One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: torch on December 17, 2007, 04:17:40 PM
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how much do you love "Richo Man"
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He is our best, hardest working and often most exciting player...
But...
With the fear of being shot down I think he is holding back the future of our forwardline. :'(
It hurts me to say it but I think Richo needs to move out of the F50 and either up on the HFF or onto the wing. When Richo plays he is completely immersed in the game. He only has eyes for winning the football and beyond that he struggles.
If he is not given the ball when he has run into space he becomes irrate. If a ball is kicked to another leading forward and he thinks he can mark it, he will try. He doesn't make space for other forwards. He doesn't block or screen for other forwards. The F50 is his.
As a result players such as Schulz, Hughes, Rewoldt and even Browny to a lesser extent struggle. Our midfielders always look for him because he is 1) or best forward, 2) he becomes angry if they don't and 3) he barrels through the other forwards anyway. There is no cohension in the forwardline, no teamsmanship.
Richo is a star. He can outrun almost any opposition player around, has a huge engine and is a tremendous mark. Those players who can keep up with him on the lead will struggle in the air and visa versa. If Richo played up un the wing or on the HFF we would be able to utilize his talents to create a better link from the backline into the forwardline. He deliver the ball to our forwards much more fluidly and run back with the flight of the ball to take marks inside the F50 which is his speciality.
Also as a result our forward structure becomes much more unpredictable and our forwards are given the opportunity to develop together.
Richo is one of my favourite players and always has been but I think for the sake of the teams future we need him to move further up field.
Stripes
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its time 4 richo to move on
has been a good player 4 us, but now he is dead weight
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Richo is one of my favourite players and always has been but I think for the sake of the teams future we need him to move further up field.
I'm with you Stripes. Move the big fella out to a HFF where he can use his strengths. I can't see Richo developing into a Alistair Lynch-type lobbed in the goalsquare. That's never been his style and while he did kick 60 goals in that role under Frawley it didn't help the structure of the side and made us too predictable. Richo's athleticism while running direct opponents off their feet is his main strength. While he can stay mostly injury-free which he has the past 3 years and still run then there's a spot in the side for him. It's not like he suffers from repetitive soft-tissue injuries as Cambo did was towards the end of his career when his body had had enough
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If he doesn't stay fit(quite possible at his age), either way it'll be interesting to see how the forward line copes without him.
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Richo is one of my favourite players and always has been but I think for the sake of the teams future we need him to move further up field.
I'm with you Stripes. Move the big fella out to a HFF where he can use his strengths. I can't see Richo developing into a Alistair Lynch-type lobbed in the goalsquare. That's never been his style and while he did kick 60 goals in that role under Frawley it didn't help the structure of the side and made us too predictable. Richo's athleticism while running direct opponents off their feet is his main strength. While he can stay mostly injury-free which he has the past 3 years and still run then there's a spot in the side for him. It's not like he suffers from repetitive soft-tissue injuries as Cambo did was towards the end of his career when his body had had enough
he will still hog and and get in everyones way even on the hff. richo really thinks that RFC means the richo football club, its all bout him
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Richo is great in so many ways, He is courageous, Hard working, determined and a great mark. BUT...... What I don't like is his deplorable set shot kicking skills and when he starts throwing the toys everywhere. His dummy spits are demoralising and make him look like a spoiled brat.
As far as his set shots go, It is unbelievable in this day and age that no coach has been able to rectify this issue he has. Even I can see what is going wrong...On set shots he approaches the mark more slowly than on the run and just before he connects with the ball, his foot is all floppy and its a lottery as to what part of his foot actually makes contact with the ball which explains why he is so erratic. On the run his muscles and tendons are far more tense, tightening his ankle and providing a more rigid and direct contact with the ball and thus explaining why he is far more accurate on the run. I'm no biomechanics expert by any means but after watching a hell of a lot of footage of Richo kicking you can see it as clear as day. Maybe something as simple as a sort of foot brace or tight strapping would have made him one of the greatest Forwards the game has ever seen.
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Richo is great in so many ways, He is courageous, Hard working, determined and a great mark. BUT...... What I don't like is his deplorable set shot kicking skills and when he starts throwing the toys everywhere. His dummy spits are demoralising and make him look like a spoiled brat.
As far as his set shots go, It is unbelievable in this day and age that no coach has been able to rectify this issue he has. Even I can see what is going wrong...On set shots he approaches the mark more slowly than on the run and just before he connects with the ball, his foot is all floppy and its a lottery as to what part of his foot actually makes contact with the ball which explains why he is so erratic.
I've also noticed that his approach and style changes depending upon the distance of the set shot. With shots from 40+ he kicks through the ball with leg fully extended but with close range shots he stutters his run up and stabs at the ball with a bent leg. We all know which one is more accurate.
The enigma tha is Richo :santa
Stripes
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I believe Richo should be centre half back were he can run up the ground and drive the ball forward. He is not the best goal kicker but he can get plenty of the ball. He is an impact player so use him at the end of the ground he is most needed. It would be great to see him line up and destroy the likes of Hall Brown Loyd and co. :pray But if we are driving the ball forward maybe put him at centre half forward but keep him in play. :bow
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its time 4 richo to move on
has been a good player 4 us, but now he is dead weight
what a moronic thing to say.
Great year last year,one of if not his best all round
and tool-boy here recommends getting rid of him.
X,u r a deadweight to this forum.
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I believe Richo should be centre half back were he can run up the ground and drive the ball forward.
Oh please, please dont listen to this. Richo is always the last link in out forward movement. He will either do something fanstasitc, or will turn it over. He is definatly not what you would call a assist guy. How many times have seen him mark on the wing and hit a leading foward, it dont happen often I can tell you that.
At least when he is up forward we have a chance to get the ball back when he turns it over without them scoring, if he is down back and he turns it over well then its curtins. Watching the Tiger can be frustrating but by far the worst moments happen when he swings down back.
Yes I am in the Love and Hate Richo camp , always have been and always will be.
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As far as his set shots go, It is unbelievable in this day and age that no coach has been able to rectify this issue he has. Even I can see what is going wrong...On set shots he approaches the mark more slowly than on the run and just before he connects with the ball, his foot is all floppy and its a lottery as to what part of his foot actually makes contact with the ball which explains why he is so erratic. On the run his muscles and tendons are far more tense, tightening his ankle and providing a more rigid and direct contact with the ball and thus explaining why he is far more accurate on the run. I'm no biomechanics expert by any means but after watching a hell of a lot of footage of Richo kicking you can see it as clear as day. Maybe something as simple as a sort of foot brace or tight strapping would have made him one of the greatest Forwards the game has ever seen.
Richo also doesn't run in a straight line in his run-up (veers off to the right just before he is about to kick) and he often gets too close to the man on the mark.
He's our enigma. Will miss from 15m out then next slot one through the middle from the 50m line on the boundary.
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I believe Richo should be centre half back were he can run up the ground and drive the ball forward. He is not the best goal kicker but he can get plenty of the ball. He is an impact player so use him at the end of the ground he is most needed. It would be great to see him line up and destroy the likes of Hall Brown Loyd and co. :pray But if we are driving the ball forward maybe put him at centre half forward but keep him in play. :bow
I've seen him play down the backline and it was a scary sight. I don't think he has the footy brain to play down the back. Also I think you need to be able to despose of the ball cleanly whilst under pressure and Richo struggles with this.
The game where we beat Adelaide with a massive flood (terrible to watch but exciting for us as supporters) Richo moved into the backline for the last portion of the game and took some great grabs. Unfortunately he kicks like a forward - high and arched - which gave the opposition plenty of time to get to the drop of the kick and either spoil, make a contest or mark themselves. One goal in the last five minutes was a direct result of one such kick.
Richo could be trained but I have heard reports saying that when TW first came to the club he was asked about Richo and he said that if he had of come to the club 7+ years ago he would have made him a CHB and he would have been the CHB of the century! Unfortunately he didn't learn how to play such a defensive role and as the old saying goes 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'.
I still believe the HFF or wing would be ideal but I can't see it happening in the short term. I think if Richo does move from the goal square it will be through injury and we will probably never know how good he would have been in these positions.
Stripes
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Interesting point i never thought about how damaging Richo's kicking out of defence may be. Which makes me agree with stripes that a wing position may be a good spot. I almost was going to say rotating in the middle, on my original comments but knew that it would be laughed at. My point is he is still quick big and can get alot of the ball he is a waste at full forward. He is frustrated down there let him be in play more. ???
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Interesting point i never thought about how damaging Richo's kicking out of defence may be. Which makes me agree with stripes that a wing position may be a good spot. I almost was going to say rotating in the middle, on my original comments but knew that it would be laughed at. My point is he is still quick big and can get alot of the ball he is a waste at full forward. He is frustrated down there let him be in play more. ???
I agree. i think he would play a 'Goodes-like role' through the midfield. I don't think he would be good around the packs but as a link player he would be nigh unstoppable. It would really confuse the opposition coach as well particularly if he periodically drifts back into space in the forwardline.
What a way to finish off your career :bow
Stripes
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Interesting point i never thought about how damaging Richo's kicking out of defence may be. Which makes me agree with stripes that a wing position may be a good spot.
Been done. Played a blinder the first week, then was absolutely pantsed by Riewoldt the next. Is too unaccountable (read zero ;D ) to his opponent to play wing or defence.
I don't mind him going down to block attacks in the last few minutes of a quarter or having a run up around the middle for 15 minutes, no more than that though.
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Richo is one of my favourite players and always has been but I think for the sake of the teams future we need him to move further up field.
I'm with you Stripes. Move the big fella out to a HFF where he can use his strengths. I can't see Richo developing into a Alistair Lynch-type lobbed in the goalsquare. That's never been his style and while he did kick 60 goals in that role under Frawley it didn't help the structure of the side and made us too predictable. Richo's athleticism while running direct opponents off their feet is his main strength. While he can stay mostly injury-free which he has the past 3 years and still run then there's a spot in the side for him. It's not like he suffers from repetitive soft-tissue injuries as Cambo did was towards the end of his career when his body had had enough
he will still hog and and get in everyones way even on the hff. richo really thinks that RFC means the richo football club, its all bout him
Richo hasn't played permanently on a HFF since he was young (under Northey) and he never got in the way then.
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Intrinsic to our plan for success is Richo.
Without him our scoring options are minimal to say the least.
Look at 2004 under Spud the Dud. We kicked 100 points once for the entire season. Ironically in a game when "The Great Man" kicked 10 and he kicked 65 goals in a season where we averaged about 10 goals a game. Without him we would have averaged an even more paltry figure.
Richo is still good enough to take the best tall defender in the opposition side and still good enough to be in the competiotions elite in taking contested marks. His fitness and endurance is amazing and given he was in a side that had quality ball use and hence quality delivery he would be a centurion goalkicker. People remember 1996? :shh
Can you imagine Richo at full forward in the Essendon sides of 2000 and 2001 the years Lloyd kicked 100+ I reckon Richo would have had 1.5 times the shots Lloyd had for the year with the quality of ball he would have been receiving.
Sure he is frustrating an enigma none of us will fully understand but without him we are much the poorer as a team and I hope in subsequent seasons drafts we look to find someone to fill his shoes.
How can you not love someone who is
Richmond through and through
Passionate
Wears his heart on his sleeve
Bleeds Yellow and Black
Runs Like the Wind
Jumps Like a Gazelle
and Plays with heart and desire in a side where he has more often than not been on the end of hidings from a team perspective not a personal agenda.
If I ever have to agree with Robert Walls on one thing and hope something he says comes true is I hope I am present in the ground to watch him kick 15.
I saw him kick 10 and I am still in awe of that and the memory of that will be cherished forever in what turned out to be a bleak bleak season after that round 8 2004 match.
Richo is a flawed genius but that is the charm of the man. Here's to 300 big games for the RFC Big Fella and A Flag to boot before you are done. You deserve it.
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Schulz, Hughes, Riewoldt, Gourdis?? :-\
Richo is going to leave a massive hole when he goes based on what we have seen so far and as I said it will be sooner than we think.
In fact it is my single biggest concern as to how we will replace him up front.
It should worry Terry Wallace too because 2011 is a pipe dream without key forwards of quality..
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its time 4 richo to move on
has been a good player 4 us, but now he is dead weight
3 words ... UTTER RIDICULOUS DRIBBLE
It is about time that Richmond listed players earnt their spot in the best 22 to wear the Y&B each week. Until one of the young guns has consistent GOAL kicking form at Coburg, then Richo can be placed under selection pressure.
Until then forcing a consistent goal kicker that takes the #1 defender each week is pure folly.
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Here, here HT and Darth :thumbsup
Do people forget how many times Richo has been our leading goalkicker and repeatedly one of the best contested marks in the league? Not bad for a "dead weight".
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:sleep
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some of u people haven't got a clue. he is one of the main reasons i go to watch the footy.
in a game where there is only half a dozen personalities left, what will we become once he goes.
he is a dead set champion and ive said it many times before, if the rest of the team just sat back and watched this guy play, run, chase, tackle then we would be in top 8.
unfortunately they dont and we struggle year in year out.
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It is about time that Richmond listed players earnt their spot in the best 22 to wear the Y&B each week. Until one of the young guns has consistent GOAL kicking form at Coburg, then Richo can be placed under selection pressure.
Agree with that.
A 21 or 22 year old key forward needs to be putting pressure on a 33yr olds position in the side.
If they can't do that then move on to the next option because they are not good enough.
No handouts.
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Intrinsic to our plan for success is Richo.
Without him our scoring options are minimal to say the least.
Look at 2004 under Spud the Dud. We kicked 100 points once for the entire season. Ironically in a game when "The Great Man" kicked 10 and he kicked 65 goals in a season where we averaged about 10 goals a game. Without him we would have averaged an even more paltry figure.
Richo is still good enough to take the best tall defender in the opposition side and still good enough to be in the competiotions elite in taking contested marks. His fitness and endurance is amazing and given he was in a side that had quality ball use and hence quality delivery he would be a centurion goalkicker. People remember 1996? :shh
Can you imagine Richo at full forward in the Essendon sides of 2000 and 2001 the years Lloyd kicked 100+ I reckon Richo would have had 1.5 times the shots Lloyd had for the year with the quality of ball he would have been receiving.
Sure he is frustrating an enigma none of us will fully understand but without him we are much the poorer as a team and I hope in subsequent seasons drafts we look to find someone to fill his shoes.
How can you not love someone who is
Richmond through and through
Passionate
Wears his heart on his sleeve
Bleeds Yellow and Black
Runs Like the Wind
Jumps Like a Gazelle
and Plays with heart and desire in a side where he has more often than not been on the end of hidings from a team perspective not a personal agenda.
If I ever have to agree with Robert Walls on one thing and hope something he says comes true is I hope I am present in the ground to watch him kick 15.
I saw him kick 10 and I am still in awe of that and the memory of that will be cherished forever in what turned out to be a bleak bleak season after that round 8 2004 match.
Richo is a flawed genius but that is the charm of the man. Here's to 300 big games for the RFC Big Fella and A Flag to boot before you are done. You deserve it.
u took the words right out of my mouth, awesome post and spot on champ
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It is interesting how people so eagerly jump to the extremes.
Richo is one of my favourite players for his heart, determination, skills and endurance all at 32 years of age. But the for years now we have been too Richo-centric and as a result we have become too predicatable. Look how many opposition defender 'actually' do play on Richo and you can usually count one or two permanent opponents plus 1 or 2 defenders who are continously looking to peel off their players to assist against the big man.
Richo is our best forward and frequently our best player which too me at this stage of our development is concerning. Our backline and midfield shows promise for th future with young players taking more responsibilty to step up in those areas but our forwardline is still very much Richo.
Richo commands the ball and get upset if he is denied it. Richo wants the ball, leads for the ball and takes the ball - he rarely if ever creates room for others to lead into or screens other forwards opponents so they gain a gap on their defender. This is why he is not our captain by now. He is who he is but we can not continue to hope he will change or continue to structure our forwardline the same way and expect different results.
We need to try something different to prepare for the future and perhaps you are right Darth Tiger, we need to wait until our young forwards begin to perform for Coburg but I do think we need to begin to give them more responsibility for the Tigers also.
Having Richo play up on the HFF would still utilize all of his strengths - run, marking, vigour, leading back with the flight of the ball - but make us far less predictable, give our young forwards an opportunity to begin to work together and perhaps allow us to make a smoother tranition into the future. Confidence is the key and when Richo continuely and unconsciously sap that away from our young forwards then perhaps he may need to change roles for the betterment of the team.
Stripes
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Having Richo play up on the HFF would still utilize all of his strengths - run, marking, vigour, leading back with the flight of the ball - but make us far less predictable, give our young forwards an opportunity to begin to work together and perhaps allow us to make a smoother tranition into the future. Confidence is the key and when Richo continuely and unconsciously sap that away from our young forwards then perhaps he may need to change roles for the betterment of the team.
I always harp back to the first game we played the Weagles last year with Schulz and Hughes at FF & CHF repectively.
The youngsters did pretty well that day with Richardson playing further up the ground.
Sadly Plough never persevered with that setup and went back to plan A after the Geelong debacle.
'Terry's triangle' aside I am yet to be convinced by any of Wallace's forward line set ups.
16 goals a game? LMAO.
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16 goals a game? LMAO.
We've only kicked 16 goals or more 13 times and scored 100 points or more 20 times in the past 3 years (66 matches).
Nowdays you need a multipronged attack as the days of a single forward kicking a bag each and every week are gone. Look at Geelong. They've gone from having a fairly weak forward line only 12-18 months ago to being one of the biggest scoring premiership sides (17 100+ scores this year compared to just 6 in 2006).
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one of the biggest scoring premiership sides (17 100+ scores this year compared to just 6 in 2006).
Wow. Pretty awesome.
So refreshing to see a premiership team that's game plan is based on attack. 8)
No outstanding key forward yet the Cats have so many avenues to goal.
There's your model Plough.
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There's your model Plough.
Don't think you'll get any argument from TW. He's been pretty consistent in saying that it's Geelong he's modelling us on.
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There's your model Plough.
Don't think you'll get any argument from TW. He's been pretty consistent in saying that it's Geelong he's modelling us on.
It helps when the side (GFC in 07 & WCE in 06) has a lot of goal kicking midfielders.
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There's your model Plough.
Don't think you'll get any argument from TW. He's been pretty consistent in saying that it's Geelong he's modelling us on.
Well that's convenient. ;)
Interesting that we didn't hear that once last season isn't it.
Proof is in the pudding RROFO.
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Interesting that we didn't hear that once last season isn't it.
Not trying to be argumentative but I have heard it a few times since Terry took over. I'm sure I have read it in the media or the official site. I have a funny feeling it was from the horses mouth in an interview he gave. Now you've got me doubting my sources. ;D
Anyway that's what I have heard. IIRC I had now reason to doubt it when first heard it but I can't vouch for the reliability of the info since I can't remember the source.
:thumbsup
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IIRC Plough did say when he took over that you don't need to hit rock bottom (a la Geelong) to rebuild. I think that thought has gone out the window lol as we gained Tambo and Rance from our two priority picks. It's impossible to compare to Geelong's recruiting as they gained big time from their stack of Father-Sons which they got on the cheap under the old 3rd round F/S rule. It would be Richmond's luck that the rule get changed just before a couple of sons of Dunne and Wood are eligible next year and we have to auction for them especially if they star at U18 level :P.