Analysis The MCG

[Lsta062]

Now, I know that there has been many Richmond-bashing, coach-slamming threads in the past few weeks, but my aim of making this thread is not for that purpose.

I have noticed recently that we do not play particularly well at the MCG, and looked up the stats for it. In our past 16 games there (last two seasons), we have only won 6 games at our own home ground. That means 10 out of the 16 are losses, and 3 of them are already from this season. Our only 6 wins were from St Kilda, GWS, Brisbane, Carlton (x2) and Essendon. The only decent win I remember was against Essendon the second time around, with the other 5 games being quite frustrating from my memory and against lowly teams.

If you compare that with our interstate trips, you will find that to be different. Out of 8 games (including the Elimination Final), we have won 6 games, with our only 2 losses being Gold Coast in Round 1 and Port in the EF. Many of our wins were pretty solid wins:

- 79 and 43 points against Brisbane.
- 10 points against Adelaide in a nail-biter
- 3 points against Sydney in a season-defining game
- 113 points against GWS
- 17 points against West Coast in a "Knock-out" win


So, what is it about the MCG that we cannot handle?
- Is our game plan simply not suited well to the MCG and is more suited to smaller grounds?
- Are the boys intimidated by playing in front of a lot of Richmond supporters as they can feel the weight of expectation from them?
- Is it that the teams we play at the MCG are bogey teams, inflating the numbers?
- Or is it a combination of two or more factors?

 

[tigs2010]

No idea. 2013 and earlier we were bloody good there from memory.

 

[Lsta062]

No idea. 2013 and earlier we were bloody good there from memory.

We were decent there in 2013. We won 9/14 (including EF against Carlton). At least it is a positive record, and wins included good teams such as Hawthorn.

You could comfortably say that we will not go anywhere if this is not rectified, as this is our home ground and our home finals + grand finals are played there

 

[Roachy8]

- Are the boys intimidated by playing in front of a lot of Richmond supporters as they can feel the weight of expectation from them?

This is the main reason - Fear of failure leading to tentative conservative play leading to increased pressure from opponent leading to self-fulfilling actual failure.

 

[Lsta062]

This is the main reason - Fear of failure leading to tentative conservative play leading to increased pressure from opponent leading to self-fulfilling actual failure.

That is what I worry about. The fear of being disappointing in front of the Richmond crowd. They did decently against Adelaide in AO in front of a large crowd last year, but crumbled against Port there in the EF, presumably because there was a lot of Richmond fans. So I do not think it is necessarily about the crowd size, but rather the amount of Tiger fans present. If they perform well against North in Tassie, this may indeed confirm this theory.

I believe this problem stems from the 2013 EF against Carlton. It must have mentally scarred them from playing in front of the Richmond crowd. The club really needs to bring in a psychologist if that is the case in order to get to the bottom of it and rectify it.

 

[Roachy8]

That is what I worry about. The fear of being disappointing in front of the Richmond crowd. They did decently against Adelaide in AO in front of a large crowd last year, but crumbled against Port there in the EF, presumably because there was a lot of Richmond fans. So I do not think it is necessarily about the crowd size, but rather the amount of Tiger fans present. If they perform well against North in Tassie, this may indeed confirm this theory.

I believe this problem stems from the 2013 EF against Carlton. It must have mentally scarred them from playing in front of the Richmond crowd. The club really needs to bring in a psychologist if that is the case in order to get to the bottom of it and rectify it.

It's not the MCG in itself but rather a stage of any kind.
Our home games being at the G + as a drawer of big crowds, tend to be key games in the fixtures... Friday night or Sat arvo. Often means a national tv audience and focus.
Adds to the weight of expectation and the tightening of the bum hole as we tense up.

Sad I type this but has been so obviously an issue of ours for almost a generation but interestingly, most recently the past 5 - 8 years or so.

 

[leekok]

The team needs a communication system that enables talk and direction from each other and the coaches. Overridden by the umps and totally blocks out the positive supporter crowd noise as they can't seem to embrace it as every other sporting team in the whole ****ing world does. They play better with the jeers from the opposition (especially interstate games) as written by someone (Callum Twooney?) on the afl site. We play better chasing than being chased. The boys have always loved the underdog status. Severely lack confidence at the moment.

 

[tigerz18]

Us supporters have never put undue pressure on the players

 

[TheProwler]

Have posted this on other threads bur our team is mentally fragile between the ears. We play well away because the pressure is off and the teams listed in the OP were awful opponents. When we head to WA or SA we are not expected to win but at the G vs a half decent side we fail. Last weekend was a typical example.

Nothing will improve until they get there heads checked

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

No idea. 2013 and earlier we were bloody good there from memory.

Coincides with our move to new punt road , which I mentioned somewhere else .

 

[TigerImposter]

we are unfit and players have gone backwards
can only beat substandard teams there

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

we are unfit and players have gone backwards
can only beat substandard teams there

Read the op they asked that it didn't become a generalised shit flinging thread , maybe you could respect that ?

 

[TigerImposter]

Read the op they asked that it didn't become a generalised shit flinging thread , maybe you could respect that ?

im not this is my reason

 

[Lsta062]

It's not the MCG in itself but rather a stage of any kind.
Our home games being at the G + as a drawer of big crowds, tend to be key games in the fixtures... Friday night or Sat arvo. Often means a national tv audience and focus.
Adds to the weight of expectation and the tightening of the bum hole as we tense up.

Sad I type this but has been so obviously an issue of ours for almost a generation but interestingly, most recently the past 5 - 8 years or so.

Yeah, we have struggled on Thursday + Friday nights for a while. It could be the big stage in general that is our issue. Others, like Essendon, thrive on this

 

[TiggerMan22]

This is the main reason - Fear of failure leading to tentative conservative play leading to increased pressure from opponent leading to self-fulfilling actual failure.

Seems legit. When it looks like we have no chance of winning (like last quarter against Geelong) we start playing like we should.
Just like last year, 3-10 and equal bottom of the ladder, looks like no chance of making finals, all of a sudden we are one of the top teams in the comp for the last 9 rounds.
Rounds 1-13 when we feel we have to make finals and cant fail= equal bottom, rounds 14-23 next to no chance to make finals = Top of the ladder.
Why??

 

[TigerImposter]

This is no disrespect to the OP
Look at the game plan. First it's not designed for run and carry which we were playing up to 2013
We get burnt on the rebound and when we get it we look to handball to another non run and carry player
Slow ball movement won't win you games of footy as it leads often to players messing up or a congested fwd line making it Difficult to score
Losing run and carry like lids now and White tells you why we can't win on the Gee. Need more runners with a change of game plan

 

[thecotch]

I don't buy it. Perhaps we should relocate to the gabba? We've won our last 5 there from memory. And then when we start losing there let's move to the next ground we beat crap sides on.