so where exactly are we at?

[lookkg386]

157 point towelling against a team we beat there last year and 40 point loss to Port who we beat also last year. Looking at the two lists from last year to now I actually think that apart from a fit Simmo and half fit Cogs we look better on paper this season, so what do we think are the main reasons for us to be aiming for top 8 to wooden spoon in less than 12 months. Is it a universal form slump to our older guys or have I missed somthing, I don't know about you guys out there but I came in to this season with more promise than I have for quite a while, what happened?

 

[wart101]

157 point towelling against a team we beat there last year and 40 point loss to Port who we beat also last year. Looking at the two lists from last year to now I actually think that apart from a fit Simmo and half fit Cogs we look better on paper this season, so what do we think are the main reasons for us to be aiming for top 8 to wooden spoon in less than 12 months. Is it a universal form slump to our older guys or have I missed somthing, I don't know about you guys out there but I came in to this season with more promise than I have for quite a while, what happened?

A team needs leadership, the expirience that senior playing groups bring to a team can't be replaced in youth, for example an expirienced player knows how to not buckle under pressure when things get tough, doesn't second guess his own ability just goes out there and fights for the team.

At the moment we have a team that is full of cracking under pressure second guessing youths, unfotunatly altough frustrating this is what is needed for our team to move forward, the youths that are there now when they realise how important they are and what they can do will become mature Hopfully unstoppable players.

This is the potential of our side but not until 2011

It was always going to take time to rebuild our side, we were lucky to get to the positions we did in the last two years and it was because of our senior players, now that they are gone or injured a new crop of guys will come through and stabalise things.

 

[krustyman]

Im a little disappointed with the way the some of the younger players have not really come through compared to other teams, particularly last years batch which are struggling. Tigers are not the worse team, as they managed to win their fair share of games overt he last few seasons. Last year we saw polo, foley and raines come up, but this year no one so far.

 

[Maquis de Saad]

where ever we are, im not sure the train stops their anymore.

 

[santa claws]

its taken 3 drafts to take the list from deplorable to just plain poor.
over the next 3 or 4 drafts with retirements we need to turn over probably half the list.possible retirements will be j bowden. brown. gaspar gone anyway. johnson. kingsley. richo. simmonds. then you have players who need to be delisted traded. krakouer . hall. hyde. . pettifer. tivendale.
then you have blokes who havent been around that long but are on their last chance this yr. moore jackson. hartigan. p bowden. and schulz. then theres rookies graham harsh i know. howat. and king.on top of this there are some not on the above list who may not make it but we need time to look at them.
when wallace first came there were only half a dozen players worth keeping or persevering with now theres 20 22 mostly kids.imo by 2011 the list should be built but there will be plenty of players who will need developing. i would hope by then we are a finals side.

 

[1980]

2007 is a write off.

Wallace will either get it right in 2008, or he will do a doggies in 2009.

What a lot of people on here posting rubbish about Wallace are missing is that if he goes, a lot of players will go as well. I dont for one see Lids hanging around.

Hughes, Meyer, all these kids with so called potential will be more likely to go without Wallace

 

[W. Smithers]

The thing that worries me is (it was mentioned by papers and Wallace) the complete lack of emotion.

They look like a bunch of zombies out there playing football, like they are too scared to try anything, heads drop quickly, even the indigenous boys who are renowned for a bit of flair, just look totally disinterested.

They don't have the performances or skills to back up any trash talk, but hell, just do it anyway.

We need character like Didak, Fevola, Carey or Liberatore. Someone opposition teams just hate with a passion. Someone you wish the unthinkable on.

I'd like to see us take a leaf out of the Kangaroos book, play tough, do the basics, be proud to play for your club.

I don't know where the problem lies, is it players or coaches?

 

[astro_toby]

we are at phase one of our development. the past two years have been mainly the older group - and now we are in that gap inbetween the transfer over to the next phase - where the younger guys surpass the older blokes.

at the moment - we are in that no mans land where the kids arent ready to take control - and the older blokes aren't as capable of doing it either. we must hope that the kids step up by next year

this season, our best thing is to win the spoon and get a priority. we also need miller and wallace working their absolute butts off to make sure we can maximize the first selection in the PSD to try and get atleast a reasonably good ruckman with 5-10 years of good football in him. this season will be millers make or break year at richmond - if he can't pull some rabbits out of his hat - he may be gone.

three picks in the top 20 (which MUST all be successful) and a good PSD pick up must be done - otherwise we are along way off any type of reasonable improvement.

players such as deledio, tambling, Polak, raines, pattison, meyer, pettifer, Jon and McGuane need to keep on improving at a level which is consistent with that of other clubs - at this stage that isn't happening - raines is a perfect example - his decision making, and quality of possesion has dropped off a heap.

 

[astro_toby]

2007 is a write off.

Wallace will either get it right in 2008, or he will do a doggies in 2009.

What a lot of people on here posting rubbish about Wallace are missing is that if he goes, a lot of players will go as well. I dont for one see Lids hanging around.

Hughes, Meyer, all these kids with so called potential will be more likely to go without Wallace

why do you think that? wallace will stay on, we can't afford to release him inregards to $$$.

but i don't completely believe that Terry has all those blokes passionately behind him enough to believe they will all walk if he leaves - i doubt any will

if they had that much passion for the coach, they wouldn't put in the performance they have in the past fortnight.

 

[telsor]

Where are we?

We have a large number of quality young players, who are running around looking ordinary because, unlike other clubs, they don't have the number and quality of experienced, older players to provide the framework and example for them and to take the oppositions best players and to learn from, so we're struggling while the kids learn it themselves.

In spite of what a number of people keep saying about dropping our older players, we need to keep them as best we can.

Hyde is a classic example. He'll never be a star, although I maintain he'd look a lot better in a better team. What we need him for is because he runs the lines, he takes on the opposition and backs himself. From doing that, hopefully, he gives the kids around him confidence to do the same.

Sure, it'd be better to have a Judd, or Kerr doing it so they could see it more, and see a better final result ( usually ) to inspire them further, but we have to use what we have. I suppose an upside of Hyde that Judd/Kerr wouldn't have is that Wallace can also use him to show that a bad game/decision will have you dropped/benched

So where are we? The kids are learning to run until the ache, then run more, to make good decisions in the heat of the moment, to back themselves, and to work for each other. It'll be slow, and sometimes it'll be nasty, but there aren't a lot of options.

 

[lookkg386]

Just as I thought,
Like all of us loyal supporters/members, the players and coaching staff, we all have no idea. One quote from Jason Dunstall about Hawthorn is that he said the difference between the two is that they bottomed out while we took the easy option (ex. Mark Graham!) for some what of a quick fix. So if thats the case then maybe we should be harsh on TW.GM and company

 

[astro_toby]

Just as I thought,
Like all of us loyal supporters/members, the players and coaching staff, we all have no idea. One quote from Jason Dunstall about Hawthorn is that he said the difference between the two is that they bottomed out while we took the easy option (ex. Mark Graham!) for some what of a quick fix. So if thats the case then maybe we should be harsh on TW.GM and company

actually, the exact same thing could be said in the opposite.

the reason things have began to decay is because we lack a mark graham type, to take the pressure off of the kids developing. campbell, stafford, graham, kellaway, gaspar,chaffey are all mature age players which have retired in the past few seasons which has added more, and ultimately, too much pressure on the kids. we lack mature leaders at the club - and this is making it very hard for the young guys to adapt from VFL to AFL.

 

[Mr.X]

16th.

 

[bigpapagman]

16th.

now now, no need to troll. given; it is true.

 

[NICK94]

where are we? at the lowest point. We cant get any lower. but that isnt necassarily a bad thing. The only way is up. But that means we need to change our ways.