One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on September 10, 2017, 03:04:24 AM
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Damien Hardwick's grand plan for Richmond is on the verge of ultimate success
Jon Pierik
The Age
10 September 2017
It's a process that's been seven years in the making, but the Tigers are now two games away from the ultimate payoff.
This is what coach Damien Hardwick said in 2011 about the need to spread the goalkicking load after Jack Riewoldt's 78 goals a year earlier had comprised 32 per cent of his team's output.
"Jack is a terrific player, but we know we can't afford for him to be kicking 78 goals a year," Hardwick said.
"If we keep that somewhere between 50 and 60 goals … or another player kicks 20 or 30, we'll be happy with that. That's the sort of spread of goals you want. If you look at [recent] premiership sides, it will tell you a spread of goalkickers is the best way to go about it. If you rely on one player, you are not going to make it through a successful finals campaign."
That it took Riewoldt until late in the final term on Friday night to boot his first – and only – goal in a 51-point mauling of Geelong highlighted how Hardwick's master plan is on the verge of its greatest payoff. It was also a point acknowledged during the call of the game by AFL great Chris Judd.
The Tigers would finish with 13 goals, but only two men would make multiple contributions – Josh Caddy and Jacob Townsend with two each.
Riewoldt is still the major focal point and also contributes in other ways. His left-foot floater to Martin for a goal and later a pass to an open Dion Prestia were examples of this.
He remained the Tigers' leading goalkicker this season, with 50 through the home-and-away campaign. But that was his second-lowest return since 2010. The spread is now more even with Dustin Martin, Jason Castagna, Daniel Rioli and Dan Butler each having more than 20 goals. Josh Caddy, with 19, has also been crucial, as was the case on Friday night.
Hardwick's comment about "premiership sides" and scoring balance is pertinent, for that was what Alastair Clarkson, his great mate and former mentor at Hawthorn, demanded after the Hawks had lost the 2012 grand final against Sydney. In Clarkson's case it was a Lance Franklin-centric forward line. Not that big a problem, some would say, but it meant that if Franklin had a bad day, the Hawks could struggle. That was the case in the '12 grand final when Franklin was held to 3.4.
Franklin finished that year with 69 goals. A year later that was cut to 60, but it was Jarryd Roughead who exploded, booting 72 goals to claim the Coleman Medal, up from 41 the year before.
What the Tigers have also added is manic pressure, particularly inside attacking 50. Where the Hawks had that during their triple-treat of flags with Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo, the Tigers have that through their small forwards. Just check the tackle count on Friday night for Castagna, Rioli, Butler and Jacob Townsend.
"We pride our game on that. We are a little bit undersized in terms of height but we have got speed to burn. It's definitely what we base our game on," Caddy told Fairfax Media.
Former Richmond assistant coach David King said Hardwick's plan was working.
"They had a lot of season highs [against Geelong], intercepts in their forward half, lock the ball in, repeated entries, season-high tackles forward half. They forced Geelong to kick the ball at 49 per cent effectiveness, that's the worst ever recorded by Geelong. All on the back of a basic understanding of how to play based on pressure," he said on SEN.
"Their [the Tigers'] investment in the stars is big. We know that financially and there is purpose-picked speed that, really, are as cheap as chips. Some of those players would be on very low financial reward for what they do, but their impact and the way they play is huge. Thirteen goals they kicked [against Geelong], 11 different goalkickers. That's when you know the system is working."
It's a system that has the Tiger Army hopeful of a premiership conquest for the first time in 37 years.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/richmond-tigers/damien-hardwicks-grand-plan-for-richmond-is-on-the-verge-of-ultimate-success-20170909-gye2z9.html
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"The Grand Plan"
Step Half : Go backwards to go forward.
Step One: Have Neil Balme fall into your lap.
Step Two : Hire Carcella.
Step Three: Get Leppa back.
Step four: Sit back and take all the credit.
(https://www.buzz50.com/media/kunena/attachments/14440/tony-robinson-baldrick.jpg)
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"The Grand Plan"
Step Half : Go backwards to go forward.
Step One: Have Neil Balme fall into your lap.
Step Two : Hire Carcella.
Step Three: Get Leppa back.
Step four: Sit back and take all the credit.
(https://www.buzz50.com/media/kunena/attachments/14440/tony-robinson-baldrick.jpg)
So I see there are still plenty of Dimma haters around here :shh If we lose its all Dimmas fault but if we win its everyone elses fault. I really don't think there is anything Dimma would do to make you lot happy. He coached the team to third, got us into a Prelim and could even win us our first flag since 1980 yet you're still trying to drag him down. Sad really :thumbsdown
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Would we be third with Hardwicks game plan?
We are third because Balme recruited Carracalla and he brought a great game plan with him.
Some Hardwick supporters just can't face the fact that he is an abysmal tactician but a great team manager.
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:clapping :clapping :clapping Someone gets it....(though I suspect quite a few more than you do)...just don't let Matty see your post.....especially if you didn't post within 5 minutes of the final siren on Friday Night.... :shh
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Yeah look its not as if Hardwick isnt familiar with this fast brand of football - we played it in his first few seasons...
the problem was he got spooked after the 2013 elim final loss and did a complete 180 to possession crab footy. Sure its taken a shake up of the FD and Caracella to champion the new old style with some tweaks, but anyone that is seriously suggesting he has no say in it and is purely there for the ride, is tugging it abit.
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Think you may have that arse about.....Caracella's gameplan with bits of Halfstep's old one....built on tackling, shepherding and forward pressurre and complimented with increased leg speed.....all things super coach had been allergic to for seven years, especially the first two...(and IIRC you were just as vocal as me about it) and yet you and others seem to think he's had some kind of epiphany overnight with just a little nudge from Caracella.....haha do me a favour....
,
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If people are willing to lay all the blame at the coaches feet when fail then they should be gracious to lay all the accolades at his feet when we succeed. The reality is that you are living in the past if you still feel one man is the sole reason a club succeeds or not. Dimma is not the reason a team succeeds or fails. We are now succeeding because of the stability of the board, everyone off-field rowing in the same direction. The coach feels supported so doesn't make decisions based on self preservation but instead is eager to work collectively with the other coaches, team manager and recruiters to do what ever it takes to create a path forward to succeed.
Dimma admitted that he began to try and micro-manage everything last year when everything started to go south. Now he trusts his assistant coaches to do their job, follow the strategy/game plan they all have bought into and get us to a flag.
I know you've already made up your mind that Dimma is a poor coach, we should sack him and give it to ....well it changes every year doesn't it...but in the end if If Dimma is failing at the moment I hope he continues to fail us all the way to a premiership :veryhappy
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Credit to Benny Gale and Peggy O neil .
Would of been real easy to sack the coach last year to appease the angry masses. Instead they got Balme , Caracella, Leppa and Clarke .
The term "stability " has been mocked on this forum and was considered a dirty word . ....now we have two teams in the prelim.
Wether you think Dimma is a great tactical coach or not it was pretty obvious to me this season that he hasn't lost the players and they are playing for him 100%
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The coaching TEAM we have, is the best since the Hafey days. Hardwick isn't a great tactician. He is, however, loved by the players. Kudos to the club for surrounding him with outstanding football brains. Caracella, Leppa, Balme, McRae and even Clarke have all played their role and it is the combination which has turned a team devoid of self belief to one that is now on the verge of the ultimate success.
Whether it is design or just by dumb luck, Peggy and Benny have made the right decisions and we should applaud them. Hell, they'd be first in the firing line if the team had failed this year.
They've even turned Tigeritis into a believer! Something that I thought impossible not that long ago.
:gotigers
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If people are willing to lay all the blame at the coaches feet when fail then they should be gracious to lay all the accolades at his feet when we succeed. The reality is that you are living in the past if you still feel one man is the sole reason a club succeeds or not. Dimma is not the reason a team succeeds or fails. We are now succeeding because of the stability of the board, everyone off-field rowing in the same direction. The coach feels supported so doesn't make decisions based on self preservation but instead is eager to work collectively with the other coaches, team manager and recruiters to do what ever it takes to create a path forward to succeed.
Dimma admitted that he began to try and micro-manage everything last year when everything started to go south. Now he trusts his assistant coaches to do their job, follow the strategy/game plan they all have bought into and get us to a flag.
I know you've already made up your mind that Dimma is a poor coach, we should sack him and give it to ....well it changes every year doesn't it...but in the end if If Dimma is failing at the moment I hope he continues to fail us all the way to a premiership :veryhappy
Hey Stripes great to read your posts again.
Your not wrong on blaming Hardwick for everything, there was even one poster who stated that Hardwick was so bad a coach because he inherited good players such as Richo and Bowden. I don't know if he was telling bullpoo just to advance his argument or if he is just stupid, I'm leaning towards stupid.
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With what we have , the plan has been brilliant.
I don't like being wrong I didn't think we could do it without a CHF but here are.
The proof is in the pudding
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Think you may have that arse about.....Caracella's gameplan with bits of Halfstep's old one....built on tackling, shepherding and forward pressurre and complimented with increased leg speed.....all things super coach had been allergic to for seven years, especially the first two...(and IIRC you were just as vocal as me about it) and yet you and others seem to think he's had some kind of epiphany overnight with just a little nudge from Caracella.....haha do me a favour....
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He he.. youre a pretty black or white type of bloke eh?
You have a very selective memory. I was very vocal from when he switched to that rubbish wannabe hawthorn 2.0 style after 2013. Prior to that I was pretty happy with the style we were playing in 2012/13.
I have no doubt Caracella has championed our new style but all I'm saying is to say dimma has nothing whatsoever to do with this seasons football philosophy is just as stupid as those suggesting it's all him.
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Would be interested to know where we ranked for tackling, shepherding & forward pressure back in 2013 and what our numbers were....
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The coaching team just like the footy team are firing on all cylinders. Broom went through end of last season and this year we are roaring, enjoy. A lot of you sound like Trump after he won the election, still trying to convince everyone because you can't believe you actually won, then again I can't actually believe the prick won either..
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The coaching team just like the footy team are firing on all cylinders. Broom went through end of last season and this year we are roaring, enjoy. A lot of you sound like Trump after he won the election, still trying to convince everyone because you can't believe you actually won, then again I can't actually believe the prick won either..
Chucking a totally irrelevent Trump-bashing analogy into a topic that has stuff all to do with poliitics - you should write for The Age or The Guardian.....
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Yeah look its not as if Hardwick isnt familiar with this fast brand of football - we played it in his first few seasons...
the problem was he got spooked after the 2013 elim final loss and did a complete 180 to possession crab footy. Sure its taken a shake up of the FD and Caracella to champion the new old style with some tweaks, but anyone that is seriously suggesting he has no say in it and is purely there for the ride, is tugging it abit.
FMD TM we agree :gobdrop. Will just add that we have tried it at times over the previous years too with mixed results but inevitably turned back to the slow safe play
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You two finally agree and you're both wrong....
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Me and TM are undeniably the smartest, most level headed posters on this forum so I doubt we've got this one wrong.
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The coaching team just like the footy team are firing on all cylinders. Broom went through end of last season and this year we are roaring, enjoy. A lot of you sound like Trump after he won the election, still trying to convince everyone because you can't believe you actually won, then again I can't actually believe the prick won either..
Chucking a totally irrelevent Trump-bashing analogy into a topic that has stuff all to do with poliitics - you should write for The Age or The Guardian.....
Caught me a fish though didn't it? But I do apologise, I feel terrible if I have upset a fan of the o'l unhinged, pussy, grabbin, nazi, rug head.
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Go to bed spotty or I'll send Ruindah around to sort you out....
:santa
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:shh