Cleve Hughes [merged]

[bojangles17]

He'll gety every opportunity to make the FF spot his own...we'll know by mid point of 2009 whether he is made of the right stuff...He's teased at times with ability to perform at the level...moves well, nice grab and neat kick...needs to work on his application to the task and a decent dose of desire wouldn't hurt...i hope he responds to the challenge...He looks to have added to his frame which will help

[cub]

Needs to improve on his work at ground level to get a spot in the seniors.
Also a ? about his mental toughness

Showed he can demand a spot if he works on these things.

He has to aim for up to a dozen games and to get his possesion count above double figures in those games - That would be a start, work on that and if he can't get the step up this year then give himself a good base for a crack at it next year.

  in 09

[yellowandback]

I may get howled down for this but there is a touch of the Fevolas about his style of play.  He (like Fev in his early days) tends to go missing in tough times.
Most genuine full forwards take time to mature - this is because
1. They have designated defenders from day 1 (unlike midfielders who tend to get a bit of peace until the hurt the opposition)
2. They rely heavily on the mids for supply, knowing when to go and where to go takes time and skill, Buddys the exception.
The steamer needs time to work out how he can make it work at AFL level. This year 15-18 games and mid to high 30s in goals would be a great return.  I suspect it may be more like 10-12 games and low 20s.

[tiogar]

Anything over 35 goals a bonus. Anything under 25 a disappointment.

[Mr Magic]

No ticker this lad.
One dimensional, soft forward more enamored with the idea of being a footballer than knuckling down and doing the hard yards required to be a successful player for Richmond.

Reckon 2008 will be his last in a RFC jumper.

[Smokey]

No ticker this lad.
One dimensional, soft forward more enamored with the idea of being a footballer than knuckling down and doing the hard yards required to be a successful player for Richmond.

Reckon 2008 will be his last in a RFC jumper.

I tend towards this opinion also (although I probably think 2009, not 2008).     Hope I'm wrong but I don't hold out much hope for him to be honest.

[Beren]

No ticker this lad.
One dimensional, soft forward more enamored with the idea of being a footballer than knuckling down and doing the hard yards required to be a successful player for Richmond.

Reckon 2008 will be his last in a RFC jumper.

No ticker? Watch the round 1 V Carltank again for starters.

[3rogerd]

he needs more mongrel until then he hasnt won me over.

[Mr Magic]

No ticker? Watch the round 1 V Carltank again for starters.

Fair enough, that's one occasion he did.
Doesn't come naturally to him though I will tell you that.

[Gracie]

No ticker this lad.
One dimensional, soft forward more enamored with the idea of being a footballer than knuckling down and doing the hard yards required to be a successful player for Richmond.

Reckon 2008 will be his last in a RFC jumper.

Watched the rd16 game against the Bombers last night and based on that one game your assessment is spot on. Hughes did nothing except get a dodgy free kick.

[mightytiges]

Clever needs to do more than just be a mark and kick forward. He kicked 6 against Port last year so there's something there to work with but he needs to do more so he's having influence on a game even when the goals are harder to come by. For his confidence I wish Clever was persisted with more in the seniors rather than being dropped back to Coburg after a bad game. If he can get into the teens in terms of games played this year and average over 2 goals then that would be a decent return from Clever for mine.

[Mr Magic]

Clever needs to do more than just be a mark and kick forward. He kicked 6 against Port last year so there's something there to work with but he needs to do more so he's having influence on a game even when the goals are harder to come by.

Never truer words spoken.
You look at the best forwards in the league and they work their asses off when they are out of the contest. Cleve doesn't.
Kick & mark might work in under 18's, it might even work if your midfield is dominant but it doesn't make you an good AFL player.

It's imperative for Clean Knees to work harder in a game than he does currently whether that be tackling, shepherding, making room for other forwards or crumbers etc.

For all this though I just don't think the willingness to work hard is in him.
Cleve wants to be on easy street & eventually that will see him depart as others are preferred.

[Ox]

He's as gay as Jeff Hogg.

[mightytiges]

He's as gay as Jeff Hogg.

Hoggy had his breakout year when he was 21. Kicked 57 goals after never kicking more than 10 in the two years before.

[one-eyed]

Tigers turn to youth as veterans dumped by coach Jade Rawlings
Mike Sheahan | June 12, 2009

NOW that's what you call a statement.

Jade Rawlings obviously doesn't see himself as the token coach at Richmond until it finds a real one. His first team as caretaker coach is a public declaration the landscape is going to change at Punt Rd.

The "outs" for Saturday night's game against West Coast - Joel Bowden, Mark Coughlan, Jordan McMahon, Kayne Pettifer and Troy Simmonds - have played a total of 795 AFL games.

Given the continuing absence of the injured Matthew Richardson and Nathan Brown, the Tigers have lost or dumped players with 1290 games' experience from their "best" 22.

Throw in Kane Johnson, and we're up to 1500.

Bowden was the major casualty at selection yesterday. He is a dual best-and-fairest winner and third behind Shane Tuck and Nathan Foley for disposals this year.

It's a big call by the new boss, who happens to be only nine months older than the veteran defender.

There's no guarantees any of the five will be back, either. Not soon, anyway. The Rawlings direction is clear: we're going young, and we'll have a good look at them.

The newcomers for the West Coast game include debutant Ty Vickery, while Angus Graham is the oldest of the other four at 22.

Shane Edwards is the most experienced member of the quintet with 36 games. The total is 63.

What the coach seems to be saying is the casualties have been culprits in the club's terrible start to the season, or they aren't part of the future.

Rawlings has a juggling act: the fundamental of winning games and the necessity to run the rule over the untried talent on the list.

Vickery, No. 8 pick in 2008 national draft, is the future, much like Jack Watts is the future at Melbourne.

And, like Watts, Vickery is going to take time.

He is 200cm and 81kg, which means he is 4cm shorter than Dean Cox -- and 25kg lighter.

Rawlings will continue to introduce youth.

Jake King, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and Adam Thomson, named last night as emergencies, will play in the next week or two. Daniel Connors also will get his chance. He should, too. He is in his third season and has had just 10 games.

Then there's Cleve Hughes, taken at No. 24 in the 2005 national draft. His situation is more complicated, but he is a 22-year-old who kicked six goals against Port Adelaide less than 12 months ago.

Surely a kid of 193cm who can kick has to get an opportunity, even if there are what are referred to as issues.

Yes, it's going to be a most interesting second half of the season at Punt Rd under coach Rawlings.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25623184-19742,00.html