Who is the most important player in the....backline?

[Football Tragic]

So the same concept as the thread on our midfield - Who do you believe is the most important player in our backline?

Is it Grimes with his flexibility? Vlaustin with his intercept marking and strength? Balta with his ability to matchup on the forward monsters? Rioli for his run and scoring capability? Gibcus for his potential? Tarrant for his experience and size? Broad for his speed and blanketing ability? Baker for his ability and pressure at ground level?

Who do you think?

 

[Marcel Proust]

Floss is mad underrated for mine

 

[Groupie_]

 

[Football Tragic]

I'm surprized no one said Rance!?

 

[bc27]

Balta. Could be all Australian or even traded come years end.

 

[CASEYS9420]

Lightning strikes twice, Rutten turns Balta into a gun KPD and with the midfield now hopefully sorted it'll take some pressure of the backline.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Grimes until Balta smiles.

 

[Football Tragic]

Interesting how under rated Vlaustin and Rioli are for different reasons. I would say that Flossy ability to assist and take intercept marks is crucial to the backline structure. He is as tough as nails and a beautiful kick (dead eye dick in front of goal too from 50).

Rioli gives us so much run out of the backline. He is also great at breaking lines and pinpointing players by foot. He is almost getting more goals now than he did as a defensive forward.

 

[Muddiemoose]

Like others mentioned Vlossy but also in the same kind of way I think Broad

Like Vloss the two have a certain dependability that is easy to overlook both will play the roles they are given superbly and give us the flexibility for guys like Grimes change match up onto smaller or taller players depending on what’s needed or have guys like Rioli and Houli in the past be less accountable defensively at times in order to play more attacking styles

 

[sante]

Vlastuin easily. No one can play his role as well as him whereas we have back up for the other positions/roles

 

[tiger_tough]

Grimes. When he struggles, we struggle.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Tarrant is an import and he is in our backline so Tarrant. Rest are homeys.

 

[GoTigers2015]

Getting Truck back is a real bonus

 

[Football Tragic]

Getting Truck back is a real bonus

I agree. He was a big part of turning our backline from an average unit to one of the strongest in the league.

 

[banzai]

So the same concept as the thread on our midfield - Who do you believe is the most important player in our backline?

Is it Grimes with his flexibility? Vlaustin with his intercept marking and strength? Balta with his ability to matchup on the forward monsters? Rioli for his run and scoring capability? Gibcus for his potential? Tarrant for his experience and size? Broad for his speed and blanketing ability? Baker for his ability and pressure at ground level?

Who do you think?

Is Grimes still a flexible player? He gets torched by the smalls now and is horrible at ground level. Has to play as a tall, but could easily be done, lots of injuries early in career, now hes getting them again.

It has to be Balta, if he becomes the gun tall we hope then our whole defence is fine. Any of them can play 2nd tall and our small defenders are solid.

 

[Marcel Proust]

Grimes. When he struggles, we struggle.

With Tarrant and Gibcus etc. Hopefully that's less of an issue going forward (?)

 

[tora tora tora]

I agree. He was a big part of turning our backline from an average unit to one of the strongest in the league.

Unit is the right way to think about it. Talls, mediums and smalls. New players Tarrant, Miller, Gibcus and Rioli in it and Short Baker & Balta out of it for a lot of the year. Plus Vlas and Grimes missing a fair bit of footy over the last 2 years hasn't helped things gel. Grimes was a bit out of sorts.. he wasn't sure if his role in the new line up. he wasn't marking the ball as much as he had been.

Looks like Short is out of a job in the middle. Is he a walk up start somewhere else? Grimes available means Broad may be back up. Tarrant was solid as and should line up with Balta & Gibcus. Balta back (or rucking) is probably best use of him. Great to see us trialling positions but In the final he wasn't quite DEFENSIVE enough on Hipwood. Peak KPD Balta was prelim 2020.

 

[DickieKnee]

Grimes if he is at full fitness.

 

[The Mighty]

Fit and firing it's the General - Grimes no question. He runs and directs the show.

Broady stepped up well early in the season when Grimes, Tarrant, and Vlastuin were in and out of the side.

Looked out of sorts all year last year, injuries and also not his sure self.

Maybe the captaincy weighed heavily on him.

Might be a sneaky chance to hang em up at the end of 2023.

Happy for him to go out with flag number 4 if he does decide to retire. What a great way to go out if that was the case.

That interchangeability and versatility the RFC had with Grimes, Vlastuin and Broad over that window was the real secret weapon in the RFC defence as it allowed for the RFC to take on and cover all comers be it tall or small, whilst Dave looked after the big Forwards.

It also allowed Rance to go on his intercepting and attacking runs with Bash.

On a different view Dan Riioli has become a lethal attacking weapon from HB.

 

[SunshineBoy]

View attachment 1562188

This

 

[Chat Pile]

Unit is the right way to think about it. Talls, mediums and smalls. New players Tarrant, Miller, Gibcus and Rioli in it and Short Baker & Balta out of it for a lot of the year. Plus Vlas and Grimes missing a fair bit of footy over the last 2 years hasn't helped things gel. Grimes was a bit out of sorts.. he wasn't sure if his role in the new line up. he wasn't marking the ball as much as he had been.

Looks like Short is out of a job in the middle. Is he a walk up start somewhere else? Grimes available means Broad may be back up. Tarrant was solid as and should line up with Balta & Gibcus. Balta back (or rucking) is probably best use of him. Great to see us trialling positions but In the final he wasn't quite DEFENSIVE enough on Hipwood. Peak KPD Balta was prelim 2020.

Shorty won't get dropped. They'll find a place for him.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

Our defence is in great shape for talls & smalls

Talls : Tarrant , Balta , Gibcus , Miller , Young , Biggy
Med : Grimes , Broad , Vlastuin , Pickett ,Brown , Banks
Smalls : Short , Baker , Rioli , Ralphsmith , Mansell

Thats the most depth i have seen at Richmond across the entire backline for years

 

[Football Tragic]

Our defence is in great shape for talls & smalls

Talls : Tarrant , Balta , Gibcus , Miller , Young , Biggy
Med : Grimes , Broad , Vlastuin , Pickett ,Brown , Banks
Smalls : Short , Baker , Rioli , Ralphsmith , Mansell

Thats the most depth i have seen at Richmond across the entire backline for years

In that order? If I was ordering them, I would have -

Talls : Tarrant , Balta , Gibcus , Miller , Young , Biggy
Med : Grimes , Vlastuin , Broad , Brown , Banks
Smalls : Baker , Rioli , Short , Ralphsmith , Mansell

 

[energyquant]

I love 'em all, but I reckon Broady is our barometer. When he has a good game, we win and win well.