What the hell is going on

[Col.E.Kurtz]

The truth is generally a compromise. They had some bad injuries, yet were clearly inept. Watching Essendon these days often reminds me of us, sure when they are on song they look exciting, so did we the last half of last year.

I've had a lot of conversations with Knightsy over the years growing up in the same area locally and having some similar haunts, he has a switched on footy brain. Yet it surprises me how quick people have been to jump on the bandwagon of Essendon's list and his coaching ability.

I don't rate their list for the future other than the usual promising minority of kids most clubs have and I don't believe in judging coaches so early. Knights is a impressive character and he was always going to stamp his strong values and leadership on the club and give it a breath of fresh air after they failed to change the wallpaper in 27 years.

However some chinks in his coaching on game day are showing, the true mark of a good coach will be if he can evolve and develop.

I've heard while happy with him Essendon will not extend his contract this year but they will give him a payrise (he is contracted till end of next year).

Yeah, I tend to agree. I haven’t seen our game against them yet but just watching their earlier games they seem to be doing a lot of gambling that’s was paying off and catching teams by surprise. But I didn’t get the impression they were a really sound team, a good team that wins the contested ball and who runs hard the other way will beat them like they crush us (their work ethic is much better than Terry’s Tigers though). I’ll be surprised if they win that race for the last 8 spot.

I’m also not convinced by this argument that they are really young. Their players on average had 90 games of AFL experience on Saturday’s game and if you look at the core of the team it’s mainly guys drafted 2004 or before.

 

[CarnTheTiges]

I noticed right from the time Rawlings took over that there seemed to be more team spirit amongst the players. They encouraged and congratulated each other, they talked more, played scared less. It also hasn't hurt having a fit Cuz out there most of the time either. That guy is like having a coach on field.

 

[TigerMasochist]

The Gieschen Effect

Gotta laugh at the cheap and nasty throwaway Giesch line.
He's got a better win loss at Tigerland than Walls, Spudley and Plough.
Not bad for a patch up caretaker.

Can't complain about the job Rawlings has done. He's been chucked in at the deep end ( well, maybe he jumped in ) mid season to take over a team that was falling apart at the seams.
He's adjusted the game plan to be a bit more defensive and structured.
He's giving games to players on form, not just reputation and making sure they perform the tasks he gives them.
Most important of all, he's got them playing " HONEST " football from first siren to last.
They may not be the most talented. They may be inexperienced. They may make more mistakes than we'd like.
At least they're fighting out every game they play to the best of their ability.
No more rolling over, turning turtle, pointing the backside to the sky and waving the surrender flag.
When the Kangas charged all over the top of us and hit the front the boys refused to lie down and accept defeat. When Esserdum hit the front we took the game back off them and again refused to lie down when they charged back a second time.
Whatever happens during the process for a new head coach I hope we don't lose Rawlings, he's instilled some integrity into our game and thats priceless.

 

[Liverpool]

Their overuse of the ball was due to us choking their attacking end of the middle third, forcing them backwards and sideways repeatedly.
The fact a young team held on and where leading when the free kick count was running 7-0 in their favour at one point is certainly something to hang their hat on.
Richmond teams of old would have folded under pressure like that.

Previous Richmond teams would have folded too when they came back from 4-5 goals down and hit the front with their home crowd urging them on.....even I thought "uh oh".

But for a team that was expected to lose...to come back and win against a team that was actually playing for something...well, it was really good.
And even better it was from the kids.

 

[Dyer Disciple]

Their overuse of the ball was due to us choking their attacking end of the middle third, forcing them backwards and sideways repeatedly.

They had a lot more inside 50's than we did, they cut to the side and went backwards because they didn't run and spread or set up structures/leads. Something we should easily recognise.

The fact a young team held on and where leading when the free kick count was running 7-0 in their favour at one point is certainly something to hang their hat on.

It was a scrappy game and we held on because we were more direct in going forward, while Essendon squandered many opportunities. They did have the same amount of scoring shots. Free kicks mean nothing to me, how we play and win structure/skill/pressure wise is more important. I never knocked the way we played, I merely stated we can't get too swept up in it when Essendon were so bad. It's like our draw against North, we dominated them in the first half and yet you couldn't be happy with it as North were horrific. Yet as bad as they were we coughed up our lead and then struggled to force a draw.

Previous Richmond teams would have folded too when they came back from 4-5 goals down and hit the front with their home crowd urging them on.....even I thought "uh oh".

We showed some real signs of such mental toughness last year, in tighter games against tougher competition, and look at what happened this year. It has to be far more consistent before we can really start giving credit.

And even better it was from the kids.

Yup, as I said, that was the one thing that put a smile on my dial.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, I'm merely stating let's not get too caught up with the ra ra when there are other factors strongly at play at this time of year with a coach gone. Let's just focus on the development of the kids and really cross our t's and dot our i's in the search for a new coach. Rawlings might be the man and then he well might not, but we can't get too carried away with our wins when we look at our competition on the day.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

King in particular has been better up the ground, where his opponents don't hurt as much going the other way. Sacrificing some of his attacking instincts but still kicked a nice goal yesterday.

 

[Liverpool]

We showed some real signs of such mental toughness last year, in tighter games against tougher competition, and look at what happened this year. It has to be far more consistent before we can really start giving credit.
Yup, as I said, that was the one thing that put a smile on my dial.
I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, I'm merely stating let's not get too caught up with the ra ra when there are other factors strongly at play at this time of year with a coach gone. Let's just focus on the development of the kids and really cross our t's and dot our i's in the search for a new coach. Rawlings might be the man and then he well might not, but we can't get too carried away with our wins when we look at our competition on the day.

Yeah...look DyerDisciple....I agree.

It wasn't the fact that we won a close game and won it after being headed....like you said we did that last year against tougher opposition.
It was the fact that we won a close game and won it after being headed BY THE NEW BREED OF TIGER...the Posts, Vickerys, Cotchins, Edwards, etc.

And sure, we can't let the emotion of such a win go to our heads but I think any new dynasty has to start somewhere....and who knows?
Maybe next year we might be the team that comes out of nowhere to make the top-8 and people will look back at this game as the turning point.

Brisbane had it in 2001 against Carlton when they got humiliated by the Blues.....Geelong had it in 2007 when the Kangas beat them at Kardinia Park...and maybe we're just starting down our road of success?
All we can do it keep playing the kids...and support them to win every game and get some comraderie and TEAMWORK amongst them.

Look at St.Kilda....Riewoldt said a few weeks back that they knew they had some good players but they played as individuals and its only clicked this year about teamwork.

Then lok at Richmond....a club where due to our lack of success....players and coaches go into "survival mode" and play for preservation and their careers.
Young kids only just drafted aren't playing for their careers...they have that ahead of them...they are wanting to play well for each other which is how you get a winning culture happening.
Add someone like Cousins who comes to a club that has had that mentality for 10+ years and all of a sudden we are....well...looking up.

 

[BillyJean17]

The blade appears a rather sincere type, NO doubt at all that the players are more receptive of the message than the tripe the last punce put up for 5 years :clap

 

[the claw]

One win and all logic goes out the window. :

Silvestor was lead to the ball by someone who is now considered far too slow for AFL football.

yep it always happens the ferals never disappoint. if theres one thing in the afl that the rfc wins hands down in its the delusion stakes.

 

[Tigerchris]

Your not wrong there claw

 

[KnightersRevenge]

I'm not delusional. And I'm not feral. I enjoy a win. I'm not a player. I'm not a board member. I'm not an assistant coach. I'm a supporter and a member. I don't see any problem with supporters getting off the leash a little when we win. Sport is a release for people after a week that was the same as last week and the week before...etc.

 

[IanG]

I'm not delusional. And I'm not feral.

Don't worry, claw's definition of feral is not the word as the rest of the world knows it, under the normal definition of the word claw himself is practically the epitome of feral.