The list.

[Rodan#18.]

I'm dividing the playing list into 4 groups of 9 players each. These groups rate players as Vital , Critical, Important and Expendable. Out of respect and for practical purposes I've omitted Knights from the exercise. I expect/invite criticism.

Vital...Untouchable.

1. Richardson. Enough said.
2. Ottens. A genuine rising superstar.
3. Stafford. I'm as suprised as anyone.
4. Coughlan. The next club captain.
5. Campbell A real leader
6. Rodan. Mr excitement.
7. Fiora. Special.
8. Gaspar The rock.
9. Holland We missed him.

Not suprised to note that this group all play the spine or the engine room.

Critical...flanks

10. Bowden If this bloke played to his potential...
11. Zantuck. Tough. Goes fwd. Love him.
12. Hall Great round the ground...
13 Torney Courage, strong grab, accountable.
14. Tivendale See Bowden...virtually twins.
15. A.Kellaway Top grab, stops his man. Goes fwd too.
16. Cameron. Vision, reads the play and beautiful by foot.17. Krakoeur We really need this kid to mature.
18. Hilton. Needs to get in the engine room. Under rated.

Evey club has its superstars but it's this group that gets its team over the line.

Important....depth/development.

19. Chaffey V. Good player but...deal for a tall.
20. Vardy Next in line if a tall goes down.
21. Ednie A real goer...play him now.
22. Newman like Peverill...stops 'em but has skills too.
23. Pettifer Top 10 pick...needs to keep it up.
24. Poyas Tough, fine fwd but does Spud think so ?
25. Mills This kid can play...held back by oldies.
26. Dragicevic Hope his knee's OK...skilled Rising star.
27. Homewood. Needs luck - young, tall, fast

These guys keep the pressure on the ones in the team. They are important for injuries and regeneration. Generally : Apprentices

Expendable....replaceable

28. McGrath. hasn't played yet...his rating will rise.
29. Hyde. Only young, needs more time.Good signs.
30. Dunc. been good but is 30, limited, keeps others back.
31. Rogers. 29 now and has more talented competition.
32. King OK but holding Ednie back.
33. Sziller. Ageing tagger...thanks for the service Dirty.
34. Houilhan. Poyas, Mills, Pettifer have the edge here.
35. Hudson A pawn in the Bourke dumping.
36. Biddiscombe. Vision let him down...could've but didn't.

Apart from the first 2 ; skills, age or consistency (or all 3) have caught these guys. Every club, every season has a handful that have to make way. Sentiment cannot be considered. Not at this level.

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[rfctigerarmy]

Bowden is in the top 9 and as much as i like rodan hes exciting yes but doesnt get the ball enough. Bowden is a great player and i dont think you repect that.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Oh and another thing that would have taken a long time to do good on ya .

Tourney is another play who could be in the top 9 he is underated by [__________________________________] much

 

[Rodan#18.]

rfc tigerarmy

good points, both Bowdo and Torney are fine players.
I think Bowdo stops below his potential...and Torney is in the second group because the spine and engine room are the heart and arteries of a team. Torney is a flanker.

Rodan is no-where near his peak...he's had 1 pre-season and 20 games.

thanks for the positive feedback...the list wasn't so hard ...i wrote it in the bathroom

 

[TigerFurious]

I think you greatly overrated Krakoeur, Rodan#18. He is smart and has good skills but is way too slow for a crumbing forward. I don't think this gamble will pay off.

I would also include Mills, Vardy, Poyas and Ednie as expendable

Plus weren't you questioning Campbell's leadership a few weeks ago? Now you say " a real leader".

 

[Rodan#18.]

Originally posted by TigerFurious
Krakoeur.......is way too slow for a crumbing forward.

Too slow...mmmm, not that I've noticed...if so ; some work in the gym (developing leg muscle) combined with serious running, will be excellent for his acceleration power.


Plus weren't you questioning Campbell's leadership a few weeks ago? Now you say " a real leader".

Good point, In the past I have generally questioned the leadership at Richmond as a group ...anyone from Campbo through Knigter , Richo, Dunc, Rogers and down to Bowden. Not their ability, but where they go when the game is there to be dragged back from defeat. On Campbo : Not always prominent when the going is tough I've said...or words to that effect. In his defence he's maybe the most tagged player in the comp. Putting him at half back is a good thing....he is a real leader ; I stand by that : I've always thought he's been played out of position....he's a wingman or flanker IMHO...not in the engine room...i believe his talents/skills are wasted in there. Campbo, Bowdo and Tivvers are all the same. Beautiful outside players. We don't raise a swan and ask it to be an eagle.
...Find the post where I hassled Campbo and post it...i'll take a look.

I would also include Mills, Vardy, Poyas and Ednie as expendable

well I only had room for 9 didn't I ? lol

seriously though
they are all expendable to some extent but I don't see the point in recruiting them at 17-18 and dropping then when they turn 20....you have to give your crop time to grow. And these are humans playing footy... not lettuces or broad beans...so they may not always come in on time.

I marked Poyas as trade bait anyway...along with pettifer and that does mean expendable to a certain extent...i actually rate them both ...he hasn't been given enough opportunities..and not very long ones either...Newman has been allowed to play and play and play..same wih Zantuck...but I don't remember Poyas playing any worse than them....might win the B& F next year...or Spud could trade him and he;ll be a star somewhere else.

Mills, Vardy and Ednie can all play and have all been given very short/limited opportunities...Spud is nurturing them...we need them around and they need the time. Remember not long ago people were muttering about Coughlan getting delisted. You need depth and now these kids have got their feet wet...we've got depth...not old has beens with poor skills either, but young man ready to play.

Stay furious, Tiger.
Onya mate.

 

[Rodan#18.]

an article from Greeny

Tigers provide hope for 2003
Tony Greenberg
richmondfc.com.au
4:20:44 PM Tue 20 August, 2002
As a wise old football sage reportedly once said: “Three wins doth not a season maketh . . .”

Bearing that in mind, you can rest assured nobody at Tigerland will be getting carried away with the hat-trick of victories, completed at the MCG last Friday night when the Yellow and Blacks torpedoed Hawthorn’s finals chances.


The reality is that Richmond lies in 14th place on the league ladder with a 7-13 scoreline after 20 home-and-away rounds – a bitterly disappointing return following the successful 2001 campaign which culminated in a preliminary final fashion.

Nine losses on-the-trot from rounds 9-17 virtually ensured a bottom-four finish for the Tigers in 2002. While three successive wins since then can’t possibly compensate for that disappointment, it has at least given the Club’s tribe of passionate supporters a decent injection of hope for the 2003 season.

And, also importantly, the victories against Melbourne, Fremantle and Hawthorn have restored the confidence levels within the playing group at Punt Rd which, not surprisingly, plummeted drastically during that nine-match losing streak.

Although you can’t read too much into a hat-trick of wins when the intense pressure of vying for a finals berth no longer exists, it is worth noting several key factors that have been highlighted in the past three weeks.

· Matthew Richardson remains Richmond’s most dangerous player.

After reaching the low point in his career just six weeks ago when he was dropped for disciplinary reasons to the Coburg Tigers side, ‘Richo’ is now playing like a German band! He’s kicked 16 goals in the past three games and caused huge headaches for his opponents. Basically, when Richo’s in this sort of form, he is unstoppable. No-one, Wayne Carey included, could have produced the breathtaking display of football that Richo did in the first half of last Friday night’s clash with Hawthorn at the MCG. It underlined why he is the player in the Tiger line-up that rival teams fear the most.

· Greg Stafford has been a terrific pick-up for Richmond. The former Sydney ruckman has overcome an injury-interrupted start to his playing career at Tigerland to become a vital member of the side. He has provided the Tigers with another strong target up forward in recent weeks and now has 23 goals to his credit for the season, which is a very handy return. ‘Staff’ is not only kicking goals, he’s setting plenty up with smart play and allowing Richo the freedom to roam around without the added burden of being double (or triple) teamed.

· Brad Ottens also is starting to relish Stafford’s on-field presence. ‘Otto’ has been particularly impressive in the past couple of weeks as the team’s No. 1 ruckman. He has controlled the centre-bounce hit-outs and given the Tigers a lot of drive around the ground as well. It’s a luxury to have a player of Otto’s calibre to use in attack, too, if needed. There are 15 league coaches who are going to have their work cut out finding ways of combatting these talented Tiger ‘talls’ . . .

· Wayne Campbell is carving out quite a niche as a half-back flanker. As he did so consistently in the midfield, ‘Cambo’ is continuing to win plenty of ball – and he’s setting up numerous attacking moves for the team from the backline. He’s marshalling the troops down there in grand style, and he no longer has to endure constant tight tags from the opposition.

· Mark Coughlan is not fazed by anything out on the field of battle. He displays a maturity way beyond his football years and is as tough a player as I’ve seen at Tigerland for many seasons. ‘Cogs’ also happens to be a ball-magnet and a healthy ‘supplier’ of leather to the team’s quality running players ie Bowden, Tivendale, Fiora and Rodan.

· Ty Zantuck thrives on the physical aspects of the game, but is more than merely a hard-at-it, enthusiastic youngster. ‘Zanners’ has a happy knack of doing something quite out of the ordinary – as he showed yet again last Friday night with his amazing Harry Kewell-like volley goal. He reads the play well, likes to run with the ball, and has improved his disposal. All in all, he’s a valuable member of the side.

· Aaron Fiora is starting to put his stamp on the game. He’s playing with a lot more authority, as though he feels he now can match it with any opponent. And, when he’s going, boy, is he exciting! Electrifying pace and a classy left foot make him a matchwinner in the making. Tiger supporters are looking forward to closely monitoring the next phase of his development in 2003 . . .

· David Rodan has exceeded all expectations by playing all 20 senior games so far this season and really having an impact.

Always dangerous because of his explosive pace and his willingness to take the opposition on. And don't the Yellow and Black faithful just love him! You don't need the infamous Roar Meter to tell you when D. Rodan's got the 'pill' and is about to embark on one of his exciting runs.

· Three AFL Rising Star nominations in the one season (Rodan, Coughlan and now Zantuck) clearly is a healthy sign for the future and proof that the Tiger talent scouts -- headed by Recruiting Manager Greg Beck -- are pretty fair judges of football flesh.

· The Tiger players have shown admirable strength of character to bounce back in recent weeks when all seemed lost. You could argue they had nothing more to lose, so it hasn't been that difficult to turn things around without the glare of the finals spotlight. But they could easily have waved the white flag when the scoreline stood at 4-13 after Round 17, and just gone through the motions in the last month of the season.

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It is nice to see Greeny rates all the guys in my top 9 in his article. As tribute to Zanners Rising star nomination I'm moving him up to 15. By request i'm elevating Bowdo too. Just for RFC Tigerarmy