'We can shape the eight', says Tiger Miles .... (afl site)

[one-eyed]

'We can shape the eight', says Tiger Miles

AFL.com.au
8 July 2016


A NEW-LOOK Richmond can still be a team that shapes the top eight in the final two months of the season despite its focus on the future, according to midfielder Anthony Miles.

The Tigers will unveil debutant Oleg Markov in Saturday night's clash against the Western Bulldogs, with young players Liam McBean and Jason Castagna also selected for their third senior games.

There has been a clear direction taken at selection after coach Damien Hardwick ruled out finals in 2016, with senior players Ivan Maric and Ty Vickery dropped, but Miles said the club was still capable of upsetting contenders.

"Make no mistakes, we've been disappointed with how the season's panned out, (but) the best thing about footy is there's eight weeks left and we can gain some respect back in those eight weeks," Miles said. 

"With the top eight so close I think we can certainly shape the finals.

"We're a proud football club and we'll play that way this weekend."

Markov will be the fifth Tiger to make his debut this season, joining Daniel Rioli, Jayden Short and Castagna, who will all face the Bulldogs, and omitted defender Nathan Broad.

Miles said Markov, the 20-year-old son of former world champion pole vaulter Dmitri Markov, was ready to debut after an impressive run of VFL form.

"You can tell by the way he moves that he's got that athletics background growing up … he's got a lot of pace and raw excitement," Miles said.

"He's a really exciting prospect and probably didn't think he would get a game this year, he's just so raw.

"It's really exciting for the club to see the new batch of players coming through."

Miles put the heat on Richmond's young and middle tier players to improve and agreed with recent commentary that the club's top five players had carried too much of the load.

He praised the form of Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Brett Deledio and captain Trent Cotchin and said Martin could win the Brownlow Medal.

"He's been exceptional … I believe he could," Miles said.   

"Every game we've won he's been up there in our best players.

"There's eight rounds left, he's just so explosive and he's shown in the past he's a proven vote-getter."

Martin has averaged a career-high 28.7 disposals this season, also racking up personal best numbers in clearances (4.6), inside 50s (4.7) and contested possessions (11.9).

Meanwhile, the Tigers are hopeful midfielder Shaun Grigg (knee) will be fit to face Essendon in round 17 after he failed to prove his fitness in Thursday’s training session.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-07-08/we-can-shape-the-eight-says-tiger-miles

[Go Richo 12]

Waiting for the "we are still a mathematical chance" cliche.

[Eat_em_Alive]

Who the stuff says that, shape what? What relevance will we be in 12 weeks time when some other team is holding up the cup??

"Oh welding to thank the richmond football club for shaping the finals, without them and the mediocrity we couldn't have done it" fmd

what gimps

[Lozza]

I think the comments are more that perception will be that by inttroducing some youth into the side we will be in tank mode. By saying we will shape the 8 gives the impression we are not satisifed just to play out the season but have an impact.

Club propaganda at best but it serves a purpose at this time of year trying to keep up the interest of supporters following a team that wont be playing finals footy.

[Francois Jackson]

Who says that? Only a loser does and in this case the media idiot at the RFC

Look forward to hearing this a lot led by dimwit and co. Like the "4 walls comment or we want to a final"

Amateurs down there

[Chuck17]

The only thing worse than these articles will be the reactions on here, very tedious

[🏅Dooks]

Ahh the old 'shaping the 8' line.

The last bastion of an underperforming and self inflated football team.

We can win a final. Oh, we can still make finals. Oh....erm well we can still mathematically make finals........ok. wellll.......we can still shape the 8.

Scripted by Hardwick and his PR cronies no doubt.

[🏅Dooks]

I think the comments are more that perception will be that by inttroducing some youth into the side we will be in tank mode. By saying we will shape the 8 gives the impression we are not satisifed just to play out the season but have an impact.

Club propaganda at best but it serves a purpose at this time of year trying to keep up the interest of supporters following a team that wont be playing finals footy.

Except youd have to be a child or have an IQ of under 85 to actually believe it and still be emphatically interested to the point of going to games and expecting to win.

Now, i know there are supporters out there who will believe we will win a heap of games. But these supporters are morons.

[Stalin]

The important thing is grigg is fit to play the drug cheats

[Yeahright]

Miles lost a bit of my respect. Sure it would have been the media FH's that told him to say it but gee wiz

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Danny Frawley would be so proud to hear we are still using that line 

[(•))(©™]

Who the stuff says that, shape what? What relevance will we be in 12 weeks time when some other team is holding up the cup??

"Oh welding to thank the richmond football club for shaping the finals, without them and the mediocrity we couldn't have done it" fmd

what gimps

Frawley and losers.

[the claw]

B/S  and spin has leaked down through the club to the point where the players are beliving their own B/S it is tigeritis.

[mat073]

Have I woken up and its the year 2002 again .

[tony_montana]