One more year at the bottom please

[PuntRdRoar]

 

[mightytiges]

Despite the positive changes I'm still expecting a bottom 4 finish so RT I think you'll get your wish. IMO it'll be a couple of seasons yet before we see these changes bear fruit. That's not to say we should aim for a bottom 4 finish and I'd reckon Terry will have the boys playing a better brand of footy to watch that's for sure but you can't expect kids, even the most talented ones, to come straight out of the U18s and get you into the finals. Even the "baby bombers" had a number of seasoned finals campaigners around them. Deep down I'd say Wallace and Co. know this otherwise Terry wouldn't have a 5 year deal. Hopefully us supporters are equally as patient.

One more year to clean out the last remaining duds and to score another couple of young quality KPPs plus another midfielder (you can never have too many of them). The depth of our list over time as these kids develop should become strong as a result. By 2006 the only way is up and up and up  .

[JohnF]

I'd say we've still got at least 2 years left as a bottom 6 side .

Having youth is great, but there's no way that half a team of 18, 19 and 20 year olds can get us into the finals. i'd be looking more towards the 2007-2008 mark to become a finals contender.

[Tiger Spirit]

As MT says, there’s still another clean out of the list to go.  After that’s done, the depth of our list will have improved significantly.

In the meantime, where we finish over the next couple of years isn’t that relevant to me.  What’s important is that we see the development of our players and a better style of play and game plan emerge.  Once all that happens, the ladder position will look after itself.

[froars]

Agree with your heading Ramps - a bottom position again next year for me too.
As long as i see improvement in the kids, and we can get rid of the rest of the deadwood in Cambell lol, etc, we'll have a completely new team - a team without a negative past - but a positive future, i hope.

[Disco]

Another year like the last one and you can guarantee all our young players will inherit the loser mentality, its imperative that we go close to making the finals and i dont think its too much to ask of our list even if it is a young one!

[WilliamPowell]

Another year like the last one and you can guarantee all our young players will inherit the loser mentality, its imperative that we go close to making the finals and i dont think its too much to ask of our list even if it is a young one!

I think you make a fair point Disco - we need to be ultra competitive IMO. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if me make the eight - history tells us that our senior players always seem to improve immediately under a new coach. 

Do I think we will make the eight - NO but if it happens I wont be shocked. I reckon we a chance for 7-10 wins and that will help the kids confidence.

I reckon with so many kids that we are more likley to start of in blaze of glory but as the season progresses and the kids in particular start to tire then we will drop away. And to be honest I don't care as long as the kids are developed and we are continually playing a fast attacking brand of footy, the results in time will take care of themselves

[the_boy_jake]

We shouldn't be aiming for the bottom, but it is imperative that we make the development of the younger players the priority.

I don't want to see our kids thrown in from day 1, as it could be more damaging than beneficial for them long term. It is important that the ones that need to bulk up are put on a high intensity weights program and a diet in accordance and if they bulk up quickly and are cutting back on the cardio work a bit, it may mean that in the short term (i.e. the first season) they are unable to play 4 quarters of AFL footy. I'd rather see this than a pack of runts with super endurance running around against men just to appease eager fans.

[mightytiges]

I reckon with so many kids that we are more likley to start of in blaze of glory but as the season progresses and the kids in particular start to tire then we will drop away.

That's how I see it too WP. The Pies, Saints and Geelong all went through this as well. I think we'll also see us at least causing one major upset by knocking off a top side then probably losing the following week as young sides have a habit of doing.

[tigers80]

excellent topic considering the election result and all that...

miller set the wheels in motion 2 years ago, its now time for us to pace ourselves and not peak and crash and burn, i would expect some more quality draft choices next year....

the fiscal situation has been sorted, and if by chance we have a season out of the box,  considering the club has budgeted for a $150,000 lose,  we could come out in front next year which might allow us to manoveur come trade time next year...

personally wallace is the key in all this, he is the class act,  that i know am going to love watch coaching in the next five years,  as he keeps presenting himself in the media about all things richmond he impresses me more with his professionalism....

here is a guy that wants to reach the summit and what fantastic timing just as the wheel seems to be turning for us but if we are gonna do it lets do it properly, god knows we owe quite a few opposition supporters the wrath of richmond supporters, and what nicer way of doing it than been successful but consistently successful....

eatemalivein05

eatemalivein05

[mightytiges]

One thing Wallace mentions in the DVD which is relevent to this topic is he doesn't support the view of bottoming out for the sake of bottoming out, 5 year plans and spending 4 years down the bottom of the ladder collecting high draft picks. He mentioned Geelong as an example of what his views on rebuilding are - getting good talent into the club while remaining competitive on-field.

[Ox]

i see finals in 3-4 years.

[LondonTiger]

Having a look at the side, we will finish bottom 4, but that does not mean we cannot get 8 or so wins.

I will be happy with that, as long as we are competitive in about 20 games.

Next year, clean out ?

Morrison - out of contract
Campbell - out of contract
Stafford - out of contract
Chaffey - out of contract (i think)
Rodan - out of contract
Hall - out of contract
Hilton - out of contract
Tuck - out of contract
Tivva - out of contract  - I think
Pettifer - out of contract
Kellaway - out of contract


There is nine.  Kellaway, Tivva, Chaffey, Rodan, Hall, Hilton, Pettifer,Tuck and even Morrison will be worth something around the table.

2 will retire...

I expect all of them to step up considerably this year. 

Hang ON.     That could mean with the above 10 players playing for their lives, with the other seniors, and the young blokes pushing through, we could.....  hey we could............. stuff we could  MAKE the FINALS.


I may back em, about 11/4 at the moment to make the eight.

Probably worth a couple of quid.


Bugger, and this thread started by me saying I was expecting bottom 4....

[mightytiges]

I believe Tivs has another year of his contract to go (to 2006). Agree with your list LT. Last chance for these guys. IMO Tuck, Morrison, Hilton, Pettifer, Rodan and Kellaway wouldn't be likely to be picked up by another AFL side. Kellaway is similar to Graham and only a club desperate for a tallish backman like we were would give him another chance at his age. 

I don't disagree that if everything went our way in terms of lesser likes having a belter of a year and we copped no injuries to our key players we could sneak into the eight as our draw is good. 12 wins/10 losses would be a maximum though. The AFL comp. has 4-5 really good sides and the rest are mediocre. The remaining teams could finish anywhere especially the Melbourne-based sides. Just look at the Pies. They lose one of Rocca or Tarrant up forward with Buckley in and out of the side and their whole structure falls apart. However for this to happen everything and everyone has to click. Highly unlikely. Plus there is always a danger that if we were to fluke such a season and in my mind it would be a fluke that some around the Club would start thinking we were a better side than what we really are. Also finishing midtable 8th or 9th stuffs you up in the draft as we all know.

As LT said if we score 8 wins, are competitive in 20 games and our kids continue to develop along nicely then I'll be happy that in 2005.   

[bg25]

Realistically I think bottom four, but as several have mentioned witha new coach, a not bad draw and a reasonable run with injuries particularly to key players well you never know. I look at the Blues this year and how they started to turn things around and I think they have a worse list than us.

I think we'll be up and down next year as we strive to implement a more attacking game plan....after all our senior players have had this style of game drummed out of them over the last couple of years.

One thing's for sure, I know I'm not going to cringe every week as I look to see all 18 of our players in our backline trying to prevent the opposition from scoring. Please God don't let me see a loose man floating around our hf line Please God don't let me see Chaff as a loose (and I mean LOOSE) man on our hb line

It's been a long time since I've looked forward to a season so much...not even after 2001....