Richmond 2005

[TigerTank]

Assuming that Richmond finishes among that middle group of clubs (somewhere between 5th and 11th), as has been predicted by most football scribes, where do you think the club should go from there with its recruiting and development policies?

The current squad is an amalgam of the recruiting policies of four or five different coaches, each with different priorities. There has been little in the way of a long term recruiting strategy, because Richmond coaches have not been given the security of a long term tenure to work with.

With the new board, balanced books and Frawley's promising start, the Club can now afford to look 5-10 years down the track, and not just two years down the track.

So what sort of club should the powers that be build? What kind of recruits should we look for in the long term?

Should Richmond aim for a high skill, attacking squad based on quick delivery from the halfback line like the double premiership Adelaide side, or a traditional long-kicking/marking type squad like the Kangaroos premiership outfit?

Should Richmond consider a disciplined, defensive squad that plays like the West Coast premiership teams of a few years ago, or just a mixture of gameplans (and stars) like Carlton's winning team of a few years ago.

There is no one way to successful way to success, but there does need to be a focus on a gameplan, and the right players to make that gameplan work. Some Kangaroos players, for example, would not have fitted into the West Coast champion team, and vice versa.

Using the current players aged 21-25 as a core (or not if you think the current list is not right) - describe what the Richmond squad should look like in 5 years.

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TT - Obligatory bad-tempered Richmond supporter

[This message has been edited by TigerTank (edited 23 March 2001).]

 

[CJH]

I'm not ignoring this TT, just taking my time in thinking it through! This is not a lightweight question!

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TigerFury.net - Independant Richmond Tigers website

 

[CJH]

What will our list look like in 5 years time.

Assume all players will have retired by age 31.


In the next 5 years we will lose

Paul Broderick (M)
Leon Cameron (D)
Wayne Campbell (M)
Nick Daffy (M)
Benny Gale (R)
Duncan Kellaway (M)
Matthew Knights (M)
Matthew Richardson (F)
Matthew Rogers (M)
Steven Sziller (M)

We will also have the following near retirement

Craig Biddiscombe (M)
David Bourke (D)
Mark Chaffey (M)
Darren Gaspar (D)
Ben Holland (F)
Aaron James (D)
Andrew Kellaway (D)
Jason Torney (M)

To aggregate:

Defenders: 5
Midfielders: 10
Forwards: 2
Rucks: 1

Starting immediately I would be trading to get high first round draft picks with a view of picking up 2 future key forwards. Given a few years of necessary development this has to happen with urgency. Take a view of getting the next Trent Croad or Chris Tarrant.

We will also lose the majority of our defence over this period. Need to pick up some more key defenders.

There is a high number of midfielders, but these are also easier to find and replace. We also have a lot of young players on our list who have the prospect of being 10 year players. Therefore I would view this aspect with less urgency than finding the next batch of key position players.

This fits the Richmond ethos - and the style of football I feel is most effective - which is plenty of tall timber up forward and a highly skilled midfield delivering quality ball down there.

This is the style of play we attempt to execute now - and a style of play that has won premierships for teams such as the Kangaroos and Essendon in recent years. It is also a style of play we know best.

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TigerFury.net - Independant Richmond Tigers website