Sen Tigers Preview

[HumanMeatball]

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2017/02...nd-must-prove-hardwick-s-belief-is-justified/



AFL
PREVIEW | RICHMOND MUST JUSTIFY HARDWICK'S BELIEF
BY JUSTIN TALENT 15 HOURS AGO
Garry Lyon says that Richmond’s list needs to show just why under pressure coach Damien Hardwick believes them to be the best he has had in his time at Punt Road.

Hardwick claimed in his first media conference of 2017 that he is adamant his side can play finals this year, buoyed by what he considers to be the strongest team he has ever had at his disposal.



Lyon says that based on the fact Richmond’s list now contains 15 top 20 draft picks - six of those from inside the top 10 - he can see why the Tigers coach holds this belief.

However he says that the majority of these players, outside of stars like Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin and Alex Rance, need to begin to justify the potential the Tigers saw in them to be drafted so high.

“A few of them haven’t kicked on but they have had opportunities,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

“There is some pressure to get it right. The rebuild can’t be there. They’ve had opportunity so the list they have got now needs to get it right.

“Damien Hardwick says this is the best list he has had at the football club. For Richmond to have had a successful season, we need to be sitting here back on September 30 and say ‘Now I get it. That’s why Damien Hardwick said that this is the best list he has had at his disposal.”

Lyon also believes the Tigers must adopt a consistent gameplan in 2017, rather than constantly altering the team’s style of play as has been the case in recent seasons.

“We need to see a consistent style of play. A game style that they are locked on and committed to and want to follow through. A game style that stands up under pressure or when they’re winning and they don’t deviate from it,” he said.

“There were signs in the first JLT Series that they were going to take the game on more aggressively, run the ball more aggressively and take some risks through the middle of the ground because they have had varying styles over the past couple of years.”

Tim Watson says that Richmond’s list changes in the off-season leave the club in a much better position than the end of last season, particularly to the midfield which is now ranked fourth best in the competition by Champion Data.

The former Essendon captain says that the acquisition of midfield duo Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia should allow Dustin Martin to play further up forward in 2017 and score more than his nine goals last season, a position that Watson believes will make the most of Martin’s strengths as a footballer.

“(Martin) is a matchup handful for any defender in the competition,” he said.

“Last year they just had the propensity to play him off half-back. They wanted somebody to kick the ball well, which he is and he is a reasonably good decision maker as well, but he got a lot of junk stuff in the back half.

“I don’t think he had the effectiveness for Richmond that he can if he’s getting half as much ball in the front half.

“That’s one of the things they need to reconsider, his time in the midfield versus his time in the front half where he can be of great assistance to Riewoldt.”

Lyon agreed, stating that Martin spending more time inside 50 could solve one of Richmond’s most troubling issues from 2016.

“Maybe that will encourage them to go forward more aggressively too,” he said.

“They were last in the competition for winning inside 50s against their opponent – that is a damning statistic because you have to get it in there.

“The depth of the midfield will allow that to happen and that’s why Caddy and Prestia add a little bit through there… that will free them up.”

What they added over the off-season...
National Draft: Shai Bolton (29), Jack Graham (53), Ryan Garthwaite (72)

Rookies: Tyson Stengle

Trade: Josh Caddy (Geelong), Toby Nankervis (Sydney), Dion Prestia (Gold Coast)

What they lost from 2016...
Retired: Troy Chaplin, Reece McKenzie

Delisted: Liam McBean, Adam Marcon, Andrew Moore

Traded: Brett Deledio (GWS)

Free agency: Ty Vickery (Hawthorn)

The first month...
Round 1: Carlton v Richmond, MCG

Round 2: Richmond v Collingwood, MCG

Round 3: Richmond v West Coast, MCG

Round 4: Richmond v Brisbane, Gabba

Predicted headline...
"External versus internal. I’m not sure there are too many people externally that think Richmond will play finals, but the fact that they have said so many things on the record believing that they should and will places pressure on themselves.”– Sam McClure

Where will they finish?
• Garry: 14th

• Tim: 13th

 

[Shogun]

I tend to agree with that mostly, but I do believe we will be better off at the end of this year. Start working on the KP depth and we will be there abouts. New game plan will take time, but looking at that JLT game you can see the line breaking ability that we have.
One thing I did notice was the speed of ball movement, it looks like they're still getting used it though.

On HUAWEI LYO-L02 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Stevi_Tigers]

yep we have a lot of high draft picks but a lot of them were poor selections. i think we have finally gotten the recruiting right and with 2 first rounders this year and naish as a father and son things will begin to improve. the midfield looks good. backline with rance/astbury/grimes/houli/short/kmac looks fine. the problem will be the forward line we are crying out for a partner to help jack out

 

[TigerImposter]

Two fools stating the obvious then predicting us to end up 13 or 14th . DH already cursing us by getting the cows in the milking shed with the cream separator in full spin mode. Why does the FW bother?

 

[THE_GUN]

Whilst i dont believe we will make finals im not going to write us off completely just yet due to certain reasons that could change things dramatically

Prestia,Nankervis,Caddy - Certainly makes us a better side
Deledio - Leaving i believe is not as big a loss now as it may have been 2 years ago

We have roughly 10-12 players that could jump up and become regulars and improve dramatically
Markov , Rioli , Butler , Menadue , Short , Drummond , Bolton ,Castagna which are all speed demons

Players that have had totally crap years that cant possibly be any worse than last year
Cotchin , Miles , Edwards , B.Ellis ,C.Ellis ,Townsend , Maric

Top Players that would get a game at any club
Riewoldt,Caddy,Prestia,Cotchin,Martin,Rance

So we have 6 players that can get a game in any club (maybe not gws lol )
We have had players that could not possibly have another year as bad as 2016
We have alot of unknown talent that surely 3-4 will develop and jump up to become upgrades on what we put out last year
5 new coaches with a refreshed game plan with a distinct and more aggressive style
Harmony amongs the playing group seems alot better

My expectations 7-10

 

[joelsyt]

I agree mostly with that write-up. I don't think we'll finish as low as expected but it's definitely touch and go as to whether or not we make finals.

Dimma is right that it is our most talented list in a long while, the problem is that it's an inexperienced list, something that will once again go unsaid this year.

Our recruits in Prestia, Caddy and Nankervis will only make players like Dusty and Cotch better, so while we may not make finals I am certainly looking forward to this year and hopefully a more exciting game plan.

 

[Helen Wheels]

Garry ("you have to get it in there") Lyon and Timmy ("they're all innocent") Watson. The Campaigner Brothers.

 

[aarontags]

Is that the same Gary Lyon who said we have kids with speed like Corey Ellis?
Imbecile

 

[wegetpumped]

Look this people make assumptions on what have they seen just like us. We can call them all we like but unless we as a team prove them otherwise they will keep writing the same things over and over and we will still call them the same names so on.
It's for our team to prove them wrong. As supporter's we relax bite our lips and wait for the good times than we can say all we like but i bet they will change their tune also and than we will be calling them other things.

 

[Tiger Toffee]

Finishing 13 or lower would require us to have a worse year than 2016, the same year we still won 8 games and if not for throwing away the pies and cats games as well as getting reamed by Bannister in a close loss to the dogs, we would've missed the finals by 1 yes 1 game playing a shit brand of football and the players having a shit attitude as well.

A simple attitude change and better style of play will see us winning at least 13 games and making finals IMO.

 

[Helen Wheels]

Look this people make assumptions on what have they seen just like us. We can call them all we like but unless we as a team prove them otherwise they will keep writing the same things over and over and we will still call them the same names so on.
It's for our team to prove them wrong. As supporter's we relax bite our lips and wait for the good times than we can say all we like but i bet they will change their tune also and than we will be calling them other things.

Whether we're spooners or premiers, we don't need their approval.

 

[Noseybonk]

Whether we're spooners or premiers, we don't need their approval.

Yep. And its better we fly under the radar.

 

[Achilles Heel]

Garry ("you have to get it in there") Lyon and Timmy ("they're all innocent") Watson. The Campaigner Brothers.

Let's see his critique of the tankers and the drug cheats, melbournes whole list are top 10 draft aren't they?

 

[Achilles Heel]

Finishing 13 or lower would require us to have a worse year than 2016, the same year we still won 8 games and if not for throwing away the pies and cats games as well as getting reamed by Bannister in a close loss to the dogs, we would've missed the finals by 1 yes 1 game playing a shit brand of football and the players having a shit attitude as well.

A simple attitude change and better style of play will see us winning at least 13 games and making finals IMO.

I'm optimistic that we will play finals, and I'm a Hardwick lover

 

[Helen Wheels]

Let's see his critique of the tankers and the drug cheats, melbournes whole list are top 10 draft aren't they?

Yes. Let's look at the teams they actually like and ask ourselves: "Do we want to be like that?"

 

[This Is Anfield]

It's all guesswork, by them and us, as there are always so many variables that can't be factored in. For all sides.
Injuries
How the draw pans out, an easy draw seemingly can become hard and vice versa.
The output of your better players.
Players expected to improve tread water or go backwards.
Players not expected to improve, do.
The impact of new recruits on underachievers.
How new recruits fit into the new club.
Which team gets the dream run from the umpires ala the Dogs.
Tigers could finish 4th to 15th.
I'm tipping 4th because that's what I do.

 

[Tiger_4_Life]

This was not a preview, I listened to it and it was a revue of our past failings more than anything. They spoke about the player rifts last year, mass exodus of our stars that didn't happen blah blah blah...

They failed to mention that guys like Cellis are our bigger catalysts for whether we come on or not. There was no in depth review of the list just blanket statements that may well turn out to be true however they werent based on any backed up facts just perception.

 

[This Is Anfield]

This was not a preview, I listened to it and it was a revue of our past failings more than anything. They spoke about the player rifts last year, mass exodus of our stars that didn't happen blah blah blah...

They failed to mention that guys like Cellis are our bigger catalysts for whether we come on or not. There was no in depth review of the list just blanket statements that may well turn out to be true however they werent based on any backed up facts just perception.

Garry Lyon IS TigerImposter

 

[Tiger V]

SEN once a credible sports radio station , now a joke as far as footy is concerned
that's what you get when you have donkeys on the show

 

[Achilles Heel]

SEN once a credible sports radio station , now a joke as far as footy is concerned
that's what you get when you have donkeys on the show

WEL it is owned by head office now

 

[Dr Tigris]

2016 was the year when a top 8, verging on top 4 squad played like disengaged idiots. Some injuries hurt, but the core issue was coaching. If we can fix the game plan and attack the game , without over coaching, we will be a handful.

Also the team is much better balanced now. We have genuine inside mid depth and quality, as well as more speed. We should go very well, if they play a good brand of footy and the guys play to their potential.

To me the preview was full of platitudes and showed virtually no knowledge of the squad and how it got to 2the 2016 finish. I would have been happy if they had said the squad showed for 3 years that it was top 8, and could have made top 4, and it is possibly stronger this year BUT the coaching is problematic, as well as leadership and smarts being sub-standard. So I expect that the coach wills till be a dill and club leadership will remain poor, so miss the 8. (Or they said the club has learnt its lesson and they will be back to their best, but with a much more bullet proof squad and game plan)

As is, that was a huge nothing to me.

 

[Capitano_Cotch]

Our midfield will be our strength this year.
A starting midfield of Cotchin, Martin, Caddy, Prestia, Vlastuin plus the rest can surely compete with most in the competition (bar GWS)
The ability of Martin, Caddy, Cotchin and potentially Vlastuin resting forward will be a nightmare for most teams and this is where we can exploit.
We have Rance at one end and Jack at the other, both elite for their position and proven stars.
Whilst I am not expecting us to play finals this year, there is no reason to believe that we can't compete with every team in the competition.
If we have a good run with injuries then we may sneak in to the 8, you just never know.
Will be an interesting season and the club has every right to believe we can play finals.
Remember it was only this time last year that we had come off a season finishing with 15 wins.

 

[Cevap_Roll]

Top 4.

And I honestly do believe my statement. Last year was just an off year.

 

[Tiger_4_Life]

For some reason no one seems to rate that Nankervis, Caddy and Prestia automatically make us a much stronger side, and that 3 spots from out starting 18 have been upgraded... It's discounted as being "more of the same from Richmond" which is ludicrous in itself.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Top 4.

And I honestly do believe my statement. Last year was just an off year.

I wish I had your optimism... If we finish where those arsebats predicted we're ****ed for a few years.