Herald-Sun live chat respones....Hello. It's Glenn McFarlane here and I'm ready to talk about the Tigers.
Spoke to Trent Cotchin when he was on the New Zealand trip and he is fired up for a big season. Not sure he is yet in the mould of Selwood, but would love to find out with a full season under Cotch's belt.
Miller will play a big mentoring role. Dimma spoke highly about him and his involvement with the young guys. Didn't spend much to get Miller, so worth a punt. Understand your point on Bowden, but think the coach needed to make real changes in his first year
Back half for Deledio, with a few cameo runs through the middle in my view. The coach certainly wants that.
Agree, Houli definitely in top 22, probably in top 18
Newy has had a tough initation as skipper, but has plenty of respect within the group. Reckon it might make him an even better leader, but is a low-key bloke
Tigers taking cautious approach with Griffiths. Imagine how good it would be to have him, Jack and possibly Vickery in attack
Definitely Cotchin for mine [re: supercoach]. Foley will take time to find his feet. Has played only four of the club's past 30 games. Hardwick suggested it might take him half a year to get into a groove. But when he does, lookout
Backline still a real concern for me. Dimma said as much that they could not get the continuity through it last year. Like Astbury as a player, think backline is a work in progress.
Like all four of the C's at Richmond that you mentioned guru. Can;t wait to see Conca in Round 1. Coach says he is almost certain to play, along with Batchelor and Helbig strong chances
Definitely need more goals from midfield. It's a crucial element of success these days, take Collingwood for instance. can't rely on Riewoldt to kick 32 per cent of goals every year
Tough early draw for Tigers - need to beat North in R5 and have a serious crack at carlton in Round 1. Saints, Hawks and Pies look tough
Agree on Vickery. we always mark big guys too early. He is only into his third year, and developing into a new role in attack. Let;s wait and see.
Conca and Batchelor are likely to play in Round 1. Massive start to their careers before massive crowd.
Skill issues are a worry. It was a concern in last week's praccy match against Hawks. Still miss too many targets, but they have worked hard to rectify things.
They are being a bit coy on Griffiths' progress. Reckon they won't rush him early.
Key position defence concerns me, the smaller backmen are fine.
I'd keep Newy in defence. Reckon there is a stack of speed in the midfield that Tigers can utilise. Midfield looks like it will be superb in a few years - Cotchin, Martin, Conca, etc
Reckon Griggy has Flea covered for SuperCoach. I am still having nightmares about dale Weightman from 1980 Grand Final.
Grigg will be a real addition. Have always thought he could play with limited chances at Carlton. He will get those chances now, so needs to step up.
Tigers targeted him midway through the season and got their man. They were also into Sherman but missed out on him.
Great that Troy Taylor decided to keep pushing ahead with AFL. The coach reckons he will be very handy in attack this year. Hopefully with his off-field issues in check, he can be a lot more consistent
Yeah, you can't expect Foley to slip straight back in and be the same player he was a few years ago. It will take time.
He has looked a little rusty in the preseason, but tigers won't push him too hard. Look for a strong second half of the year from him
Derickx was a bonus late draft pick and the coach reckons he has done well. Good back up - he's 23, so he has got a bit of maturity about him
All is fine with Shane Tuck, and why wouldn't it be after his last 20 games in 2010. Averaged almost 26 touches and laid plenty of tackles. If the club was worried about his defensive efforts going into last season, they aren't now,
Think you needed to turn over 26 players, Tiger Pops. It was a move Hardwick had to make. Get players who can use the ball better and hopefully that has happened
Grigg is a tough nut, so that wouldn't surprise if he looks after Cotch a bit. I've never taken Cotchin in SuperCoach before, but I will be this year.
The coach is concerned that the 2010 model got blown away in quarters - whether that was first or last. They have worked hard on gaining a consistency this year, proof will be in the pudding,
Definitely can't give away four or five goal head starts. That needs to start with the carlton game - can't give up seven goals in first term as they did last year
Post needs to settle in one position, I reckon. Stop moving him about
Funny line, Zeptus, about the little midfielders (re: all Tiger mids small and skinny). That's why Martin will eventually be sensational there. He's tough.
Contin worth a bench position for supercoach - he will probably play 10-12 games
No chance of Fev if you listen to the coach. Won't happen, even though he and Newy are still close.
Coach likes Grimes down there, and has been impressed by Bachelor. Still a few unresolved issues in the backline, too
Big year required from Alex Rance. Just doesn;t have an on-off button, which is admirable but needs harnessing
Gourdis seemed to be an emergercy most of the year in 2010. haven't seen him play live a great deal, but will get plenty of chances to lock in a spot.
Totally agree about great midfields making Ok defences look good. Try Hawthorn 2008 - that's what happened there.
Too early to start saying Tiger midfield will be awesome, but it's looking pretty bloody good at the moment. Imagine what it might be like in 2012 and 2013
Really happy for kingy on his season last year. No one tries harder, no one goes harder. But he found a niche and hope he keeps it.
Think you will find the new equipment in the Tigers redevelopment might build a few bigger bodies. But take your point on that.
Post in the midfield? Interesting. Blues are planning to do that with Kreuzer when he comes back. might be a way of the future
I wouldn't be getting rid of Tuck, I might have said yes 12 months ago, but have changed my mind.
Morton will play a bit midfield and a bit forward
Clearly Tigers need new avenues to goal - other than Jack. Vickery needs to kick 30 if he left down deep in attack
Wow! 150 supercoach points for Cotch - I will be taking him. Might just be ready to explode.
Depending on the carlton game (which is winnable) reckon the Tigers could be 0-4. But I promise you it won't be 0-9 like it was last year.
Jury's out with me on little Robbie Nahas. Great finish year but just didn;t have the same spark last season. Needs a big year.
Sorry, Tickles. Can't say how many games Gourdis will play. Would love to think he could slot in down back somewhere. There will be openings.
I totally agree with Dimma about the reliance on Jack. You don't want another reliance situation as was the case with Richo. Need goals from Ty, Post, Griff and the little blokes as well.
Sorry, Chris, not much chance of finals in my view. I like your optimism, Vic Tiger. Would make for a cracker Round 24.
I reckon the Tigers need to be aiming to win between 7 and 9 games. That would be a real bonus. At some stage they will string some games together - as they did last year - but there will be occasional blips on the radar
As Damien Hardwick, we won't be taking short cuts. That has happened in the past, and hopefully they will stick to the long-term goal this time around
hard to move Connors out of defence given what he did late last year. But he is a reasonably good kick, so you never know. I reckon he can go to another level - really liked the way he knuckled down after his early season issue, and finish the year off well. Loved his game against Freo
Grigg/Collins - Flip of the coin trade - could go either way. I just reckon Grigg was the sort of player the Tigers needed - he likes contested ball and that will be a bonus.
yes, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel, but there's still a bit further to go. You are probably halfway through the tunnel, I reckon. Things can turn quickly. Reckon Collingwood was still well placed a few years ago (2005, when 15th), but they were able to go out and get Pendlebury and Thomas. But Tigers are definitely on the right track. I really rate the coach
Agree with your assesment, Anomalos. Won;t make the eight, but will win some big games. Let's hope it starts with Carlton.
Nason definitely small crumbing forward. Would love to see small Tigers in attack get some of that defensive pressure that the elite clubs have got
Hey guys, that's it for today. Thanks so much for your time. Really enjoyed talking about the Tigers. They won't make the eight for mine, but will continue the upward spiral and really like the imprint that damien Hardwick has made. Hopefully the Round 1 games against the Blues is a cracker.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2011-preview/richmond
