Carlisle succumbed to his back problem first, and Marsh is now at the saints. Leaving us without our contingency. It’s not ideal, but the risk hasn’t been exposed as a losing one yet, as Richmond has a positive win/loss differential at the bye rounds despite being hamstrung by injuries all over the park.
So with Astbury down too, and Marlion Pickett showing the recruiters to be unwaveringly resistant to myopia, Garth is all we’ve got. We need him to stand up and play like a player beyond his 20 years. We need him play like a player more experienced than his 8 games. We need him to deliver despite an interrupted preseason and without the help of three of our unrivalled premiership defence there to support him to do so. It sounds dire and perhaps in the short term it is. But this isn’t the Richmond of 1981 to 2016. This is the new Richmond and that means taking the long term view. And the new Richmond simply can’t be convicted of crimes against recruiting and list management in the most recent times. This isn’t a crisis either. This is Ryan Garthwaite’s opportunity to vindicate another unlikely selection by our recruiting staff. At pick 72 no less.
This week will tell us what he is made of. Nowhere to hide with three of our premiership backs missing
Gypsy__Jazz said:
Really great post, GJ. Plenty of footy journos who cannot reach this level of discerning analysis.
I really like this kid for his attitude and application. Think he can make it as a lock-down defender but will have to overcome lots of challenges. We are certainly providing that - kid's getting a baptism of fire.
E
easy_tiger
Guest
Gypsy__Jazz said:
A very good synopsis Gypsy.
Marlion will be a very good player for us, and perhaps even a cult hero with his attack at the ball. Our list required a key position player though.
A big night for Garth tonight, but i have a lot of confidence in him.
With Miller not playing VFL this weekend, the cupboard is bare.
B: 78. D. Coffield, 53. H. Beasley, 31. O. Markov
HB: 43. D. Eggmolesse-Smith, 35. N. Broad, 37. C. Menadue
C: 64. T. Silvestro, 26. R. Collier-Dawkins, 28. F. Turner
HF: 39. J. Aarts, 40. C. Coleman-Jones, 56. B. Grewar
F: 29. S. Bolton, 79. W. Coates, 60. C. Thompson
R: 41. M. Chol, 54. J. Ballard, 16. M. Weller
Int: 67. B. Credlin, 65. J. Cusack, 61. J. Fletcher, 52. S. Mannagh, 62. L. Nelson, 68. C. Riley , 55. L. Street
23P: 58. C. Harris
In: C. Thompson, N. Broad, C. Riley , J. Cusack, O. Markov, L. Street, J. Aarts, S. Bolton
Out: P. Naish, B. Miller, J. Townsend, D. Rioli, J. Graham
easy said:
x2. he'll show something more tonight because it is a bigger test. and he still has Grimes Houli Vlast Stack near him. I'm liking the Top 5 for spoils stat - had no idea. and yes Gyps, he's another of those guys who we have given a chance to because they saw some smarts in him.
a calculated risk ..
Reckon he's undersized as an AFL key defender and too slow and not skilful enough to be a 3rd or 4th defender
Thought all the defenders did well that qtr - we were seriously under the pump.
Garth playing ahead of his time
Garth playing ahead of his time
