How do we accelerate our own player development?

[Ancient Tiger]

Almost all players on the tigers list look like they have the potential to be great AFL players but in reality most reach only mediocrity. What can we do with the current crop of youngsters to fast track their development? This seems to be the single biggest problem facing the club. Is it the coaching personnel, the assistant staff, the psychology aspect (Rudi Webster where are you?), the facilities or a combination of all of these? It's frustrating to see teams like Collingwood, Port and Hawthorn pick up a few kids and have them blitz straight away whilst ours develop much more slowly. I know the senior players in those teams are better than ours, but it still seems to be a big difference in development. Have players like Richo, as great a servant as he's been, suffocated the development of all KPP in the forward line since he's been there? Did we persevere with dogged players like the Kellaways for too long whilst players with better disposal wallowed in the magoos? How many coaches have we been through in the last 27 years? Can every single one of them be bad?
We need to put this club back where it belongs, where its focus is premierships and failure is not tolerated.
All players coming to the club should be told from the outset: the Richmond Football Club = flags, nothing else. And nothing else will be accepted. The common goal has to be etched in everybody at the clubs mind.
Go tiges in 2008, our centenary year!

 

[Equus]

Maybe if the RFC sends the team off to Kokoda to do some serious team building stff maybe that'll work.

 

[tigertiger]

Almost all players on the tigers list look like they have the potential to be great AFL players but in reality most reach only mediocrity. What can we do with the current crop of youngsters to fast track their development? This seems to be the single biggest problem facing the club. Is it the coaching personnel, the assistant staff, the psychology aspect (Rudi Webster where are you?), the facilities or a combination of all of these. It's frustrating to see teams like Collingwood, Port and Hawthorn pick up a few kids and have them blitz straight away whilst ours develop much more slowly. I know the senior players in those teams are better than ours but it still seems to be a big difference in development. Have players like Richo, as great a servant as he's been, suffocated the development of all KPP in the forward line since he's been there? Did we persevere with dogged players like the Kellaways for too long whilst players with better disposal wallowed in the magoos? How many coaches have we been through in the last 27 years? Can every single one of them be bad?
We need to put this club back where it belongs, where its focus is premierships and failure is not tolerated.
All players coming to the club should be told from the outset: the Richmond Football Club = flags, nothing else. And nothing else will be accepted. The common goal has to be etched in everybody at the clubs mind.
Go tiges in 2008, our centenary year!

You need to not focus on the last 27 years look at the latest regime and what they have been doing.

I know you may be surprised but we have been fast tracking our list, hence our position on the ladder. This will begin to pay dividends in the coming years and you will look back with pride at how well we have developed our list. Keep the faith

 

[The Rusty Trombone]

Maybe if the RFC sends the team off to Kokoda to do some serious team building stff maybe that'll work.

Drink Cards are the answer , more drink cards especially the younger players. It can't make a younger bloke feel as though he has arrived when he see's promo girls and managers all over Browny and Polak giving them extra cards, Its just not fair. And heaps of push ups and sit ups , drink lots of water and the occassional boost juice and they must stay off the soft drink it has too much sugar in it.

 

[Madtiger2006]

Lock the players in the gym until christmas

 

[jezza]

We start to match the other clubs when it comes to spending on player development. We're gradually adding more specialist roles for this sort of thing with Craig McCrae the beginning. We need to keep adding more and more staff and continue to improve our facilities. We're slowly getting there as our financial position improves.

 

[Ah Cheung]

We start to match the other clubs when it comes to spending on player development. We're gradually adding more specialist roles for this sort of thing with Craig McCrae the beginning. We need to keep adding more and more staff and continue to improve our facilities. We're slowly getting there as our financial position improves.

Who should we be looking at to help with player development? What kind of background should they have? Should they have played well at the elite level? or should they be people with good interpersonal skills or teaching skills?

 

[astro_toby]

steroids

we gotta talk to that marion jones - she has it all sorted

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

steroids

we gotta talk to that marion jones - she has it all sorted

Aslong as we dont seek Justin Charles out for advice instead

 

[Weaver]

Drink Cards are the answer , more drink cards especially the younger players.

Subway is the problem.

Nowdays Subway is a near religious obsession with footy players from juniors to AFL. All they eat.

Problem is that Subway keeps making their menu healthier and healthier. How is a kid meant to bulk up when the fast food industry keeps slipping them health food for lunch? Even Maccas is at it.

Its a bloody scandal. We should hire Lance Whitnall as a nutritionist. He obviously knows where you can still get a proper burger, and can teach the kids how to prepare a nice mixed salad of chips, dorittos and twisties.

 

[Showbag]

Subway is the problem.

Nowdays Subway is a near religious obsession with footy players from juniors to AFL. All they eat.

Problem is that Subway keeps making their menu healthier and healthier. How is a kid meant to bulk up when the fast food industry keeps slipping them health food for lunch? Even Maccas is at it.

Its a bloody scandal. We should hire Lance Whitnall as a nutritionist. He obviously knows where you can still get a proper burger, and can teach the kids how to prepare a nice mixed salad of chips, dorittos and twisties.

I reckon you're onto something. Everytime I eat Subway they overload the jalapenos... their can't be much goodness left after the jalapenos have done their work.

 

[ata40]

Have a look at the players that have developed in Wallace's time - they have actually been the very high draft picks - and players at the footy cross-roads.

Tuck from no-where.
Raines who was a very high draft pick.
Foley = rookie
King = rookie
Hyde = until hit by injury this year produced a style of game no-one thought he had.
Pettifer = has gone from sook to cocistent performer.

It is the prize draft picks that have actually struggled. I think we are slowly getting the development right.

 

[Simche]

Simple, end of season trip to Bulgaria or Mexico. Better yet we're actually in Bulgaria but we claim we're in Mexico. At said big fun happy time camp we have breakfast, morning tea, brunch, lunch, second lunch, afternoon tea, pre dinner snacks, dinner, supper and midnight snacks. In the time that the players aren't eating they are pumping the iron and having 'vitamin injections' by the head doctor for the Bulgarian weight lifting team.

Personally I think my plan is the best.

 

[brown_2000au]

Lets recruit Lance Whitnall. He would be a positive role model to the boy's regarding negative, or in our case positive eating habits. But on second thoughts looking at Lance and seeing the negative effects on over eating may be a turn off, as his weight is not attractive.

Lance the dietitan in 08

 

[Nobby]

Lock the players in the gym until christmas

Also need sponsorship from a good supplement company. Or, maybe we could do what the Eagles did and put a couple of our players through a pharmaceutical degree??

 

[ToroHombre]

Have a look at the players that have developed in Wallace's time - they have actually been the very high draft picks - and players at the footy cross-roads.

Tuck from no-where.
Raines who was a very high draft pick.
Foley = rookie
King = rookie
Hyde = until hit by injury this year produced a style of game no-one thought he had.
Pettifer = has gone from sook to cocistent performer.

It is the prize draft picks that have actually struggled. I think we are slowly getting the development right.

Pettifer was pick 9 in 2000

 

[Weaver]

It is the prize draft picks that have actually struggled. I think we are slowly getting the development right.

I think what we have seen is a lot of the meat-and-potato inside players have developed quite quickly (Tuck, Polo, King, Foley, Pattison, Edwards, McGuane, Thursfield, Jackson).

The ones that have seemed to struggle have been the more outside guys. The ones who are more part of the game plan. The ones who rely more on decision making, about where and when to run, when to leave their men, what option to kick to.

The get-ball-kick-ball brigade have mastered rugby pretty quickly. The playmakers (Raines, Tivendale, JON, Tambling, Hughes, Meyer) are the ones that look all at see. Even Deledio has often looked better in a KP instead of trying to be the decision maker.

The ones with the simplest instructions have matured first. The ones with the more complex tasks are lagging.

 

[Stripes666]

I think what we have seen is a lot of the meat-and-potato inside players have developed quite quickly (Tuck, Polo, King, Foley, Pattison, Edwards, McGuane, Thursfield, Jackson).

The ones that have seemed to struggle have been the more outside guys. The ones who are more part of the game plan. The ones who rely more on decision making, about where and when to run, when to leave their men, what option to kick to.

The get-ball-kick-ball brigade have mastered rugby pretty quickly. The playmakers (Raines, Tivendale, JON, Tambling, Hughes, Meyer) are the ones that look all at see. Even Deledio has often looked better in a KP instead of trying to be the decision maker.

The ones with the simplest instructions have matured first. The ones with the more complex tasks are lagging.

then selecting a player Jordan McMahon would make sense as he seems to be an ideal hbflanker. Could help players with some leadership in the area

 

[Shane Clayton]

Mchmahn is actually a good player and will set up quite a few attacking moves for you next season. His pace will break the lines and his skill by hand and foot is definatly something richmond couls use. But to suggest he has leadership qualities is a joke......hes just too soft.

good luck next season

 

[Weaver]

But to suggest he has leadership qualities is a joke......hes just too soft.

No one is suggesting leadership qualities of the captaincy type.

We are suggesting leadership of the been there, done that type. He knows how to play the position. He has experience of being a playmaker. He can show the blokes like Raines and Tambling how it should be done.

 

[ata40]

I think what we have seen is a lot of the meat-and-potato inside players have developed quite quickly (Tuck, Polo, King, Foley, Pattison, Edwards, McGuane, Thursfield, Jackson).

The ones that have seemed to struggle have been the more outside guys. The ones who are more part of the game plan. The ones who rely more on decision making, about where and when to run, when to leave their men, what option to kick to.

The get-ball-kick-ball brigade have mastered rugby pretty quickly. The playmakers (Raines, Tivendale, JON, Tambling, Hughes, Meyer) are the ones that look all at see. Even Deledio has often looked better in a KP instead of trying to be the decision maker.

The ones with the simplest instructions have matured first. The ones with the more complex tasks are lagging.

Good point Weaver.

Interesting to hear that Hawthorn are very big on visual simulation of decision making.

In summary players sit in front of a computer screen simualting a real game situation with the player having the ball in his hands. The player can then see the options in front of him and gets to pick one in a split second. The computer then shows what the correct game plan option should be. They then walk outside and simulate it in practice conditions. Sort of a reality multiple choice scenario.

Could be very handy for us, to get away from Richo as being option a,b,c and d.

 

[CoggaRules]

then selecting a player Jordan McMahon would make sense as he seems to be an ideal hbflanker. Could help players with some leadership in the area

could even help himself by doing just that.