OPPORTUNITY

[JBFTiger]

The Oxford Dictionary describes opportunity as follow:

op•por•tun•ity a time when a particular situation makes it possible to do or achieve.

I sat with my daughters, in hope at the MCG on Saturday, excited by the prospect of a young forward in either a number 8 or possibly number 25 jumper stepping up to try to fill the gapping hole left in our forward line by the absence of Matthew Richardson!

One that would take the bit between their teeth and run / lead / contest / tackle / chase / mark & kick (straight)…… Well!
 
Number 25 took a couple of marks couldn’t kick straight to save himself and either doesn’t like to run or thinks perhaps it is somebody else’s job!!! FAIL! ???
while
Number 8 was more intent on trying to get free kicks instead of putting his hands up and his body in to grab a mark. Honestly one contest I saw he was running to a contest where I thought he had the leap to probably complete a good strong contested mark, alas instead he decided to drop his head tuck his shoulders in and go to ground in the hope of a “Cheapy”. FAIL!! ???

In stepped a resting ruckman. The only one who lead, marked (strongly) and kicked straight, finishing the day with four goals (including our only three in the second half)! PASS.

As it turns out I along with my two daughters (one of which was on crutches) and probably a large number of Richmond supporters left the MCG disappointed AGAIN!

When are we going to stop being the league laughing stock, what is it that the players are so afraid of – WINNING! The team that played in Richmond jumpers in the first quarter looked first class, moved the ball quickly, hit targets and took the OPPORTUNITIES when they existed. Not really sure what happened at half time, but the team that came onto the ground in the second half did not play the same way. The groans from Richmond people around me said it all – chip, chip, panic, panic, chip, backwards, panic! OMG.

I will always support this great club ALWAYS, I just wish I had the answer, I truly do!!!!

As our theme song says:

If we're behind then never mind
We'll fight and fight and win
For we're from Tigerland.
We never weaken till the final siren's gone

C’mon Tigers! Eat em Alive

[TigerTime]

our song is a bluff, only if the players really played what they rarely sing

we have the best song but the worst team to use it

[mightytiges]

Sarge isn't the brightest spark and is lazy  . Jack had a shocker but he's still young and he shouldn't be used as a No.1 key forward anyway.

We play selfish undisciplined footy. It's that simple. Players slipping back into self-preservation mode after a turnover or two when it all gets too hard and they stop trusting their teammates in all aspects of the game. Players kicking and handballing short because it's the safer, I don't have to face the responsibility, don't blame me, don't look at me option. It's one thing to measure effective disposals in stats but what should be measured is what % of those are long effective disposals. The selfishness and lack of discipline also shows up in players having tunnel vision and ignoring longer options even if they are bleedingly obvious and the teammate is all by himself in space . It doesn't help either that our forward structure gives our players further upfield no confidence to kick long. Simmo kicked 4 goals but two of those were in junk time late in the game.

You can point out individuals but what frustrates me the most is the obvious dumb team things we do. You had to laugh on the weekend how Brisbane continually left their left side (our right) wide open when we had a kick-in yet we kept going to the congested left side. We could have gone coast-to-coast every single time from the kick-in outflanking Brisbane but that would mean actually opening our eyes and using a brain out there   or the coaches pointing it out to the players at the breaks. Same thing goes with something as basic as a switch of the play across the HBF to the open fat side rather than kick down the line to a 50/50 contest. Our boys either don't understand the purpose of it or if they do they are too slow thinking and deciding what to do.  

Next preseason the new coach is going to have to strip things right back to basics from day one and drill it into the players to cement team rules before he can implement anything new. Add a strict discipline code for those that step away from these team rules while rewarding those with who do stick to team rules no matter what with opportunities in the senior side to reinforce what is and isn't acceptable.  

[Gracie]

Sarge isn't the brightest spark and is lazy  . Jack had a shocker but he's still young and he shouldn't be used as a No.1 key forward anyway.

We play selfish undisciplined footy. It's that simple. Players slipping back into self-preservation mode after a turnover or two when it all gets too hard and they stop trusting their teammates in all aspects of the game. Players kicking and handballing short because it's the safer, I don't have to face the responsibility, don't blame me, don't look at me option. It's one thing to measure effective disposals in stats but what should be measured is what % of those are long effective disposals. The selfishness and lack of discipline also shows up in players having tunnel vision and ignoring longer options even if they are bleedingly obvious and the teammate is all by himself in space . It doesn't help either that our forward structure gives our players further upfield no confidence to kick long. Simmo kicked 4 goals but two of those were in junk time late in the game.

You can point out individuals but what frustrates me the most is the obvious dumb team things we do. You had to laugh on the weekend how Brisbane continually left their left side (our right) wide open when we had a kick-in yet we kept going to the congested left side. We could have gone coast-to-coast every single time from the kick-in outflanking Brisbane but that would mean actually opening our eyes and using a brain out there   or the coaches pointing it out to the players at the breaks. Same thing goes with something as basic as a switch of the play across the HBF to the open fat side rather than kick down the line to a 50/50 contest. Our boys either don't understand the purpose of it or if they do they are too slow thinking and deciding what to do.  

Next preseason the new coach is going to have to strip things right back to basics from day one and drill it into the players to cement team rules before he can implement anything new. Add a strict discipline code for those that step away from these team rules while rewarding those with who do stick to team rules no matter what with opportunities in the senior side to reinforce what is and isn't acceptable.  

Great post MT

Sadly spot on

[Chuck17]

Next preseason the new coach is going to have to strip things right back to basics from day one and drill it into the players to cement team rules before he can implement anything new. Add a strict discipline code for those that step away from these team rules while rewarding those with who do stick to team rules no matter what with opportunities in the senior side to reinforce what is and isn't acceptable.  

Interesting to see how that would go down with Richo and the resulting stuff if there was an issue.

Not that I disagree, it's just that it would be a huge task not just with the palyers but with the fans/media/board/members etc if they seen their favourites getting made an example of.