Paul Roos says Richmond must tighten defence to defeat Collingwood Paul Roos
From: Herald Sun
April 07, 2012 COLLINGWOOD or Richmond will be winless after tonight's game and will start to come under scrutiny.
The Magpies are harder to judge because they have had an inconsistent lead-up to the season and have many players out of the team.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have had a perfect pre-season preparation and were disappointing against the Blues last week.
The Tigers will certainly improve, yet they still have significant flaws that were exposed by the Blues last week. Their talent does not run particularly deep, and their bottom five or six players are still young and developing.
Richmond's coaching staff will be acutely aware of their weaknesses and will address them each week.
A couple of damning flaws from Round 1 were that Richmond finished with 18 fewer inside-50s than Carlton, and were well beaten at the stoppages after quarter-time.
One of the most significant problems Richmond needs to overcome is a stronger commitment to defensive transition when the game starts to slip out of its grasp.
The Tigers have some great offensive midfielders who can cut teams up, but the query remains over whether they can shut down their direct opponents.
Dustin Martin, one of the competition's best young players, continually wins contested footy and often turns games single-handedly. Unquestionably, he is an amazing talent. But he has one glaring flaw in his game. If he is not winning the ball, he has little awareness of his opponent.
It is unfair to hang out a young player to dry over one incident, but his half-hearted chase on Chris Yarran was there for all to see. To be a complete footballer, he must develop a stronger commitment to the defensive side of his game.
Martin is not alone; it is common for young players coming into AFL football. They are mostly talented, great ball winners who have concentrated purely on the offensive aspect of their game as juniors.
Martin can learn, and tonight's match at the MCG is a tremendous opportunity to further his football education by assigning him a run-with role on one of the competition's top three midfielders - Scott Pendlebury.
Taking on such a challenge would do him and the Tigers the world of good and fast-track both his and the team's development.
Clearly Martin is not going to be a run-with player throughout his career. But if he is capable of doing so at stages, it will give him and the Tigers coaching staff considerable confidence.
It would be a fascinating duel to watch, as in many ways they are similar players. Both have a great mix of an inside and outside game.
Martin could go one-on-one at stoppages and win his share; he also has the speed and endurance to match Pendlebury on the open expanses of the MCG.
If Pendlebury goes forward, Martin should go with him. Martin is a decent height for a midfielder at 187cm, only marginally shorter than the Magpie. He is good overhead and uses his body well in man-on-man marking contests.
For Tiger fans who are used to seeing Martin dominate, the assignment would not be about one game - it would be about the bigger picture and how the Tigers can develop a team capable of winning a premiership.
If Martin could keep Pendlebury to five possessions a quarter, he would have done well; if the game ended with 15 possessions apiece, it would be a massive win for Richmond.
Another player whose role is worth reviewing is Brett Deledio.
The dilemma for coach Damien Hardwick is whether Deledio can develop into an elite midfielder or best serve the team rebounding off halfback.
Richmond's ball use out of its backline can be horrible, and only Deledio and skipper Chris Newman seem capable of delivering any consistent supply to players upfield.
Unlike Martin, Deledio has a strong defensive ethic and has done some exceptional shut-down jobs on elite footballers. The coaching staff trusts him to perform a run-with role or as a terrific rebounding defender.
Can he join Martin as a genuine midfielder who can dominate and turn games through his own actions?
Deledio turns 25 this month, putting him in his prime, and I'm sure Tigers fans would like to see him dominate stoppages and kick crucial game-breaking goals.
I believe he has the capacity to consistently get hold of the ball forward of centre and be recognised as a feared midfield general, such as Gary Ablett, Chris Judd, Dane Swan or Pendlebury.
The Tigers' most well-rounded player is Trent Cotchin. He is a coach's dream, a combination of both Martin and Deledio, and has a commitment to defence and an ability to win the game off his own boot.
The Tigers' coaching staff has done an outstanding job with Cotchin.
He is capable of playing off halfback and shutting down a dangerous forward. He can perform a run-with role through the midfield, or he can completely dominate a game as an offensive player.
In Round 1 he had 27 disposals, including 11 contested possessions, eight tackles, seven clearances and two goals. He is a star.
If Hardwick can develop Martin and Deledio as well-rounded midfielders such as Cotchin, it will help set the Tigers on the path towards the top half of the ladder.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/paul-roos-says-richmond-must-tighten-defence-to-defeat-collingwood/story-fnctrk3q-1226320756688
