What we should do!

[docko911]

Extend Hardwicks contract until the end of 2017.

Why? To avoid the common problem that arises for most Richmond coaches at this point in their career.

We need to give Hardwick specific instructions to develop a gun list not just one that plays finals once then struggles to back it up.

Petterd, Knights, Grigg, White, Houli, Jackson all need to become back-ups or better players. Same could be said for McGuane and King but their form is sound atm.

We need to be finding out more about Arnot, Helbig, Dea, Batchelor, O'Hanlon, Astbury, Griffiths and Elton at AFL level not VFL. Each player needs a string of at least 3 games in their best position and preferably this year for most.

If we can make finals playing the better performing younger players then we should be able to back it up and get better. Just look at the Cats last night same core but tons of young talent getting a chance and thriving we need to do the same.

For this week I wouldn't make huge changes but still with injuries I'd make a few.

If Maric and Vickery are out bring in Astbury/Griffiths and Stephenson.

Grigg needs to taste VFL, Along with Petterd and White.

Bring in Tuck, Arnot and Dea/Batchelor.

I'd like to see Helbig get a run in our midfield as soon as he is fully fit. He is harder, faster and better with the ball than Grigg just needs experience.

 

[JR82]

i'd perhaps do as Geelong have done (we could do worse) play a set 18 and play 3-4 younger players for 3 weeks at a time. i know with injuries/suspensions it's hard but thats the basic way geelong manage thier list. those 3-4 kids they have given games too are now thriving.

 

[Jimmybob]

Not a bad idea.

 

[Bojangles17]

Ridiculous idea , id be more inclined over a coffee and muffin tomorrow morning to outline in detail that he will indeed be sacked if we don't play finals this year

 

[Jimmybob]

Ridiculous idea , id be more inclined over a coffee and muffin tomorrow morning to outline in detail that he will indeed be sacked if we don't play finals this year

notsureifsrs

 

[Tiger_4_Life]

If you were take out the core senior players of Johnson, Selwood, Bartel, & Kelly...Geelong would be brought back a peg (as expected). We need this core of players who have played together for the best part of 7 years, at the moment our core is potentially great but it's not great yet.

Quite frankly ( and we say it every year) but we need more time. Finals are still on the agenda but it's going to be tough. We have some smart people at the club who aren't delusional and know exactly where we're at but more importantly where we need to get to. I've been critical of Hardwick and have questioned his coaching multiple times but I've had a long hard think about him and we've improved ten fold since he took over. He didn't fluke his way into the job like Terry the tan did, he worked hard for it and beat out all other compeitors - he's no slouch.

Hang in there, ride these shitty bumps & enjoy the wins as they come. Don't drink the media pro-richmond articles as they're setting us all up for an almighty fall and they bank on it.

 

[Tigerbob]

I am of the opinion we made the right decision in getting depth as backup. The problem is those players have somehow become mainstay best 22 players.

There is no way known Petterd was a walk up start in our team last year. Why is he now?

The area we need to improve on at the end of last season is still true today. Skill and speed. I think our pace and skill has gone backwards from last season. We are a one paced team.

I think we need to relax on questioning Hardwicks tenure though. Geelong hired Mark Thompson at the end of 1999. It wasn't until 2007 they clicked. We have brought in a lot of kids over the first three years of Hardwicks tenure, we just need to be careful to not go down the average recycled route too much and still focus on getting the best kids we can. Geelong has shown you that you can get great players deep in the draft. Do that.

We are 3 and 3 and in front of last season. Season not over yet.

 

[partycorolla]

When the draw came out, I honestly expected us to be 2-4, maybe 3-3 and if we got really lucky 4-2. Nothing that has happened this season has surprised me at all. I hoped we'd be further advanced and in some ways we certainly are. We would have struggled to even get in front of the Pies and Geelong last year (can't remember it happening) and Freo completely shut us down over there last year (we were rubbish in the 2nd and 3rd qtrs this year and still found a way to get back into it). This year we have played what I think has been pretty ordinary football at times yet we keep getting ourselves in good positions. We have an issue putting 4 qtrs of concentrated football together and that is a maturity/discipline issue. We have still improved imo from last year in some areas such as creating scoring chances but our mental lapses still need the greatest work.

We are in the mix for the 8, just like we were last year and we thought we were pre-season. We are not in the mix for the top 4 and therefore won't have a realistic chance of a tilt at the flag but I think right now we are where we should be (7-10) and have won 3 games where we could have had only 2 wins. We are going as well or better as most reasonable footy pundits would have expected us to. We have another 50-50 game this week and if we get over the line, then we should beat Melb and go into the dreamtime game 5-3 and still in the mix for the final 8.