Ch-ch-ch-changes: which clubs are doing what Opposition Analyst
The Age
April 11, 2014 The "Thin White Duke" (aka David Bowie) sang of "Ch-ch-ch-changes", and how he was "just gonna have to be a different man". Three rounds into a new season, we can take a small breath and see if some of the fancied teams are following his lead.
Richmond:Still hard to judge. The Tigers continue to tease, as they can play sparkling football at times with the irrepressible talents of their captain Trent Cotchin and his supporting midfielders in Brett Deledio, Reece Conca, Brandon Ellis and Shaun Grigg on show. Yet over the small sample of three rounds they have also shown their capacity to "check-out" in the middle of quarters to allow the opposition to get back into the match.
Their game style is the same, with the Tigers playing close to a "basketball-style" of short possession football until they can find the best forward-50 target to "pass it in" to. Structurally though, Damien Hardwick is forcing change, following the Hawthorn example of last year with Lance Franklin by introducing more flexibility to his set-ups.
Jack Riewoldt is definitely not the number one forward-50 target as Richmond look to become less predictable. Don’t be surprised to see Jack up on the wing, like Jack Gunston, or maybe even in centre bounces a la Jarryd Roughead. Supporters and other commentators may not like it, but if it pays off and Ty Vickery becomes a more consistent forward for the Tigers, Hardwick will feel validated.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/chchchchanges-which-clubs-are-doing-what-20140410-zqt49.html#ixzz2yV7Ocp00
