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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
Why has Richmond struggled for 25 years?
The biggest issue is recruiting.
Always has been. Other issues are important but recruiting is paramount.
It doesn't matter how good your coach, coterie, facilities, mgmt etc are, simply if you haven't recruited good players you won't have a good footy side (refer current Essendon fc).
Richmond have been the absolute worst in the league at this for over 20 years - we have been woefully amateurish while the rest of the comp got professional.
And amazingly, given that appalling 20+ year track record, it was only last year (!) that something approaching a strategy and appropriate structure for recruiting was decided upon and implemented (points to G.March for this) - resulting in Craig Cameron's appointment as list manager (with hopefully more refinements/additons to come).
So really - to all those with conspiracy theories as to culture, senior players, facilities etc etc - don't bother looking for the hidden reasons when the blindingly obvious is staring you in the face.
If your business is winning football games, a five year old could tell you that investing in recruiting good players is paramount.
Richmond just thought that they could cruise along with no real thought or planning and the system would land some champs in their lap.
Finally, after 20 years of wishful thinking, we are changing our approach.
It is an indictment on the club that Richo at 33 is clearly our best player this year and Kane Johnson (circa 30) next best (till injured) - and these guys, along with Browny, are soon to retire.
The same "wishful thinking" that recruited Shultz, Polak, Hughes, Oakley-Nicholls and co unfortunately won't turn them into the superstars that the club desparately needs.
So, despite the better recruiting structure from now on, the club is likely to take yet another step backwards before it can truly make a genuine step forward.
If all goes right from here at the future player drafts, that would be sometime towards the middle of the next decade.
At least we are finnaly on the right path.
The biggest issue is recruiting.
Always has been. Other issues are important but recruiting is paramount.
It doesn't matter how good your coach, coterie, facilities, mgmt etc are, simply if you haven't recruited good players you won't have a good footy side (refer current Essendon fc).
Richmond have been the absolute worst in the league at this for over 20 years - we have been woefully amateurish while the rest of the comp got professional.
And amazingly, given that appalling 20+ year track record, it was only last year (!) that something approaching a strategy and appropriate structure for recruiting was decided upon and implemented (points to G.March for this) - resulting in Craig Cameron's appointment as list manager (with hopefully more refinements/additons to come).
So really - to all those with conspiracy theories as to culture, senior players, facilities etc etc - don't bother looking for the hidden reasons when the blindingly obvious is staring you in the face.
If your business is winning football games, a five year old could tell you that investing in recruiting good players is paramount.
Richmond just thought that they could cruise along with no real thought or planning and the system would land some champs in their lap.
Finally, after 20 years of wishful thinking, we are changing our approach.
It is an indictment on the club that Richo at 33 is clearly our best player this year and Kane Johnson (circa 30) next best (till injured) - and these guys, along with Browny, are soon to retire.
The same "wishful thinking" that recruited Shultz, Polak, Hughes, Oakley-Nicholls and co unfortunately won't turn them into the superstars that the club desparately needs.
So, despite the better recruiting structure from now on, the club is likely to take yet another step backwards before it can truly make a genuine step forward.
If all goes right from here at the future player drafts, that would be sometime towards the middle of the next decade.
At least we are finnaly on the right path.