Understanding the Tigers
4:15:17 PM Fri 19 May, 2006
Alan Shiell
Sportal for afl.com.au
Neil Craig says Adelaide has a 'real understanding of Richmond's mentality' for their duel at Telstra Dome on Saturday.
The Crows are steeling themselves for a full-bore assault from the Tigers, knowing Terry Wallace's men will be anxious to try to make amends for the 118-point flogging (28.12 to 9.
they received from Sydney at Telstra Dome last Saturday.
Adelaide copped a 141-point hiding (29.15 to 6.12) from the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in round 17 of 2004 - only Craig's fourth game as the Crows' senior coach - but rebounded to beat the Kangaroos by seven points at AAMI Stadium the following week, after the Roos had won four of their previous five matches.
Reminded of this after training on Friday, Craig said: "They (the Tigers) have been in similar shoes - not quite as good as us. We were 140-something points. They were only 118. It doesn't sound much but it's a big difference, I tell you.
"It's amazing how it turns around. It's an experience very few clubs have been through. This one has. Our playing group has - I was a part of that.
"So you have a real understanding of Richmond's mentality. It makes it pretty clear. There won't be any guessing games about what their mentality will be because we've been through it ourselves. Having said that, they've won three out of four, even though they got beaten badly last week.
"But, quite clearly, we're just concerned about the way we approach the game and how we play it. All it settles down to be is that Richmond is going to be a really strong and good opponent, plus for us it's another chance to travel and to perform. So the way it's unfolded, it's a perfect game for us.
"We'll just go out and play our game, which has got a very strong defensive component to it, but we also like to think we can attack when it's appropriate. Whatever the opposition puts up against us will be good experience for us to handle, whether it be flooding or man-on-man tactics or total attack. All those experiences we need."
Asked how much more improvement he saw in his top-of-the-ladder team, Craig said: "Internally, we think we've got huge amounts of improvement - on our teamwork, on our transition from midfield to forward, some of the work we're doing in the back line needs to be practised and exposed by the opposition. That's just on strategy and the way we like to play.
"Then, of course, improvement from individuals. It's been great for us we've played quite a few first and second-year players this year, and we'll get an opportunity to do that again. So they'll only improve.
"We've got Mark Ricciuto playing full-forward. I think once he gets more comfortable up there, and Brett Burton gets more comfortable … and we can improve when a Nathan Bock, a (Jason) Torney, a (Scott) Welsh, (Ben) Hudson-type players become available. So there's enormous improvement in us and we look forward to it.
"But you can ask any club that and they would give you similar reasons why they can improve, and that's good. It makes you want to get up in the morning.
"There'll be things bob up that we don't even know about, whether it be injury or, hopefully not, a bad loss or anything. But that's all part of growing and being able to set yourself to be able to handle any situation, whether it be good or whether it be some adversity."
Craig said the Crows' main area of improvement needed to be in the 'transition from midfield to forward', and he added: "We've had some good stuff, we've had some wasteful stuff, and we just need to keep working on it because if we don't, it'll get us."
Asked how he 'kept a lid on success', he said: "Internally, it's got to be really clear about there we're going and where we sit, how much improvement we've got, to have respect for the opposition, keep looking for ways to do it better.
"We are dealing with a competition where everything is geared around equality on the field, if possible. Every club has highly motivated people and when you've got highly motivated people … every game is a difficult game, it really is. It's not like the old days when I played (in the SANFL) when there were some easy games. In this competition, there's not, so that keeps you pretty balanced."
Nathan Bassett (neck) and Matthew Bode (head and back knocks) got through training on Friday and will resume after missing the win against the Kangaroos at Telstra Dome last Sunday.
Jason Porplyzia (knee soreness), named as an emergency, dropped out of the squad and will not play for West Adelaide in the SANFL on Saturday.
Chris Knights will go to Melbourne as the Crows' 23rd player.
http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=267035
