Richmond game thread

[Ice goddess]

Ahhhhhhhhh that makes sense then, I too have high expectations of him and have to admit I judge his disposal much more harshly than I do that of anyone else in the team. Fair enough with them not being as damaging as possible, I think he still did give off a few pearlers today but in general I have to agree a lot of his disposals were almost non-risk/playing it safe which was dissapointing considering his usual take a risk/don't just play it safe play.
All in all though, I think his season so far has been extremely encouraging in the context of his career, for this season I have to admit I am happy to see him leading for the ball and racking up a few touches. He is averaging 12.5 disposals, which I am confident he will continue to improve on and I think, generally, those disposals are worth a bit more than disposals from the other Swans because of his skill (they usually hit a target) and decision making (they usually hit the best possible target). Another important thing is that yesterday is the 6th time from 11 games he has had >=15 disposals so the consistency is getting there too.

Davis is getting a pasting in today's papers from several journalists who were dismayed by his total lack of application yesterday considering his natural talent. One quote suggested he showed a glimmer of interest in the last but basically coasted for the first three.


Dempster played a full game for two touches ; bloody ********house.

 

[Ice goddess]

And MMM voted Hall worst on ground and Davis second worst.

 

[stellation]

Yep, I've noticed that he has received a bit of flak for the game, doesn't help when your opponent gets 20+ disposals from the backline. I still don't really see how he would be close to second worst on ground.

 

[Ice goddess]

Well they voted Mitchell worst on ground when he got 40 touches. They tend to vote according to how well they think someone should have played, or how much impact someone had ; they reckon Davis showed little application. The comment made on his game was that he didn't get a kick they can't remember him being out there whereas his opponent couldn't stop getting it. Saddington also had a poor game and Dempster was unsighted.

 

[Johnny Park]

You've had private messages for about 4 days Ice Goddess.

 

[stellation]

Well they voted Mitchell worst on ground when he got 40 touches. They tend to vote according to how well they think someone should have played, or how much impact someone had ; they reckon Davis showed little application. The comment made on his game was that he didn't get a kick they can't remember him being out there whereas his opponent couldn't stop getting it. Saddington also had a poor game and Dempster was unsighted.

Mitchell could have the ball dropped in his lap 40 times by Spider at stoppages in one game
Quite a few of Newman's touches came from backline stat padding though, but it does look good on paper. I don't know how many times this year Davis has been left to run between 2 or more defenders bringing the ball out of defence whilst the rest of the forwards go "bugger, they have the ball... that means I have to get to the other end!".

 

[TheBloods]

Delivery to Davis is crap too.

 

[Ice goddess]

Yablett Junior was voted among the worst today.

 

[stellation]

Delivery to Davis is crap too.

Agreed. Maybe if he put in the hard yards in the pre-season he could get fit enough to deliver long inside 50 to himself!

 

[cruiser]

Before you Swans fans think I have come into your board to gloat - I havent. There are two areas where Paul Roos really needs to address. I was at the MCG yesterday and I was bored by the defensive flooding tactics - flooding is bad football. When he played for Fitzroy and Sydney, I remember him as a very attacking defender and for the life of me cannot figure out why he wants this team to play this way. I give the Swans credit for their last quarter performance but if they want to stay in the eight and not get smashed by other sides in the finals, they need to play ATTACKING FOOTBALL THE WHOLE GAME. You guys have some very talented players on that list and if they were allowed to play attacking footy the whole game, im sure you guys would be higher than 6th on percentage. Best of luck next week with your next opponent.

Thanks Mrs Richo. Most people here would agree with you.

 

[Bloods Rule!]

Thanks Mrs Richo. Most people here would agree with you.

Not me. With the skills they showed today under pressure (though I don't think the forwards were feeling much pressure at all) they would have got murdered if Leigh Matthews was their coach. They only became skillful and opened up when Richmond discovered how tiring playing unrelenting one-on-one footy can be, and tired.

That's not to say that Roos wasn't outcoached today. He was. Possibly, once he realised that they were keener than us he should have opened the game up so no Swan was near another. That would mean that there would not have been two or three Tigers ready to jump on the next Swan to get the ball. (Normally you presume we play that way because it works to our advantage as we are the keener ones.)

There are a few games this year when I've suspected that we've played one on one just to wear the other team out - especially if there are a lot of young players. Then when they become tired, we can come from behind.

By the way, what happened to our great tackling of last year? And, if we are constantly defensive, why did I spend so much time screaming at the TV "who the hell is meant to be on him!" as yet another Tiger took another solo saunter down the ground?

 

[DST]

Thanks Mrs Richo. Most people here would agree with you.

I have no issue with Mr.Richo discussing the game Cruiser but I certainly don't agree with him regarding tatics from the game or your ascertian that we collectively here do.

To put it simply we were beaten yesterday becuase we failed to get our hands on the football at the clearances in the first 2 and 1/2 quarters. Once we did break even or get on top it was a different story.

There was no change of game plan to go longer or run the ball more in the last quarter, it simply came down to the fact they we actually got our hands on the ball first at the clearances and thus allowed us to implement the game plan.

I am also getting sick of this attitude of Swans supporters that has been drummed into them by the media and idiot bigfooty posters that we flood or play defensive football anymore than the other 16 clubs.

Our game plan is like everyone else, win the ball and move it efficently into our forward line to score.

Just ask Mr.Richo, it is surely not Richmonds game plan to score 1 point in a quarter. So what was their problem ? They couldn't get hold of the footy to do something with it.

DST

 

[robbieando]

Just ask Mr.Richo, it is surely not Richmonds game plan to score 1 point in a quarter. So what was their problem ? They couldn't get hold of the footy to do something with it.

Great points you raised there DST. We got beaten in the midfield for most of the game and as a result our defence was put under pressure it couldn't cope with, nor could they control. I didn't think we flooded at all yesterday, just suffered from lack of the ball and flat footed players not making solid quick leads when we did get it in the first three quarters. Things changed in the last term, because we got most of the ball, allowed our normal gameplan to take place and as a result Richmond's defence buckled under the pressure. However it was too little too late and we still lost.

 

[TheBloods]

I didn't think we flooded at all yesterday

There were a number of times when we had no one in our forward half. Hall was at half back at one stage.

 

[robbieando]

There were a number of times when we had no one in our forward half. Hall was at half back at one stage.

True. Still it wasn't as bad as some would have you believe

 

[JF_Bay_22_SCG]

Some of the kicking was deplorable mainly from Mathews and Jude Bolton.

What about Buchanan's effort to hoik to 40 metres into the forward line in the 3rd quarter. Only for it to land to a Richmond defender 20-30 metres away from the nearest Swan. It was not a misskick. What the frigging hell was he doing FFS?!

You realy noticed it when sitting at ground level. The players were not only lax and sloppy in what they did, it appeared that they were running with the breaks on. Kind of on the backs of their heels, as if unsure or unconfident not only as to what they were doing but what their teammates were wanting them to do. Nobody was actively leading. Hence the guys with the ball became unconfident in who to kick to. Receivers were more often than not flat-footed, and the disposals often under pressure or just outright errant.

People have said that Sydney are finals pretenders. I don't think we can seriously say that we have given our doubters any reason to say that we should realistically still be in the finals race as well as a serious flag threat. We are yet to beat a Top 8 side this season. And still struggle on the bigger grounds. And struggle to tame Matthew Richardson when he is on song.

Yet, there is one thing I have learnt in a hurry from watching the Swans. It is that even when we are playing diabolical football, often because the games are such low-scoring scraps we are not losing by that much. Hence one quarter can often undo the damage the other 3 have done. And that once the overall team confidence and urgency lifts, that the kicks start hitting their targets, the upteen handpasses on the half back line seem to all come off, the ball is whipped up forward in the twinkling of an eye. And from 1 goal come 3 or 4 goal spurts very quickly. Kinda of like 2003 all over again. But for one quarter and not 4.

JF

 

[JF_Bay_22_SCG]

I'm just so exasperated by this club! Different year, same story.

It is for this reason that I'm not getting my hopes up about our prospects this season. Not only are we hopeless away from home, we lose games that matter, and on an off day are among the worst teams in the league in terms of their basic skills. A few weeks ago after the St Kilda loss, we were all bemoaning how poor our team was. Despite losing only 2 of our last 8 matches, I still remain highly unconvinced as to whether we deserve to be in the finals race at all. As given the form we showed yesterday, we will only be wasting time yet yet again come September.

The more successful we go this season, the more frustrated I am actually getting. I am adament that with the current side AND game-plan we have, we will NEVER win a flag. We have never replaced Daryn Creswell as an onballer. And have too many players whose constructed skills go haywire with the increased pace and pressure of finals footy, ESPECIALLY in the wet.

The more successful we go this season, the less chance we have of rebuilding our squad into a team that realistically have more than a theoretical chance of winning a flag.

What is the bet we will just scrape into the finals. And duly bomb out in the 1st or 2nd week of getting there. I have seen this club for way too long to try and artificaly get my hopes up, even after wins as good as last week.

JF

 

[DST]

There were a number of times when we had no one in our forward half. Hall was at half back at one stage.

But that is not a sympton of our game plan but shows how modern footy is played at present with all teams getting extra numbers at the ball and bringing their forwards/defenders up to within the next kick.

What Saturday shows is that if you do get your hand on the ball first and are effective with your take aways it then gives you space to work with. You only have to look at the amounts of marks being taken by players running back with the flight of the ball to their goals to see that the way the game is being played has changed in the last 30 years. Congested midfields with FF/HF & FB/HB lines moving into the middle and masses of space at each end of the ground.

DST

 

[TheBloods]

But that is not a sympton of our game plan but shows how modern footy is played at present with all teams getting extra numbers at the ball and bringing their forwards/defenders up to within the next kick.

In some ways it is a symptom of our game plan as our guys race back into defence straight away and don't pressure the ball coming forward. We also tend to accumulate in packs so that we have too many guys in one spot and not enough in others. Also, we don't seem to be able to find space.

Every team does it to a certain extent, but converting defence into attack needs to be quicker and pressure needs to be applied better.

 

[ScottH]

At turn overs Richmond always seemed to have 3-4 players on their own across the centre of the field and were able to run the ball unchecked to just outside their F50, regularly! Where were our guys??? congregating elsewhere.

 

[giantsully]

A week's a long time in RWO world - since I've last chatted, RWO's been hacked, we've been involved in 2 one-pointers, RockLob has been sent to the naughty chair & our cheer squad has been going the biff! Exciting times indeed for RWOers.

My most bitterly disappointing moment on the weekend was just before half time - we scored with less than 2 mins to go. It was critical at that point we didn't let the Tigers in again - they proceeded to score THREE GOALS in less than 2 mins. I don't understand how that can happen at this level & if IIRC the same thing happened vs the Blues.

As culpable as the players are in this situtation, this mainly smacks of coaching incompetence to me.

 

[mrs_richo]

I have no issue with Mr.Richo discussing the game Cruiser but I certainly don't agree with him regarding tatics from the game or your ascertian that we collectively here do.

To put it simply we were beaten yesterday becuase we failed to get our hands on the football at the clearances in the first 2 and 1/2 quarters. Once we did break even or get on top it was a different story.

There was no change of game plan to go longer or run the ball more in the last quarter, it simply came down to the fact they we actually got our hands on the ball first at the clearances and thus allowed us to implement the game plan.

I am also getting sick of this attitude of Swans supporters that has been drummed into them by the media and idiot bigfooty posters that we flood or play defensive football anymore than the other 16 clubs.

Our game plan is like everyone else, win the ball and move it efficently into our forward line to score.

Just ask Mr.Richo, it is surely not Richmonds game plan to score 1 point in a quarter. So what was their problem ? They couldn't get hold of the footy to do something with it.

DST

DST - Its MRS Richo not MR. Just thought id clarify it without sounding to precious about it but i am female LOL

 

[DST]

In some ways it is a symptom of our game plan as our guys race back into defence straight away and don't pressure the ball coming forward. We also tend to accumulate in packs so that we have too many guys in one spot and not enough in others. Also, we don't seem to be able to find space.

Every team does it to a certain extent, but converting defence into attack needs to be quicker and pressure needs to be applied better.

Can't agree more with you NMWBloods and Saturday showed how important it was to get first hands to the ball and then have relaible/adaptable system in place to move the ball quickly.

At present, you can have the best defence in the league and the greatest CHF of all time standing in the forward line, but you are not going to win the majority of your games unless you can dominate midfield posession and get it out on your terms. The game has changed as we knew it 20 years ago.

DST

 

[DST]

DST - Its MRS Richo not MR. Just thought id clarify it without sounding to precious about it but i am female LOL

Sorry Mrs Richo, I wqs posting on the run in the morning and didn't check your details.

DST

 

[cruiser]

I have no issue with Mr.Richo discussing the game Cruiser but I certainly don't agree with him regarding tatics from the game or your ascertian that we collectively here do.

I said most not all. Are you reading my post selectively for the sake of picking an argument? Sounds like a regular poster on RWO with a different nic.