Bottom 8 sides: where to now? (Age & H-Sun)

[one-eyed]

The also-rans: where to now?
Rohan Connolly
August 26, 2010

School's out for summer. And after this weekend, for eight clubs propping up the rest of the AFL ladder, an extra month of spring as well.

For most, that will mean six months of soul searching. For a couple, like the hapless Essendon and a Port Adelaide still in caretaker mode, it might mean a bigger shakeup still under a new coach. But in 2010, not all the also-rans will go away empty-handed.

Three clubs in particular - North Melbourne, Melbourne and Richmond - will finish the season with plenty of optimism.

Richmond's year, if anything, has proved even more remarkable. Winless until round 10, early in the year the Tigers were being compared to the basket case that was Fitzroy in its death throes.

Not that much later, they'd won fi ve out of six, including the scalps of Sydney and Fremantle. And but for the vagaries of the match review panel, they'd possibly be ending the year with both a Coleman medallist (Jack Riewoldt) and a Rising Star winner (Dustin Martin).


RICHMOND (15th)

VERDICT: Could still finish as lowas 15th, but significant and obvious gains have been made under Damien Hardwick.

POSITIVES: Plenty. A likely Coleman medallist in Jack Riewoldt, the year's most exciting debutant, Dustin Martin, and more likely kids Daniel Connors and Andrew Collins. Big improvement also from from Shane Edwards and even much-maligned anngry ant Jake King.

NEGATIVES: As they struggled to come to grips with a new attacking philosophy, the Tigers, at stages, looked barely competitive. Young side is still knocked out of the way too easily, and skills and decision-making come unstuck under physical heat.

WHAT THEY NEED: Time, mainly. Coach has the right formula and enough good kids to help bring it to fruition. A big summer spent on weights and skills should help a lot.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-alsorans-where-to-now-20100825-13sbl.html

[one-eyed]

Plenty of positives for some teams despite missing finals
Mike Sheahan
Herald Sun
August 27, 2010 8:15PM

FAILING to make the final eight doesn't necessarily equate to failure. Success is relative in such a demanding competition.

Adelaide will finish up to eight places lower than many respected observers tipped in March. By its standards, it has been a horror season.

Yet the Crows still will finish three or four spots above Richmond, my biggest improver of the year.

It's all about the mix: starting point, personnel, expectations, the fixture, injuries and form against the better teams.

The Tigers will finish 15th with six wins, maybe seven. Regardless of tomorrow's result against Port Adelaide, it's a better return than that of 2009 (five wins) and has been achieved with no Richo and with virtually no input from Nathan Foley.

There were 13 changes to the list between seasons. It was out with the old, in with the new; kids everywhere.

Richmond didn't win a game until Round 10.

It was deemed to be the worst team since Fitzroy in its death throes, unlikely to win more than two games for the year, in desperate need of one-off draft concessions from the AFL, and on the way to being transported off to Van Diemen's Land as the basis of another expansion club.

If it beats Port, it probably will finish level on points with Essendon.

There is, though, much work still to be done at Punt Road.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/plenty-of-positives-for-some-teams-despite-missing-finals/story-e6frf9ox-1225911068501