Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
Moderator
- May 24, 2006
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Usually an upcoming fixture against Richmond is great news for any team, however 2017 could be a little different. The Tigers are sitting 5-0 and are in equal 1st position. Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Once every few seasons the Tigers burst the blocks wide open, catching the competition by surprise before lapsing back into Normal Richmond mode for the latter part of the season. When this current form will fizzle out is unknown but what is certain is that right now they are up and about. Don’t expect this to be a walk in the cake.
Hardwick
Richmond have embarked on a bold new strategy this season, bringing in good players (Prestia, Nankervis) and getting rid of bad players (Vickery, Morris). Early days but it appears to be paying dividends.
Adelaide – WOW!
How good are we? Let’s ask the coaches:
“They are a fantastic football club. They are in another stratosphere.”
“They are the best team in the competition by a mile.”
Who said this? Dean Laidley and Mark Thompson, 2006. I have the same warm, confident feeling about our team now as I did back then.
Interestingly, after destroying North Melbourne at home back in 2006 we traveled to Subiaco as favourites the next week to play West Coast…. and got absolutely annihilated by 82 points. That was ok though, because we ‘just didn’t turn up’ in that game so could write it off as an anomaly. It didn’t mean anything and was not a pointer towards what might occur in September.
The Angry Lynch
Every Crows’ player seems to be having a career-best year… except our supposed barometer Tom Lynch who has been slipping over, fumbling the ball and flubbing kicks with alarming regularity. Usually Crows players reserve that sort of football for finals. Expect the Ginga Ninja to turn things around this week.
Injuries
The only Malcolm on our season so far has been our injury problems. Our hamstrings have been pinging more often than Jenny’s internet connection. The good news is that the rate of injuries should slow down now because we have fewer players on the park.
Flaunting with our form
Much was made of Rory Atkins’ extreme makeover last week. Was it a sign that the club had taken its eye off the bat and ball and gone home? Judging by the Gold Coast game it would appear not. We won easily and Atkins was great. The level of outcry over haircolourgate was perhaps a mountain out of a tea cup.
Midfield Battle
Adelaide's prospects in 2017 depend heavily on Brad Crouch hitting his straps and becoming the player he looked like being back in 2013. He made a promising return last week and needs to build on this. Sloane can't do all the heavy lifting by himself.
Cotchin is quality, Nankervis seems like a great pick up and I can see him giving Sauce a touch up, Martin is ridiculous but looked sore, Prestia works his backside off. They have some obvious high points but I think we bat deeper.
Richmond's first half against Melbourne was actually a blueprint of how to beat the Crows in previous seasons: Absorb a lot of pressure, clog up the D50, concede a huge number of Inside 50s, minimise the score against then score on the rebound with space over the back. The Crows seem to be more efficient this season going forward but still seem susceptible to conceding on the rebound.
If the Tigers midfield can pressure us into bombing then their defenders will be a chance. If not, they won't.
Jack Riewoldt vs Taylor Walker
Shoot out! Two of the best key forwards in the game go head-to-head this week.
You must admire Hardwick’s lateral thinking over the last couple of seasons. He came up with this left field theory: Wouldn’t it be awesome if Jack didn’t kick goals anymore? Instead let’s put more responsibility onto players who are incapable of kicking goals.
That strategy didn’t really payoff though it did help trick the Hawks into poaching Tyrone Vickery so perhaps the two dismal years was worth it.
That’s out the window now. Jack is back in the F50 full time and killing it. Riewoldt is not the only forward the Crows have to worry about either. There’s also… ummm…. actually it is just Riewoldt.
At the other end of the ground is big Tex Walker who is dishing out goal assists like free tickets to the China game. His skills are ridiculous for a big man and he possesses the best left foot handball in the game.
Will Trent Cotchin choose to send the opposition in to bat if he wins the toss? Few Tiger fans have forgotten that epic bungle in 2014 – the biggest stuff up since Saddam Hussain at the Gabba.
History
Odd is the word that leaps to mind when thinking about Adelaide vs Richmond matches of yesteryear. The games themselves haven't been particularly memorable but some of the surrounding incidents have been:
Mods kicked 23 goals against Richmond in 1993 alone
Round 2 1997 - "To start like that means you won't win, particularly with a pathetic effort from Pittman in ruck, I mean that was the most disgraceful effort I've ever seen from a big fella. Now that's pretty tough on an individual but he has to wear it because we got carried away as a team."
Robert Walls was sacked after a 137 point shellacking at the hand of the Crows in 1997. They actually sacked him with a 17-22 record... Richmond would almost deify a coach who could churn out those sort of numbers now. Ultimately the football media were the biggest losers.
See ya! The Tigers got the better of us in 1998 and Blighty had seen enough. He vacated the coaching box during the last quarter and headed around to the rooms, not even watching the end of the game. There was method to the madness - we won the flag.
2006: Richmond's three-point upset at Telstra Dome on Saturday, handing Adelaide just their second defeat of the year, provided the major talking point of the weekend. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy described Richmond coach Terry Wallace's tactics as "basketball crap" which would not make the 10th-placed Tigers a premiership threat and would drive the fans away. Richmond's chip-kick plan produced the highest number of marks taken in an AFL match: an astonishing 181.
Neil Craig repeatedly sent Taylor Walker back to the SANFL to work on doing the team things like tackling. The end result was a suspension and a near broken neck for Steve Morris.
Adelaide and Richmond have never met in a final before which is a remarkable statistic… until you realise it’s probably because Richmond never make the finals.
Commentators
Anyone but Basil please. I would rather listen to paint dry.
Tip
The Richmond team has two settings:
1) How they play when you tip them (awful)
2) How they play when you tip against them (inspired)
You either are left bemoaning WHY ON EARTH you ignored 30+ years of inept football and backed them in. Or wondering how the dooslefudge did players like Houli, Grigg and Ellis light it up and topple the reigning premiers. I don’t think I’ve tipped a Richmond game correctly for five years (except for 2015 when I won the tips – see badge under avatar).
Whilst this is frustrating for tipsters, you must feel for Richmond fans. In fact the Richmond membership pack includes a cap, a key ring plus a complex combination of uppers and downers.
Richmond going well but I think we're going better. Add in a sore Dustin Martin and a 8-day vs 6-day break and I think it tips things in our favour.
Adelaide by 36 points.
Once every few seasons the Tigers burst the blocks wide open, catching the competition by surprise before lapsing back into Normal Richmond mode for the latter part of the season. When this current form will fizzle out is unknown but what is certain is that right now they are up and about. Don’t expect this to be a walk in the cake.
Hardwick
Richmond have embarked on a bold new strategy this season, bringing in good players (Prestia, Nankervis) and getting rid of bad players (Vickery, Morris). Early days but it appears to be paying dividends.
Adelaide – WOW!
How good are we? Let’s ask the coaches:
“They are a fantastic football club. They are in another stratosphere.”
“They are the best team in the competition by a mile.”
Who said this? Dean Laidley and Mark Thompson, 2006. I have the same warm, confident feeling about our team now as I did back then.
Interestingly, after destroying North Melbourne at home back in 2006 we traveled to Subiaco as favourites the next week to play West Coast…. and got absolutely annihilated by 82 points. That was ok though, because we ‘just didn’t turn up’ in that game so could write it off as an anomaly. It didn’t mean anything and was not a pointer towards what might occur in September.
The Angry Lynch
Every Crows’ player seems to be having a career-best year… except our supposed barometer Tom Lynch who has been slipping over, fumbling the ball and flubbing kicks with alarming regularity. Usually Crows players reserve that sort of football for finals. Expect the Ginga Ninja to turn things around this week.
Injuries
The only Malcolm on our season so far has been our injury problems. Our hamstrings have been pinging more often than Jenny’s internet connection. The good news is that the rate of injuries should slow down now because we have fewer players on the park.
Flaunting with our form
Much was made of Rory Atkins’ extreme makeover last week. Was it a sign that the club had taken its eye off the bat and ball and gone home? Judging by the Gold Coast game it would appear not. We won easily and Atkins was great. The level of outcry over haircolourgate was perhaps a mountain out of a tea cup.
Midfield Battle
Adelaide's prospects in 2017 depend heavily on Brad Crouch hitting his straps and becoming the player he looked like being back in 2013. He made a promising return last week and needs to build on this. Sloane can't do all the heavy lifting by himself.
Cotchin is quality, Nankervis seems like a great pick up and I can see him giving Sauce a touch up, Martin is ridiculous but looked sore, Prestia works his backside off. They have some obvious high points but I think we bat deeper.
Richmond's first half against Melbourne was actually a blueprint of how to beat the Crows in previous seasons: Absorb a lot of pressure, clog up the D50, concede a huge number of Inside 50s, minimise the score against then score on the rebound with space over the back. The Crows seem to be more efficient this season going forward but still seem susceptible to conceding on the rebound.
If the Tigers midfield can pressure us into bombing then their defenders will be a chance. If not, they won't.
Jack Riewoldt vs Taylor Walker
Shoot out! Two of the best key forwards in the game go head-to-head this week.
You must admire Hardwick’s lateral thinking over the last couple of seasons. He came up with this left field theory: Wouldn’t it be awesome if Jack didn’t kick goals anymore? Instead let’s put more responsibility onto players who are incapable of kicking goals.
That strategy didn’t really payoff though it did help trick the Hawks into poaching Tyrone Vickery so perhaps the two dismal years was worth it.
That’s out the window now. Jack is back in the F50 full time and killing it. Riewoldt is not the only forward the Crows have to worry about either. There’s also… ummm…. actually it is just Riewoldt.
At the other end of the ground is big Tex Walker who is dishing out goal assists like free tickets to the China game. His skills are ridiculous for a big man and he possesses the best left foot handball in the game.
Will Trent Cotchin choose to send the opposition in to bat if he wins the toss? Few Tiger fans have forgotten that epic bungle in 2014 – the biggest stuff up since Saddam Hussain at the Gabba.
History
Odd is the word that leaps to mind when thinking about Adelaide vs Richmond matches of yesteryear. The games themselves haven't been particularly memorable but some of the surrounding incidents have been:
Mods kicked 23 goals against Richmond in 1993 alone
Round 2 1997 - "To start like that means you won't win, particularly with a pathetic effort from Pittman in ruck, I mean that was the most disgraceful effort I've ever seen from a big fella. Now that's pretty tough on an individual but he has to wear it because we got carried away as a team."
Robert Walls was sacked after a 137 point shellacking at the hand of the Crows in 1997. They actually sacked him with a 17-22 record... Richmond would almost deify a coach who could churn out those sort of numbers now. Ultimately the football media were the biggest losers.
See ya! The Tigers got the better of us in 1998 and Blighty had seen enough. He vacated the coaching box during the last quarter and headed around to the rooms, not even watching the end of the game. There was method to the madness - we won the flag.
2006: Richmond's three-point upset at Telstra Dome on Saturday, handing Adelaide just their second defeat of the year, provided the major talking point of the weekend. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy described Richmond coach Terry Wallace's tactics as "basketball crap" which would not make the 10th-placed Tigers a premiership threat and would drive the fans away. Richmond's chip-kick plan produced the highest number of marks taken in an AFL match: an astonishing 181.
Neil Craig repeatedly sent Taylor Walker back to the SANFL to work on doing the team things like tackling. The end result was a suspension and a near broken neck for Steve Morris.
Adelaide and Richmond have never met in a final before which is a remarkable statistic… until you realise it’s probably because Richmond never make the finals.
Commentators
Anyone but Basil please. I would rather listen to paint dry.
Tip
The Richmond team has two settings:
1) How they play when you tip them (awful)
2) How they play when you tip against them (inspired)
You either are left bemoaning WHY ON EARTH you ignored 30+ years of inept football and backed them in. Or wondering how the dooslefudge did players like Houli, Grigg and Ellis light it up and topple the reigning premiers. I don’t think I’ve tipped a Richmond game correctly for five years (except for 2015 when I won the tips – see badge under avatar).
Whilst this is frustrating for tipsters, you must feel for Richmond fans. In fact the Richmond membership pack includes a cap, a key ring plus a complex combination of uppers and downers.
Richmond going well but I think we're going better. Add in a sore Dustin Martin and a 8-day vs 6-day break and I think it tips things in our favour.
Adelaide by 36 points.
