Dear Peggy and co,
I won't get into how I'm a member of 20+ years, how have given (x) amount of $ to the FTF and how my opinion should be valued etc. - I'll just get straight to my point.
I'm sure running a football business is difficult, but you have 17 replica models (some/many successful) that are visible through the media to reflect upon and analyse during any form of crises or uncertainty to provide any idea on how to run a football club. In simple terms, look at the successful blueprints of other clubs to help improve your own. Look at Hawthorn, look at Sydney, look at Geelong, look at Collingwood, and look at Port Adelaide. The list could go on. The majority of clubs, if not all, have got it right at some stage over the last 30 years. Something we have failed to do. Yes, we are Richmond and we are proud and we do things our way, but there is so much to learn from others, especially when we are that far off the mark. If the club disagrees with that statement then this letter is more pointless than my passion for this great club.
Some areas to look out for at successful clubs:
2014 Pre Season
Clear as day, our players are no where near fit as a Port Adelaide, or any other top half club for that matter. With the 'controversial' style of play of the rolling mauls and packs of 36 players across the majority of the playing surface, the players cover more ground than ever before. Forwards are up the ground, midfields flood backlines and then flood forward lines to lock the ball in. Players need to be fitter than ever. Not to mention the fact that the interchange is now capped and more than likely will be capped even further down the track. I can only hope that fitness was a high priority for the 2014 pre season and the failure lies within the type of training we did, rather than the lack of. Our fitness levels may be relevant to our slow, possession game style but when playing against a hard running, slingshot, transitional based team we can't compete with their fitness levels. That is beyond unacceptable and very 'park' football. Tom Hafey once said 'We may not be the best football team, but we'll be the fittest'. Something to think about.
Recruiting Policy
Firstly, I can only hope that the club internally admits that the recruitment of recycled players has been a failure. I understand the club can't publically admit this, although it would be refreshing, I hope the policy is being review. With 13 current players drafted to Richmond from other clubs higher than any other club. Only need to look at Geelong (most successful club in the last decade) and they have 3. You could have forgiven Geelong for topping up their list, but they haven't and remain a top 4 side. Out of all the recycled players, only Ivan Maric can be seen as a success. Houli would be close but I'm being romantic. The rest have not been a success, anyone that argues that is setting the bar too low. We want to see our kids grow, not watch players who were rejected by the likes of Carlton, Port Adelaide, Melbourne etc. For argument sake, if anyone argues that we got player (x) for nothing and they improved the list by 0.5% - player (x) takes up a spot on the list and takes up $$ in the TPP. That spot could be saved for an untried kid and the money can be used to properly sure up a premiership list. There are always good stories of players been picked up after being over looked in the previous years, or a player who slipped to the 3rd or 4th round, even the rookie draft. 1 player example may not seem like much of an argument but when you times that by 13 players, 13 spots on the list, 13 salaries that could have been reduced significantly and provided relief to the TPP. That is significant…
I wonder how much difference Tom Langdon’s salary is compared to Troy Chaplins? Both defenders, Chaplin doesn’t exactly play KP rather a 3rd man up types defender like Nick Maxwell. Tom Langdon has filled the role at Collingwood for Nick Maxwell. Tom Langdon was drafted at pick 65 in last years draft. We gave up pick 35 for Shaun Hampson, a significantly lower pick. I doubt Langdon and Hampson are on the same salary either. Tom Derickx is currently earning his small salary at Sydney, waiting for Mike Pyke to return. A similar job Hampson was recruited for whenever Maric was injured. If you unpack this puzzle you can see a better scenario than the one have we ended up with. A shame for all of us that want success at Richmond. This isn’t the only example. Lets not mention the fact that we didn’t match Port Adelaides offer to Matt White, it may have been more than we wanted to pay him or for the fact that we couldn’t over pay a Richmond born player because we have nearly maxed out our TPP on recruiting other clubs banana skins. Matt is currently excelling at Port Adelaide while we have multiple players in our 2nds on decent wage who came from other clubs. How much is Aaron Edwards taking up of our TPP? Orren Stephenson? Disappointing. We lost one of our only ‘pacey’ players in Matt White, this effected our game plan. We can’t play transition football without pace. The game has moved heavily to that and we are left behind.
RFC Game Plan
I'd like to go on record and say that I'm not suggesting to sack Damien Hardwick. That opinion is based off the fact that many of us Tiger fans have invested a lot of our money into the FTF and to have that flushed away in paying out any employees will be extremely frustrating. Coaches are always under pressure, it’s a tough gig, but they get paid pretty well so my sympathy only flows so far. He’d certainly be nervous, although not as nervous as the people who extended his contract. Regardless, something needs to change. You only need to look at other blueprints to see the success of Ken Hinkley. Australian cricket team installed Darren Lehman and have enjoyed success, Brendon Rogers at Liverpool is another example of a new regime installing success. New or old personal, the game plan needs to change or improve significantly.
The game plan is awful. I can't sugar coat that, the players clearly think that and are confused. We have some seriously good players on our list but can anyone argue that any of our players are able to express their talents in the best possible way? What are our strengths? Surely we are playing towards our strengths? I'd love to be able to answer that but I'm that confused with our game plan that I'm unsure what our strengths are. We aren't a stoppage team, other than Cotchin we don't have any players that express themselves with 'contested footy'. Jack Riewoldt is up the ground and up the wing and playing decoy this week and not that week. Are we a 'pressuring' team, are we a rolling zone team, are we a forward pressure team? I honestly don't know. I guess we are a possession playing team cause we certainly aren't a transition / slingshot team with our lack of leg speed. Which brings me to our List Management. Being a possession team surely we are filled with Hawthorn like skills? Whoops.
List Management
I'd be nervous if I was Blair Hartley. He's had some success but ultimately the 'recycled' theory has failed big time. A big gamble that had a small % of succeeding, was it worth rolling the dice with this? Upon reflection it seems a cowboy move.
- Robin Nahas was delisted, replaced by Sam Lloyd. A slower version with possibly better skills? Not sure. Lloyd seems OK but an example of how the list isn't moving forward in a hurry.
- Lost Shane Tuck, replaced with Matt Thomas. All due respect to Thomas, he isn't Shane Tuck. We miss him.
- Lost Matt White and his pace and replaced him with no one.
- Chris Newman and Nathan Foley have aged significantly and both romantically were kept on the list. When we are carrying 13 recycled players (12 and an injured Ivan Maric) carrying 2 players in their twilight is a big call. There isn't many spots on the list left.
- Recruitment of Shaun Hampson for a 2nd round pick and delisting Derickx (not a huge difference in player) who is number 1 ruckman at Sydney. Effectively we threw away pick 28.
- We paid top dollar for a defender from an average side in Port Adelaide, Troy Chaplin. Took up a huge % of TPP and took away games from a kid we could have developed. David Astbury a prime example what can happen when you try and blood your kids. Has had a brilliant year so far until his knee went again. Huge shame.
- There are other examples, but look around at other clubs and see the difference in list structure. Who are our pacey key forwards? Who is our tagger / run with player? Who is our swing man that can play forward or defence depending on the tempo of the game? Our list has big holes in it. If we focused on development rather than other clubs scraps maybe we'd have filled them by now.
- With our Indigenous programs it embarrasses me that we have 1 indigenous player on our list, not ot mention being part of the Dreamtime game. Again, look at other clubs list, their are copious of brilliant Indigenous talent around the AFL, we possess Shane Edwards and nothing more. Disappointing.
I'm not calling individuals out for sackings, I have my own strong opinions on which players should be moved on they are irrelevant but obvious and trust the club will do the right thing and remove the band aid, top up fix that was tried and failed. In simple terms, I'm simply calling for change because at the moment the current model is horribly wrong, if the club is unable to see that then we are all in for another arduous journey.
Regards,
Member xxxx
