Autopsy AAMI Community Series - Hawthorn vs Richmond, Devonport Oval, Saturday 5 March 1:10pm AEDT

[SouthernStripes]

If they play Balta up forward this year I can see him taking some epic grabs. He’s so athletic it’s bloody crazy

 

[Marcel Proust]

i reckon they might protect Gibcus early doors and not name him in the 22 for rd.1,hes clearly gonna make it but i just get the feeling
they'll ease him in gently and not place to much of a burden on the young bloke straight up,id like to see him slide in to the mix rd.4-6
i think hes gonna be a cracker

He looks in the best 22 should play ..

 

[JR82]

I know they are whipping boys on here but i couldn't fault Ross or Aarts today. Was wrapped to see Balta's game today, him fwd will work & will help us keep Lever/McGovern types accountable.
All up we got out of today what we wanted, with the game over early we didn't go near a contest in the last term, with 5ish mins left we had Cotch, Soldo, Grimes etc on the bench. Seems we got no injuries out of it so Massive tick

 

[Noidnadroj]

Ross the only one I thought was quite atrocious today. Could barely hold onto the ball and is just too slow. Rioli’s disposal was sh*t but he’ll fix that up.

Not sure I was watching the same game. I thought Ross was terrific today. The stats back that up: 21 touches at 86% efficiency and 8 score involvements.


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[Noidnadroj]

Not sure what our Round 1 line-up should be, but it could look like this:

FB: Broad, Tarrant, Gibcus
HB: Vlastuin, Grimes, Short
C: McIntosh, Cotchin, Ross
HF: Edwards, Riewoldt, Bolton
FF: Balta, Lynch, Baker
FOL: Nankervis, Martin, Prestia
INT: Soldo, Aarts, Castagna, Ralphsmith
EMG: Rioli, Cumberland, Pickett

I think Ralphsmith and Gibcus did enough to be in our Round 1 team.

Very close I reckon. Only change for me is Rioli in and Aarts out. I hate the idea of both Aarts and Castagna in the same team. Only room for one.

We’ve got fantastic depth when you consider this team does not include the following players who have already proven or are close to proving being AFL quality:

Stack
Pickett
Graham
Lambert
Caddy
RCD
Mansell
Dow

Then there’s others I already believe will make the grade in Sonsie and Brown. To lose so many ‘depth’ players (Butler, Chol, CJ, Markov, Ellis, Higgins) and still have great depth is brilliant list management.

Who knows if it will result in more flags, but it certainly looks promising that we will not head to the cellar.



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[Rioli2Rioli]

Do you think he did anything special in the backline? There is no urgency in his game, no manic defending. Mansell plays like his life depends on it.
3 clangers, I literally saw him miss at least 5 hit up passes. I wasn't impressed with Dan's game today.

Compare dans game to Ralphsmith, you can easily see the difference in urgency, run and ball use.

Nothing wrong with Rioli's game , He did what was required and is building nicely

Very happy with Hugo but he plays taller and is coming along well

There were alot of criticism of houli at the same age and he learned with experience and Rioli will do the same

 

[Noidnadroj]

That's triple premiership, goal of the year dogshit to you...

And 4-goals halfway through the third in a tightly contested Prelim final in 2017 as a second year player.


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[Lsta062]

How good is balta fwd

So good! With his size, he could be a very tough match-up once he settles into this role. His kicking from far is also fantastic

 

[guruisatiger]

I’m ringing the campaigner on Monday and calling him out on it , his excitement goes through the roof when someone scores against us< that will probably block there too

If you do ring him give us a shout out

 

[guruisatiger]

Thanks

 

[Lsta062]

Thanks

No worries!

 

[kozi]

My main takes from our pre-season including today:

• Cotch is back. He has bathed in the fountain of youth and is reinvigorated as if he’s 23 again
• You would have never known Dusty has been through what he’s been through
• Short has been our Houli replacement all along. The keys to the back half are his now and we ride or die with him
• Hugo has shot past a few and is firmly best 22 now. Rioli is ahead only of Mansell in that spot and would want to have a solid start to the season
• Balta shows he’s an animal anywhere on the park but I’d still prefer we play him back and get more development into Gibcus. Whatever the case Gib was a shrewd pick and is going to be a key player for us in the future
• Baker continues to show he’s a serious player and needs to see some consistent time on ball
• There’s only room for one of Castagna or Aarts. And it’s George
• Depending on the inside/outside balance we roll with one of Graham, Pickett, Stack might be very unlucky. To think we still have Caddy, Ross, RCD type depth there is a credit to our list management

We’re flying this pre-season and not in the media puff piece sense. It looks like a group that genuinely believes last year was an outlier rather than the start of a bottoming out. We have players both ready to hit their straps and close enough to their prime the likes of which isn’t normal for a team coming off 3 flags. Brisbane and Hawthorn were cooked by this stage, so were Geelong although they chose to carry on with top ups for 10 years instead of admitting it. Across the park we’re older than the start of things, but we’ve managed to keep the talent profile of the list at a point where we’re capable of going in for round 2.

If we’re a serious contender this year, and I believe we are, it’s unprecedented type stuff. For that you can only sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[Bojangles17]

Was scepital about Balta but reckon the theory will be to not get out marked in our forward 50 at any cost.

Play tall up forward and use Balta's speed to keep pressure on and his spoiling to stop the McGoverns and Levers of the world taking marks.

Rest our ruck forward for the same reason. Smash the packs and bring it to ground.

Will gain a lot of confidence from that , was walking 10ft tall by the end of the game ,

 

[Tiger Outcast]

Will gain a lot of confidence from that , was walking 10ft tall by the end of the game ,

Lots of posters were bagging him last week for playing up forward and they said he is better off being in the backline because he looked lost there. Well not only has he proven them wrong he has just shown us yesterday he can play either end of the ground and will be a future gun!

 

[roacheee]

One thing pisses me off about the tiges is we never finish off sides and shut up shop way too early.

114-25............

 

[Madtiger2006]

We have our energy back after a much longer preseason and close to a full list to choose from. We’ll push hard for another premiership. Ross looks a lot tougher this year. Balta forward and Gibcus back fixes the loss of Chol and Coleman. Soldo looks great. Hopefully we get a full season from these talls and add a couple more through the draft and trade periods

 

[Tiger Outcast]

114-25............

That was 3 years ago bro.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

I'd like to see him on the wing opposite KMac. Think Ross is better as a mid rotation.

Thinking the same.
With Lambert out long term.
Move Pickett into Lambert's role.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

i reckon they might protect Gibcus early doors and not name him in the 22 for rd.1,hes clearly gonna make it but i just get the feeling
they'll ease him in gently and not place to much of a burden on the young bloke straight up,id like to see him slide in to the mix rd.4-6
i think hes gonna be a cracker

Our burden of today is different to the burden pre 2013.
Pre 13 the pressure on Gibcus would be intense.
Thankfully he has a few premiership legends around too as you said ease him into it.
I'd play him against the Blues for sure.
If it was a more seasoned side I wouldn't.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

If they play Balta up forward this year I can see him taking some epic grabs. He’s so athletic it’s bloody crazy

And set shots from the wing.

 

[Rubber Hips]

VFL boys had a solid hit out today:

Cumberland and Stack rise as Richmond overcomes Box Hill in practice match

Richmond VFL defeated Box Hill by 14 points in a practice match at the Swinburne Centre on Saturday morning.

www.richmondfc.com.au

good reports on select players..

Cumberland …” is a dynamic player that seems to kick goals in clumps, feeding off the energy that he and his teammates around him create.

Stack spent the entirety of the game on a wing and was the player of the third term, kicking the opening goal from a forward-half intercept, helping turn defence into attack with his creativity and proclivity to provide support backward of centre….He was prolific and prominent, roaming between the arcs”….

RCD…“Collier-Dawkins showed no ill effects from his recent knock to the ribs, pounding the ball forward from the opening centre bounce and covered the ground well throughout the first quarter. The fourth-year midfielder cuts a commanding figure and shows the consistent traits of a big-bodied AFL on-baller.The young bull now exudes confidence without the ball, marshalling his fellow midfielders and stoppages and ensuring the team structures are adhered to.


Tyler Sonsie and Thomson Dow teamed well with Collier-Dawkins with the trio working hard to support their defenders as well as provide the grunt and spark between the arcs.
Sonsie possesses enviable tranquillity with ball in hand, and balance when kicking with foot, but also has a hardened edge around the contest which will serve him well at AFL level.

 

[Barnard]

Without reading any other comments or looking at the stat sheet I thought I would give a few comments from a live perspective as I was at the game.
Balta - probably the stand out for me, controlled the air (especially early) and just kept getting involved, such a great mover for a big guy.
Baker - just seemed to be everywhere, hits hard and gets hit hard but just bounces back up, class with ball in hand aswel, just makes good decisions.
Prestia - Very good in the contest in heavy traffic, doesn’t panic, another b&f for him there for the taking if he stays fit.
Ralphsmith - Has a bright future this kid and turning himself into a genuine utility type, not much he doesn’t do well.
Rioli - The role really suits him but he needs to polish up the disposal, was really poor.
McIntosh - what a work horse this fella is, would be one of the premier wingman in the comp if he had better skills.
Just on a few fringe players Aarts and Ross they were both very solid, hard at the contest and work hard defensively, the only thing with Aarts is that he can be a momentum killer at times, fumble at the wrong time, reckless tackle, these type of things.
One more guy I wanted to mention was Bigoa, I’m bullish on him, few on here have written him off but he showed a fair bit yesterday. It may not be this year but i reckon he’s worth keeping around.

 

[SouthernStripes]

Aside from the fear of injury prestias shirtfront was pretty sexy. I would sell my soul to keep him on the park all year - will strengthen our premiership chances by a lot if he stays fit

 

[Charlie Pannam]

My main takes from our pre-season including today:

• Cotch is back. He has bathed in the fountain of youth and is reinvigorated as if he’s 23 again
• You would have never known Dusty has been through what he’s been through
• Short has been our Houli replacement all along. The keys to the back half are his now and we ride or die with him
• Hugo has shot past a few and is firmly best 22 now. Rioli is ahead only of Mansell in that spot and would want to have a solid start to the season
• Balta shows he’s an animal anywhere on the park but I’d still prefer we play him back and get more development into Gibcus. Whatever the case Gib was a shrewd pick and is going to be a key player for us in the future
• Baker continues to show he’s a serious player and needs to see some consistent time on ball
• There’s only room for one of Castagna or Aarts. And it’s George
• Depending on the inside/outside balance we roll with one of Graham, Pickett, Stack might be very unlucky. To think we still have Caddy, Ross, RCD type depth there is a credit to our list management

We’re flying this pre-season and not in the media puff piece sense. It looks like a group that genuinely believes last year was an outlier rather than the start of a bottoming out. We have players both ready to hit their straps and close enough to their prime the likes of which isn’t normal for a team coming off 3 flags. Brisbane and Hawthorn were cooked by this stage, so were Geelong although they chose to carry on with top ups for 10 years instead of admitting it. Across the park we’re older than the start of things, but we’ve managed to keep the talent profile of the list at a point where we’re capable of going in for round 2.

If we’re a serious contender this year, and I believe we are, it’s unprecedented type stuff. For that you can only sit back and enjoy the ride.

Great call re Cotch. Was the highlight of yesterday for me, looks primed for a big year.
Just need to ensure we manage his workload and have him available for the big games.
We are a completely different team with Cotch and Meatball winning clearances. It takes a lot of pressure of our defensive 6 having to continually rebound

 

[Charlie Pannam]

I'd like to see him on the wing opposite KMac. Think Ross is better as a mid rotation.

Yeah agreed Hugo looking the goods.
How good for the future if we identify our next long term wingman.
Just on Kmac, he’s getting better with age - unbloody believable!!