One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on September 19, 2015, 04:46:12 AM
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Why Richmond is a Shakespearean tragedy
Graham Cornes
Adelaide Advertiser
September 19, 2015
WILLIAM Shakespeare could not have scripted the tragedy that is the Richmond Football Club.
At various stages of the last three AFL seasons, the Tigers have shared premiership favouritism; have beaten the best of the other teams and finished respectably inside the top eight.
Its legion of long-suffering fans mobilise for September. However, they don’t dare to be optimistic.
They know their hearts are going to be broken.
No AFL club in the 21st century has promised so much but delivered so little.
So it was last week at the MCG when North Melbourne outplayed and outsmarted the hapless Tigers.
If they weren’t such an arrogant bunch you would feel sorry for them, however they take “unsociable football” to a Hawthorn-like level.
Unfortunately they don’t have the talent or the underlying discipline of Hawthorn and end up as pathetic parodies of tough, aggressive footballers. Instead of respect they get derision.
Yet, I feel for their coach, Damien Hardwick.
By any measure except one, he has done a fantastic job.
However when you continually fail in the first week of the finals, the football world judges you too harshly.
Mark Williams suffered in a similar fashion when Port Adelaide could not convert its minor round dominance to finals success.
Now a mentor to Hardwick at Richmond, he knows how to deal with this pressure.
When your major sponsor turns on you and calls for your head like Alan Scott did, you find untapped reserves of determination and resolve.
Hardwick will need that strength as he and his team face another summer of ridicule and criticism.
For all their self-inflicted mediocrity, however, the Tigers were a victim of one of the most unsporting acts in AFL history. In round 23, the week before the finals started, by a stuff of scheduling, North Melbourne again had to play Richmond.
The Kangaroo scandalously tried to manipulate the positions of the final eight by resting 11 players from its best team. As it transpired the result of that North Melbourne/Richmond game was immaterial because the Crows could not beat Geelong and the ladder positions did not change.
Tigers supporters reacts as the North Melbourne loss.
However, there was another unexpected benefit for the Kangaroos in that its team was rested and refreshed for the first week of the finals, whereas Richmond, which had played the final minor round game on its merits could not enjoy a similar advantage.
Kangaroos coach, Brad Scott might feign indignation that he exploited a loop-hole but the AFL must immediately act and punish clubs for such blatant tanking.
Of course that will be too late help Richmond whose premiership window which was barely ajar anyway, is closing.
It still has a potent mid-field — Dustin Martin is the equal of Nat Fyfe and Patrick Dangerfield — and the captain, Trent Cotchin, despite last week’s disappointment, is also one of the best.
It has one of the great power forwards in Jack Riewoldt, and key defender, Alex Rance was first pick as an all-Australian this year.
The rest are foot-soldiers with an occasional burst of brilliance thrown in. They are the most enigmatic team in the competition.
No one epitomised that more last week than tall forward Ty Vickery.
Vickery is provocative at the best of times with a swagger and a confidence that is not always sustained by his performances.
He turned the game and his opponent on its head with a brilliant individual goal in the first quarter, soloed brilliantly to goal just before three quarter time, but the inevitable disaster befell him in the last quarter.
With the game in the balance he selfishly tried to do it all himself when a simple handball over the top would have resulted in a certain goal.
His form had been good leading into the finals but that one act defined him — a metaphor of disappointment in a black and gold jumper.
The football wheel eventually turns — even Shakespeare once wrote; “there are many events in the womb of time which will be delivered.”
Barring a football miracle however, one of those events will not be a Richmond premiership.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/graham-cornes-richmond-is-a-shakespearean-tragedy/story-fnia3m9p-1227533605267
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Hey didnt know this flog still existed. Bueller, Cornes, Anyone?
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Hey Cornes, did you happen to watch the game last night and see the score??? I would think that is more of a tradgety, also mate, without Dangerfield the Crows are nothing and they will slide down that ladder next year pal!!!! :snidegrin
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
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I love the herald sun footnote.
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
I doubt a South Australian bogan idiot like Cornes would even have read Shakespeare. He might have been forced to study him in school, but his teacher would have eventually given up trying to explain it to him. Yes, Richmond is like a Shakespearean tragedy, but the parallels with the bard are more to do with our plummet from power into failure thirty odd years ago.
Besides, what kind of soulless individual laughs at a tragedy anyway? I bet Cornes is the kind of bloke who turns on the news and has a chuckle at the road toll. And where does he get off calling us arrogant? Richmond may be a lot of things, but we aint arrogant. I thoroughly enjoyed the sight of a bunch of loud-mouthed Crow eaters choking on humble pie at the G last night. Now slither back over the border and shut the eff up the lot of you inbred idiots.
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Agree^^ if the terms he used to describe us were left out it would be good read.
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
The part where he says that our premiership window is closing.
Only Newman was over 30 in that team......
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Fair article I thought
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Yes I think its a fair article too. We can be disappointed but the players we have basically choke when it matters most. You cant win anything if you choke all the time.
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LMAO at the richmond trait where we can bag the the club merclessly, but as soon as an outsider has something to say we get all indignant.
For the most part of that article Cornes is bang on the money.
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Thought he got it right and BTW as a footnote Cornes was actually born and bred in Victoria.
Lived Bayside in Edithvale/ Aspendale in his early years.
Went to Ivanhoe Grammar and was zoned to Geelong.
He never went and after his parents separated he moved to SA.
A South Australian bogan now probably but not an uneducated one.
He was on open Mike last year or in 2013.
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
And where does he get off calling us arrogant? Richmond may be a lot of things, but we aint arrogant.
Our arrogance towards middle/lower level clubs has been one of the main contributing factors in our inability to win more games each season. We approach every game by treating or respecting each club according to their position on the ladder and that's why we can beat top sides but get beaten by so many of the crap sides. And it also happens in every game when we get a few goals up - we get arrogant about our capabilities and we stop pushing/stop trying. And it has happened in every final we have played recently - an arrogance about our birthright to be a power side again but forgetting that we actually have to bring an A-game to finals that transcends any home and away game. We are arrogant way beyond our right to be so and all to our own detriment.
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stuff off cornes, if I wanted a laugh, id read the Fred Basset comic, stick to selling cars :lol
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
And where does he get off calling us arrogant? Richmond may be a lot of things, but we aint arrogant.
Our arrogance towards middle/lower level clubs has been one of the main contributing factors in our inability to win more games each season. We approach every game by treating or respecting each club according to their position on the ladder and that's why we can beat top sides but get beaten by so many of the crap sides. And it also happens in every game when we get a few goals up - we get arrogant about our capabilities and we stop pushing/stop trying. And it has happened in every final we have played recently - an arrogance about our birthright to be a power side again but forgetting that we actually have to bring an A-game to finals that transcends any home and away game. We are arrogant way beyond our right to be so and all to our own detriment.
yeah arrogant is correct. just read the threads leading up to last weeks game.
also the veruca salt type carry on when things dont go our way - the way many seem to think not only are we are owed success, but it should be instant, is also a form of arrogance.
the way we belittle more successful clubs because we have more supporters, money or whatever, while they constantly beat us and/or win premierships, is also a form arrogance.
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LMAO at the richmond trait where we can bag the the club merclessly, but as soon as an outsider has something to say we get all indignant.
For the most part of that article Cornes is bang on the money.
Agree
Think he got it right, we may hate it but it is in the main spot on the money
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read it going
"true, true, yep, true"
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
And where does he get off calling us arrogant? Richmond may be a lot of things, but we aint arrogant.
Our arrogance towards middle/lower level clubs has been one of the main contributing factors in our inability to win more games each season. We approach every game by treating or respecting each club according to their position on the ladder and that's why we can beat top sides but get beaten by so many of the crap sides. And it also happens in every game when we get a few goals up - we get arrogant about our capabilities and we stop pushing/stop trying. And it has happened in every final we have played recently - an arrogance about our birthright to be a power side again but forgetting that we actually have to bring an A-game to finals that transcends any home and away game. We are arrogant way beyond our right to be so and all to our own detriment.
If you're referring to our losing to Melbourne two years running, I don't believe that's on account of arrogance. It's more to do with the fact that, despite our respective ladder positions, we've NEVER had an answer to any sides who continually send masses of extra numbers to clog up our forward line. Hardwick is too dumb to come up with a feasible plan to counter it, and we fall victim, and will continue to fall victim to it every time. Hell, he still hasn't had the brains to make Lachie Hansen accountable, despite him playing as a loose man in defence to great success every single time we play North. The players aren't arrogant- they are just soft and stupid.
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LMAO at the richmond trait where we can bag the the club merclessly, but as soon as an outsider has something to say we get all indignant.
For the most part of that article Cornes is bang on the money.
Agree
Think he got it right, we may hate it but it is in the main spot on the money
Agree
Is he a closet supporter of ours or did one of the OER faithful write it for him after another finals loss?
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I only take issue with the 'arrogance' comment. WTF is arrogant. They're introverts trying to look tough with tatts and silly haircuts, but when pressed they go to jelly. I looked at their body language this year, it was calm and steely. It was that that gave me confidence they could do ok. No great celebrations after goals, Jack had limited his theatrics, replaced with a more mature outlook. Didnt amount to much but i would argue about them being arrogant
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I only take issue with the 'arrogance' comment. WTF is arrogant. They're introverts trying to look tough with tatts and silly haircuts, but when pressed they go to jelly. I looked at their body language this year, it was calm and steely. It was that that gave me confidence they could do ok. No great celebrations after goals, Jack had limited his theatrics, replaced with a more mature outlook. Didnt amount to much but i would argue about them being arrogant
Agree. That and the bit that our premiership window is almost closed. We have 4 more years at least in our window and maybe more as we pick up more young talent. The club has geared itself for sustained finals action. Our problem is whether we can break into top 4 and have a serious tilt at the flag. We need a couple of guns to do that and a ruck who can go with a Goldstein or a Nic Nat.
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I only take issue with the 'arrogance' comment. WTF is arrogant. They're introverts trying to look tough with tatts and silly haircuts, but when pressed they go to jelly. I looked at their body language this year, it was calm and steely. It was that that gave me confidence they could do ok. No great celebrations after goals, Jack had limited his theatrics, replaced with a more mature outlook. Didnt amount to much but i would argue about them being arrogant
We have 4 more years at least in our window and maybe more as we pick up more young talent.
Yep, this part of what you say distresses me a bit when I see names like Yarran on the table and what we would have to give up to get him. We were good enough this year to go all the way, we don't need topping up IMO, we just need a good shrink. We should be now looking at sustained success and blooding new kids. We will go top four next year with this team - or we should.
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Personally don't give a stuff what these blokes write.
FFS they are paid to give their opinion.
Don't honk the club gives a stuff what they write, if they do then shut the joint down.
Some need to harden up and deal with people's opinions, let's face it everyone has one just like a bum hole.
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Lol at the indignation. What part did he get wrong?
And where does he get off calling us arrogant? Richmond may be a lot of things, but we aint arrogant.
Our arrogance towards middle/lower level clubs has been one of the main contributing factors in our inability to win more games each season. We approach every game by treating or respecting each club according to their position on the ladder and that's why we can beat top sides but get beaten by so many of the crap sides. And it also happens in every game when we get a few goals up - we get arrogant about our capabilities and we stop pushing/stop trying. And it has happened in every final we have played recently - an arrogance about our birthright to be a power side again but forgetting that we actually have to bring an A-game to finals that transcends any home and away game. We are arrogant way beyond our right to be so and all to our own detriment.
If you're referring to our losing to Melbourne two years running, I don't believe that's on account of arrogance. It's more to do with the fact that, despite our respective ladder positions, we've NEVER had an answer to any sides who continually send masses of extra numbers to clog up our forward line. Hardwick is too dumb to come up with a feasible plan to counter it, and we fall victim, and will continue to fall victim to it every time. Hell, he still hasn't had the brains to make Lachie Hansen accountable, despite him playing as a loose man in defence to great success every single time we play North. The players aren't arrogant- they are just soft and stupid.
Seem to handle it quite well against Freo and Sydney