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ROUND 1:
Carlton V Richmond
MCG
Thursday, 2 April 2015
7.20 pm AEST
Broadcast live on Fox Footy and Channel 7
2014 Season Review:
It was a season of mixed results for these two powerhouse Victorian Clubs; both of whom were trying to build on a successful 2013 campaign that saw both teams make the finals for the first time under their coaches and captains. The hopes and expectations of both supporter bases towards their teams were high, as they anticipated even further developments from their respective sides, and the expectations of greater things to come. For both sides, those expectations were evaporated after the first few weeks, with both sides suffering from injuries to key personnel. The Blues started off with a convincing loss to Port Adelaide by 33 points, whilst the Tigers tackled bogey side Gold Coast in Queensland and came up 18 points short. The following week, these two sides tackled one another for the first time since the Tigers disastrous 2013 Elimination Final, and managed to hold the fast finishing blues at bay, winning their first game of 2014 by 12 points.
Richmond's season started off slowly, winning just 2 games up until round 6, with wins against the Blues and the Lions, but a close loss to the Bulldogs, and a heavy loss to the Magpies. The Blues season, however, started off horribly, losing their first four games to the Power, the Tigers, an absolute demolition by the Bombers and a loss to the Demons. Their first win would come against the Western Bulldogs in round 5 with a 23 point victory.
The Tigers had the bye in Round 8, and headed into it with the terrible record of 2-5, whilst the blues fared slightly better with their bye in Round 9 with the record of 3-5, with another couple of wins against the Saints and the Eagles. The Tigers came out of their bye in round 9 with arguably their most disappointing loss, a tribute match dedicated to Club Legend and AFL hall of Fame member Tom Hafey, falling to the Paul Roos Demons. The backlash directed at the club after this latest loss, and their 2-6 record sparked an internal investigation from the club, and backlash from fans and the footballing public. Meanwhile, the Blues would come out of their round 9 bye, winning their second consecutive match, defeating Adelaide at the MCG to take their record to 4-5.
The fortunes of these two sides changed from that point. After the bye, the Tigers would eventually have a record of 3-10 and were percentage off the bottom of that ladder, and the Blues were not far ahead of the Tigers. However, the Tigers would then go on an undefeated streak that it had not experienced for 40 years, winning it's final 9 games of the season to finish in the 8, becoming the first team in VFL/AFL history to achieve this feat after being 3-10. The Blues however, were the opposite of the Tigers. They would win only 3 more matches for the year, losing 9 of their last 13 games, including a draw with Essendon in round 23.
Round 1 Lineups:
B Kristian Jaksch Michael Jamison Sam Rowe
HB Sam Docherty Zach Tuohy Simon White
C Kade Simpson Chris Judd Dale Thomas
HF Marc Murphy Liam Jones Clem Smith
F Chris Yarran Lachie Henderson Troy Menzel
FOL Cameron Wood Bryce Gibbs Patrick Cripps
I/C Tom Bell Andrew Carrazzo Ed CurnowAndrejs Everitt
EMG Levi Casboult David Ellard Jason Tutt
B Troy Chaplin Jake Batchelor Alex Rance
HB Bachar Houli Nick Vlastuin Dylan Grimes
C Brandon Ellis Trent Cotchin Kamdyn McIntosh
HF Steven Morris Shane Edwards Brett Deledio
F Jack Riewoldt Ben Griffiths Sam Lloyd
FOL Ivan Maric Dustin Martin Taylor Hunt
I/C Shaun Grigg Chris Newman Anthony Miles Nathan Gordon
EMG Ricky Petterd Ty Vickery Kane Lambert
Where each side can win the game:
Carlton:
Simply, the Tigers have, at times been exposed with quick transition play from half back, due to their defensive structure, and a habit of pushing numbers ahead of the contest. If the Blues runners such as Dale Thomas, Chris Yarran and Kade Simpson can expose their opponents going the other way, they can then in turn set their forwards up with enticing one on one contests, and, with the marking prowess of Levi Casboult, Lachie Henderson and Liam Jones, this has the potential to really damage the Tigers.
Another area the Tigers are prone to getting burned is in their structures for kicking in. Brett Deledio and Bachar Houli particularly like to play on to htemselves, run about 10 meters and kick long, 50 meters to a half forward flank/wing, and hope for a mark, or the ball to spill over the boundary line. By denying them space to play on, it reduces the momentum they can get into their kicks, drawing the contests closer towards Carlton's goal, and puts the Tigers defenders under pressure with potential repeat inside 50's, something they have struggled against in the past.
Richmond:
One of the Tigers biggest strengths is repeat inside 50's. The Blues backline has proven susceptible to these, particularly long ones towards the goalsquare. If the Tigers can set up their defensive structures for opposition kick in's properly, players such as Dustin Martin, Brett Deledio and Ben Griffths have the skills to really punish Carlton with long kicking at goal.
The Tigers biggest strength however, is their midfielders adaptability. Most of them are handy in the forward line and can really do some damage. With Dustin Martin playing more midfield in 2015, the Tigers have a strong preference of playing midfielders as forwards. This creates an awkward matchup, especially for players such as Deledio or Martin, who are quick and powerful, and require a player strong enough to beat them one on one, but quick enough to go with them on the lead.
The Tigers also get hold of the Blues through their attacking half backs, such as Houli, Vlastuin, McIntosh, Hunt and Deledio. The Blues forwards have been, at times criticised for being lazy and not pressuring their opponents enough. With the attacking capabilities of the Tigers defenders, the Blues forwards such as Boekhorst, Yarran and Menzel really need to work on not allowing them to have the attacking rebound they usually have, as well as manning up, as the Tigers love to switch the play up from half back, opening up the game allowing them to run and carry into the open space ahead. If the Tigers are allowed the time and space, the Blues will be under tremendous pressure, and possibly even find themselves on the end of a hiding.
Final Thoughts:
Again, this promises to be a fantastic contest against these two proud and historic clubs. The two lists are still going through a development phase, with the Tigers being a bit further along with theirs, compared to the Blues who have just started. As a result of all this, and the Tigers having a better spread of talent across the park, I feel the Tigers should start off 2015 with a win against Blues. Our structure and skills look sound, and our fitness levels look pretty good for this time of year as well as having a virtually fresh, uninjured list should be enough to see us win our first match of the season. We owe the Blues a couple of floggings, but I'm expecting to win in the area of 5 goals. Nothing too outrageous but enough for a comfortable victory against an opposition that is slowly rebuilding it's list and missing a couple of structurally important players.
Tip:
Richmond by 34 points.
How good is it to have the football back!
**** YEAH!
© This preview is copyrighted to Grockadoc, of the Richmond Tigers Bigfooty Board.
