Land of the Giants
Premiership Player
Well, that brought us back to earth with a thud, didn’t it?
The intent was obvious from the start, but I thought our inability to inflict scoreboard pressure early despite an avalanche of possession would prove costly, as it usually does. We couldn’t maintain the intensity or find a way to goal and the game was over by half time.
Now for Round 3, back at Giants Stadium again, to face the wounded Tigers.
In a way, Richmond, premiers in 2017, have come to resemble their Bulldog predecessors of 2016.
Remember all the hype about long premiership droughts being replaced by Hawthorn-like dynasties? Instead, the Bulldogs, stripped of mysterious free-kick advantages, promptly imploded, and Richmond’s tilt at seemingly inevitable back-to-back glory came to a crashing halt against a resurgent Collingwood in last year’s preliminary final.
There were a few Tigers suspected of carrying injuries into that preliminary final, and it hasn’t got any better for them. Like a well-oiled machine suddenly missing a vital component, Richmond are finding out how destabilising injuries to key players can be, something we’re only too familiar with. The season-ending injury to Alex Rance, one of those back men with a reputation most glamour midfielders or key forwards would die for, has reminded everyone how important some players are to team structure. It’s a brave new world for Richmond without him. The outcome against Collingwood on Thursday night was an omen.
There will be a few changes for us on Saturday. This week sees Shane Mumford back from retirement. We can only hope the sequel is as good at the original (although I think the last time that happened was The Empire Strikes Back, in 1980).
I’m not sure how I feel about Mumford’s comeback. If he fires, fantastic, but he’s not a long-term prospect. He’s not the future. And we’ve got more pressing concerns, such as what is really going on with Josh Kelly and Toby Greene.
On the bright side, Lachie Whitfield played an excellent game last night and should collect a few Brownlow votes for his constant run and penetration. A pity he lacked support. Jacob Hopper also had a good game in the midfield, but Coniglio was tagged all match and his output was way down. I wonder if he had other things on his mind? And I hope Phil Davis hasn't suffered a serious eye injury.
While it was a tough night at the office, I’m actually pretty confident about this week. We’ve been competitive against Richmond in recent times, even when they were at their peak. I’m expecting to see a real bounce back by the team and good turnout by the supporters on Saturday afternoon.
We will not lose this game.
The intent was obvious from the start, but I thought our inability to inflict scoreboard pressure early despite an avalanche of possession would prove costly, as it usually does. We couldn’t maintain the intensity or find a way to goal and the game was over by half time.
Now for Round 3, back at Giants Stadium again, to face the wounded Tigers.
In a way, Richmond, premiers in 2017, have come to resemble their Bulldog predecessors of 2016.
Remember all the hype about long premiership droughts being replaced by Hawthorn-like dynasties? Instead, the Bulldogs, stripped of mysterious free-kick advantages, promptly imploded, and Richmond’s tilt at seemingly inevitable back-to-back glory came to a crashing halt against a resurgent Collingwood in last year’s preliminary final.
There were a few Tigers suspected of carrying injuries into that preliminary final, and it hasn’t got any better for them. Like a well-oiled machine suddenly missing a vital component, Richmond are finding out how destabilising injuries to key players can be, something we’re only too familiar with. The season-ending injury to Alex Rance, one of those back men with a reputation most glamour midfielders or key forwards would die for, has reminded everyone how important some players are to team structure. It’s a brave new world for Richmond without him. The outcome against Collingwood on Thursday night was an omen.
There will be a few changes for us on Saturday. This week sees Shane Mumford back from retirement. We can only hope the sequel is as good at the original (although I think the last time that happened was The Empire Strikes Back, in 1980).
I’m not sure how I feel about Mumford’s comeback. If he fires, fantastic, but he’s not a long-term prospect. He’s not the future. And we’ve got more pressing concerns, such as what is really going on with Josh Kelly and Toby Greene.
On the bright side, Lachie Whitfield played an excellent game last night and should collect a few Brownlow votes for his constant run and penetration. A pity he lacked support. Jacob Hopper also had a good game in the midfield, but Coniglio was tagged all match and his output was way down. I wonder if he had other things on his mind? And I hope Phil Davis hasn't suffered a serious eye injury.
While it was a tough night at the office, I’m actually pretty confident about this week. We’ve been competitive against Richmond in recent times, even when they were at their peak. I’m expecting to see a real bounce back by the team and good turnout by the supporters on Saturday afternoon.
We will not lose this game.
