Defining moment looms for top-eight wannabes: Rohan Connolly

[one-eyed]

Defining moment looms for top-eight wannabes
Rohan Connolly | June 23, 2008

WHEN Richmond, back in April, launched its campaign to have 100,000 people cram into the MCG for the round 14 game against Carlton, it seemed the stuff of pure fantasy, both teams having won just two of their five games to that point.

A week out from the clash of the great rivals of the '60s and '70s, it still seems pretty wishful thinking. But Saturday's game still looms as the most important meeting of the Blues and Tigers since they played each other back in the 2001 finals series.

It's certainly a big chance for the Tigers, who would have watched Carlton's demise against Essendon yesterday with interest after having pulled out a second stirring interstate win this season in Adelaide on Saturday afternoon, and already with a victory over Carlton to their credit this year.

Richmond's patch of improved form had well and truly worn off by the time it was cleaned up in the second half against Adelaide a fortnight back.

But there's been two wins since, enough to have the Tiges back on the fringes of the top eight, and the knowledge that their goalkicking fortunes don't necessarily have to rest on the shoulders of Matthew Richardson.

Saturday at the 'G should be a cracker. And in what could have been a pretty drab first half of the second split round of this season, Saturday night's match-up of North Melbourne and St Kilda isn't half bad either. They're games pivotal to the shaping of a final eight many were calling cast in stone only a few short weeks back.

That quartet of teams are filling positions No. 8 to No. 11 on the ladder, three of them coming off important wins. It's North, back in the top eight, which had the most significant victory, and Carlton a critical loss.

Carlton had tightened up considerably since it conceded 23 goals in its first meeting with the Bombers. Yesterday, against the same opponent, it leaked like a sieve once more, 20 goals the damage this time.

St Kilda's Friday night win over Fremantle might have been close to the ugliest victory of this season, but the Saints are still hanging in there, somehow only a game behind seventh-placed Collingwood, which might have the most instructive win of the season under its belt against Geelong, but after a costly loss to the Western Bulldogs yesterday, is precariously placed at 7-6.

The Magpies get a week off before a huge clash with Sydney. They'll need all that time to regroup. For the Tigers, in contrast, round 14 can't come quick enough.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/defining-moment-looms-for-topeight-wannabes/2008/06/22/1214073056195.html

[one-eyed]

A bit more from Rohan on tanking and conspiracy theories...

And Richmond, the last remaining candidate for a priority pick at the start of the draft, "blew" that opportunity when it beat Melbourne last week. You didn't see too many Tiger fans complaining. Being a contender for this year's finals series is a pretty good alternative to a speculative shot on a kid who might make you a better team four or five years down the track.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/conspiracy-theories-are-becoming-a-yawn/2008/06/22/1214073056125.html

[Judge Roughneck]

A bit more from Rohan on tanking and conspiracy theories...

And Richmond, the last remaining candidate for a priority pick at the start of the draft, "blew" that opportunity when it beat Melbourne last week. You didn't see too many Tiger fans complaining. Being a contender for this year's finals series is a pretty good alternative to a speculative shot on a kid who might make you a better team four or five years down the track.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/conspiracy-theories-are-becoming-a-yawn/2008/06/22/1214073056125.html

Come back to me with this crap when we finsh 9th and its 1 week out from the draft.

[richmondrules]

A bit more from Rohan on tanking and conspiracy theories...

And Richmond, the last remaining candidate for a priority pick at the start of the draft, "blew" that opportunity when it beat Melbourne last week. You didn't see too many Tiger fans complaining. Being a contender for this year's finals series is a pretty good alternative to a speculative shot on a kid who might make you a better team four or five years down the track.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/conspiracy-theories-are-becoming-a-yawn/2008/06/22/1214073056125.html

Come back to me with this crap when we finsh 9th and its 1 week out from the draft.

lol. I still can't believe you wanted to lose 11 games in a row.

[Ramps]

A bit more from Rohan on tanking and conspiracy theories...

And Richmond, the last remaining candidate for a priority pick at the start of the draft, "blew" that opportunity when it beat Melbourne last week. You didn't see too many Tiger fans complaining. Being a contender for this year's finals series is a pretty good alternative to a speculative shot on a kid who might make you a better team four or five years down the track.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/conspiracy-theories-are-becoming-a-yawn/2008/06/22/1214073056125.html

Come back to me with this crap when we finsh 9th and its 1 week out from the draft.

We should have tanked this season. Unfortunately, we will pay the price down the track and when we lose the players we could have drafted to other clubs, it will be a sad day indeed. I get the feeling 12 months from now, people who are against tanking will have wanted us to do it. Sadly we have left ourselves with an ordinary list, lost the chance to get 3 exciting players inside the first 20 picks- and all for what, for 10 weeks of footy. We cant win a flag with the list of players we have. We are a clueless club.

[richmondrules]

So much I want to say but I don't want to antagonise you because I am not looking for an argument over the merits of losing. I'll leave it at, I could not disagree with you more.

[Stripes]

Actually I'm starting to see a lot of promise from our list. They are all starting to develop and come on together which was the aim and any player that we drafted or traded for over the next few years will be to fill holes or add depth regardless.

Another Cotchin would be nice but as you can see with Carltank it takes more than 3/4 early draft choices to become a great team. You need a strong overall list and I feel we are now beginning to gain that depth.

I think we will get two or three great players to add to our list this year regardless and beyond that it will be the average talent and age of our list that will make us regular finals contenders not a few champions such as we have had in the past with Browny, Richo and Bowden.


My advice is to enjoy the wins if and when they come!

Stripes

[Ramps]

Say what you wanna say Profo.

I dont feel "antagonised" at all, Im just being realistic, we havent beaten anyone of any consequence, we have an ordinary list and new clubs will be getting the best players over the next 5 years. No chance of winning a flag with the list we have at the moment and the lack of draft opportunities we will have now. 2008 was our last chance, and we made a mess of it. Hopefully however you are proven correct and I am proven wrong.

[richmondrules]

Hopefully however you are proven correct and I am proven wrong.

  On this point I think we can both agree. 

[yellowandback]

Guys, we tanked in 2004 and 2007, FFS how many seasons do you want to tank?  We're making a friggin profession out of it.

How many seasons have the Swans, Crows, Lions, Power and even the Eagles (this year aside) tanked?

They play finals just about every year.

Now how successful have Carlton, Richmond and even the Saints been?

Not very.

Its like this, you get born with a silver spoon and pee all your inherited money against the wall. You fight hard for every dollar, finally get comfortable and don't ever take your position for granted.

It the same with draft picks. Value every pick no matter how low it is. Train them, develop them, push them and make them great players.

If you have a wealth of high picks, success is not certain but complacency is.

[tiga]

Come on ramps..You must have found at least a tiny bit of enjoyment out of us beating the power on their home turf! You seem to want to take a trip without enjoying the scenery on the way! I was rapt with the port game and I thoroughly enjoyed it, read the papers, enjoyed the replays, watched Williams' depressing post game press conference with sheer delight.
We have lost too much recently for me to want to see my team lose again. If we had lost the last two games, the Carlton match would have been a fizzer, 30000 tops. Now its going to be a cracker and our fans have renewed enthusiasm and will come to the match in droves because we have a very realistic chance of winning and forcing a claim on the 8. For me its about now, enjoying the moment watching our young kids develop, seeing guys like Kel Moore improve with every game, seeing Cotch showing flashes of brilliance that makes the future so exciting and above all, watching Richo play what I believe to be his best season in a Tigers Jumper! Stuff tanking!! I want more wins!! Go Tiges!! 

[Ramps]

Come on ramps..You must have found at least a tiny bit of enjoyment out of us beating the power on their home turf! You seem to want to take a trip without enjoying the scenery on the way! I was rapt with the port game and I thoroughly enjoyed it, read the papers, enjoyed the replays, watched Williams' depressing post game press conference with sheer delight.

Im pleased we won, I really am, but I dont want to see us in 14th place 2 years from now, saying ... we could have gotten the extra 2 star players. The way things are headed we are heading for 9th and a mid table finish- stranded with an average pick. thats all.

PS- your line about the trip and scenery, wins quote of the week. 

[Hellenic Tiger]

In the lead up to the Melbourne game I was advocating a tank. I just felt based on the evidence of the previous two weeks against two top 6 sides lets say, in Sydney and the Crows we were horribly exposed and just showed the need for us to go to the well once again for some early picks for the greater good.
As said by Ramps I am happy and ecstatic for the last two wins and if the trend continues and the kids develop fantastic. If we make the eight fantastic also considering the season we had last year. Trust me I will be just as happy as the next Richmond fan if we qualify for the post season but my fear is that when W Sydney and Gold Coast start aquiring all the valuable draft picks we may be in a much lowly position due to a few deficiencies that may have been possibly addressed with a few early picks in the draft this year. Such as another elite midfielder KPP or Ruckman.
Since this is the path we are taking so be it. Hopefully the winning form continues the kids keep on developing and so do the fortunes of the club on and off the field.

[one-eyed]

At the bar: Vic sides in thick of it
Jon Anderson and Mark Robinson | June 24, 2008

ANDO and Robbo wonder how five clubs will fit in to two top eight places.

JA: Are you caught up in Tiger mania?

MR: Five teams are going for two spots, Ando, and they are all Victorian.

They are Collingwood, now that Rocca has probably gone for the year, North Melbourne, Carlton, St Kilda and Richmond.

Who will make it?

Collingwood, definitely, because it is the best side of that quintet and North Melbourne for the same reason, despite its draw.

Don't forget the Tigers. Their win on Saturday has been underplayed. Two weeks ago, Terry Wallace and his players faced Melbourne and a loss was beyond comprehension. They beat them and then gutsed it out against the chokers. And if they beat Carlton on Saturday, the Tiger army will be alive.

So beating Melbourne and Port equates to finals-like form, does it? I need a lot more convincing.

You can only beat who you play, and Richmond has found a competitive edge. It can beat Carlton, West Coast and Essendon in the next three weeks.

Just like Carlton could beat Essendon, Richmond and St Kilda five days ago. It's called getting ahead of yourself.

A big week at selection for Wallace. Does he give Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls another chance? He wasn't brilliant at the weekend. Surely he will give him another chance in front of 80,000-plus at the MCG.

They won't get 11 goals out of Cleve Hughes and Mitch Morton this week, or possibly the rest of the year, and at the other end you know Fev is red-hot. With Thursfield and McGuane injured, who plays on him?

Kelvin Moore or even the comeback kid Joel Bowden. Good on Bowden. He has done a lot for that club. I heard him speak after the game on SEN, and there's no doubt he loves his football club.

You would hope most players copping close to half a million and in their 13th year would love their club. Are you saying that because he got dropped and could have spat the dummy?

He didn't want to talk to the media as he fought his way through what was a damning and perhaps humiliating experience.

Better players than Bowden have been dropped and come back.

Give me some famous ones. I can think of David Hille late last year, and look at him now. Dal Santo, of course.

With all due respect to David Hille, he would be the first to admit he is not Simon Madden and he was dropped after he had played some really good footy and before the latter stages of his career. And it's a different sport, but a bloke called Bradman got dropped once.

What about the 1985 Hawthorn Grand Final team that couldn't fit in Peter Knights, Gary Buckenara, Rodney Eade, Peter Curran, Greg Dear and Colin Robertson?

Given they got flogged, you would have thought a couple could have squeezed in. Anyway, you haven't answered who is going to make the eight out of that group.

Collingwood and Carlton.

It doesn't matter, anyway, because those teams only make up numbers and it should be a final six, not an eight.

No, no. One day I'm still hoping for a team from seventh or eighth to create a fairytale. It would be amazing.

So would criminal lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson posing for a pic with her shirt done up, but that ain't about to happen, either.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23912413-19742,00.html