Richmond's Gameplan

[Keef]

From what I have seen, Danny's gameplan has consistently been to run an extra defender in the backline. This has strenghtened the backline but weakened the forward line, and it has been hard to kick winning scores. When our midfield dominates and they have time to deliver with quality (ie when Johnno & Cogs were flying in the early games) this is okay. However, when the midfield is down and the ball comes in haphazardly, being an extra man down is a disadvantage. Our midfield is still a problem, but I'm getting to the point where I'd rather see a strenghtened forward line trying to kick a winning score rather than an extra down back. Thoughts?

 

[tigerT]

keef we r a dumb football side, no football nous whatsoever, so the quicker spud stops trying the loose man in defence garbage and starts with the good ol fashioned accountable footy the better off we'll be....

 

[TheFoxhat]

I'm just sick & tired of the passengers in the team & no presure from the blokes at Coburg to better themselves....
Hopefully after the break Holland ,Johnson ,Campbell will return & not get bloody injured....

 

[peejay]

The flooding game plan is rubbish. flooding might get you into the eight but it never will get anyone higher than 6th IMO. If we want to be more than just a team the srcapes into the 8 ( and i know a lot of us would settle for that this year) than this plan has to get the kyber.

The performance of the Eagles so far this year tells me that with a decent gameplan teams can turn things around quickly. The no plan "B" is something that has been missing from our arsenal for a few years.

 

[Carlos]

Sorry to interupt here, but i went along to your game on Satdy with my Tiger supporting mate.

A few observations:

You clearly had the match ups you would have been wanting in the backline. Otto on Martyn was ideal, Richo on Thornoton was taylor made for the Boy to run around merrily and get a few kicks.

What left me dumbfounded was the fact that Frawley didnt open up the forward 50 for them to work in with Krakour sniping at the fall and instead clogged it up, particularly with the likes of Hilton, who is not and never will be a full forward.

And the way the ball was moved down to them was at times non-sensical. As much as Richo can be a bit of a sulk at times, i didnt blame him on Saturday! He lead his guts out several times, yet by the time the ball got down to him the Blues had flooded back, and his only options were to go wide to the pockets and in low percentage areas, or get crunched by a pack of 15 blokes!

You've got some bloody good players on your list, but it seems Frawley doesnt know how to best utilise their strengths and weaknesses. That Newman is going to be a gun. Chaffee is one of the most underated players in the comp. Fleming is a tough nut. Coughlan is the reason i went on Saturday. And why the little dark bloke in #18 doesnt spend more time in the engine room is lost on me. At least you have more of a chance then of getting it out of the center and sending it forward down the guts rather than via the cape.

I thought Fiora played terrifically in the first half but went missing after and Hall showed some real steel across half back. But how nuffies like Pettifer, Biddiscomb and Rogers get a game is beyond me. I know Rogers was once a handy player who could run lines, but his disposal is appalling and he seems to lack a brain now.

Anyway, i know the last thing you bloke sneed is some opposition no-it-all coming in and sinking the boots in. Not meaning to do that at all. I've watched a fair bit of your mob of late and can see some really good signs there, but geez you're a frustrating unit. I dont know how you poor bastards do it!

 

[CJH]

Carlos, we always welcome outsiders in, especially when you have something thoughtful to say!

The biggest tactical error made on our forward line was the positioning of Richo. He was often starting in the goal square and then being forced to lead wide into the pockets while under plenty of pressure.

What should have happened was that he start in a spot 40 metres out from goal and play as a true CHF (where he plays his best football) directing play into the forward line.

With both Ottens and Stafford playing, either of these 2 then should have rotated through FF when resting from the ruck.

This will isolate the 2 big forwards and will also prevent the midfielders from kicking the ball to Richo regardless of his position. Ultimately, it is very hard to lead into a pocket when you are standing at CHF.

This positioning also helps our rebounding game of half back. Most teams would be uncomfortable with the likes of Tivendale and Chaffey running off half back and feeding a mobile Richo 60 metres away.

We really did miss Gaspar, though not in the way we thought! Basically, each defender had to step up a rung with Zantuck taking Fevola and Kellaway / Hall on Whitnall / McKernan. While Lance did OK, none of these other players had much of an impact which is good....

... except that their 4th forward managed to kick 5.3!!! If Gaspar was playing then Zantuck would have stepped back onto Murphy - a much better matchup - and it would have been unlikely that he would kick as much as he did!

I agree that Rodan should spend more time on the ball. Unlike a lot of other players, when he get's the ball, things happen. His pace and elusiveness usually manage to break play up and finds opposition players out of position.

I don't know what to do with Pettifer. He has all the ability in the world but is probably 5kgs too light at the moment. The biggest problem though is that he appears to have no confidence whatsoever at this level and appears to play scared. I would be very surprised if he makes it beyond this year!

The only reason that the likes of Biddiscombe get games is because the cupboard is basically bare. The only potential replacements for him at the moment are Dragacevic who is slowly being nursed along after back to back knee reconstructions and Daniel Sipthorpe - who is playing Coburg 2nds! Aside from that, it is Clinton King - as big a nuffie as Biddiscombe!

Next week, Campbell and Johnson will return with Biddiscombe and either Pettifer or Hilton making way.

 

[kretchy]

Originally posted by CJH

I agree that Rodan should spend more time on the ball. Unlike a lot of other players, when he get's the ball, things happen. His pace and elusiveness usually manage to break play up and finds opposition players out of position.

I agree that Rodan in the midfield makes things happen when he gets the ball by taking opponents on and backing himself in. However I think what might be holding him back from more time in the midfield is perhaps the defensive side of his game. He hasn't yet done enough to warrant a tag so he is going to be going head to head with one of the oppostions midfielders, and Frawley and the oppostion coaching staff may think that his direct opponent is doing too much damage going the other way.

Having said all that the only time I have noticed this was during the first quarter of the swans game, Rodan was on Williams for a period and it was at this stage where Williams did the most damage for the game. IMO Rodan isn't totally to blame for that it is up to the coaching staff and other midfielders to make sure the match-ups are Ok, personally from our point of view I don't believe Rodan/Williams was a good match-up.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Top post Carlos ... sometimes the best thing is for our team to be looked at in cold blood, rather than with all of the subjectivity us Tiger fans impose on our analyses.

We're pretty confident that if we can get our best 18 on the ground sometime before the year is out, then a few of the obvious flaws in our gameplan and skill level will be ironed out ... that's the plan anyway.

If you do drop back, could you tell us the progress of Dylan Smith at the Roos. Seems to have fallenn off the radar, after being a sensational Uner 18 player at Sandy. Anyway, good luck to the Roos. I doubt that I'm alone in saying that if the Tiges don't make the Eight, then I'll be certainly riding with the Roos through September.

 

[Keef]

On the midfield, I still think we are short two high quality midfielders. The top sides of today have impressive line-ups, the latest being WCE with Coursins, Kerr, Judd & others. The famous line-up of Brisbane midfield is well documented. A strong midfield means the ball is delivered in a 'controlled' manner into the forward line and when the opposition is heading the other way, a strong midfield places them under pressure giving the backline an advantage.

Cogs will continue to get better and Johnno is first class. We need a couple more to complement these two. Rodan is an option but is still not proven. Interesting how WCE are doing well with a strong midfield and a short forward. Maybe one of our tall forwards should get traded to sure the midfield up.

 

[Carlos]

Originally posted by GhostofJimJess
Top post Carlos ... sometimes the best thing is for our team to be looked at in cold blood, rather than with all of the subjectivity us Tiger fans impose on our analyses.

We're pretty confident that if we can get our best 18 on the ground sometime before the year is out, then a few of the obvious flaws in our gameplan and skill level will be ironed out ... that's the plan anyway.

If you do drop back, could you tell us the progress of Dylan Smith at the Roos. Seems to have fallenn off the radar, after being a sensational Uner 18 player at Sandy. Anyway, good luck to the Roos. I doubt that I'm alone in saying that if the Tiges don't make the Eight, then I'll be certainly riding with the Roos through September.

Cheers Ghost!

And yeah, add your skipper and Johnson back in there, and IMO Dragasevic is worth one last crack (at least he has a dip) and of course Holland who straightens you blokes right up, and all of a sudden you blokes look comfortably top 6. Blumfield is 50/50, although he'd surely add more than friggen Pettifer, Biddiscomb, Houlahan or Rogers!!

** switch off here anyone who doesnt give a rats about North! **

Anyway, on Dylan, i've been to every Port Melbourne game bar 1 this year and Smitty has been going ok. Had a great patch of 3 or 4 games where he was working his guts out and getting a stack of ball. Played mainly as a centerman and his willingness to put his head over the ball and get in and under was outstanding. His hands have always been good, but the 1% aspect has come on in leaps and bounds this year.

His last 2 games (you blokes and the Bombers' 2's) have been ordinary, where he has struggled to overcome some very tight tags, although he has still been trying to work his way into games but it just hasnt been happening for him.

But it seems that regardless of how good or bad he is going in the 2's, Laidley just has no time for him. He rarely trains with our main group at training, never takes part in any of the senior group's drills, and it seems that his lack of leg speed and lack of penetration by foot means that he is either a centerman or he is nothing. He played a handful of games last year under Pagan, and i've never seena kid work harder in a pre-season than he did with so many extra sessions to work on his skills, but from all accounts Laidley doesnt see him fitting into his structure. And with Simpson, Grant, Stevens, Robbins and now Harris all travelling well, he's got a tough ask to get a spot.

Very little chance he'll be on our list next year sadly IMO. Nice kid, spoken to him plenty of times and he is very level-headed. And i was most impressed that last year he told his manager to not field any offers from any other clubs as he loved the club so much and just wanted to see if he could break in at North. But it seems that he is up against it.

 

[THE BOY BEAV]

GOOD WORK CARLOS

great work carlos!!!!
mmm i reckon i watched that rabble on sat with you
maybe if we put in a bender like thursday night my tigers would have looked better.
salada.

 

[digby]

re-bender

To Beav the boy!!
The answer is not in the bottle!!!!
{just ask D.Neitz}

I know you have waited patiently for 20 long years
but IMO the wait is getting closer!!!
{just need best 22 on the paddock!!!}

Looking at your best side OCTOBER 2002

{still cant get Holland + Gasper in the side together!!!}
(blumfield-jury not out on him!!}
{smokie-Newman has delivered;but Mcgrath ???}

your -interchange-Hall/D.Kellaway/Pettifer

PERHAPS only Hall will survive after this year!!!


but here in lies the problem-no depth!!!

Stay true or come + join in the chorus!!!
Over + out
Digby

 

[Carlos]

Re: re-bender

Originally posted by digby
To Beav the boy!!
The answer is not in the bottle!!!!

But it doesn't stop us from asking the question over and over and over again!!

Hmmm, wouldn't mind one now actually!