Matt Thomas [merged]

[Diocletian]

At least he's an upgrade on Lonergan

Pfft ...hasn't even broken one Carlton collarbone....

[Judge Roughneck]

Pumped him up full of a0d/tb4/horse drugs and he will

[one-eyed]

AUDIO: Matt Thomas interviewed on SEN by Anthony Maher and Tim Watson ....

http://soundcloud.com/sen1116


Summary

* Sad to see Port finish the way it did but I felt I still had a couple of years of good footy left and it's great to get to Richmond.

* Richmond are ultra-professional.  The facilities are just fantastic - first-class!  Port had great facilities too but Richmond’s are that next level and really impressive.  The field’s even been redone and resurfaced and it’s those little things that make a huge difference. The people have been really welcoming, too. They’re just such a great club, really professional and they bend over backwards to help you out. So it’s really nice to be a part of that group. I’m really excited to go down to the Tigers and I’m looking forward to hopefully playing some good footy.

* Happy with any position; it doesn’t really bother me.  I’m just happy to be a part of the team and get the chance to play some more footy and see where it can go.

* There’s going to be a bit of midfield, a bit of half-forward and probably there might be a bit of bash-and-crash at times which is the type of footy I like to play. So hopefully there’s a role in there for me.  With the likes of the midfielders they’ve already got and the excellent runners it’ll just be nice to be able to slot in there somewhere and try and help them out and give the ball to Cotch and Lids.  I’m sure they’ll do something nice with it. So it will be nice.

* Dimma has been really positive and was one of the key influences to move. It wasn't easy as I've had to leave my girlfriend in Adelaide for a year as she is doing a course in paedietry. Dimma is helping with finding placements for her in Melbourne. We'll move her over next year. Dimma and I had a great chat along Punt Rd which was chockers; I haven't seen traffic like that for 8 years.

* Watson told Thomas to tell Dimma that it's not a good look jogging along way behind the players (laughs). Choco use to do that at Port so Dimma must have got it off him.

[WA Tiger]

Sound like he is speaking as if he is already in the team, cant we only play Rookies as a rule for injured players long term?? What are the rules again??

[dwaino]

Sound like he is speaking as if he is already in the team, cant we only play Rookies as a rule for injured players long term?? What are the rules again??

Can raise 1 pre-season (or is it two now that we only have 38 on the senior list?), 1 for each long term injury, and 1 mid season.

[bojangles17]

He ll get every chance early on with arnot to snaffle tuckys posi

[Judge Roughneck]

Tuck didn't have a position more times than not

[WA Tiger]

Sound like he is speaking as if he is already in the team, cant we only play Rookies as a rule for injured players long term?? What are the rules again??

Can raise 1 pre-season (or is it two now that we only have 38 on the senior list?), 1 for each long term injury, and 1 mid season.

So one or two may get elevated if they show something pre season, well it should be on then between the lot of em...

[Golfprotiger]

One hard nut!

[one-eyed]

Richmond midfielder Matt Thomas set to join senior list for upcoming battle with Gary Ablett
Herald-Sun   
March 09, 2014 9:00PM

DAMIEN Hardwick will attempt the impossible — stopping Gary Ablett — by pitting his “human wrecking ball” against the reigning Brownlow Medallist.

Former Port Adelaide midfielder Matt Thomas will be central to Richmond’s plans as they take on the Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

It will be another amazing chapter for the 26-year-old rugged midfielder, who will be elevated from the rookie list on Tuesday.

The Tigers tried to get him in late 2012 but failed, with Thomas delisted by the Power last September then the following day winning the SANFL’s Magarey Medal.

Hardwick admits the Tigers will need to rotate as many as three players through Ablett, with the club’s best stopper in Jack Dyer Medallist Daniel Jackson (hip/groin) not ready for Round 1.

The Tigers said yesterday Tyrone Vickery (hamstring/back) and Trent Cotchin (corked calf) both pulled up well despite being subbed from the Essendon game.

On Friday Hardwick stopped himself halfway through reeling off the long list of Suns emerging midfielders, such is their potential.

But there is no doubt Thomas, who legally ironed out Essendon’s Dyson Heppell during the Punt Road practice match, is a contender.

“Is anyone capable of that role, stopping little Gaz?’’ Hardwick said.

“I think like most sides you have to rotate three guys through Gary, he’s such a capable player and will get his 25 to 30 (touches) anyway.

“It is quite amazing really, that a player of his calibre seems to improving season on and season on. He is meant to be going the other way but he seems to be getting better.”

Thomas will be elevated but Anthony Miles, Orren Stephensen and even Todd Banfield, impressive in the second half against Essendon, will fight for the one remaining rookie elevation.

“Yeah, (Thomas is) doing everything right. He is playing incredibly well at the moment. He had ten tackles and 25 touches and he’s a bit like a human wrecking ball, which is good to see,” Hardwick said.

Second-year small defender Matt McDonough, switched down back by Hardwick last year, will play only his second game after a Round 21 debut against Carlton last year.

The Tigers finally take on the Suns on the Gold Coast after a series of nailbiting Cairns clashes, with Hardwick in no doubt about the Sun’s midfield depth.

“They are good, you only have to look at (Dion) Prestia’s season last year, (Michael) Rischitelli is very underrated, O’Meara. I have got to stop talking about them. They are going to be a very good side, I just hope it’s not against us in Round 1.

Ablett missed the club’s last hit-out against Collingwood with a burnt hand, but will take his spot in the side.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-midfielder-matt-thomas-set-to-join-senior-list-for-upcoming-battle-with-gary-ablett/story-fndv8t7m-1226849573763

[Judge Roughneck]

Will destroy the christian

[one-eyed]

Mature-aged rookie Matt Thomas set to debut for Richmond

   Jake Niall and Michael Gleeson
     The Age
    March 10, 2014


Mature-aged recruit Matt Thomas is almost assured of joining former Blue Shaun Hampson in making his debut for Richmond in the round-one clash on the Gold Coast on Saturday night.

The Tigers plan to promote Thomas from the rookie list early this week, suggesting the former Port Adelaide midfielder is likely to be included.

Thomas, 27, played just four games for the Power last year but won the Magarey Medal for best and fairest in the SANFL.

"We would expect [because he has done very well in the pre-season] to promote him from the rookie list," football operations manager Daniel Richardson said on Sunday.

The other vacancy on the Tigers' list for a rookie is between ruckman Orren Stephenson and former Giant Anthony Miles, who managed only 10 games in two seasons.

Stephenson may be selected as, due to a long-term injury to first ruck Ivan Maric, the Tigers have only one recognised ruckman, Shaun Hampson. They would prefer to play Ty Vickery almost exclusively in attack.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/matureaged-rookie-matt-thomas-set-to-debut-for-richmond-20140309-34fif.html

[WA Tiger]

 .....very good!!

[tigs2011]

Good on him. He's earnt it and been better than I expected.

[Golfprotiger]

Let's hope he comes through with the goods, Francis has been on the money on most occasions.....