One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on March 20, 2008, 02:59:30 PM
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Simmonds a lucky Troy
20/03/2008 11:28:24 AM
Paul Gough
Sportal
Richmond ruckman Troy Simmonds knows he is lucky to still be alive let alone being able to represent the Tigers in front of an estimated 80,000 strong crowd in Thursday night's AFL season opener against Carlton at the MCG.
"Everything has gone to plan and I can't wait to get out there," Simmonds told Sportal, ahead of the showdown against the Blues.
Simmonds said he has seen great improvement in Pattison heading into this season as a result of his tough 2007.
"I thought Adam Pattison did a great job last year taking the load pretty much himself and he has really developed and hopefully now with me going back in there - and we have worked well together over the pre-season - that he is going to be a real solid back-up for me."
We can't copy Sportal articles so click on the link for the full article:
http://sportal.com.au/afl-news-display/simmonds-a-lucky-troy-
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Great to have Simmo back. Gunned it in the ruck I thought and tapped the ball down to advantage. Makes a huge difference when your not getting smashed in the hitouts and we can win the contested footy.
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Simmonds to provide run for Richmond
Courtney Walsh | March 22, 2008 | The Australian
LIKE his Richmond team-mates, Troy Simmonds has started this season motoring.
Not only has the talented ruckman been burning on the running track while training alongside some of Australia's brightest sprinting hopes, he has also become something of a motor-mouth at home after overcoming a potentially life-threatening lung condition that capped a painful 2007.
The 29-year-old demonstrated his importance to the Tigers on Thursday night by seizing control of the ruck as Richmond turned a 25-point deficit midway through the second term into a 17.7 (109) to 11.13 (79) win that allows supporters to say they topped the ladder this year, even if for only two days.
The 19 hit-outs and 17 possessions gleaned in a dominant performance match Simmonds's average output from 2006, his best season in a decade-long career that started at Melbourne and headed to Fremantle before his much-anticipated arrival at Punt Road in 2005.
Richmond desperately missed that output last season, with Simmonds sidelined initially by a broken ankle and then through a mystery blood clot that forced him into hospital last August.
Little wonder that Simmonds was delighted to simply get through Thursday's match, regardless of the result.
"Just to get through the game healthy, after what I went through last season, meant a lot to me," he said.
"It was the hardest year of football I have ever experienced, 2007, obviously with breaking my ankle in the pre-season, which meant I was never going to be as fit as I wanted too, and no matter what I did, I could never get it quite right.
"What made it more frustrating is that our ruck stocks were low. Then obviously I had the blood clot late in the year and that really was a scare.
"I didn't realise until I got the all-clear from the surgeon in late January that really I was very lucky, that things could have been a lot worse."
Simmonds describes the health scare as a life-changing experience.
Initially, that change occurred away from Punt Road, with Simmonds looking to loved ones to share his burden.
"You do need to talk to people," he said.
"If you let it bottle up inside, it hurts you, and I've been lucky to have some great people around me to listen.
"There are a couple of people I respect, who I've spoken to about it, and it's become a life-changing thing for me. You just see things so differently."
Importantly for Richmond, the potential health problem has also put him back on the track that saw his name mentioned as a potential All-Australian ruckman in 2006.
Simmonds has employed his own sprint trainer, former Fremantle conditioning coach Adam Larcom, to sharpen his speed in sessions that complement his regular training with Richmond.
Standing at 196cm and weighing 100kg, Simmonds is, not surprisingly, well short of Olympic speed.
But that has not stopped him training at Olympic Park alongside Adam Basil, a member of the 4x100m Australian team that finished sixth in Athens in 2004.
Or with Aaron Rouge-Serret, an improving 20-year-old sprinter who clocked 10.25sec in Toowoomba recently and warmly greeted Simmonds in the MCG rooms following the win over Carlton.
Obviously, the young sprinter does not mind training alongside a big block clocking 11.7s for the blue-riband sprint.
"That's not bad for a big guy," Simmonds said.
"It's a strength of mine and I've believed that you should work on your strengths just as much as you work on your weaknesses.
"I suppose with the condition I had, you start looking outside the square a bit and everything I'm doing, I'm trying to do at 100 per cent.
"There were a few things in terms of football that I've wanted to work on, but just in terms of life generally. It's a personal thing, but it has certainly helped me."
The positives were evident against Carlton, with Simmonds able to reach contests and stretch opposing ruckman Cameron Cloke with his speed.
But Cloke was not alone in being out-paced by the Tigers, a fact noted by Carlton officials after the match.
Simmonds said Richmond's ability to sustain the frantic fold-back and then run-and-handball style that eventually wore down Carlton was predominantly due to having a full list from which to choose.
"Everyone has been up and running, which I think is the main thing," he said.
"It is the first time for this club that we've had all the senior guys out there training in the pre-season.
"I think there is more depth in the club now and there were a number of guys that missed out on Thursday that have been playing really well, so that is a good sign.
"We played some good footy in the last month of last season and then we've worked further at it over the pre-season, and hopefully, it will stand us in good stead for this year.
"We're off to a good start but we do have a long way to go."
With eight days until their second-round match against the Kangaroos, there is no reason why the Tigers should not be full of run again.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23412959-5012432,00.html
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Leading the Revival
One key Tiger has recharged his tank, writes Russell Holmesby
Inside Football, March 26, 2008.
IF THERE IS a one-man parallel for the Richmond Football Club's condition now compared to the way it was at the end of last year, then it is Troy Simmonds.
At the end of last season Simmonds lay in a hospital bed with a debilitating condition that left him exhausted and unsure of what lay ahead
Last Thursday night he started out full of energy, and kept up the output all the way through the game.
The metaphors with the Tigers in general are obvious, but Simmonds' individual condition transcended mere football matters. I
Originally thought to be suffering from a virus, he was subsequently diagnosed with a blood clot on the lung that affected the muscles around his heart. The condition could have had fatal consequences.
"It was very scary;' he said. "When I went to see the doctor in late January to get the clearance to do the contact work he did say I was a very lucky man."
That was a huge eye-opener for the easy-going Simmonds.
"When he said that, it hit me harder than when I did actually have it," Simmonds said. "You don't take anything for granted, and I really worked hard over the pre-season."
Simmonds has absorbed lessons that extend far beyond the immediate demands of existence on the footy field.
"I've taken the positives out of it and it has changed my outlook on life," he said. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone to have, but it has driven me further.
Thankfully the whole dramatic period in his life is behind him.
"I don't need any more tests. I've had all the blood tests and there was nothing to show that it is genetic. So it was a one-off thing. I'm right to lead a fairly normal life and go ahead from here."
That is good news for the Tigers who invested money and faith in the versatile Simmonds when they signed him on a five-year contract after securing him from Fremantle.
On Thursday night against Carlton he showed the sort of commanding football that the Tigers consider him capable of, and at 29 years of age he is entering a part of his career which many ruckmen see as their prime.
Season 2006 exhibited the type of play he can produce when he ran third in the best and fairest award at Punt Road and was considered by many to be a favourite for the No.1 spot.
If Round 1 was any indication then he may well reach that level this year. Even before his life threatening illness last year Simmonds was dogged by an ankle problem before the season then suffered another setback with the ankle in just his fourth game back.
"It was a good start and just a great feeling going into the season fit and healthy after having three or four games under the belt in the NAB Cup to get that match fitness. Everything is feeling good and it was good to get a win."
Once Simmonds received the all-clear from his doctor in late January he was champing at the bit. Not for him the regime of some players who are eased along with two or three games out of the four in the final month. In fact the whole Richmond list, so disjointed by injuries in recent years, was determined to get as much on-field time together as possible.
"I didn't do any match play before the NAB Cup, but then I just built up game time 50 per cent, 60 per cent and so on. The whole senior group wanted to be together - it's the first time we've really.been together all the time in a pre-season."
He still feels he has some way to go to be where he wants to be in terms of match fitness, but acknowledges that like all players, no matter what the lead-up, Round 1 always hit hard.
"I still think that by Round 3 or 4 I'll really have that really good match fitness. A few times out there I was really blowing hard. You always get that in round 1."
Simmonds was delighted with the way Richmond went about the opening round win.
"We've got everyone up and running which is a first for a couple of years. Carlton did test us in that second quarter when they started running away with it. A few tough hard efforts from some of our players inspired us and we ran out the end of the quarters really well. It was good to go on with it - we are fit and they had a few guys underdone". We knew that so we wanted to take advantage of it."
Simmonds believed that the Carlton midfield was stretched by the lack of condition of Nick Stevens md Chris Judd.
"It's more mental toughness of running hard. Judd and Stevens were a bit underdone, but I would hate to see Juddy when he was up and running again because he was hard to stop. The mental toughness of the guys was really good."
Simmonds singled out one teammate - Jake King - for special mention in creating the opening win.
"He is just one guy you love having around the club," he said. "He is inspiring the way he goes about it. He has come from a hard, tough background and you need those type of guys out on the field - it really lifts us all."
Simmonds believes there are many up-sides compared to the Tigers' situation at the same time last year.
"We are better placed with injuries and that is a key thing," he said.
"Over the pre-season we have worked on some things and we are a bit more mature now. Out there on Thursday we didn't have anyone 18 or 19 years of age. It was all 20 years and upwards.
"There are some guys out there who have a good number of games under their belts. Patto (Adam Pattison) last year was trying to handle the ruck work on his own. We've got a good spread now."
The development of Pattison is a continuing source of satisfaction to Simmonds.
"I'm going to enjoy working, with him this year because he has come on in leaps and bounds," he said. "There's more depth now and we had guys who were unlucky to miss out on a place in the first game like Chris Hyde, Mitch Morton and Shane Edwards, which is a good sign."
Pattison's ability to kick a goal and his general ruck work are developing all the time. Simmonds hopes that Pattison's progress will enable him to spend
more time forward.
"I still like to kick a goal and we don't have to rely on Richo all the time. Cleve Hughes, Jay Schulz and Graham Polak can pop down there and kick a goal
too."
Simmonds always has a ready smile, and now it flashes across his face as he talks of the times ahead for the Tigers.
His experiences over the past six months have taught him that you have to seize the moment and run with it.
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TIGER DUO DOING THE BUSINESS FOR 'MONKY'
Inside Football, March 26, 2008.
AS RICHMOND'S ruck coach Damian Monkhorst was beaming after the Thursday night win over Carlton and more importantly the form of his charges Troy Simmonds and Adam Pattison.
"Troy had a wretched year last year and this year he has had a real good preseason and has done extra work to get himself going," Monkhorst said.
"It's paid off for him. It's a credit to him the way he has bounced back. He's a leader among the group."
Monkhorst, who had well publicised family drama when his son had a heart transplant, hasn't dwelled on discussing Troy Simmonds' medical condition.
"I haven't talked to him much about last year. It is done and dusted. This year we have really been concentrating on doing everything right to take on the best ruckmen in the comp."
Part of that process has involved Adam Pattison.
"Patto is so versatile - he can play forward and back or across midfield, he's one of those guys you can throw in anywhere and he will always give you the best he can," Monkhorst said.
"He's a ripper young fella and he enjoys being out there competing. He is a real worker.
"He listens to everything, tries different techniques and works out what suits him and what doesn't. You know he is going to put his head over the ball, all the time."
Pattison's athleticism appeals to Monkhorst.
"He's a bit of a shorter type of ruckman, but he runs like the wind and has an impact around the ground which is important," he said.
"The rucks did a real good job and I thought Simmo was best on ground, but I'm a bit biased!"
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Wonder how Richo and Monkhurst get on? One of the dirtier acts I've seen on a footy field, although I was in the back row, level 4 of the Great Southern Stand. Its very hard to see much at all up there in the nose-bleed strata!
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what about Nathan Brown and David King, wonder how they get on ;) after browny showed him the ball at the dome, ummmmmmmmm
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Very impressed with how much work Simmo put in during the off season.
If he can get back to near the form of '06 he will be the the difference between winning and losing a few games this year.
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Monky doesn't get much of a mention but IMO he's doing a top job with our rucks. Puts in a lot of time too at training with Simmo, Patto, Gus, Putt and Polak.
what about Nathan Brown and David King, wonder how they get on ;) after browny showed him the ball at the dome, ummmmmmmmm
King would have got stuck into Browny after that game as North came back and won.
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I think Monky is a good man.
God knows he's had a stressfull time with his sons
heart condiiton over the last few years and to come to
Punt road and contribute to the club with the passion he has
is a further credit to him.
I noticed his influence on Thursday nite.
:thumbsup
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Simmo's going to be visiting Monky this week for a refresher course in tapwork. How many times today did he tap it to North's advantage :P. Taking a throw-in next to North's behind post you don't tap it back into the corridor :help.
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Simmo's going to be visiting Monky this week for a refresher course in tapwork. How many times today did he tap it to North's advantage :P. Taking a throw-in next to North's behind post you don't tap it back into the corridor :help.
lol. That really was a shocker wasn't it. I spoke in words of four letters for about 5 minutes after that effort. I can laugh now. :rollin
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Woofer valve material for me :banghead
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Simmonds breathes easy
richmondfc.com.au
Luke Holmesby
4:57 PM Thu 01 May, 2008
FOOTBALLERS constantly have to put up with ailments like hamstring strains and osteitis pubis, but last year Troy Simmonds was sidelined by something that you won’t see on many club injury lists – blood clots in the lungs.
The Tiger ruckman missed the last four games of the year after the diagnosis but in January this year he got the all-clear from doctors to resume full football training.
Simmonds admits there were a few worrying moments along the way.
“Originally I saw it as just another injury setback, but if it did happen again then I’d have to be on the medication, which thins your blood. I would have had to be on that the rest of my life and I could not have played. It was a bit scary but it just makes me determined in the years I have got left in footy to give it a red hot crack,” he said.
“It was a freaky thing, which is exactly what’s happened to (basketballer) Sam MacKinnon. I know what he’s gone through. You don’t get really physically sick, you just get pains in the chest. You don’t think it is such a life-threatening thing at the time but I was pretty lucky. ”
The lung clot and early season problems with his ankle meant Simmonds only played 10 games for Richmond last year.
Simmonds’ frustrations were compounded by the constant criticism of Richmond’s remaining ruckmen, but he said his own absence helped develop the Tigers’ young big men who otherwise would have had to wait their turn.
“I did feel a bit of pressure last year. I was dying to get out there and help the team but I just couldn’t,” he said.
“We’d lost Trent Knobel and Greg Stafford to retirement and they are two senior bodies but it was a very manful effort by Adam Pattison last year to step up in the ruck. He’s certainly benefitted from that now.”
Simmonds and ruck coach Damian Monkhorst have been working closely with Pattison and other young rucks Dean Putt, Angus Graham and Tristen Cartledge.
But he has no plans to give up his spot in the side just yet.
“I’m out of contract at the end of next year but ruckmen are known for being late to physically develop. I think I can go on for a while,” he said.
“People say I’ve had a bad run with injuries but it has only been one year. I’ve had a few niggles here and there but I’ve kept my body in good shape. I’ve had a good run compared to some people out there.”
However the 29-year-old knows he is closer to the end of his AFL career than the start and has already put steps in place for a career post-football.
“I always think about life post-AFL. The earlier you can start thinking about it, the better you’ll be. It’s all good experience. I’m involved in a finance company at the moment that I run. I don’t think it’s something I’ll go with for the future but I’ve taken a lot out of it.”
One path Simmonds could consider is zoology. He famously owned several snakes while he was playing with Melbourne from 1991-2001. But tough Western Australian laws meant he had to offload his pets.
“I had a friend looking after them – he’s a zoologist, but I ended up having to sell them. So yeah I don’t keep them anymore but I’ve still got a passion for wildlife.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=58884
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Well it killed my Dad last year so Troy is one of the lucky ones.
It's frightening how much of it there was around last year.
Kind of makes u wonder how and what causes it.
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"I thought Adam Pattison did a great job last year taking the load pretty much himself and he has really developed and hopefully now with me going back in there - and we have worked well together over the pre-season - that he is going to be a real solid back-up for me."
IMO we need at least 3 more years out of Simmonds.
The only ruckman on the senior list we have after Simmo is our 4th season, 22 yoa - still developing Pattison and couple of speculative project types who are 1st and 3rd year. A better situation than we had in 36 months ago - but still a uneven mix.
Pattison is averaging 10 less hitouts a game, and 5 less touches than Simmonds, granted with less game time I'd assume.
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"I thought Adam Pattison did a great job last year taking the load pretty much himself and he has really developed and hopefully now with me going back in there - and we have worked well together over the pre-season - that he is going to be a real solid back-up for me."
IMO we need at least 3 more years out of Simmonds.
The only ruckman on the senior list we have after Simmo is our 4th season, 22 yoa - still developing Pattison and couple of speculative project types who are 1st and 3rd year. A better situation than we had in 36 months ago - but still a uneven mix.
Pattison is averaging 10 less hitouts a game, and 5 less touches than Simmonds, granted with less game time I'd assume.
Patto isn't a first ruck either. Which is why we are interested in 206cm Warnock.
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"I thought Adam Pattison did a great job last year taking the load pretty much himself and he has really developed and hopefully now with me going back in there - and we have worked well together over the pre-season - that he is going to be a real solid back-up for me."
IMO we need at least 3 more years out of Simmonds.
The only ruckman on the senior list we have after Simmo is our 4th season, 22 yoa - still developing Pattison and couple of speculative project types who are 1st and 3rd year. A better situation than we had in 36 months ago - but still a uneven mix.
Pattison is averaging 10 less hitouts a game, and 5 less touches than Simmonds, granted with less game time I'd assume.
Patto isn't a first ruck either. Which is why we are interested in 206cm Warnock.
Hopfully one day he is.
Pick #16 is abit wasful for Patto if he is only ever going to be a 2nd ruck.
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Troy Simmonds hopes for memorable night
Mark Stevens | May 09, 2008
TROY Simmonds assumes running out for the 2000 Grand Final was the highlight of his football life, but he cannot remember.
Simmonds, then a 22-year-old in a Melbourne guernsey, was cleaned up late in the second term by a locomotive named Michael Long.
Long's hip cracked into Simmonds' head as he attempted to win the ball at ground level.
He was out cold for at least five minutes, sparking a melee.
The Essendon champion lost four weeks at the tribunal. Simmonds lost his memory.
A lasting side-effect from the hit was no memory of the game or the days leading up. The highlights reel in his brain was wiped out in a split second.
Almost eight years on, Simmonds will return to the MCG as Victoria's starting ruckman.
It is such an honour, the Tiger is adamant it will be the biggest moment of his career since the 2000 Grand Final that wasn't.
"The Grand Final was when I was young and I got knocked out," Simmonds said.
"At Fremantle I was part of the club's first final and we got thrashed by Essendon.
"There hasn't been a lot of success at Richmond, so you've just got to grasp these opportunities."
The Long incident, the start of a crackdown on head-high and front-on contact, is best forgotten anyway, according to Simmonds.
"I don't remember anything and I don't really want to," he said.
"This is probably the next big thing to a Grand Final. I've just got to take the opportunity."
Simmonds, now 29, is in the best shape of career after paying out of his own pocket for extra fitness sessions with highly rated conditioning expert Adam Larcom.
"I wanted to finish off my career really well and leave nothing to chance," Simmonds said.
The problems of last year - an ankle injury followed by a life-threatening blood clot in his lungs -- are long gone.
Simmonds' speed and power have reached new levels.
"I think I can still develop further," he said.
Playing in a game full of elite midfielders can only help that development.
"I was out there today at training hitting the ball down to Sammy Mitchell, Chris Judd, Jimmy Bartel and those kinds of guys. They're just A-grade midfielders," Simmonds said.
"It's going to be a great battle of the midfields."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23668212-19742,00.html
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Looking fine in the big V guernsey :thumbsup
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snake may not be the tallest ruckmen going around but he sure does have the best and highest leap
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we've had two players picked to play in the contest - Simmo who is 29yr old and Richo who is 33yr old.
Foley was on the cusp of selection but I would much rather our inclusion be some of our young players who have come on than our older players.
What this tells me clearly is that our younger players still have a long way to go before they are recognised as elite players in the competition!
When all is said and done at least we had players good enough to be included. There are many teams who didn't....
Stripes
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Remind me, noting I havent checked out the teams, how many under 22 players are in each squad?
I would suggest it's FA, and thats the age group our kids are in.
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Franklin would not be 22 yet...
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Franklin would not be 22 yet...
Yeah that's one. ::) :clapping
I'm saying that it's the bare minimum and it doesnt mean our kids are no good because they arent picked in this game.
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there is more than one...and IMHO more than FA
If you include 22 you have:
Cooney (22) and Griffen WB, Franklin and Roughead (emg) Haw, Pendlebury and H. Shaw (22) Coll, and J. Selwood Gee
Incidently you have #2, 3, and 4 from the famous 04 draft playing or emg...
I too do not think our kids are bad...just others have developed quicker, but they also had more senior players around them to assist in their development...
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I'm not saying we have poor young players. All I am saying is that I would like to see more of them included in the team because this would be a clear indicator that we have come on as a team.
That is all.
Stripes
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U23's:
Vic: Shaw, Foley, Pendlebury, Roughead (emg)
DT: Franklin, Cooney, Griffen
Who says high draft picks don't matter. 5 of those 7 are top 5 selections and Shaw was a highly rated F/S.
Just 4 clubs have a U23 player(s) playing and we're one of them. In saying that a bit of ammo Wallace could direct towards Lids.
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there is more than one...and IMHO more than FA
If you include 22 you have:
Cooney (22) and Griffen WB, Franklin and Roughead (emg) Haw, Pendlebury and H. Shaw (22) Coll, and J. Selwood Gee
Incidently you have #2, 3, and 4 from the famous 04 draft playing or emg...
I too do not think our kids are bad...just others have developed quicker, but they also had more senior players around them to assist in their development...
I did say under 22 to match the kids ages on our list but each to their own of justifying their opinion.
And my understanding of "stuff all" = "not many." But once again, interpretation. We'd make a great umpiring team. ;D ;)
I dont see pick 4 playing btw. We wish. :lol ;)
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You'd have to say that Simmo is lucky to be getting a game tomorrow night.
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You'd have to say that Simmo is lucky to be getting a game tomorrow night.
It's the Vics remember, who do you expect to be in front of him, Jeff White? :lol
As long as the Vics ruck stocks are low we'll take the good fortune. :thumbsup
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In saying that a bit of ammo Wallace could direct towards Lids.
Agree, one thing to playing "international rules", its another to be recognised amongst your peers as being in the best 60 (he didn't make the squads) in the comp.
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You'd have to say that Simmo is lucky to be getting a game tomorrow night.
It's the Vics remember, who do you expect to be in front of him, Jeff White? :lol
As long as the Vics ruck stocks are low we'll take the good fortune. :thumbsup
Based on tonight's game Simmo earnt his place in the Victorian side. After last year when he was out you realise how much we rely on him.
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Based on tonight's game Simmo earnt his place in the Victorian side. After last year when he was out you realise how much we rely on him.
Ah! The voice of reason.
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You'd have to say that Simmo is lucky to be getting a game tomorrow night.
It's the Vics remember, who do you expect to be in front of him, Jeff White? :lol
As long as the Vics ruck stocks are low we'll take the good fortune. :thumbsup
Based on tonight's game Simmo earnt his place in the Victorian side. After last year when he was out you realise how much we rely on him.
Have to agree MT, had an above average game and more than showed he could mix it at the elite level.