News Richmond forward line ranked 14th in the AFL

[HumanMeatball]

Richmond ranked fourth-last for points scored last year when it finished 13th on the ladder. The Tigers brought in some valuable players at the trade table, including Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia, who could free up Dustin Martin to spend more time in attack. But there isn't much back-up for tall forwards Jack Riewoldt and Ben Griffiths. Griffiths has also never kicked more than 14 goals in a season (which he booted in 2016) so the Tigers will be keen for a better haul from the 25-year-old in 2017. This season presents as a good chance for first-round pick Ben Lennon to break into the Tigers' forward line and make a spot his own. He would bring a layer of polish to what they already have down there.

 

[NaturalDisaster]

Our forward line is ranked better than our midfield?

lmao, this is why I refuse to take these lists seriously.

 

[Madtiger2006]

I have a feeling Garthwaite will slot in the forward line pretty early and be a natural at afl level. Hope I'm right

 

[TigerImposter]

We all Know we finished 13th this year, so IMO we are ranked the 13th club in the afl .With an easier draw and some slight improvement in midfield depth we may improve. Still very concerned about our forward line tall power ,our ruck stocks and a a kpd . I've booked my chalet at Hotham already for next year bc I think Melbourne supporters may not need them until mid September.

 

[tunksy]

Forward line has long been our worst area of the ground. Most looking forward to seeing how much that changes this year.

 

[Mr Unbelievable]

* the authors

 

[HumanMeatball]

I actually don't mind a foward line consisting of jack, Griffiths, Lennon, Lloyd, Rioli with Martin, caddy ect getting 30 goals between them with Bolton also

 

[Charlie Pannam]

Not the least bit surprised by such a low ranking. How can forwards kick a score when the ball is moving into our forwardline in the slow, disjointed way it did in 2016
Coaches fault, fix the game plan and the forwards will produce.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Spoiler: Interchange gonna be 13th.

 

[Hoos]

I've booked my chalet at Hotham already for next year bc I think Melbourne supporters may not need them until mid September.

I thought most of their fans went early anyway.

 

[THE THIN MAN]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-01-02/who-has-the-best-forwards-we-rank-every-club

 

[THE THIN MAN]

 

[Goldust]

Our forward line is ranked better than our midfield?

lmao, this is why I refuse to take these lists seriously.

No it's not ...... it is just that there are a few more worse forward lines than ours going around, but fewer worse midfields.
They are to be taken in isolation.

 

[Goldust]

No it's not ...... it is just that there are a few more worse forward lines than ours going around, but fewer worse midfields.
They are to be taken in isolation.

But FWIW, I think our midfield should have been ranked a few spots higher ... as in 11th-9th, and our forward line a bit lower.

 

[Goldust]

I have a feeling Garthwaite will slot in the forward line pretty early and be a natural at afl level. Hope I'm right

Would make sense given we drafted him as a defender ... we'd never play anyone where they played in the TAC Cup.

 

[THE THIN MAN]

Would make sense given we drafted him as a defender ... we'd never play anyone where they played in the TAC Cup.

Murray Bushranger Ryan Garthwaite in AFL draft mix after shift to defence

AFTER playing his entire junior career as a forward, Corowa-Rutherglen and Murray Bushrangers rising star Ryan Garthwaite has had interest from as many as seven AFL clubs as a defensive prospect ahead of Friday’s national draft.

The 192-centimetre backman has been recognised for his ability to win one-on-one contests, mark the ball strongly overhead, play on tall or small forwards and provide a rebound option from defence.

Garthwaite overcame a number of injuries to show his promise at representative level this year and had a meeting with Carlton last Thursday, proving his hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“It's pretty surreal that I could be at a club next weekend,” Garthwaite said.

“It's an amazing feeling and one I'll cherish and won't forget about if it (getting drafted) happens.”

After starting his junior football with Yarrawonga, Garthwaite played two seasons at Lavington before returning home to Corowa to play with the Roos.

It was there that he was recruited to the Murray Bushrangers as a bottom-age player in 2015.

“I thrived on it and as the season went on I kept competing and lifted my whole game and it all went from there,” Garthwaite said.

“I only played my first game in the back line when I started at the Bushies.

“I've learnt my trade in the last two years and made the big swing to the other end of the ground, but I've loved every minute of it.”

Garthwaite got his first taste of senior football with Corowa-Rutherglen as 16-year-old and played three games over two years.

Just two years on, he waits patiently for his chance at the highest level.

“I was pretty happy with both my years (at the Bushrangers), but I wanted to step it up again this year and I was happy that I did that.

“I've just got to cross my fingers until Friday, everyone's hoping, but you don’t always know with the draft,” Garthwaite said.

“I'm happy to go anywhere. It would be great just to get the opportunity in the big time and hopefully make something of it.

“I'm hoping for the best for all the other (Bushrangers) boys as well and hopefully we can all land at a club somewhere.”

After spending four weeks on the sideline with a broken scapula, and undergoing knee surgery at the end of last year, Garthwaite is confident his body is in the best shape it has ever been on the eve of the draft.

Garthwaite added the support from the Corowa community has been more than he could have asked for.

If unsuccessful at the draft, Garthwaite will try his luck in the VFL system, meaning it is very unlikely he will play for Corowa-Rutherglen in the 2017 Ovens and Murray season.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4303843/young-roo-closing-in-on-afl-draft-dream/

 

[Dunger]

Not the least bit surprised by such a low ranking. How can forwards kick a score when the ball is moving into our forwardline in the slow, disjointed way it did in 2016
Coaches fault, fix the game plan and the forwards will produce.

Our forward line was a defenders dream last year. Slow, predictable, crowded.

Hopefully Blake and Leppa open it up a bit and give the forwards a competitive edge with some space and fast entries and turn it into a defenders nightmare.

 

[Lsta062]

Forward line ranking should be done in isolation from the midfield influence as much as you can. I have already posted the following in the "defence" thread, but the following is relevant to this thread. Basically, I tried to only look at forward line + defence based on goals scored and goals conceded respectively per inside 50 rather than look at goals for and against alone at the end of the season.

This is what I came up with based on the stats for the 2016 season:



Now, I just realised that finals was included, but hopefully it won't make such a difference to the extent that you can't use these numbers anymore. If I find one that does not include finals, then I may use that just to see if there is a difference.

Anyways, not surprising to see us ranked 11th. Although we were ranked 15th in goals scored, you could argue that the lower inside 50s number we had compared to other teams (we ranked 17th in inside 50s) resulted in a bottom 4 finish in terms of goals scored. This is the ranking of 2016 and does not take into account the changes in the off-season.

Since our defence ranking 12th according to the table below that uses "opposition inside 50s" and "goals conceded", I am starting to think it was our midfield that was really poor last year and that our two ends were superficially shown as "bottom 4" because of it.

Here is the defence one:




Since this is using the 2016 stats and does not take into account the changes made in the offseason, this is obviously not a solid indicator of the 2017 season in itself. But, it could be something to use while taking into account the changes made to each team's forward line and defence personnel. We lost Tyrone Vickery who, as much as he is maligned by Richmond supporters, did score 26 goals and doesn't look to have been replaced.

Feel free to give me some tips on this. After all, I would like to use an objective method of determining the forward line and defence efficiency that eliminates midfield influence as much as it can. I know that stats are not the best thing to go by, but naming a forward line/defence/midfield while omitting some players from that area who contribute there there isn't either.

 

[French Tiger]

Not quite sure how our forward line is ranked ahead of our midfield.

 

[Goldust]

Not quite sure how our forward line is ranked ahead of our midfield.

Easy!
According to those doing the rankings, our midfield is better than three other midfields and our forward line is better than four others.
They are in isolation.
What you can read into it is a lot of teams have string midfields but not many have a great forward line.

 

[Lsta062]

Murray Bushranger Ryan Garthwaite in AFL draft mix after shift to defence

AFTER playing his entire junior career as a forward, Corowa-Rutherglen and Murray Bushrangers rising star Ryan Garthwaite has had interest from as many as seven AFL clubs as a defensive prospect ahead of Friday’s national draft.

The 192-centimetre backman has been recognised for his ability to win one-on-one contests, mark the ball strongly overhead, play on tall or small forwards and provide a rebound option from defence.

Garthwaite overcame a number of injuries to show his promise at representative level this year and had a meeting with Carlton last Thursday, proving his hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“It's pretty surreal that I could be at a club next weekend,” Garthwaite said.

“It's an amazing feeling and one I'll cherish and won't forget about if it (getting drafted) happens.”

After starting his junior football with Yarrawonga, Garthwaite played two seasons at Lavington before returning home to Corowa to play with the Roos.

It was there that he was recruited to the Murray Bushrangers as a bottom-age player in 2015.

“I thrived on it and as the season went on I kept competing and lifted my whole game and it all went from there,” Garthwaite said.

“I only played my first game in the back line when I started at the Bushies.

“I've learnt my trade in the last two years and made the big swing to the other end of the ground, but I've loved every minute of it.”

Garthwaite got his first taste of senior football with Corowa-Rutherglen as 16-year-old and played three games over two years.

Just two years on, he waits patiently for his chance at the highest level.

“I was pretty happy with both my years (at the Bushrangers), but I wanted to step it up again this year and I was happy that I did that.

“I've just got to cross my fingers until Friday, everyone's hoping, but you don’t always know with the draft,” Garthwaite said.

“I'm happy to go anywhere. It would be great just to get the opportunity in the big time and hopefully make something of it.

“I'm hoping for the best for all the other (Bushrangers) boys as well and hopefully we can all land at a club somewhere.”

After spending four weeks on the sideline with a broken scapula, and undergoing knee surgery at the end of last year, Garthwaite is confident his body is in the best shape it has ever been on the eve of the draft.

Garthwaite added the support from the Corowa community has been more than he could have asked for.

If unsuccessful at the draft, Garthwaite will try his luck in the VFL system, meaning it is very unlikely he will play for Corowa-Rutherglen in the 2017 Ovens and Murray season.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4303843/young-roo-closing-in-on-afl-draft-dream/

This guy could be a really handy get if he is as good as he seems. Cale Hooker seems to be able to play both ends well, so I'd be content if he ends up anything like him.

We need him in defence for now though and let Nankervis have some time in the forward line.

 

[HumanMeatball]

Easy!
According to those doing the rankings, our midfield is better than three other midfields and our forward line is better than four others.
They are in isolation.
What you can read into it is a lot of teams have string midfields but not many have a great forward line.

Our midfield is better then 3rd worst

 

[theflea]

But FWIW, I think our midfield should have been ranked a few spots higher ... as in 11th-9th, and our forward line a bit lower.

Agree which I think was his original point.

 

[theflea]

Easy!
According to those doing the rankings, our midfield is better than three other midfields and our forward line is better than four others.
They are in isolation.
What you can read into it is a lot of teams have string midfields but not many have a great forward line.

I think this is the point tho. Ranking them in isolation is foolhardy. yes they just are doing mostly via ranking points, but clearly they are all dependant on other areas of the game. The posters are just stating this point.

 

[Goldust]

Our midfield is better then 3rd worst

I agree buddy.
But explaining how the rankings were devised, I can see how our forward line got a better ranking.
I would have our midfield at 10th-8th. Drops away after Cotchin, Martin, Prestia, Miles and Caddy, but that's a handy lot.
Martin is still on the rise, Cotchin, while still good, has never returned to 2012 levels, Prestia in an unknown - good player but questionable durability (27 games out of 44 the last two years), Miles still has something to offer and Caddy well I never rated him highly elsewhere, but willing to give benefit of the doubt. I remember watching Geelong v Sydney in the prelim final and the experts ranking the top 5 midfielders from both sides 1-10 and Caddy being 10th. Few Richmond supporters would have rated him highly until he crossed to Punt Road, but we have some talking him up as a gun. Not much outside of that lot enthuses me greatly other than the rookie Graham. Edwards pfft, Conca pfft, BEllis pfft!