Richmond game thread

[grimlock]

Shocking performance so far, especially in the last 5 minutes.

Midfield getting smashed, ruckmen still missing from last week and generally poor options across half-forward. Disgraceful.

 

[crimson]

No passion today. Good to see Capt. Mathews leading by example. Half time stats 5 posessions, ranked 40th best player on the ground with his matchup Tuck ranked 3rd. Great job so far!!!

 

[Destructive]

This is not good. We seem to have no idea. Plus Anthony " I hate the Swans" is gloating about it.

 

[grimlock]

He's been average but its unfair to single him out. Most Swans are playing horribly. Only O'Keefe and LRT are playing alright IMO.

Richmond are fired up and are playing with purpose while we look like we're stuck in first gear.

I'm still seething at Jolly for jumping way too early in the last contest and letting Richmond kick that last goal with only 5 seconds left!

 

[liz]

A few minutes before the end of that term I thought the Swans would be exceptionally happy to be so close on the scoreboard given they're getting thumped in every aspect around the ground. Those three quick goals gave Richmond the lead they deserved.

Why do the Tigers have so many more players around the ball at every single contest? Our boys - O'Keefe aside - just not working hard enough.

 

[LittleSchneider]

shocking. Williams just kicked a goal but they are over using the football and taking poor options - choosing to play on when they get a free kick or mark and putting a team mate under pressure, and they subsequently get pinged for holding the ball.
very disappointing - not to mention our accuracy in front of goal is shocking.

 

[cruiser]

Utter rubbish from Sydney. I agree that O'Keefe is our only good player but I wish he'd learn how to kick goals again. I can barely watch the game anymore. I think I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. I'll have to eat humble pie over in the Tigers forum.

 

[Ed_Gein]

Have to say the umpiring has been absolutely disgusting

 

[grimlock]

One set of rules for Richo and another for Hall.

We play terrible football on the MCG.

 

[liz]

Have to say the umpiring has been absolutely disgusting

don't agree. We're second to the ball and tackling clumsily. Most of the frees are there. Richo got a lucky one but didn't score a goal from it. Ablett's HTB decision against him in Q1 was very rough but the Tigers got an unlucky one too. The only really dreadful free was the one to Stafford against Ball.

Can hardly blame the scoreline on the umpiring. Tigers have just been far too good - cleaner hands, more desperate, working harder, kicking straighter. Pretty simple really.

 

[cruiser]

I'm with you on the free kicks Liz. Sydney keeps givng them away. Very sloppy and undisciplined. That said, the ree kick to Stafford after he threw the first punch at Ball was a shocker. Stafford is a ********er and I am so glad we got rid of him.

 

[grimlock]

Heartbreaking stuff. Why can't be play like that for the whole game?

 

[liz]

Heartbreaking stuff. Why can't be play like that for the whole game?

I'm kinda glad they lost that. They were the second best team out there for almost all the afternoon and didn't deserve to escape from gaol. I hope they will have learned a fair amount about how their work-rate directly affects the outcome of the game. If they'd played like that for even one other quarter they would probably have won fairly comfortably but they didn;t and Richmond deserved the points.

The good thing is that our percentage hasn't taken the hammering that it looked like it might during the 3rd term.

 

[Ed_Gein]

Yes i'll agree that some of the free kicks given against us were for some sloppy play by the swans, but there were a few in there that cost us goals, o'keefe and ablett being pinged for holding the ball, definately the one against ball on stafford. they cost us in the end looking at the end result.

 

[grimlock]

I'm kinda glad they lost that. They were the second best team out there for almost all the afternoon and didn't deserve to escape from gaol. I hope they will have learned a fair amount about how their work-rate directly affects the outcome of the game. If they'd played like that for even one other quarter they would probably have won fairly comfortably but they didn;t and Richmond deserved the points.

The good thing is that our percentage hasn't taken the hammering that it looked like it might during the 3rd term.

Very good summary of the game. As the commentators were saying, there was suddenly some real urgency. We let the Tigers get away with too much in the first 3 quarters. Let's just hope they turn up against Geelong next week.

Some thoughts:
Fosdike - made me eat my words in the other thread. Best performance in a long time and some great goals at difficult positions.
Crouch - what a shocking kick. Excellent last quarter otherwise, full of running and energy.
Davis - Although his defensive side of his game has improved, still needs a lot more work. He has to stick closer to this direct opponent when he doesn't have it.
Kennelly - Really has to be released from direct defensive duties. His running makes our side so much more potent.
Hall - I can't remember a game in recent memory where he has been held goalless. More of a direct result of the poor midfield than his game.

 

[monopoly19]

Gah... for 3 quarters that was disgraceful, with Ryan O'Keefe and Craig Bolton probably the standouts for me. The midfield was smashed (it all looked good on paper, Kirk, Williams and B1 for the first time this season) and Greg Stafford seemed to be having the game of his life at times. As soon as they started kicking accurately we looked gone and I was livid. No-one looked like they were even trying - Richmond had numbers at the ball because they were working harder all day (bar maybe the last quarter). It was pathetic.

Last quarter was fantastic - Crouchie got his runs going (they had been missing all night), Williams got more of the ball and we actually WON at the centre clearances. Fossy had a ripper of a 1st game back - mostly used the ball much better than I ever remember him doing. The 3 goals he kicked were all awesome.

Really disappointed with Davis - constantly outmarked and shirked at least one contest I thought he should have made. Hall was completely nullified (did he score a goal?) and should have gotten those set shots. O'Keefe missed easy ones, Goodes and Crouchie too. Pretty painful game to watch, and I feel very sorry for the Melbourne based fans who have managed to see 1 good quarter of footy out of 8 so far. What a shame, it was such a good opportunity for us.

 

[Matching Mole]

First 3 quarters? Sydney vs. St Kilda at Telstra Dome.

Down by 33 points.

Last quarter? Sydney vs. Brisbane at the Gabba

Comeback by 32 points.

1 point the difference then.


Honestly, we were awful for nearly three quarters. We didn't deserve to win. and are yet to prove our knockers wrong. The first half was ugly, ugly, ugly. Hall was nullified, the midfield was thumped and our Forward 50 entries were often dismal.

The passion, directness and run of that last quarter could knock any team sideways. Four quarters next time, eh?

 

[Jeffers]

Just begs the question. Why can't we play like we did in the last quarter for the whole game?
Those first three quarters were the most shocking i have seen from us all year.

Some of the kicking was deplorable mainly from Mathews and Jude Bolton.
Ablett and Kirk played their worst games in a while
Hall had some difficult but gettable shots at goal.
Goodesy is really a shocking set shot for goal and boy did it cost us.

Fosdike, i eat my words. Fantastic game!
Crouchy was inspirational in that last quarter.
Kennelly really tried his arse off.

Just really disappointing in the end. We definately did not at all deserve to win this game and the negatives of our first 3 quarters definately out weigh our last quarter.

 

[grimlock]

Yeah, bloody Stafford who has been mainly useless all season chooses to play well against us.

 

[grimlock]

First 3 quarters? Sydney vs. St Kilda at Telstra Dome.

Down by 33 points.

Last quarter? Sydney vs. Brisbane at the Gabba

Comeback by 32 points.

1 point the difference then.


Honestly, we were awful for nearly three quarters. We didn't deserve to win. and are yet to prove our knockers wrong. The first half was ugly, ugly, ugly. Hall was nullified, the midfield was thumped and our Forward 50 entries were often dismal.

The passion, directness and run of that last quarter could knock any team sideways. Four quarters next time, eh?

That game at the Gabba we played terrible for 3 quarters as well.

 

[monopoly19]

I forgot to say (in spite) that Mathews as our captain is a complete and utter joke. He will never be the one to inspire when we are playing as we did. He is a lumbering piece of useless lard that can't find a target and is not worthy of captaining our side (thankgod it's over).

 

[Matching Mole]

That game at the Gabba we played terrible for 3 quarters as well.

Um - my point exactly. The only difference being that the margin was one point greater.

MORAL: Comebacks only work some of the time. To win games, you've got to turn up for the other 3 quarters.

 

[Jeffers]

Um - my point exactly. The only difference being that the margin was one point greater.

MORAL: Comebacks only work some of the time. To win games, you've got to turn up for the other 3 quarters.

Ain't that the ********ing truth!

 

[grimlock]

The moral is don't play stupid football.

Anyway, did anyone else notice how little we used our bench in the 2nd half. I didn't see LRT at all, Saddo only in the 3rd and McVeigh near the end?

 

[RW]

I think Liz was spot on in saying they didn't really deserve to win that - and luckily, if memory serves me, we will NOT be overtaken by Richmond given their % is worse than ours...

After watching that, can't help wondering if they are only capable of playing one fantastic quarter per game, or have they just been underachieving? I suspect it's the latter - they looked slow and tired for three quarters as they were beaten to the ball time and time again. If that's the case and they really are that slow, then where did the run come from in the last quarter? Even more damning, suddenly in the last quarter their skills picked up a lot too - where were they for the first three quarters?

I hope they've learnt their lesson now, but I can't help thinking that this game will be the one that ends up costing us a top 4 berth. We could have done some damage in that position in the finals...

On a side note, I think this game proves that when the Swans are playing well, they are not an ugly team. When they play badly, on the other hand....