Tambling ready to roll

[one-eyed]

Tambling ready for football
4:37:07 PM Tue 19 April, 2005
Angus Morgan
Sportal for afl.com.au

Richmond coach Terry Wallace has declared star recruit Richard Tambling ready to play at the weekend. The question is, where?

Tambling, the club's No 4 selection at last year's NAB AFL Draft, turned in several eye-catching performances during the pre-season, but has been sidelined by a toe injury over the opening month of the home-and-away season.

Wallace believes the lightning quick midfielder is ready for action, however, after training strongly over the past couple of weeks.

"He's OK, he's ready to roll. (But) we've got to make decision where we play him, whether he plays seniors or whether he plays reserves footy. He's missed a bit of footy now," Wallace said.

Wallace conceded that Tambling had the brilliance to step right up to senior football, but the club had to be mindful of wider issues.

"The other thing that we've got to make a decision on is what message does that send to other blokes in the club who've been working hard at reserve grade level if he jumps in as an 18 year-old and comes straight into the side."

"Is that right for us? There's the footy aspect and the club aspect and we've got to marry those up."

Wallace said the club would stick by its 'no risk' policy with skipper Kane Johnson, who will miss again with his foot condition.

"It was fairly close to being a stress fracture. If you take any risks at this stage and he has a repeat of the same injury, well you're going to be looking at most of the season," Wallace said.

"We've just got to get him right the first time around and make sure he's absolutely 100 per cent."

"I'd be surprised if he trained and got up this week."

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=197360

[letsgetiton!]

i say if he is fit and ready to play its just a waste playing him at coburg, they should play him asap and let him burn the dome turf! the message that would be sent out would be ok, if ur got the goods ur str8 in, and coburg may just be worse of for him imo

[mightytiges]

Talent wise Tambling could walk straight into the seniors but after 6 weeks or however long it was without a game he must be short of match fitness even if he is fit. IMO give him a game or two at Coburg then bring him in against the Blues or Pies. 

[letsgetiton!]

Talent wise Tambling could walk straight into the seniors but after 6 weeks or however long it was without a game he must be short of match fitness even if he is fit. IMO give him a game or two at Coburg then bring him in against the Blues or Pies. 

i understand what ur saying but imo he could be a damaging pinch hiter off the bench , 10 min a quarter , im sure he is fit enough to play 40 min of footy

[WilliamPowell]

Being an absolute authroity on back injuries especially back related hamstring problems.

I would not be rushing this kid into the seniors. A game or 2 at Coburg will do his confidence (especially in his back) the world of good. Besdies he is not match fit. Sitting on the bench for periods is not going to help him - trust me I know

We don't need him copping a knock to the back from say a Gehrig or Ackland and stuffing it again. And as I found out just a couple of weeks ago the most innocent thing can make the bloody thing flare again. 

[H Tiger]

Talent wise Tambling could walk straight into the seniors but after 6 weeks or however long it was without a game he must be short of match fitness even if he is fit. IMO give him a game or two at Coburg then bring him in against the Blues or Pies. 

i understand what ur saying but imo he could be a damaging pinch hiter off the bench , 10 min a quarter , im sure he is fit enough to play 40 min of footy

I'm with you X, play him at Coburg and it is just as risky IMO.

Just as likely (or more so) to get injured in the reserves because if he is playing well some no-name will try to take him out.

[Tiv]

I don't think its whether he can play in the seniors, he will have no issues there. Its whether we should be selecting him in place of other senior players who have been taining hard and knocking on the door. Who do you reward? Will the same precedent be followed always? I would love to see him play in the seniors. Possibly he could be selected based on the fact that in the seniors we need a "goal sneak/onballer" and there is no one in the two's capable of that, if this is the case you really cant argue in not selecting him.

[letsgetiton!]

Talent wise Tambling could walk straight into the seniors but after 6 weeks or however long it was without a game he must be short of match fitness even if he is fit. IMO give him a game or two at Coburg then bring him in against the Blues or Pies. 

i understand what ur saying but imo he could be a damaging pinch hiter off the bench , 10 min a quarter , im sure he is fit enough to play 40 min of footy

I'm with you X, play him at Coburg and it is just as risky IMO.

Just as likely (or more so) to get injured in the reserves because if he is playing well some no-name will try to take him out.

im glad u yunderstood my point, the fact is , if he is going to get reinjured it will more likely happen in coburg game, on a lesser quality playing surface where he would be targeted by thugs, on the vast dome ground, he can use his pace as an outside player and weave his magic. he would have less chance getting injured playing in the ones .
btw
i understand what ur saying tiv about eaning a spot but im sure they can squeeze him in and drop tivers lol.
just stiring ya!

[mightytiges]

The pace of the game and demands on the body are far greater at AFL level than VFL. He needs to get match fit so it would be better IMHO to play him at Coburg where he can stay on the field longer and rebuild his fitness compared to long spells on the pine in the seniors. There's also as tiv's has mentioned the question of reward for effort. Only 3 Tigers had less than 10 possies on the weekend - Stafford, Jackson and Hall. So anyone dropped after a dominant 48 point team effort would be stiff.

[letsgetiton!]

The pace of the game and demands on the body are far greater at AFL level than VFL. He needs to get match fit so it would be better IMHO to play him at Coburg where he can stay on the field longer and rebuild his fitness compared to long spells on the pine in the seniors. There's also as tiv's has mentioned the question of reward for effort. Only 3 Tigers had less than 10 possies on the weekend - Stafford, Jackson and Hall. So anyone dropped after a dominant 48 point team effort would be stiff.

true, its hard to drop anyone after a good win