#25: General Troy Chaplin

[NUFC Tiger]

Hello Tiger heads, following the recent player buddy draft, I was luckily enough to select Troy Chaplin as a player I'll keep a special eye on over the season.

I'll do a bit of a write up on him and my thoughts shortly.

In the meantime, found this article on Troy in the fine Ballarat newspaper, the Courier (for those who don't know, Troy grew up in Maryborough which is a small town near Ballarat and he was originally drafted to Port from the Ballarat TAC cup team, the North Ballarat Rebels).

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1287335/former-rebel-returns-to-ballarat-as-a-tiger/?cs=12

 

[TJTIGER]

Great NUFC Tiger !! For me this guy is one of our most exciting prospects. Not because I think he's the best pick up but the potential effect he can have overall on our backline as a unit. Look forward to your updates, no pressure intended

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Great NUFC Tiger !! For me this guy is one of our most exciting prospects. Not because I think he's the best pick up but the potential effect he can have overall on our backline as a unit. Look forward to your updates, no pressure intended

Cheers TJTiger - I share your excitement mate, while I think all of our FA/trade acquisitions will be great additions (maybe being overly optimistic here!) I think Troy will be a huge coup to the side and will bring a lot of experience, leadership and maturity to the 'youngest backline in the league'. Can't wait to get a look at him in the NAB cup and season proper

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Troy Chaplin
Stats:
Height -195 cm
DOB - 23-02-1986(turning 27 in 2013)
Weight 99 kg
Debut 2004 (round 4 vs Melbourne)
Drafted from North Ballarat Rebels (TAC Cup team).

Games:
2012 - 18 (0 goals)
Career - 140 (10 goals)

For those of you who don't already know, Troy is a Free Agent who joined Richmond from Port Adelaide at the end of the 2012 season. Port apparently wanted to keep him but were unwilling/unable to match Richmond's offer of a 4 year deal (as Troy was a restricted free agent). Troy is a defender.

Career achievements to date:

• Former pick 15 (2003 draft).
• Round 16, 2006 - NAB Rising star nomination.
• Victorian Under 18 basketball team member (prior to being drafted).
• 2007 won Port's (no longer continued) Best Team man award.
• 2010 Runner up in Port's B&F.

Let's hope he adds to his career honours at Richmond - I'm sure a few premiership medallions and AA jumpers would like nice in his collection!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Here's my 2 cents on Troy - I haven't really watched his career to date (too much of a Tiger addict) so feel free to correct me/share any information I might have missed or is incorrect. I must stress that the below is simply my opinion only.

Of all our off season recruits who joined following the conclusion of the 2012 season, perhaps none have so far split opinion on the relative value to the team as much as Troy and perhaps none will have a bigger impact on our fortunes in 2013. If the vast majority of Port Adelaide fans (at least on BF) are too be believed, Troy has poor kicking disposal, isn't hard enough or is simply an average quality defender who won't be missed. As I said above, I haven't seen much of him to be able to comment if this is the case or not but from what I've read on him, I'm very excited to have him in Richmond colours in 2013 and beyond and think he will prove to be a fantastic addition to our team.


What he brings to the table:
Before I go into some more depth on Chaplin, let me try and paint a picture that many of us are already familiar with.

If I remember correctly, Dimma said at our Best and Fairest in 2012 that Richmond's backline was the youngest (or very close to) in the entire competition and it's easy to see why when our backline is made up of the following players (guys who played in defence in 2012) - Rance, Grimes, Griffiths, Morris, Houli, Batchelor, Dea, Helbig, Ellis and Conca. While many of us hope/expect Conca and Ellis to spend more time in midfield in 2013, we have also brought in further young players in Vlastuin and McIntosh who will start their careers in all likelihood as defenders (as has often been the case with our recent draftees so they can learn the 'defensive' aspect of the game).

Some quick stats, we ranked 9th for least points against with 1943 in 2012 - a huge improvement on our rank of 14th in 2011 where our season points against was 2396. Meaning we conceded 453 less points in 2012 than we did in 2011. Not only is this a massive difference of 20.5 odd points a game, our forwardline potency (which is also still a work in progress) improved as we scored an additional 100 points in 2012 compared to 2011 (4.5 points per game roughly). While these numbers are definitely encouraging, I think it would be fair to say our second half of the 2012 season was down on our first half and that slump led us to missing finals yet again. There are probably many reasons for this which have already been discussed in detail so I'll just list them briefly - injuries to key players, fatigue/burn out from playing the top 8 finalists in 2011 in something like the first 10 games, youth/inexperience and just a general lack of depth.

Some may remember but there was some talk of Alex Rance being a possible AA halfway through the season - some media commentators had him talked him up as the AA FB. I think a reason for Rance's improvement was taking on the role as the 'leader' of the young defence given he was the experienced older hand with a whopping total of 66 games (44 going into the 2012 season) at the ripe old age of 23. Having his partner in crime, Grimes to support him either by chopping off incoming balls or going up to spoil, Rance took many scalps in the first half of 2012. Unfortunately for us and for Dylan, Grimes' hamstring curse struck again and ruled him out for the rest of the season. For those that have seen Grimes play, he plays with so much composure and reassurance (as if he was a 200 game veteran). Maybe losing that support and other key defender to help lean on, Rance felt he had to 'step up' and do more than he should by helping out his other young defenders by being 'the leader' of the backline. There were many times in the second half of 2012 where Rance was either isolated by himself (ie. Petrie) or was caught out of position or off his man (maybe as he was trying to cover someone else/do too much). Whatever the reason, structurally, losing Grimes was a massive blow that many probably neutrals or the media perhaps don't realise or dismiss given he has only played 18 or so games to date. He really is a lynchpin for our defence.

As it is right now, Chaplin hasn't come to us as a star defender. He probably won't collect 20+ disposals every week, set up countless attacks going forward or hold buddy Franklin scoreless (though Rance did a great job last year!). The true value of bringing in Chaplin is he provides a big body with 140 games experience (which is probably more or close to than Rance, Grimes, Batchelor, Morris, Dea and Griffiths combined). He brings leadership and maturity which will (I think) be invaluable to such a young backline and is in his peak years at 26 (turning 27 this February).

I personally would be happy if Chaplin can become a solid citizen (anything more is a bonus). If Chaplin can help strengthen our defensive structure and offer greater flexibility in match ups, help develop the younger key defenders such as Rance, Grimes, Astbury, Griffiths, Elton and Darrou and generally provide leadership, maturity and composure to the young defenders around him, especially in the crunch games when the pressure is on, that would be more than enough IMO. In the last few years Rance has probably had to step up and play on the opposition's key forward maybe earlier than he should have and has done very well. Though as we have seen, while very promising, he is still learning his craft and can be beaten by an experienced champion (Pavlich and Petrie in 2012). In those times when he is getting beaten, we haven't really had the options to try and nullify the threat - I think the North game we eventually threw McGuane on Petrie late in the last quarter.

Grimes is still very raw and needs to put on more size but I don't see him as a 'gorilla defender'. Grimes' movement and ability to read the ball are among his strengths and we shouldn't risk losing these by having him put on too much mass (I'm not sure if he has the frame to fill out to a massive amount anyway but given his injury issues, the club should be very careful so he doesn't breakdown carrying too much weight). This is where the recruitment of Chaplin could prove to be a shrewd addition - we didn't really have ready made defender who could play on a second key forward: Griffiths is still very inexperienced missed a lot of footy with injuries (and may still be seen as a forward), Astbury has missed a lot of football through injury (again, and is also inexperienced). Elton is still raw and could be a few years away yet. Bringing in Chaplin, he immediately becomes our most experienced senior key defender and is a ready made player. In a year where we are aiming for finals, we can't afford to 'gift' games to inexperienced players but rather need to play our strongest team every week. While Chaplin may not be a multiple AA representative or regarded as an elite defender, he should provide a player who brings a lot of experience and can step up and play straight away.


His role in 2013:
Make no mistake, Chaplin will play as a defender for us. He was recruited as a defender and will play in defence. Some of us see him as a floating defender chopping off attacks, while others see Chaplin as more of a one on one, shutdown stopper for us. Personally, I think this is the role he will play (and perhaps the role we have lacked since Thursfield left). In Rance and Grimes, we have 2 very promising young defenders who can form the pillars of our defence for the next 8-10 years (assuming no injuries or unforeseen events).

For mine, I would have Chaplin playing at FB with Rance at CHB where his kicking can be maximised. With Grimes playing as a loose, third tall who can offer support to Rance and Chaplin as needed, I would think they could form a very handy trio. Grimes' impressive spoiling ability is matched by his ability to set up the play via rebounding. I also think Rance (despite some knocks on his kicking) is a good kick of the ball and can do some impressive rebounding when given the chance. Having an experience and reliable defender next to him, the coaches may be able to encourage him to set up more plays. Throw in the fanatical competitiveness and courage of Morris (and maybe soon to add Vlastuin), the versatility to play tall and small of Batchelor and the rebounding tendencies of Houli and you have a group who could play many years together and improve both as players and as a cohesive defensive unit. As some have reported Chaplin's kicking may leave something to be desired (we will wait and see) but if true, having good users around him should offset this deficiency. If he is tasked with simply beating or holding his opponent to 1-2 goals, he can leave the rebounding aspect to the players around him as there is no shortage of decent users in the back line.


The future:
From reports, Chaplin has hit the ground running at Richmond and has made an impression with his leadership and professionalism in training. While he is recovering from post season knee surgery, it sounds like he is having a similar impact to Maric in that he is setting a high standard for his team mates to follow. I personally wouldn't be surprised if he is included into our leadership group in 2014.

I had a look on the weekend on the Richmond website but couldn't find the roar vision video in the search feature (maybe RFC_Official can help if he has time or point me in the right direction?). I recall watching a video late last year/early this year where either Blair Hartley or Dimma did a review on the players we acquired via FA and the draft. If I remember correctly, Chaplin is seen as a player who with some improvements to his game, they see as someone who could maybe become close to an AA defender. While that would be great, I'd just be happy if he plays his role and allows Grimes and Rance to take their games to another level.


In summary:
Chaplin may not be the most exciting recruitment in the history of the game but he is one who I think the club should justly be proud of adding to the list. He may not be the flashiest player going around, have a glowing reputation on his abilities or have a long line of accolades but he is a proven AFL defender who brings a wealth of experience, leadership and maturity to a young backline but also a young side. We've seen what a change in environment has done to some players (Grigg, Houli and Maric), if the change can help Chaplin (Knights and Edwards) have a similar new lease on life, we may very well have made another great addition to the team. The 'come home' factor, the added responsibility and playing in front of a large, passionate and roaring tiger army may also galvanise Chaplin to new levels in his personal game.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Found this article this morning about Rance talking about the impact Chaplin is having both on his game and what he should bring to the team.

Some of Tross' points in the article:

"[Chaplin will] just add that experience to the backline because I think we do have the youngest backline in the AFL,"

"It will be good to just have his experience because … when you have those lapses mentally, you can have another bloke to pick you up in different scenarios and at different times.

"It will be fantastic to have his advice."

"He's already given me heaps of advice," Rance said.

"Now, I think I'm more mentally prepared and the consistency will come.

"His leadership is fantastic and he's a taller than me but I think a lot of the roles will stay the same and it's a matter of him giving us a chop-out mark."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-02-13/fine-chaps

 

[NUFC Tiger]

As the article mentioned, Troy is 2cm taller and a few kilos heavier which may help him deal with some of the taller KPFs i.e Petrie and Cox.

A good point to remember is Rance had a pretty good 2013 and was probably only beaten badly in those 3 games mention (North, Freo at the G and the Crows). Had Petrie, Pavlich and Walker kicked 2-3 less goals, we would have won those games and in all likelihood made finals.

Hence if Chaplin can both improve our defenders like Rance by imparting his experience and leadership as well as reduce an opposition key forward kicking a big bag, his addition to the team will be massive.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Paragraph from a pretty indepth analysis of the list from Footy Tragic - worth a read.

"The reason Troy Chaplin was such a much needed entity stands out most when you asses the individual statistics of Richmond’s defence last season. It was essentially Alex Rance playing the role of key position lone Wolf. Rance was the only Tiger inside the top twenty for both Interceptions (seventh) and one percenters (seventh). Dylan Grimes impressed averaging 5.2 interceptions per game and 5.7 one percenters per game but injury resulted in Grimes playing just nine games. With Chaplin joining the fold Richmond now possess a more settled balance and an increased capability to account for teams with multiple power forwards. Each of Rance, Grimes and Chaplin stands at least 6’4”. Chaplin ranked ninth in interceptions last season and managed to lead the competition in 2011, whilst also ranking 26th overall for one percenters at six per game."

Link:
http://www.footytragic.com/blog/lis...rs/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Chaplin article from RFC website.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2013-02-22/chaplins-cool-outlook

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Well it looks like my boy Troy will make his much anticipated debut tonight against the Blues.

I think he will prove to be a great addition to the team and his leadership, maturity and experience will hopefully help steady the ship tonight if the pressure is on.

We all know about the close losses of 2012, hopefully Chaplin's inclusion can help provide some more steel down back and keep the young backline composed and focused

I'm going to the game tonight but will also record it and watch it closely tomorrow and provide some feedback on how he goes (in hopefully a winning effort)

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2013-03-27/chaplin-in-for-tigers

 

[RichoLedio]

I'm really excited to see what he'll bring to the table tonight, I think he'll top our back line off beautifully

 

[NUFC Tiger]

I'm really excited to see what he'll bring to the table tonight, I think he'll top our back line off beautifully

Me to RichoLedio. He may start a bit slow since he has only had the 2 hit outs so far and the big stage of playing in front of 70-80k at the G is probably a bit different to playing into empty seats at Port but once he gets into the game, think he will take a lot of intercept marks and snuff out a lot of incoming balls.

Would expect Rance to get Casboult, Griffiths to take the resting ruckman (Kreuzer or Hampson) due to his height and then leave Chaplin to probably drift between the 2 cutting off supply. We want to avoid spoiling the ball due to their dangerous crumbers so hopefully we can take a lot of marks and send the ball out rather than giving Betts, Garlett and Walker the chance to score.

Think he will be our most important off season recruit. Coaches already rate him very highly which is good too.

 

[RichoLedio]

Agree with that, I don't think he'll be quite as big an impact as Maric was, but will make a big difference all the same. Hopefully Rance can take his game to another level with his help

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Stats: (Round 1 vs Carlton)
Kicks: 4
Handball: 6
Marks: 2 (1 contested)
Tackles: 1
One Percenters: 2
Inside 50s: 1
TOG %: 69.8%

Troy seemed to have a fairly solid debut against Carlton in round 1 despite his limited pre season and only playing about 70% of the game (he took a heavy knock early in the last quarter and went off after collecting a pretty heavy blow taking a contested grab - chin collected Garlett's shoulder and dazed him). I believe he didn't return to the field after this knock as he was being assessed by the doctors.

He perhaps looked a bit under done due to his limited pre season (had only play about 5 quarters of footy (a half vs Hawthorn and 3 quarters vs the dogs) because of his recovery from his post season knee operation however seemed to play his role well enough. At the game, I was sitting on the wing and there was a particular passage of play (might have been the third quarter) where he pushed up the ground and tried to pass to Deledio (IIRC) on the run; which had maybe just a bit much on it and Lids wasn't able to hold it. With some more sharpness, and minutes his rebounding ability may become a great weapon (though I would be happy for him to be a more stay at home defender as I believe Grimes and also Rance are capable of rebounding quite well, not to mention Houli, Batchelor, Morris and even Newman's rebounding skills). Nonetheless, was great to see him pushing up as this shows he and the coaches back him to offer something offensively while also showing he isn't just a pure lock down defender (in a game where players increasingly need to have more versatility and strings to their bows, this is a good sign).

While maybe not setting the world on fire, his lack of match sharpness needs to be remembered and he will surely get better and more confident with more games with his new team mates. When Carlton surged in the last quarter, Chaplin's absence I believe was keenly felt as his maturity, leadership and experience would have been invaluable in helping steady the ship (some of the young defenders started to lose composure as the pressure mounted). Think he was solid enough though and his big body definitely helped Rance out in the pack marking situations.

Should also give Rance some credit as I think he did superbly well in the last quarter - seemingly having to snuff out all the attacks singlehandedly after Chaplin went down - I'm sure Chaplin's mentoring of Rance may have helped Rance have that extra bit of composure that he perhaps lacked at some moments last year.

All in all, was a solid debut and he participated in a winning effort and got to sing the song after being showered in powerade - a debut I'm sure he will remember and savour.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Roar vision -Chaplin post Carlton game:

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2013-03-29/round-1-chaplin-post-match

Main points:

• Happy to win a close game especially against a big rival who's had our measure.
• Great to win a much hyped game and break the hoodoo.
• Unbelievable atmosphere, loved playing in front of the tiger army at the G and can't wait for more.
• Was a bit dazed in the last quarter and suffered some short term memory loss from his collision with Garlett. Was rapted the boys held on and got the win given the huge focus and work on it over preseason.
• Played 5 quarters prior to the game and came in as the most experienced defender to help out a young backline.
• Admitted he was very rusty and got caught out by a few ground balls.
• Was rotated more than he was used to (at Port he used to play 100% game time) to help him cope with the increased intensity and work load despite a limited pre season. (Good approach IMO carefully building his fitness up).
• Knee is pulling up very well after games
• Probably played about 15 games at the G prior to crossing over, looking forward to many more.
• Looking forward to the Saints game next week.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Stats: (Round 2 vs Saints)
Kicks: 13
Handball: 9
Marks: 10 (2 contested)
Tackles: 1
One Percenters: 5
Inside 50s: 4
TOG %: 94%
G.B: 0.1

Troy had a decent game last night which I think many will agree was an encouraging improvement from his first game last week against Carlton. He found more ball and was more involved in the game which can probably be attributed to both having more experience in the side and match fitness following his debut plus also spending a bit more time on the ground this week (and avoiding concussion). Another week of building up his fitness, learning his role and structures and how his team mates play has probably helped him settle into the backline/side a bit more.

While he perhaps went about his business without much fanfare (didn't do a great deal of eye catching things), he seemed to play a solid role and did a lot of things off the ball that probably won't be picked up. At the game last night, I paid careful attention to Troy and he really helped marshal the troops in defence, making sure players were manned up or moving to cover another player if a rebounder (like Morris, Houli, Batch or Petterd) had the ball and was moving up the ground.

We looked more solid this week and avoided a last quarter collapse like we did against the blues. When the game was in the balance, Troy won the ball on a few occasions and also seemed to help slow down the game and control the play so we could regain composure and slow the saint's momentum. With Rance sometimes capable of getting fazed, Troy (I like to think) seemed to be a calming and reassuring presence down back and that's part of the reason why seemed more solid and organised at the back.

Again, he is probably still short of match fitness and sharpness so more time on the track and games and we will hopefully still see more to come from Troy. Playing more games in a settled back 6 now that Grimes is back can only help build the understanding and chemistry of the defenders as well.

One thing I was impressed with was during the game, Chaplin pushed up the ground and had a ping at goal from maybe 55m out. His shot resulted in a behind but easily made the distance which might be a possible weapon we can exploit down the track. A defender who can roost the ball long distances would be handy (especially if Griff isn't playing) and if he can use that to also kick for goal on occasion, that would be a great bonus to have.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Nice background about Troy and his family and growing up in this article from the RFC website.

His parents were at the Saint's game.

Highlights for me are his dad's comments regarding not having him in his supercoach side and his reaction after Chaplin missed a shot for goal.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2...right-round-2-report-in-praise-of-reece-conca

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Stats: (Round 3 vs Dogs)

Kicks: 8
Handball: 3
Marks: 9 (1 contested)
Tackles: 3
One Percenters: 1
Inside 50s: 0
TOG %: 90%
G.B: 0.0

Another solid performance from Troy. Didn't find as much ball this week but think that can be attributed to both the ball spending predominantly most of its time up forward due to our midfield dominance and great forward pressure (Morris and Grimes also had relatively low disposals) as well as Troy seemingly playing more as the stay at home defender while Rance and Grimes pushed up further the ground to help with the attack.

He seemed to start early on Tom Campbell and held him well (Campbell who is also a ruck, a bit like WB's version of Vickery had minimal impact on the game with only 5 touches and no scores) and also play at times as a bit of a loose defender. Playing loose, Chaplin's ability to read the ball was highlighted as he was able to chop off many inside 50s from the dogs who generally resorted to bombing it in due to pressure up the ground. When the ball was in play, Troy was very composed and relaxed even under pressure - I can remember during the second quarter or third quarter, he dropped a mark on the run with a dog player bearing down on him and he had the composure to keep calm and use clean hands to fire a handball off to a teammate. For a big guy on the run, he was quite clean below the knees.

Not much else really can be said or added. He was very cool with the ball in hand and I'm yet to see any signs of his alleged poor kicking that some port fans would have us believe when we first picked him up. He is playing his role, seemingly has slotted in well down back and is proving to be a great addition to the team with his leadeship and maturity down back and I would say he hasn't put a foot wrong yet.

Next week vs the pies, I'm expecting Rance to get first crack at Cloke (who I think he held to only 1 or 2 goals last year) but if the in form Cloke proves too much for Rance, I'll be interested to see how Chaplin goes if given a go (one of the reasons we picked him up was he is a more experienced, slightly taller and heavier option as a KPD so he may be handy as an alternative match up for the monster power forwards in the comp). He may also take the second collingwood KPF allowing Grimes to support and play loose as a third up defender.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Stats: (Round 4 vs Collingwood)

Kicks: 5
Handball: 2
Marks: 5 (1 contested)
Tackles: 0
One Percenters: 1
Inside 50s: 0
TOG %: 56%

A disappointing loss to Collingwood today where most of the boys probably underperformed. Despite some good form and the pies missing a few players, the more polished and clinical Pies were able to get a fairly comfortable win following an explosive third quarter. The main reason for the blowout on the scoreboard was the dominance of Cloke who had a day out against Rance. (Rance didn't have a poor game himself but was just beaten by a powerful player who had a day out. He also wasn't helped by the amount of supply coming in!)

Chaplin seemed to start as the loose defender where his experience and ability to read the ball might have been a great asset - unfortunately, Cloke started the game with 2 goals (1 in first quarter and the second early in the second) and Chaplin seemed to then move to him and held him well for the remainder of the quarter. For some reason, Rance started on Cloke in the third quarter and Cloke kicked 3 for the quarter. Chaplin moved back to him as Rance seemed to lose his composure (giving away a 50m) and did relatively well until he was concussed late in the third and taken off the ground where he took no further part.

Chaplin seemed to perform better on Cloke which may be due to his heavier mass and extra experience and height however it was baffling that the coaches didn't feel the need to play the loose defender as a second opponent on Cloke or sitting right in front to cut off his supply. One of the reasons we recruited Chaplin was to provide a chop out or alternative to Rance if he was struggling (which he was today) so it would have been nice to see Chaplin playing on Cloke either earlier on or from the start of the third quarter to see his ability/value as a shut down defender.

On a positive (of sorts), Chaplin has been concussed twice in 4 games - certainly shows he is throwing his body around (as some port fans advised he was soft/not willing to put his body on the line). Hopefully he is fit for Freo

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Stats: (Round 6 vs Geelong) - didn't play in Round 5 vs Freo due to injury.

Kicks: 8
Handball: 5
Marks: 3 (1 contested)
Tackles: 2
One Percenters: 1
Inside 50s: 0
TOG %: 95%

Troy had a fairly solid game back from injury and I personally thought him and Rance were among our best tonight with both doing very good jobs on Hawkins and Podsiadly (2 goals between them - both in junk time). With the midfield seemingly giving up (like it did against Collingwood) the ball entered our defence quite a lot in the last quarter and Hawkins and Pods could easily have kicked a few more if not for the great defensive efforts of Rance and Chaplin.

He made some good interceptions and did a few nice things. Was at the game tonight and watched him quite closely - even when he didn't have the ball, he was trying to give instructions to the rest of the team which shows the value of his leadership and experience.

I noticed Grimes was playing quite a way up the ground - nearly on the wing at times. This is a great move as Grimes reads and uses the ball very well. With Chaplin playing deep in defence with Rance, this allows Grimes to play a bit more offensively where his rebounding skills can be put to use - I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this when all 3 are playing together.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Few articles I've found on the great man! Best quotes below:

"Chaplin assessed that his adopted outfit have suffered severely in lapses of defensive disciplines in successive losses to Collingwood by 34 points, Fremantle in a heart-wrenching one-point defeat and then powerhouse Cats."

"Chaplin declared that the developing Tigers have contributed to their own downfall in losses. “In Collingwood and Geelong (losses) it’s probably only been a quarter of football that has really cost us,” he said.

“It’s been our own mistakes that they have been able to score from.

“We’ve probably lacked a little bit in composure but I thought the guys were fantastic."

“We just need to continue to take the game on."

“We probably go back in our shell a little bit when it start to go against us.”


http://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/articles/2013/05/08/richmond-big-guns-tipped-to-play/

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/tea...ampaign=Feed:+HeraldSunAfl+(Herald+Sun+|+AFL)

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Another article I found this morning - good to see Chaplin is giving the coaches some inside word on the Port players. Hopefully helps us get up this weekend!

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/tea...-against-geelong/story-e6frf9mx-1226638678359

"Port premiership coach Mark Williams and ex-Power defender Troy Chaplin head a contingent from that club who have switched to Richmond - Hardwick himself a 2004 premiership player at Alberton.

Hardwick admitted some of Chaplin's intelligence on certain Port Adelaide players had been tapped into, though the Power's style is different under new coach Ken Hinkley."

 

[NUFC Tiger]

And another piece about Troy - this time from Port's perspective - would take this one with a pinch of salt though as a lot of the 'quotes' come from "a club source said".

Interesting the Hun reckon Chaplin is on about 1.3m over 3 years - not sure if that's true or not.

In any case, if Port want to give him some rough treatment, hope the boys get around Troy and together show the Port players that he left for greener pastures

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/tea...adelaides-sights/story-e6frf9mo-1226637857500

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Stats: Round 7 vs Port

Kicks: 5
Handballs: 3
Marks: 3
Tackles: 1
One Percenters: 2
Inside 50s: 0
TOG %: 89%

Troy didn't have a lot to do today as most of the backline had quiet days out (bar Rance and Newman) but his return to Adelaide was nonetheless a satisfying one helping the team to a healthy win. Think he dealt with the occasion well and was unfazed by the crowds jeering. He might be in a bit of hot water for a high contact on Schulz in the first quarter (nothing was paid during the game but was caught on TV).

In any case, he looked very composed and was better than Carlile (who Port fans rate as better). Carlile was actually a bit nervous with ball in hand and made a few sloppy mistakes whereas Chaplin was clean and assured in possession.

The main highlight for Chaplin (besides a satisfying win over his ex club) was a goal saving tackle on the speedy Wingard in the last quarter that saved a certain goal when Port had kicked 3 in a row (in the space of about 5 mins) and were threatening to make a late comeback. The tackle may have helped avoid a fightback by Port and from that point on we scored a few more goals to take the margin back out to 41 odd points.

He actually was in the forwardline briefly at one point (with McGuane down back) but unfortunately wasn't able to score as he didn't get any ball - perhaps was playing as a decoy.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2013-05-12/fast-start-the-key-chaplin