A great read off the RFC site about Trent Knobel
====================================
A salute to Knobel deeds
10:08:15 AM Thu 21 April, 2005
Chris Riches
richmondfc.com.au
Often it is the “little things” that are easily missed when you view a game of football.
But those seemingly insignificant incidents – second efforts, deft taps, a shepherd or a chase – can tell a spectator a lot about how their team is travelling, or how a player approaches his work.
At 202 cm and 105 kg, new Tiger ruckman Trent Knobel can’t be classed as “a little thing”. Yet, in many ways, it is Knobel, who could become the poster child for not only the new attitude being instilled down at Punt Road, but also for those “little things” that can be so easily missed.
The giant 24-year-old has taken a circuitous route to Tigerland. Elevated off Brisbane’s rookie list in 1999, after playing with QAFL side Broadbeach, Knobel made his debut in a rising Lions’ side in Round 14, 2000.
He was retained for the remaining seven games of the home-and-away season, impressing with 23 hit-outs against a struggling St Kilda outfit in Round 21. He then played in two finals, to round out a good debut season.
However, Brisbane’s ruck depth saw Knobel play only three games in 2001, and he was traded to St Kilda at the end of that year.
His first season at St Kilda (2002) saw him again step up. A total of 13 games – 9 with double figure hit-out totals – seemed to spell good things for the big man. But 2003 was a major disappointment for Knobel, with just four games in the middle of the season, and it looked like he might struggle to find a spot in a fast-improving, Saints’ line-up.
Fast-forward to 2004 . . . and that’s when Trent Knobel came of age – 24 games, 460 hit-outs (seventh in the competition) – topped off with a stellar finals series (with 42, 28 and 22 hit-outs against Brisbane, Sydney and Port Adelaide respectively).
Certainly, Knobel had never been one to post huge possession tallies – his average over 41 games with St Kilda was only six per game, with a best of 17 possessions in Round 4, 2004. But it seemed like he had found a home, and a role, at Moorabbin.
The off-season, however, saw Knobel walk out on the Saints, with whispers of a dispute between he and coach Grant Thomas. Richmond, in search of ruck depth after the loss of Brad Ottens, snared him with the top pick in the pre-season draft.
In his four games at Richmond so far, Knobel has averaged a tick above 8 touches per match. His 14 possession-performance last Sunday against Fremantle is the third best tally of his 58-game AFL career.
So, what is so special about a player like Trent Knobel, who averages only about 5 touches, 2 marks and 15 hit-outs a game?
The answer is in just three words – “those little things”.
Simply put, Trent Knobel is the type of player who loves a scrap, loves to do the team things, get his hands dirty and commit himself to doing the less glamorous jobs other players might not find attractive.
Knobel is the sort of player whose effort, hard work and dedication sees him squeeze the most out of his body every week. A player prepared to do the hard yards for no personal gain, but for the benefit of his team.
Take last Sunday’s clash with Fremantle. Knobel’s opponent – giant Docker ruckman Aaron Sandilands – is a player who can very quickly put opposing ruckmen on the back foot with his height, weight and surprising agility.
But, without taking a backward step, it was Knobel who put his stamp on the game in the first quarter.
The “little things” like hard running, smart contesting and a just having a “good, honest go” resulted in Knobel garnering seven touches, a couple of marks and a couple of hit-outs – as well as a wonderful contested mark and goal to kick-start the Tigers’ scoring – for the opening term.
His early-game leadership of a relatively inexperienced Tiger on-ball brigade was another of those invaluable “little things”.
Knobel’s “good honest go” in the early stages gave the Tigers a fighting chance in the clearances from the centre and around the packs; which in turn played an important role in blunting the Dockers’ potent midfield and sparking Richmond to a four-goal quarter-time lead.
But while Knobel racked up his own personal possession count in the first quarter, it was a pair of inspirational third quarter efforts – a couple of “little things” that could easily overlooked in Richmond’s belting win – that stamped him as the consummate team player.
The first saw him one-out against a trio of Fremantle players on Richmond’s half-forward line. The Dockers’ on-ballers looked ready to speed away from the area, with only Knobel to beat.
But big Trent hassled and hustled, shifting his pressure and running his large frame between two of the three Dockers players – effectively corralling them and inviting an ill-judged kick or handball.
And, that’s exactly what happened – a haphazard Fremantle kick over Knobel was intercepted by rookie, Brett Deledio, who drilled a 50-metre pass to a virtually unattended Nathan Brown and Matthew Richardson in the Tigers’ goal square. End result was a goal, which ignited Richmond’s third-quarter onslaught.
The second saw a Fremantle player gather the ball on the members’ wing and surge forward, with only Knobel to outrun.
Big Trent must’ve known he was never going to catch his smaller, quicker, Docker opponent. But with head down, he chased anyway, putting in the big strides to try and manufacture some pressure.
Sure enough, his opponent, was unable to completely escape what he thought was “just another lumbering big man.” Knobel was still there, still chasing, and had stayed close enough to force his opponent into an errant kick. The resulting turnover was gleefully scooped up by the Tigers’ defence and rushed up the other end for another goal.
These efforts – these “little things” – aren’t going to win Trent Knobel any Brownlow votes, or build on the handful of possessions he gets each game.
But they are going to win his new coach over, and they are definitely going to win over keen Tiger fans throughout season 2005.
Chris Riches
www.yellowandblack.infohttp://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=197656
