One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on June 07, 2014, 10:03:20 PM
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Richmond fans should keep the faith and back coach Damien Hardwick despite club’s poor form this season, says Dermott Brereton
Dermott Brereton
Herald-Sun
June 07, 2014 8:00PM
THERE is a running gag that goes on among the ex-league players that are in the media, they say, “It’s so good for the competition when Richmond is up and running and winning games. But it’s even better when they’re losing.”
And unfortunately for the Tigers, it’s true from their viewpoint. No one has been more scrutinised than the Tigers this season.
The Tigers are so important to our competition. They are an old club. A club that has a brilliant history, but a recent past with very little success. No matter how many facelifts they have, the same appearance eventually re-emerges.
They have an enormous amount of followers. But not all of them surface until success is a weekly occurrence.
The Tigers have been studied, dissected, talked about and written about this season to within an inch of their life. For column space, no other team gives the scribes so much excitement to study and pass a verdict upon.
I can’t help but adore that club. For there would be no other team that offers so much exposure to so many human emotions in the space of seven days.
Maybe St Kilda can take you through a similar maze of emotions over a season, but the Tigers can do it in hours. They can be besotted by their fans on a Friday, sceptical on the morning of a match and loathed just three hours later.
Then by Monday the administration will field a great deal of phone calls from despondent supporters who have seemingly misplaced their membership cards in the MCG car park after the weekends’ game.
And now the cycle the Richmond supporters go through is about to enter the “question the coach” phase.
What I can and will say to those supporters is that if I were a board member that sat in the Richmond hierarchy, I would see Hardwick through this difficult season and give him the surety that I would link my own position to that of his.
That does not mean he is without a blemish. We all make mistakes. But Hardwick can coach. Make no mistake.
Jack Riewoldt let the cat out of the bag two weeks ago that the 2014 game plan had been slightly tweaked to try and emulate the kicking prowess and ball movement of Hawthorn’s game.
After all, they were the market leader by virtue of the fact that they are the reigning premiers. Unfortunately the skill set among a few was not capable of carrying out the task, either by foot skills, pace or endurance.
So it was then sought to move closer to the 2013 game style once again. But confidence had been eroded and some inconsistencies and bad habits have crept in. And a 3-7 win loss is the result.
From a naive viewpoint, I can see one error which the Hardwick led staff have allowed. And it is a dilemma that every coach under pressure has to navigate.
There is a time early on in every coach’s tenure where he lays the ground rules. He will outline the non-negotiables in his coaching philosophy. These will include things such as laying tackles when appropriate.
Placing your body over the ball and or staying on the path without wavering in the face of an oncoming opponent.
The list of these goes on, but by and large they are mostly to do with a form of physical bravery, or team rules.
Richmond and Hardwick have a problem in so far that; some players who kick the ball well can also break the non-negotiables.
And some others that will never break the non-negotiable, just keep kicking the ball back to the opposition, aren’t fast enough, or just simply not good enough when exposed to the elite.
So Hardwick is compromised. Who should he play? What type of player would you select when it came down to the choice between two types. The ‘goer’, or the skilful player?
I would personally back the ‘goer’. Preferring to die on the sword in the immediate, rather than negotiate for a peaceable outcome that will elongate mediocrity.
There will be short to medium term pain, but once that period has been negotiated, you must have a team that will not unravel against three of the other top four teams if you have designs on being the 4th team yourself.
Hardwick has wanted to stay competitive and win while the season is mathematically still alive for Richmond. And to do that, he has had to live with the compromise.
In each game there would not be a quarter of football that goes by whereby he doesn’t wince at some of his players reluctance to commit to certain actions out on the ground that he himself would charge head long in to as a player. In fact he craved it as a player.
He also has players who are compromised in fitness. Port Adelaide is the league ladder leaders and clearly the league leaders in fitness. They are now the yardstick to be measured by.
So hypothetically, which of Richmond’s top line on-ballers are fit enough to force their way into Port Adelaide’s best six midfield rotation group?
Cotchin on a balance of pure ability/ fitness, yes.
Dustin Martin would not cut the grade for their fitness regime is currently out of his reach. He would be made to play elsewhere until he reached the standard.
Reece Conca would suffer the same fate. Daniel Jackson would cut the grade for fitness. He is one willing to do what it takes.
But all of this leads us to the next problem. It’s a problem where a specific art in coaching can never be written in a handbook.
It is; how do you clamp down and come down on your senior players and possibly end their careers without losing the support of the group?
Senior players on the wrong side of the reimposed non-negotiable can mutiny against a coach and infect others.
Or you can have several key figures that are men’s men. And they will buy in and make the group live the mantra.
Does Richmond have enough of those players? Jackson, Cotchin, Ivan Maric and second-year player Nick Vlaustin. But who else will back their coach and say no more to compromise?
There is enough of a talent base at Richmond for them to be a good side. A very good side.
And although Tiger supporters have heard it all before, keep the faith. Believe!
Don’t just desire to make the eight or aim to win one final. Aim to win a premiership within two-three years. Build to it. Make no compromises along the way, even if you need to take a momentary step backwards. But keep the faith.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-fans-should-keep-the-faith-and-back-coach-damien-hardwick-despite-clubs-poor-form-this-season-says-dermott-brereton/story-fndv8t7m-1226946918690
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Dustin Martin would not cut the grade for their fitness regime is currently out of his reach. He would be made to play elsewhere until he reached the standard.
Ridiculous comment
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He s pretty spot on derm, we have the nucleus of a very good side, navigate our way through this rough trot and we ll still be on our way to our 11 th flag :clapping
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Dustin Martin would not cut the grade for their fitness regime is currently out of his reach. He would be made to play elsewhere until he reached the standard.
Ridiculous comment
spot on comment. he would play almost exclusively as a fwd at port because he doesnt have the motor to go the other way often enough. cmon we all know martins motor is a work in progress.
apart from the dribble about our supporters the story is spot on.
we suffer the glass half full syndrome in a big way. we are terribly compromised by either players having decent skills and pea hearts or they are combative but lack basic skills. finding that balance is a question i have continually asked. the real answer though is to recruit players who are decent in both and are fairly welll well rounded.
look at the criticisms by us posters of players dermie has nailed it . we complain of the poor kiclks the lack of pace the lack of awareness and we complain even more about the lack of ticker and defensive set. just too many glass half fulls and we need to weed em out and replace em. in the mean time play those who will have a red hot go every time.
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Deledio cotchin Martin vlastuin Conca Maric. Is a better mid group than port. That's the irony of it all
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Deledio cotchin Martin vlastuin Conca Maric. Is a better mid group than port. That's the irony of it all
what are you on about conca is average an honest player. vlastuin has he even played in the midfield as yet. maric is coming of a poor season and played just one game for the yr.
martin cotchin and deledio are very good players who have their own weaknesses. you dont regularly play finals on the back of just 3 consistent proven midfielders.
you know at some stage i thought the over rating of the players and the list would stop. it seems not.
deledio still struggles to cope with a heavy tag hes a disappointment for me in some ways. i dont reckon hes got close to his full potential.yet hes been a very good player most of the time.
he lacks a physical presence if you like. and he fails to use his pace often enough.
cotchin well his footskills leave a lot to be desired but hes a damn good player.
martin well its well documented with his lack of run both ways thus hes poor defensively. dermott is right at port he would spend far less time in the midfield and more as a fwd. his motor is improving and it will get where it needs to be. he does need to win more contested ball imo he needs to do more of the dirty things and do em well.
the three are great players for us they are our most consistent and well rounded yet there is significant scope for improvement with the three of them. thing is too much is left to these three too often we have to find some quality mids and we need to find just plain decent reasonably well rounded mids who can carry some of the load.
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Would you straight swap that six for the port six ?
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Would you straight swap that six for the port six ?
no we have three mids id like to keep id also like to keep vlastuin who currently isnt a mid but may become one.
mate ports midfield has been good enough to take em to a finals win and most likely back that up with a top 2 finish yet you somehow think we run deeper than them.
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Good article from Derm. I like his take on footy.
Although I've been very critical of Dimma this year I'm starting to feel that paying him out of his contract would not be a good idea. Overhaul the whole footy department this summer and give Dimma next year to atone. If nothing has changed by the end of next year then send him packing.
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He and the club need to improve now,otherwise by next year,tumble weed will be watching RFC play
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Dustin Martin would not cut the grade for their fitness regime is currently out of his reach. He would be made to play elsewhere until he reached the standard.
Ridiculous comment
Not it's not.
Dermot is spot on! Martin is not a midfielder's backside because he lacks the stamina to do the hard things required to be a complete footballer.
Play him at HF with occasional stints on the ball. Nowhere near fit enough.
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Finally some gets it, actually someone has the balls to say it. :thumbsup
It really is a difficult situation to manage and its partly the reason im not hounding Dimma, but yeah he does frustrate me.
We know who those players are I just hope when the season is shot we do the right thing
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You guys are off your nut if you think Martin is not fit enough to go through the port midfield
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You guys are off your nut if you think Martin is not fit enough to go through the port midfield
Im not getting into this argument, but who is ports best 6 mids?
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You guys are off your nut if you think Martin is not fit enough to go through the port midfield
Im not getting into this argument, but who is ports best 6 mids?
Couldn't even name 1 of them tbh
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You guys are off your nut if you think Martin is not fit enough to go through the port midfield
Incorrect Phil
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You guys are off your nut if you think Martin is not fit enough to go through the port midfield
Im not getting into this argument, but who is ports best 6 mids?
Something like 6 of the following 7
Hartlett
Wines
Wingard
Cornes
Polec
Ebert
Gray
We'd have
Cotchin
Deledio
...........Martin if he was fit enough
The rest are not much of a comparison
THE END
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I am happy with Dimma, he's not afraid to show his emotions, you can see the passion and when he is headless....
We need another elite midfielder and a couple of senior coaches with some creditability and experience.
:gotigers
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You guys are off your nut if you think Martin is not fit enough to go through the port midfield
agree, ridiculous to suggest martin wouldn't get a gig in Ports midfield. Derm also made a prediction that martin would never amount to more than a plodder bc his body is not conducive to afl footy.
tiger fans in general are nuts. They pick a target, one of our best generally, and make him out to be a dud see Cotchin, Lids, Martin and Reiwoldt, and will stick up incessantly for players like Edwards, Pettard and Jackson. Its bizarre
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Dusty would roll through the Port midfield at times no doubt but a few would be ahead of him at the starting bounce.
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Dusty would roll through the Port midfield at times no doubt but a few would be ahead of him at the starting bounce.
Agree, but he'd be utilised a lot better and within a year would be a top 5 midfielder in the comp.
Since the Brisbane game he's been run through midfield for 70-80% of gametime and has been our best and most consistent player by a fair margin. Have noticed a big improvement in 2 way running and pressure acts. Think the whole fitness thing has been overblown significantly. Think his lack of run earlier had more to do with the role he was asked to play ie outside receiver that finishes off the play.
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Good article by Derm, pretty much nailed it and says what most of us in here have been saying - stop forgiving the lack of effort and intensity by gifting games to the lame hearts, while keeping kids who are having a crack and doing everything right back in the 2's.
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Agree, but he'd be utilised a lot better and within a year would be a top 5 midfielder in the comp.
Based on what?
His lack of fitness is not overblown. If anything it is largely overlooked by Richmond supporters who are blinkered by his flashes of offensive brilliance.
He is a one way footballer.
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Agree, but he'd be utilised a lot better and within a year would be a top 5 midfielder in the comp.
Based on what?
Culture
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Agree, but he'd be utilised a lot better and within a year would be a top 5 midfielder in the comp.
Based on what?
His lack of fitness is not overblown. If anything it is largely overlooked by Richmond supporters who are blinkered by his flashes of offensive brilliance.
He is a one way footballer.
I agree. His main problem is not fitness, it is defensive intensity. He doesn't lay many tackles but he isn't Robinson Crusoe in that area!
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His lack of fitness is not overblown. If anything it is largely overlooked by Richmond supporters who are blinkered by his flashes of offensive brilliance.
He is a one way footballer.
I'd say you're the one that's blinkered on this one, have seen a noticeable improvement in defensive accountability since he started playing in the guts, and shock horror he's run out games. I thought he couldn't run out 4 qtrs.? Load of overblown garbage
His contested numbers have dropped from 45% of his possessions in his first year to 20% now when he should be entering his prime. This is not bc of fitness, he'd be a shedload fitter now than he was in his first season - its bc he has been instructed to become more outside to utilise his ball use.
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His lack of fitness is not overblown. If anything it is largely overlooked by Richmond supporters who are blinkered by his flashes of offensive brilliance.
He is a one way footballer.
I'd say you're the one that's blinkered on this one, have seen a noticeable improvement in defensive accountability since he started playing in the guts, and shock horror he's run out games. I thought he couldn't run out 4 qtrs.? Load of overblown garbage
His contested numbers have dropped from 45% of his possessions in his first year to 20% now when he should be entering his prime. This is not bc of fitness, he'd be a shedload fitter now than he was in his first season - its bc he has been instructed to become more outside to utilise his ball use.
Tony, it certainly looks like he has been made into an outside player but that's ok. However, outside player doesn't mean non tackling player. While I appreciate he has improved his defensive side, he has a long way to go to reach elite status.
I acknowledge though that he is the least of our problems currently. He has been our best player this year IMHO.
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His lack of fitness is not overblown. If anything it is largely overlooked by Richmond supporters who are blinkered by his flashes of offensive brilliance.
He is a one way footballer.
I'd say you're the one that's blinkered on this one, have seen a noticeable improvement in defensive accountability since he started playing in the guts, and shock horror he's run out games. I thought he couldn't run out 4 qtrs.? Load of overblown garbage
His contested numbers have dropped from 45% of his possessions in his first year to 20% now when he should be entering his prime. This is not bc of fitness, he'd be a shedload fitter now than he was in his first season - its bc he has been instructed to become more outside to utilise his ball use.
Tony, it certainly looks like he has been made into an outside player but that's ok. However, outside player doesn't mean non tackling player. While I appreciate he has improved his defensive side, he has a long way to go to reach elite status.
I acknowledge though that he is the least of our problems currently. He has been our best player this year IMHO.
Yep I agree - definitely is a weakness in his game and needs to keep improving, but when I see players are trending upwards I like to back them in rather than still label them what they are trying to move away from. If he drops the ball and becomes a lazy front running git again I'll be getting stuck into him about it.
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His lack of fitness is not overblown. If anything it is largely overlooked by Richmond supporters who are blinkered by his flashes of offensive brilliance.
He is a one way footballer.
I'd say you're the one that's blinkered on this one, have seen a noticeable improvement in defensive accountability since he started playing in the guts, and shock horror he's run out games. I thought he couldn't run out 4 qtrs.? Load of overblown garbage
His contested numbers have dropped from 45% of his possessions in his first year to 20% now when he should be entering his prime. This is not bc of fitness, he'd be a shedload fitter now than he was in his first season - its bc he has been instructed to become more outside to utilise his ball use.
Tony, it certainly looks like he has been made into an outside player but that's ok. However, outside player doesn't mean non tackling player. While I appreciate he has improved his defensive side, he has a long way to go to reach elite status.
I acknowledge though that he is the least of our problems currently. He has been our best player this year IMHO.
i tend to agree with this.
hes improving areas every yr. he has a way to go in some though.
the tackle count is a worry the c/ps are a worry, the clearance count is a worry. here we have a player who is 187cm/90kg and explosive of the mark.id really like to see him play more inside and round his game out better. thing is these things will go backwards if hes playing an almost exclusive outside role.
i look at martin the way he plays, the size and strength and i see a similarity to chris judd. he may not have judds sustained speed but hes got his explosiveness. go look at what judd brings to the table.
lots of uncontested ball but just as much contested ball. he wins plenty of clearances and lays lots of tackles. in a word hes so well rounded its not funny.
there should be no reason why martin cant get somewhere close to judds alround game as his motor improves. i sure as hell hope this is the aim.
he talks about becoming elite he could do worse than look at a player like juddy who is very similar. no doubt he has the talent but atm has to improve areas of his game. hes shown hes a great offensive weapon time to show he can be just as good at winning ball and defending..
again atm id say dermott is right. at port he would spend more time fwd than in the midfield because hes not quite there with his fitness. but they would be working damn hard to get to judd like status. the one thing judd has allover martin is the ability to run and run hard for damn long periods.