Third Quarters

[Smokey]

Without searching for, or trying to shift blame, after that very disappointing result I chased up an interesting fact.  This season we have won 4 3rd quarters - with an end result of won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1.  We have lost 7 3rd quarters - won 1 and lost 6.  It goes to show how important the 'premiership quarter' is and how we generally don't measure up when the pressure is on.

And my feelings after today - we (the football dept) seem to have gradually lost the courage to go with the kids since the change in policy earlier in the season of playing them (the kids) caused a complete turnaround in our attitude, game style and performance.  Over the past few weeks we have taken gradual backward steps of re-introducing tried and tested plodders like Tivendale, Hyde, Pettifer and even Bowden, and sending Richo back into the forward line more and more.   Morton, Riewoldt, Jackson etc might not have been any better when judged by output and statistical end result but I challenge anyone to prove they weren't more committed and defensively superior, and that to me has been the difference in our slide back down the ladder of respectability and competitiveness.

My two bob's worth to Wallace and co - if we are going to lose games then lose them with the kids having a crack, not with the ones who have become accustomed to and insulated against the pain of losing.

[mightytiges]

There is something seriously wrong above the shoulders with the team in the past 2 weeks so yep same poor senior players = same poor results. Even Buckley after the game was perplexed that a side could be as bad after half-time as good as they were in the first half. You could tell as soon as third quarter started we were flat and not switched on. Maybe some were too comfortable we a decent first half and didn't want to do another half of the hard yards.

Once another side challenges us and gains the momentum out of the centre we cave in like a pack of cards and the whole structure, skills, pressure and discipline of the team falls to pieces. Some of the stuff in the second half was U10's stuff. We just shut up shop and stop running to create which forces us into stop-start going nowhere footy.

Today we looked unfit too. Even in the first half, towards the end of each of the quarters some Tigers looked absolutely buggered. Too many passengers so the workload isn't spread, and with all the mistakes we make, even when we are dominating it's always hardwork for us. We should have been 5 goals up at quarter time. That turnover in the centre when we were 4 goals up and had the free was so critical. Go backwards by hand and then miss a simple target which gifts the Crows a goal against the run of play kept them in the game. Dumb stuff like that just kills you  .

We are so mentally soft!     

[Hellenic Tiger]

1. Mental Issues
2. Fitness Issues
3. Coaching Issues
3a) Lack of imagination
3b) Reactive not proactive
3c) Wrong moves
3d) Wrong players selected in the first place
4) 3rd quarter is premiership quarter. We are nowhere near a premiership. Rather than refer to it as a premiership quarter just call it 3rd quarter or beginning of second half. Hence refer back to point 1.
5) Player Issues
5a) Unaccountabilility see also point 1 and 2 and 3
5b) Fear lack of courage
6) Skills refer to all of the above points
7) Tactical nous refr to point 3 a b c d
Smart Fooballers refer to point 5
9) Leadership refer to all points mentioned before and after
10)Culture of the footy club as a whole refer to all of the above points.

[wayne]

One of our problems is, and has been for a long time because of our lack of skills, is that when we dominate, we hardly ever bang on 6 in seven minutes while keeping the other team scoreless.

What we do is dominate, kick 2.5 or 3.6, using a lot of energy, then make one or two very stupid disposal errors that let the opposition kick a couple of easy goals and for all that effort we've only added 5 or 10 points in scoreboard pressure. Then all our effort catches up on us, we tire, the opposition who has kicked 75% of their score from turnovers, get their game together and overrun or pull away from us.

[mightytiges]

Asleep at the wheel again after half-time  .

Mind you we were asleep for most of tonight. Won the game with that second quarter blitz plus a little burst in the last 5 minutes of the last.

[cub]

Mental, it happens even with the good teams.
Hawthorn looked terrible when they lost the plot against adelaide and tried to go defensive for a while, and they are up there with the best ffs ..

So easy to pounce on everything albeit still an issue

[torch]

we just can not put four quarters together!

[one-eyed]

Richmond on the hop after half-time
June 17, 2008 - 7:57PM

Adelaide simulate half-time at training and now Richmond could try something similar as the Tigers aim to dramatically improve their AFL season.

The Tigers could have killed off Melbourne by halftime on Sunday night, but the Demons fought back to nearly steal the game before Richmond steadied for the win.

The week before, the Crows swamped Richmond in the third term and Essendon also had the better of the Tigers immediately after the long break during their round-nine game.

Coach Terry Wallace admits the third quarter, known as "the premiership quarter" has become a concern.

"Over a five or six week period, it's become somewhat of an issue," he said.

"We'll trick up a few things and try to change a few things just to see whether it makes a difference.

"But ... it's mental, it's just something you need to get on top of, there's no reason why it should happen."

The Crows starting having a half-time "break" at training earlier this season and several times they have impressed during the third term in their matches.

http://news.smh.com.au/sport/richmond-on-the-hop-after-halftime-20080617-2s26.html

[Tigermonk]

always been concerned about playing good football & going in at halftime with our heads up, its a ongoing issue over many seasons now,  but what l beleive to be happening this season is a mixture
is it our players switching off, is it the coaches being forced to make moves they really dont want to make but must to get players through games,  is it players who have niggling injuries bowing to the preasure of substaining 4 quarters of football & this affecting the whole team & causes us to being overun cause we lose the control of the centre & getting the ball first
l think its a combination of all of the above 

[one-eyed]

The Tigers have been outscored in each of their past six third quarters and have conceded 32.25 (217) to 14.14 (98) in total in those quarters - virtually the equivalent of 20 goals  .

http://sportal.com.au/AFL-news-display/wallace-ponders-costly-fadeouts-50735

Tigers to change track habits
By Mic Cullen | richmondfc.com.au | Thu 19 June, 2008

ONE DEFINITION of insanity is to keep doing what you've always done, but expecting a different result.

That's not happening at Punt Rd.

The Tigers have suffered an embarrassing run of fade-outs in the last few weeks, something that has seen them collect just two wins since round four.

Coach Terry Wallace said things would change in the leadup to playing Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium this weekend.

"Every side in the competition has had a time where they've gone through a point … I think Adelaide, going back six or seven weeks, changed training to go in half-way through their training sessions because they were having the same sort of problems," he said.

"Look, we'll trick up a few things, try to change a few things just to see whether it makes a difference.

"But at the end of the day, it's mental, it's just something that you need to get on top of. There's no reason why it should happen but let's identify it, and let's see whether we can get it out of our system."

Wallace said some things had already been tweaked.

"You give everything a go – realistically, you do. You just try to change things. You probably change a little bit of your approach at half time, see whether a little bit more vibrancy at half time makes a difference to a few.

"We've had a discussion about that already, from a review process.

"We'll change a few things, but they won't be massive changes.

"Some things may help us, some things mightn't make any difference, but at least we've tried to do something about it, rather than just pretend it's not happening."

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=61756

[mightytiges]

Let's see if we can come out after half-time now and be assertive.

[Hellenic Tiger]

7.3 to 3.2 was a big improvement on the last few weeks.

[mightytiges]

The 3 goals breeze helped  but we came out firing in those first 5-10 minutes after half-time and put the score on the board.

[Hellenic Tiger]

The 3 goals breeze helped  but we came out firing in those first 5-10 minutes after half-time and put the score on the board.

In previous weeks we have been put to the sword early in the third quarter which has set the tone for the rest of the game virtually especially two weeks ago against the Crows. Great to see we put the foot down early in the third to set up our win with early goals. Now to kick a few at the start in the last to keep me away from the limp and the heart flutters come the last 5 minutes of the game.

[one-eyed]

Funnily enough we've won as many 3rd quarters as our other quarters.

1st: 5
2nd: 6
3rd: 6
4th: 6
Total: 23 (from 42) which is the 11th best.

http://www.afl.com.au/Ladder/tabid/74/default.aspx