Podcast BigFooty Tigercast - Training report, 3rd December

[Michaels]

this weeks show is now on itunes, spotify and podcast apps!

Current episode: Rhy Gieschen chat



Huge thanks to our guests for coming on!

You can now SEE us via the FB live or YouTube video of the show below. Go easy on us..


Topics covered:

Rhy Gieschen X Tigercast Draft recap

-Ranking criteria
-Data vs Eye test
-Sliders and Bolters including a bit on Robey
-How/when we measure draft success
-The key attributes for this years draft selections
-A bit on each of the players we selected
-the train on players
-Louis Kellaway-2026 & 2027 draft.

Rhy was absolutely fantastic with his time and his answers.

 

[Barnzy]

Submitted my questions

 

[Michaels]

Last nights Draft recap with @Dylfollowsdraft is below.

-tigers picks
-sliders and bolters
-our train on players
-plus more!

 

[Michaels]

Tiger fans, you’re going to love this one..

Straight off the top Rhy is absolutely fantastic, so much was learnt during this!

Video dropping hopefully today!

 

[Michaels]

New numbers / train ons / training and my round 1 debut Smokey!

Plenty happening at Richmond in the last 48 hours!

Video below

 

[Magic17]

Hey Michaels… Fantastic Q&A session with Rhy. Well done.

 

[Michaels]

Hey Michaels… Fantastic Q&A session with Rhy. Well done.

thanks heaps appreciate it!

 

[Michaels]

Rhy Gieschen X Tigercast Draft recap

-Ranking criteria
-Data vs Eye test
-Sliders and Bolters including a bit on Robey
-How/when we measure draft success
-The key attributes for this years draft selections
-A bit on each of the players we selected
-the train on players
-Louis Kellaway-2026 & 2027 draft.

Rhy was absolutely fantastic with his time and his answers.

 

[richard parker]

This type of club engagement with fans really disarms the keyboard warriors, well done

 

[THE_GUN]

Why doesn’t he use RJK and LOTW as advisors? Its clear they know more

They have the same phone number

 

[sabso]

They have the same phone number

Two cheeks of the same arse

 

[PHanevski]

Rhy Gieschen X Tigercast Draft recap

-Ranking criteria
-Data vs Eye test
-Sliders and Bolters including a bit on Robey
-How/when we measure draft success
-The key attributes for this years draft selections
-A bit on each of the players we selected
-the train on players
-Louis Kellaway-2026 & 2027 draft.

Rhy was absolutely fantastic with his time and his answers.

Just wondering if you are planning on uploading any of the longer ones to spotify? (There has been nothing from you on there since Aug 24). While I appreciate the time and effort that you put in to making a youtube video, I prefer to listen to them when I am out walking like your weekly in season one.

 

[Michaels]

Just wondering if you are planning on uploading any of the longer ones to spotify? (There has been nothing from you on there since Aug 24). While I appreciate the time and effort that you put in to making a youtube video, I prefer to listen to them when I am out walking like your weekly in season one.

Hi mate,

the Rhy one and Dyl Alexander ones should be up by lunchtime today.

 

[Michaels]

With our list all but finalised for 2026 this video takes a bit more of a closer look at our list profile and how we are tracking with players games in certain positions thanks to _RT_ amazing list!


Makes for some interesting viewing, in a good way I think.

 

[tigs2010]

Makes for some interesting viewing, in a good way I think.

 

[TigermanM2]

Tiger fans, you’re going to love this one..

Straight off the top Rhy is absolutely fantastic, so much was learnt during this!

Video dropping hopefully today! View attachment 2485281

Right up there with the best of them.

It is clearly a hell of a lot easier when Rhy is prepared to open up and do lots of talking but its the host who has to create the comfortable environment for him to do so. You also nail knowing when to chirp in and when to just let your guests do the talking.

Opportunities presented to you are no accident or luck. You are clearly doing a mountain of work behind the scenes and we are the fortunate ones to get these "hot off the press". Hats off to you.

 

[tigs2010]

Right up there with the best of them.

It is clearly a hell of a lot easier when Rhy is prepared to open up and do lots of talking but its the host who has to create the comfortable environment for him to do so. You also nail knowing when to chirp in and when to just let your guests do the talking.

Opportunities presented to you are no accident or luck. You are clearly doing a mountain of work behind the scenes and we are the fortunate ones to get these "hot off the press". Hats off to you.

Expectations high now.

Can he do what Cal failed to do and get Blair on for an interview and open up?

 

[PHanevski]

Hi mate,

the Rhy one and Dyl Alexander ones should be up by lunchtime today.

Thank You.

 

[Michaels]

With at least 19 players contracts expiring at the end of 2026, let's take a look at who might be in the 'safe' column and who might be uncertain when it comes to playing in 2027 and beyond.

 

[RJK Tiger]

With our list all but finalised for 2026 this video takes a bit more of a closer look at our list profile and how we are tracking with players games in certain positions thanks to _RT_ amazing list!


Makes for some interesting viewing, in a good way I think.

Quite enjoyed this one as displaying the list in breakdowns like this give you a very visual backdrop to just how far away we are. I think your criteria is a bit out tho, the majority of the young inside mid's you have are a bit flimsy. I see Hotton far more a fwd who can rotate in the middle, very much like Bolton. Bolton was not able to be a pure mid at elite levels & I still think Lalor has a similar questionmark to if he will ever be a pure inside mid, or, a De Goey/Raynar & best case scenario, Dusty type - with Dusty being the one who can certainly own being a elite mid + fwd. Your list makes it look like our inside mid rotations are probably our healthiest, but i really dont think thats the case. There is no clear "Prestia 2.0, Hopper 2.0. Cotchin 2.0" etc. Smillie is a total flip of coin at this point to make it. Its only 1 year in, but his body issues really turn that into a "high end prospect" to being a "high risk/high reward" project.

I Also think defenders need to be broken down into "General" & "Rebound" & Fwds "General" & Small.. For example, Is Short really a "General defender"? I think his actual defensive work is pretty weak, its his rebound/run he offers back there. Grlj to me also seems more a rebound defender type.

Lots of holes positionally & games played wise, which are issues that will take 4-5 years to correct. The scenario around rucks is pretty negligent when you consider Toby is a mature age recruit we took nearly 10 years ago & we still haven't got a solid replacement.

It was cool to hear you acknowledge what i had been saying though around Young departing & that our stocks there are not as good as we thought. Gibcus is a Very High Risk/High reward prospect now & Balta's stock has dropped alot & Millers has rebounded back up, but - has not be consistent over years, just months.

I think you do a good job with a lot of these videos Michaels. My one complaint is, its ok to be constructively negative and/or disappointed/disagree with a decision. Your comments on Prestia being basiscally "done" does not require explanations with apologise's. It's the same with your live draft and when you heard they took Grlj. Your allowed to say "im disappointed & its certainly not what would/wanted - but the decision has been made now & we have to hope the club got it right. But today, i'm a bit disappointed we passed on Robey.

Its cool that you are getting the club to be involved a bit, but criticism when constructive is always far more interesting than being agreeable. And its generally a lot more honest too. Video's like this tho do offer good viewing as when you take a snapshot the way you did - there is no hiding/glossing over the holes, issues, flaws. The players between 100-200 games range IS the sweet spot and our current list of "10" in that area is not good. The reality is though that in 3 years time, unless we trade in guys, that number is not going to be higher, if anything, it will be less as we see Toby, Taranto, Hopper all move to the 200+ range, and only a small handfull moving up into that space ( ie Banks, Browne etc)

Fans need to be wired to understand that the rebuild we are undertaking is "the longest way". Effectively, this rebuild started 2021 when we took the 5 kids inside the top 30. It might be 2030-31 before we see any real noteworthy success & most of my issues are I think there are various mechanisms in place to rebuild better, faster while remaining competitive. The club, realistically, shouldn't "need" to finish in the bottom 3 from here, but i feel like we likely will, & plan to, as the holes you exposed are key components to being successful.

 

[The Vaucluse]

Quite enjoyed this one as displaying the list in breakdowns like this give you a very visual backdrop to just how far away we are. I think your criteria is a bit out tho, the majority of the young inside mid's you have are a bit flimsy. I see Hotton far more a fwd who can rotate in the middle, very much like Bolton. Bolton was not able to be a pure mid at elite levels & I still think Lalor has a similar questionmark to if he will ever be a pure inside mid, or, a De Goey/Raynar & best case scenario, Dusty type - with Dusty being the one who can certainly own being a elite mid + fwd. Your list makes it look like our inside mid rotations are probably our healthiest, but i really dont think thats the case. There is no clear "Prestia 2.0, Hopper 2.0. Cotchin 2.0" etc. Smillie is a total flip of coin at this point to make it. Its only 1 year in, but his body issues really turn that into a "high end prospect" to being a "high risk/high reward" project.

I Also think defenders need to be broken down into "General" & "Rebound" & Fwds "General" & Small.. For example, Is Short really a "General defender"? I think his actual defensive work is pretty weak, its his rebound/run he offers back there. Grlj to me also seems more a rebound defender type.

Lots of holes positionally & games played wise, which are issues that will take 4-5 years to correct. The scenario around rucks is pretty negligent when you consider Toby is a mature age recruit we took nearly 10 years ago & we still haven't got a solid replacement.

It was cool to hear you acknowledge what i had been saying though around Young departing & that our stocks there are not as good as we thought. Gibcus is a Very High Risk/High reward prospect now & Balta's stock has dropped alot & Millers has rebounded back up, but - has not be consistent over years, just months.

I think you do a good job with a lot of these videos Michaels. My one complaint is, its ok to be constructively negative and/or disappointed/disagree with a decision. Your comments on Prestia being basiscally "done" does not require explanations with apologise's. It's the same with your live draft and when you heard they took Grlj. Your allowed to say "im disappointed & its certainly not what would/wanted - but the decision has been made now & we have to hope the club got it right. But today, i'm a bit disappointed we passed on Robey.

Its cool that you are getting the club to be involved a bit, but criticism when constructive is always far more interesting than being agreeable. And its generally a lot more honest too. Video's like this tho do offer good viewing as when you take a snapshot the way you did - there is no hiding/glossing over the holes, issues, flaws. The players between 100-200 games range IS the sweet spot and our current list of "10" in that area is not good. The reality is though that in 3 years time, unless we trade in guys, that number is not going to be higher, if anything, it will be less as we see Toby, Taranto, Hopper all move to the 200+ range, and only a small handfull moving up into that space ( ie Banks, Browne etc)

Fans need to be wired to understand that the rebuild we are undertaking is "the longest way". Effectively, this rebuild started 2021 when we took the 5 kids inside the top 30. It might be 2030-31 before we see any real noteworthy success & most of my issues are I think there are various mechanisms in place to rebuild better, faster while remaining competitive. The club, realistically, shouldn't "need" to finish in the bottom 3 from here, but i feel like we likely will, & plan to, as the holes you exposed are key components to being successful.

I hear what you are saying, but I think the club is hyper sensitive to criticism and Michael needs to carefully navigate his way through this.

In a past life I knew Ben Crowe, and he thought I was a “nut” job for how much I loved the Tigers. Plus, we only need to listen to Trent Cotchin and his interview with Rich, to get an insight to how Bigfooty is regarded by some within the inner sanctum.What am I trying to say, is that people as passionate about the Tigers as we are, aren’t always seen to be rational or balanced and this may unsettle some of the gatekeepers at Punt Road.

So I congratulate Michael and I’m genuinely grateful for the people and content that he’s able to get access too, because it greatly adds to my Richmond experience.

 

[LTT]

With at least 19 players contracts expiring at the end of 2026, let's take a look at who might be in the 'safe' column and who might be uncertain when it comes to playing in 2027 and beyond.

Hi Chris
Two of your selections stand out to me . Jack Ross in the uncertain column was a surprise. IMO he is one of the few players who can kick the ball long and low into the forward line to the advantage of the forwards. Our next best player at delivering the ball inside 50 is Prestia but time has caught up with him. After Ross is Campbell, Green and Sonsie, the last two are rightfully in your uncertain column. Short can kick it long but rarely to the advantage of the forwards. In my ideal side Ross would be a lock to play half forward which I think is his best position.
The other surprise was Morris Rioli jnr as a certainty. He has nearly reached 50 games, and I have no idea what his best position is. It sounds weird to make such a comment about a Rioli but Morris seems to lack game sense. His pure speed hides it defensively but it stands out with ball in hand. His father was brilliant, and his game sense was exceptional so while I would love to have another Morris Rioli out there, I don't think MRJ will be on the list after next year.

 

[Michaels]

Welcome to Tigerland Noah Roberts Thomson !

 

[RJK Tiger]

I hear what you are saying, but I think the club is hyper sensitive to criticism and Michael needs to carefully navigate his way through this.

In a past life I knew Ben Crowe, and he thought I was a “nut” job for how much I loved the Tigers. Plus, we only need to listen to Trent Cotchin and his interview with Rich, to get an insight to how Bigfooty is regarded by some within the inner sanctum.What am I trying to say, is that people as passionate about the Tigers as we are, aren’t always seen to be rational or balanced and this may unsettle some of the gatekeepers at Punt Road.

So I congratulate Michael and I’m genuinely grateful for the people and content that he’s able to get access too, because it greatly adds to my Richmond experience.

i guess people are wired differently. The whole point of doing this stuff for fun & not being owned is you can speak freely. If the only way the club will interact is if we tip toe around the tulips, then they might not add that much anyway.
The input is nice from the club, but the best sports podcast i know is Bill Simmons & some of his fellow Ringer shows. i like it because they are just brutally honest no matter who it is. Bill Simmons has had Daryl Morey on several times over the years, but not recently, as he was honest ( and correct) about a plethora of terrible decisions he made with the 76ers. Reflects worse on Morey than Simmons. Ultimately, its the reason why he was able to sell the Ringer for $400,000,000 while other sports podcasters are relying on ads about sex toys and underpants to survive. People want to hear honest, strong opinions - not just agreeable, vanilla business speak. The Richmond website can do that. The line is very fine tho. I loathe Cornes & Kendrick Perkins for their attention seeking negativity - its just about being honest & constructive. If the club can't handle answering questions from fans, then they should find a new job & be sure we win more games. When you are expecting us to have a 20% W/L ration for 3-4 years in a row, then you need to make up for that through engagement. Best way to avoid tough questions, is to win games of footy.

Of all the sports in the world, the AFL media is the softest landscape of all. When AFL players and coaches act like its anything else, I just think - lets see how Bevo would deal with the EPL or NBA media questioning if he reckons the job is too hard. It's laughable how much they get paid, then act like they are victims when fans have opinions/engage.

Most idols think their fans (ie source of income) are nutters - but are happy to take the cheques. They act like its insane fans care so much about xxx, while they demand multi million dollar contract that are only available because of the interest they create. Every gig has its "Pro's" & "Cons". But funnily enough, once they retire, they are chasing their own ghost for the next 30 years & happy to suck the D to get a media gig. Irony. Fair play to Dusty & Lockett who both hated the media& once they were done......****! disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

If Trent has that opinion of people on bigfooty, cool. My opinion is his podcast is boring, pretty dull & very vanilla, as was his book. If he hadn't played AFL for decades no one would care less for it, or be a guest. If I was picking a team to provide input for AFL media, Jack Riewoldt wouldn't make my list either. Reeks of a company man who will be whoever they want him to be. So they can have their opinions & we'll keep ours. Former sports stars, musicians etc trying to take over podcasting is one of the more pathetic things ive seen. It was a format that allowed average "on the fringe" celebrities that didn't fit the mould of the mainstream to have a unedited voice & its quickly became a format for has-beens who've had their time in the sun, desperately clinging to relevance. Podcasting has became a giant pool of shit since it boomed and every has-been celebrity thinks their opinions and heavily censored stories are interesting.

For the most part though, i was giving Michaels a compliment. Enjoyed the analysis on the list, just don't think he has to clarify every opinion that is vaguely negative with an apology/explanation. We all know its no insult to Dion to say at 33 years old he is pretty cooked VS his peak.

 

[ShereKhan]

Our list IMO is shaping up extremely well. The ruck position doesn’t worry me at all … it’s relatively easy to get a decent ruck via trade or free agency. Premiership history says we don’t need a gun ruck - just a combative one.

We will have a ridiculous amount of quality depth from 2028 onwards. when looking at our list taking in players currently 26yo or under:

Here are players capable of very good football (oldest to youngest), or those who ‘should’ be capable based on draft position and/or some exposed form:

Miller
Balta
Banks
Gibcus
Brown
Campbell
McCauliffe
Faull
Trainor
Sims
Smillie
Armstrong
Hotton
Lalor
Cumming
Grlj

That’s 16. Only two have played 50 games.

I’d also add at least 1 x free agent and 1 x quality trade by then. Plus a top-5 pick from 2026 and fingers crossed some luck with Armstrong/Daddy/Leys. Amongst other youngsters taken across more drafts.

And you just never know the level a few others like Gray, Clarke, MRJ, Fawcett, Alger, Peucker etc… can get to, but they’re obviously not on this list. Neither are the likes of Ross, Mansell, Hugo, Sonsie etc…

Doing the same exercise for Kangas 26yo and under:

Xerri
LDU
Comben
Curtis
Wardlaw
Scheezel
McKercher
Duursma
Dawson
Whitlock
FOS
Dovaston

I give them 12. I think I’ve been fairly balanced, giving them Duursma and Whitlock, Dawson. Four of them have played 50 games.

Given we will likely have better luck with securing free agents, I think we look really well placed to be clear of North in a few seasons. I think they’ll have our measure for 2026 and 2027 as they’re 6-years into their build.

(I actually have the Eagles looking better than North in 3-4 x seasons also if analysing the potential of their 26yo and under crop)

 

[The Vaucluse]

i guess people are wired differently. The whole point of doing this stuff for fun & not being owned is you can speak freely. If the only way the club will interact is if we tip toe around the tulips, then they might not add that much anyway.
The input is nice from the club, but the best sports podcast i know is Bill Simmons & some of his fellow Ringer shows. i like it because they are just brutally honest no matter who it is. Bill Simmons has had Daryl Morey on several times over the years, but not recently, as he was honest ( and correct) about a plethora of terrible decisions he made with the 76ers. Reflects worse on Morey than Simmons. Ultimately, its the reason why he was able to sell the Ringer for $400,000,000 while other sports podcasters are relying on ads about sex toys and underpants to survive. People want to hear honest, strong opinions - not just agreeable, vanilla business speak. The Richmond website can do that. The line is very fine tho. I loathe Cornes & Kendrick Perkins for their attention seeking negativity - its just about being honest & constructive. If the club can't handle answering questions from fans, then they should find a new job & be sure we win more games. When you are expecting us to have a 20% W/L ration for 3-4 years in a row, then you need to make up for that through engagement. Best way to avoid tough questions, is to win games of footy.

Of all the sports in the world, the AFL media is the softest landscape of all. When AFL players and coaches act like its anything else, I just think - lets see how Bevo would deal with the EPL or NBA media questioning if he reckons the job is too hard. It's laughable how much they get paid, then act like they are victims when fans have opinions/engage.

Most idols think their fans (ie source of income) are nutters - but are happy to take the cheques. They act like its insane fans care so much about xxx, while they demand multi million dollar contract that are only available because of the interest they create. Every gig has its "Pro's" & "Cons". But funnily enough, once they retire, they are chasing their own ghost for the next 30 years & happy to suck the D to get a media gig. Irony. Fair play to Dusty & Lockett who both hated the media& once they were done......****! disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

If Trent has that opinion of people on bigfooty, cool. My opinion is his podcast is boring, pretty dull & very vanilla, as was his book. If he hadn't played AFL for decades no one would care less for it, or be a guest. If I was picking a team to provide input for AFL media, Jack Riewoldt wouldn't make my list either. Reeks of a company man who will be whoever they want him to be. So they can have their opinions & we'll keep ours. Former sports stars, musicians etc trying to take over podcasting is one of the more pathetic things ive seen. It was a format that allowed average "on the fringe" celebrities that didn't fit the mould of the mainstream to have a unedited voice & its quickly became a format for has-beens who've had their time in the sun, desperately clinging to relevance. Podcasting has became a giant pool of shit since it boomed and every has-been celebrity thinks their opinions and heavily censored stories are interesting.

For the most part though, i was giving Michaels a compliment. Enjoyed the analysis on the list, just don't think he has to clarify every opinion that is vaguely negative with an apology/explanation. We all know its no insult to Dion to say at 33 years old he is pretty cooked VS his peak.

I’m not disagreeing with what you are saying, and I totally agree with your assessment of Trent’s podcast and the AFL media landscape. I will stand by my comment that the club is hyper sensitive to criticism and scrutiny, like the AFL itself, and Michael would be aware of this. Maybe he could take a harder edge to some of his analysis or commentary, but that might not be where he wants to take his show, and it’s our right to decide whether we want to continue to watch and listen.

I’d love Michael or someone, to do an in depth analysis of why our playlist disintegrated in front of our eyes, and why we haven’t been able replicate the Geelong model. It would need to be warts and all, to appreciate what went on behind the scenes so we can understand how we got to 2024. I’d like us to scrutinise some of the Demi Gods within the club and role the AFL played in killing our successful era.

Finally, I enjoyed reading your response and with that the honesty.