In theory his a perfect specimen to ad to our midfield mix, the management of Balta and Bolton this season has worked a treat , in Dimma we trust
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Welcome to Tiger land Riley Collier’Dawkins
- Thread starter rinso17
- Start date
It’s not a good sign for a draftee to have gone this long without getting a taste of AFL football, especially when they haven’t had any significant injuries. Even more so when they are a first round pick.
This is purely speculation but I think there is something amiss in RCD’s game and that’s why he hasn’t been selected yet. Hardwick is good judge of talent and usually gives young players a taste of AFL early in their careers if he thinks they have AFL traits. On the other hand, he’ll deny players a game for years regardless of VFL form if he doesn’t think they have what it takes.
This is purely speculation but I think there is something amiss in RCD’s game and that’s why he hasn’t been selected yet. Hardwick is good judge of talent and usually gives young players a taste of AFL early in their careers if he thinks they have AFL traits. On the other hand, he’ll deny players a game for years regardless of VFL form if he doesn’t think they have what it takes.
Would him this week for sure while accepting your arguments here
Don't know if RCD’s gonna make it or not but just reckon it’s worth playing him so we can all see something and go from there
He’ll even learn something out of the experience but maybe inspire him too
Do hope that it’s not another case of Paddy Naish who seems to have stagnated almost to the point of no return
Hard to tell, but I reckon RCD is just a victim of being drafted to a powerhouse club with legitimate depth. He'll be ok.
He'd already have won a Best and Fairest and be in the leadership group if Norf drafted him.
I've always thought RCD has just been a bit unlucky that there hasn't been the right set of circumstances to bring him in. Then there is the thought that he still needs to fix some aspect of his game before they'll give him a crack.
Bring him in this week with Cotch. He won't have to do all the bullocking in his first game.
Bring him in this week with Cotch. He won't have to do all the bullocking in his first game.
Good post. TBH I wasn't keen on him in his draft. Didn't get enough of it as an inside mid at U18 level and not quite a tall forward. From memory he had a mega growth spurt in the couple of years before his draft so conceivably is coming to terms with that. But that's a development project that you should be reluctant to spend a first rounder on. In saying that, we were coming off a premiership so maybe you think you can afford that risk.
Either way, he needs a few games at AFL level to see what he has got at the level. Glimpses is enough first up to decide whether he has got what it takes with further development.
We are crying out for midfield grunt, if he can't get a game now then you'd expect him to not feature in our plans going forward.
Agreed. I'm sure match committee want to give the kid a go as reward for his toil, but the reality is his form has not warranted it.
Many posters recall his two goal VFL GF cameo but his overall body of work shows he is not getting enough of it, and is not particularly damaging when he does.
He did get exposure in the pre-season but less seasoned newbie Thomson Dow showed more in five minutes than RCD had for two quarters.
The season is moving towards the pointy end and we really need to be aiming at top 4 in what is a very congested upper part of the ladder.
Gifting a bloke a game because he has been around for a while can have quite significant consequences, as we saw when we played GWS a man down with Patrick Naish's selection.
If RCD can't knock the door down in the midst of our significant mid-field absences, then clearly he doesn't deserve a game.
Hate to pick the eyes out of this post 17 but how exactly is he supposed to show form when they're not playing?
In the absence of Prestia & Edwards we need to look to ways we can strengthen the midfield. With 6 games to go against a lowly team it's a case of now or never to see what he's got.
There has been opportunities in various scratch matches ToO.
Personally I think Markov offers more to the side at this point in time.
I don't think he is going to solve our current midfield depth issues, but I am keen to see him get some development games at AFL level. He is a great long term prospect.
Farce give him a go. Add some ready made depth. We are getting smashed at clearances especially centre square and if we don't fix that we won't win the chocolates this year. Geelong, West Coast and Port will smash us out of the center unless changes are made. Be brave and I would throw Rioli into the bounce occasionally got to get him involved!
Tony Braxton-Hicks
There are no stupid ideas, just stupid people
Yet Ross got a gig early that season, and returned to the side ahead of Riley as soon as Ross had recovered from a significant ankle injury, so off a lower match fitness base.
I'm not convinced about RCD based on 2019, but 2020 is impossible for any of us to judge.
So you like Oleg who has been on our list for 5 years who has played ONLY 18 GAMES in those 5 years and yet posters are getting impatient with Riley after 18 months, PLEASE!!!.
By the way I don't dislike Oleg and think he can play, just highlighting the ridiculousness of premature judgements.
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Don't think this is the time to give kids a go. We will be fine tuning our best line up in the coming weeks. If RCD hasn't been given a go up to this stage with our injuries I doubt they'll give him a go now that our players are returning. Stack and Ross both recruited in the same year as RCD were dropped then given another chance. There must be something that the match committee are concerned about at this stage.
Covid has mucked up many things, especially the meaningful development of young players.
A key problem for us is how to handle a top big-bodied midfield under finals pressure. If all of Cotchin, Prestia, Edwards become available, maybe we just let them go head to head and back ourselves in, especially now that Shai has stepped right up to become an extra weapon. At least breaking even at centre clearances is the way to take advantage of the 6-6-6 rule and avoid congestion.
If, however, we end up short-staffed in the area of top mids, I'm sure Dimma will want a guy like Graham/Ross to play a high-pressure, negating role come finals time.
There also seems to be a lot going on with the development and refinement of Stack's and Pickett's roles around the midfield.
Having said all of the above, I can't see RCD becoming an extra variable unless we run out of alternatives.
The club must have a high opinion of RCD. They sat him in the center from the start of the 2019 AVL season and kept playing him in that position throughout the year despite him starting slowly and despite other more experience options. The planning and patience was rewarded in the VFL grand Final when RCD played his best game for the club.
Would love to see him in the top side but he is not going to fix our center clearance problems by himself right now. Can wait until next year with RCD.
Would love to see him in the top side but he is not going to fix our center clearance problems by himself right now. Can wait until next year with RCD.
If the match committee deem him worthy of a debut game, he'll have my full support and best wishes.
caesar, you bit too quick.
My quote was" I think Markov offers more to the side at this point in time".
ie not a reflection on how long Oleg has been on the list, nor whether RCD will ultimately make it - but all about where we are right now fighting for a top four spot in a log-jammed ladder.
Markov played recently and did ok. He adds versitility (can play HB, wing and as a leading forward) and pace.
