NAB Cup round 2: Tigers vs Pies

[DallasCrane]

I'm all for resting Richo for this game, there's no need for him to play.

[mightytiges]

Thommo is definitely playing. Straight from the horses mouth. Hopefully his kicking has improved since he's left Port.

i believe cleve has a groin strain, sufferd in the game against the dockers

Ta blaisee. Hopefully the injury isn't too bad.

[Gracie]

Thommo is definitely playing. Straight from the horses mouth. Hopefully his kicking has improved since he's left Port.

You go to training mt. How has Thomson's kicking been at training??

[mightytiges]

You go to training mt. How has Thomson's kicking been at training??

It's been okay at training Gracie. I guess I want to see how it is under game pressure against a real opposition as will happen to a degree on Thursday night (it's still only NAB Cup). Thommo was a bit of a clearance king in 2007 when he actually got a game for Port but his kicking was ordinary. He compensated for it by handballing a lot more than he kicked. I also know his role at Richmond will be as a protector/blocker for Foley and our top mids at stoppages just as Geelong players do for Ablett.

[one-eyed]

The forecast for Thursday has come down a touch to 30 degrees.

[Ox]

this is just another post by another confessed drug addict.....

[Mr Magic]

i believe cleve has a groin strain, sufferd in the game against the dockers

Bad luck but it's the beginning of what's going to be a very long final year for Cleve Hughes.

[one-eyed]

Richo is no certainty to play according to Plough. They may rest him....

-----------------------------
Ben Cousins will start on ground
AAP | February 24, 2009 03:35pm

BEN Cousins will start on the field in Thursday night's match against Collingwood, but Matthew Richardson is no certainty.

Richmond coach Terry Wallace said Cousins will play more than half the round-two NAB Cup match at the Telstra Dome.

Cousins last played any form of AFL for West Coast in the 2007 finals before the league suspended him for bringing the game into disrepute.

The self-confessed drug addict has endured plenty of drama since then, but has had a solid pre-season with the Tigers.

"Others have been ahead of what he's done at this stage, so what you're looking for is him getting through safe and sound and that he gets a kick and starts to gain a bit of confidence," Wallace said.

"There's probably been enough razzamatazz - get out there and just play would probably be the best idea.

"I'd suggest we'd be more likely to just throw him out there and get on with playing.

"He'll play a reasonable amount of game time ... certainly I see 60-plus per cent."

When asked about Richmond's expectations of Cousins in his comeback match, Wallace said they would not be as great as the Brownlow Medallist's demands on himself.

Apart from the obvious attention Cousins will attract, another issue for Richmond on Thursday night will be managing the workload of their senior players.

Wallace admitted it is particularly important to keep star utility Matthew Richardson on a tight leash.

Richardson worked like a 20-year-old in the round-one win over Fremantle - the only problem is, he is nearly 34.

"You're never going to stop him, whether it's on the training track or game day, from what he does naturally," Wallace said.

"The answer to that ... is you've got to restrict his game time through that pre-season period.

"Last week, we had 1000 games worth of players out of our side, we won't be selecting our very, very best side for this week.

"We'd have probably 700 games still out this week in rotation."

Wallace added they would probably rest Richardson at some point during the pre-season.

It could happen against the Magpies, with former captain Kane Johnson and Jordan McMahon likely to come into the side.

Richmond trained on Tuesday morning and the two clubs will announce their 29-man squads on Wednesday

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25100344-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Cousins to be kept safe and sound by Richmond
Martin Boulton | February 25, 2009

RICHMOND fans expecting a vintage Ben Cousins display against Collingwood could be disappointed, with coach Terry Wallace admitting he'll be happy to see his star recruit "safe and sound" in the rooms after the game.

The 30-year-old will play tomorrow night at Telstra Dome — his first match since being sacked by West Coast, deregistered by the league and then thrown an AFL lifeline by the Tigers with the last pick in the pre-season draft.

Wallace said the Brownlow medallist and recovering drug addict's first game had "created a lot of interest" but expectations from the coaching staff were modest.

"We're looking forward to it (and) he's looking forward to playing," Wallace said. "We haven't rushed his (pre-season) and that was going to be the case the whole way through. He's slowly built up his progress and he'll be pretty keen just to get out there and get a kick."

Wallace said the six-time All-Australian, who played 238 games with West Coast, would get about 60 per cent of ground time against the Magpies.

"He'll play a reasonable amount of game time depending on how the game's going. It's his first genuine hit-out … so what you're looking for is him getting through safe and sound and that he gets a kick and starts to gain a bit of confidence.

"His expectations on himself will be stronger than ours."

Wallace said there was already "enough razzamatazz" without starting Cousins on the bench and he would probably make his Tigers debut on the ground.

"We'll be more likely to throw him out there and let him get on with playing."

Former captain Kane Johnson and Jordan McMahon are expected to play their first pre-season games, with Wallace planning to rotate players through the squad.

"We won't be selecting our very best side for this week's game," he said. "It is a NAB (Cup) round-two game and a few of the boys who played in round one won't play round two … you need to develop a few of your younger boys."

He said the large crowd expected was "even more reason" to pick young players who can "learn and understand what the game is about". More than 7500 tickets have been pre-sold for the match.

Wallace said midfielder Mark Coughlan was still "a couple of weeks" off playing following surgery to repair a slightly torn meniscus in his right knee. Trent Cotchin (ankle) has not resumed full training.

"If he's not ready by round one (and) we're reliant on an 18-year-old to be a key player in our line-up this early then we're kidding ourselves," Wallace said. "We've got to get him right and make sure he's 100 per cent."

A countdown clock will be used at the stadium for Thursday's match, which has not been met with enthusiasm from Channel 10.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/cousins-to-be-kept-safe-and-sound/2009/02/24/1235237650123.html

[one-eyed]

Terry Wallace says zip the Ben Cousins razzamatazz
Mark Robinson | February 25, 2009

TERRY Wallace, and just about everyone else, is jack of the "razzamatazz" that is Ben Cousins. The time has come to stop chasing Cousins and, instead, watch Cousins chase the ball.

It's why Wallace will start Cousins tomorrow night against Collingwood.

And because it is Cousins, it's why there were 15 reporters - radio, TV, newspaper and net - and five cameras to record Wallace reveal exactly that at Victoria Park yesterday.

Ben is playing, he said.

Ben will start, he said.

Ben is not the only player at Richmond, he wanted to say.

"I think there's been enough razzamatazz, I think probably get out there and just play would be the best idea," the Tigers coach said.

"Look, we haven't finalised our side yet, we've got to get through training today before we do that, but I'd suggest that we'd be more likely to just throw him out there and let him get on with playing.

"He'll play a reasonable amount of game time."

How much game time will be determined by the run of the game, and how much Wallace wants to experiment with his younger players in the middle.

A fair estimate would be 70 per cent, which would satisfy Cousins, Wallace and the manically optimistic Tigers fans.

If 9000 fans will turn up to Richmond's family day, at least three times that will turn up tomorrow night.

Throw in the mighty Maggies and 45,000-50,000 is not out of the question.

Cousins will be nervous, no doubt.

Just how much we'll never know because he's not talking to any media until his doco is sold and on the box.

When Wallace was asked how Cousins was feeling, he said: "You'd have to ask him that question."

Only if we could. Maybe, fingers crossed, Benny might open up after the game.

As it is, Wallace was low-key yesterday.

"We haven't rushed him, we've slowly built up the progress over a period of time and so obviously, first game, I think he would be pretty keen to get out there and get a kick."

His expectations for Cousins were "not a lot".

"His expectations will be stronger than what ours are," he said.

"The game is a practice game, (we're) getting ready for Round 1.

"It's his first genuine hit out and others are ahead of what he's done to this stage.

"What you're looking to is him getting through safe and sound, gets a kick and starts to gain a bit of confidence."

Confidence is not Cousins' alone.

The Tigers beat Fremantle on the road in the first week, which is pleasing whether its NAB, practice match or the season proper, and a win over Collingwood tomorrow night will stoke the fans' faith even more - if that's possible.

It's unclear if Matthew Richardson will play - he will be named in the 29-man squad - but mop-top first-rounder Tyrone Vickery and promising defender Alex Rance will, as is likely the former skipper, Kane Johnson and running defender Jordan McMahon.

Vickery looks the athlete. He stood next to ruck coach Damian Monkhorst yesterday and was two inches taller and perhaps 20kg lighter.

He'll play mainly forward and maybe get a burst in the ruck.

"Last week we had a thousand games worth of players out of our side, we won't be selecting our very, very best side for this game," Wallace said.

"A few of the boys who played in Round 1 won't play in Round 2."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25103013-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

We want the win, says Jackson
richmondfc.com.au
By Jason Phelan
4:41 PM Wed 25 February, 2009

DANIEL Jackson knows pre-season form can often count for little in the middle of winter, but the Richmond tagger is still keen to register a win in Thursday night's NAB Cup match against Collingwood.

Competition for spots, as well as a desire to build some momentum within the club, should ensure the Tigers come out roaring against a traditional rival.

"It is only late February … but having such a young group everyone wants to have a win and go out and make a name for themselves," Jackson said on Wednesday.

"Coming off last year [when we] had a good second half, we want to just keep that going … [and] I think any game when its Richmond-Collingwood is always going to be a big game."

The match is likely to be played in front of a large crowd for this time of year with many of the Tiger faithful expected to turn out to see the wraps come off prized recruit Ben Cousins, but Jackson said there would be plenty of other players worth watching.

"Alex Rance is also debuting and you probably won't see him or Tyrone [Vickery] on the front or back cover [of the paper] with Ben being there, but they're both very good players”, he said.

"We've had such a good summer in regards to keeping blokes injury-free that we've had to have a rotation system. It will still be a very competitive side and obviously all the guys will have a real crack."

Adam Thomson will also play his first game since crossing from the Port Adelaide in the off-season with Kane Johnson, Will Thursfield and Jordan McMahon among those taking the field for the first time this campaign.

Cousins' first appearance in the yellow and black has given the match a prominence rarely afforded to pre-season hit-outs, but Jackson said the 30-year-old had remained unaffected by the hype.

"I think he takes everything in his stride," he said.

"He's been doing it for so many years and he never looks like he's out of his comfort zone. He epitomises how you should train, he's been such an asset to have out on the track, and it going to be seen by a greater audience tomorrow night how he's actually had a great impact on us."

The match kicks off at 7:10 pm AEDT at Telstra Dome.

http://afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/72553/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Young talent ready for Pies v Tigers clash
Matt Windley | February 26, 2009

IF IT'S possible to somehow look away from the Ben Cousins frenzy, then some pre-season gold can be found at Telstra Dome tonight.

This is not your everyday late-February encounter when you cast your eye down the playing lists.

Both Richmond and Collingwood have left little in reserve for this second-round NAB Cup clash.

The Tigers are rolling out the top-10 placegetters in last year's best-and-fairest award, with the Pies just falling slightly behind with nine.

Some much-hyped youngsters will also be on display for the first time.

The Tigers are unveiling first-round draft pick Tyrone Vickery and defender Alex Rance, while Collingwood has included four highly regarded debutants.

Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams, Brent Macaffer and Jaxson Barham, son of club great Ricky, have been named in the Pies 29-man squad.

Former Port Adelaide midfielder Adam Thomson is expected to make his first Richmond appearance.

While there is no bigger name than Cousins, the other Richmond "ins" are fairly handy, with former skipper Kane Johnson, half-back Jordan McMahon also stepping out for the first time this year.

Tigers midfielder Daniel Jackson said the coaching staff had warned the players about being over-hyped for what looms as a finals-like atmosphere at Telstra Dome.

"I think any game when it's Richmond and Collingwood is always a big game," Jackson said.

"It is only late February though and we've addressed that, but having such a young group everyone wants to get out there and win and make a name for themselves."

The introduction of some exciting young talent was what had the Pies excited, key forward Travis Cloke said.

"Beamsy's got the full-length tattoo like Dane Swan and Sidebottom's a very smiley, happy young kid," Cloke said.

"They are all very unusual players, all different. We're looking forward to seeing them out in the game, just to see what they do."

Like everyone, Cloke couldn't hide away completely from the topic of Cousins.

"I think it's such a great honour for Ben to be able to come back from where he has been the last few years," he said.

"It's actually been a bit different (the lead-up), especially playing for Collingwood (the attention is) normally always on us."

Cloke, who turns 22 next Thursday, will be the most experienced tall in the Magpies' forward structure tonight.

Last year's leading goalkicker Paul Medhurst (foot hot spot), Sean Rusling and Anthony Rocca are all absent.

Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said Medhurst trained strongly yesterday and was close to a return, though.

"I'd expect that our next game, wherever that may be, that Paul would be very close to knocking on the door and playing," Walsh said.

"We did have a number of players who played reasonably well first round, so there's no sense rushing Paul back given that he's had an interrupted summer."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25107545-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Winning is all Richmond fans really want
Cheryl Critchley | February 26, 2009

BRING it on! Richmond and Collingwood fans can't wait for tonight's big clash of the traditional rivals at Telstra Dome.

Supporters on both sides want fallen Eagle Ben Cousins to do well in his first game for the Tigers.

Richmond and Collingwood both began their NAB Cup campaigns in Perth, so tonight is the first chance for most fans to see their teams in the flesh.

Not to mention the Cousins show, which starts at 7.10pm.

Fans have been urged to book tickets or arrive early to avoid a crush. Last night 17,000 tickets had been sold.

Collingwood cheer squad member Tracey Cox, 44, was happy Cousins received a second chance with the Tigers after battling drug abuse.

But she hopes his first game back is not his best.

"It's great that they've given him the opportunity," she said. "Let him prove himself. He looks great. He looks the best I've ever seen him. But I still want to beat them."

Ms Cox, whose daughter Cheyanne, 11, also loves the Pies, said the Magpie cheer squad was raring to go after a controversial clean-out.

Fifty of its 200 members were purged this year, and 70 did not reapply.

"It's all settled down," she said. "The cheer squad's more about family. Everyone's really excited about the new start.

"We want to be the best cheer squad in the league."

Richmond cheer squad's Nikki Verso, 33, is rapt to have Cousins in black and yellow.

"If it helps Richmond it's great," she said. "Everybody deserves a second chance. I just want the season to start . . . and let's make the eight."

Tiger cheer squad leader Gerard Egan was excited, but insisted Cousins was just one player. "I'm looking forward to just getting out there and watching the team again. My main concern is for the rest of the team," he said.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25107425-2862,00.html

[mightytiges]

It'd be nice to win but the main thing for me is everyone gets through the game tonight without any injuries  and to watch how the newbies go (especially Vickery).

[one-eyed]

Finally, the circus is ready to roll onto football's centre stage
Michael Gleeson | February 26, 2009

WHEN Ben Cousins arrived at Punt Road, Daniel Jackson, a tagger, asked the star what it was about taggers that annoyed him most, and therefore what he could do to better unsettle opponents.

Cousins spoke of the standard niggling, grappling behaviours. He might better have suggested he not act like other taggers but like some media. That would annoy him more.

The carnival that is the footballing rebirth of Ben Cousins continues tonight when he actually plays in a match somewhat akin to that which he left almost forever nearly two years ago.

Cousins plays Collingwood in the NAB Cup match at Telstra Dome in the game shifted out of concession to soccer's A-League grand final. Oh, and Richmond's also playing.

But it is not about the Tigers tonight, it is about Cousins. He and his club might not want it that way, but that is how it is. They knew that when they took him but hope that after tonight's game, and more likely after round one, it becomes less about Cousins and more about Richmond.

So after acute interest in how he fared in an intra-club match without a genuine opponent, interest will be keener in how he goes playing another side. And who plays on him.

Who that will be partly depends on where he starts. And he is expected to start the game.

Cousins will play his half-forward/midfield role and would probably be expected to start forward rather than in the square. If he did, Marty Clarke, Collingwood's best endurance runner, would likely get the task. A quiet fellow, Cousins would at least likely be saved from verbal sprays on one side of the boundary line.

When Cousins goes on the ball Clarke might go with him, though more likely Ryan Cook, Collingwood's new preferred tagger, could shift onto him.

Jackson said the pleasure of tonight was that the football world would see what Richmond players and officials had witnessed for several months. Of course, Cousins has hardly been ignored, a point that riled the young Tiger and had him anxious to defend his new teammate.

"I think it is fair to say what happened on the weekend was crossing the lines of decency," Jackson said, referring to a newspaper report and photographs of Cousins moving into a new house and observations of what he wore inside his house. The matter was taken up by the AFL Players Association with the newspaper.

"I am not talking from experience — it has not happened to me — but to have journos floating around in front of his house, I think a lot of the people out there … would agree it was a little bit too much. But we get this week out of the way and move forward. He is a fantastic addition to our side. He has taught us all a lot over the summer."

Apart from Cousins, the game is notable for the fact that Tyrone Vickery and Alex Rance will play their first games. For the Magpies, Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams, Brent Macaffer and Jaxson Barham appear for the first time.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/circus-is-ready-to-roll/2009/02/25/1235237738725.html