Sugar and Bowden to play on in 2009

[one-eyed]

Richmond veterans to play on
Caroline Wilson | August 22, 2008

RICHMOND veterans Kane Johnson and Joel Bowden have both confirmed they will play on in 2009 although Johnson has indicated he will wait until the end of the season to reach a decision with the Tigers over the club's captaincy.

Having overcome some early season doubts about his 30-year-old body standing up to the rigours of another season, Johnson is on the verge of signing a one-year deal but is understood to have indicated he would look at handing over the captaincy after four years in the job.

Bowden, also 30, is about to come to terms with the club on a one-year deal, which guarantees there will be no high-profile retirements at Tigerland this year with reigning club champion Matthew Richardson, 33, having also signed a one-year deal with the club last month. The Tigers other 30-year-olds, Nathan Brown and Troy Simmonds, are both contracted next year.

"Kane and I have had regular discussions on where he's at and I've told him I'm very keen for him to play on," coach Terry Wallace told The Age. "Anything further on the subject is up to him.

"While the season's on, Kane is our leader but at the end of the season we'll sit down and talk about it again and see where he sits with it and, if he has any issues, then it becomes a club matter."

Johnson took over the captaincy in Wallace's first season and, while he remains one of the competition's lower-profile leaders, the club has been delighted with the influential role he has played in the development of the younger group.

Mortified earlier this season after he was caught intoxicated and urinating outside Victorian Police headquarters in St Kilda Road, Johnson suspended himself for a week and offered to quit the captaincy but was talked out of it. Moving from a midfield role to the half-forward line has proved a successful strategy both for Johnson's body and his form, which has been good particularly during the second half of the season.

Should Johnson indicate the captaincy be passed on, Chris Newman probably would be narrow favourite to take the position over Nathan Foley. The prevailing view at Richmond is that emerging debutant Trent Cotchin is in the box seat to become a long-term captain of the club once the top draft pick reaches his early 20s.

Bowden's future looked shaky when he was dropped with Kane Pettifer for four games after struggling with the defensive side of his game but the dual best and fairest winner has returned with a vengeance and has played pivotal roles in three of the club's heart-stopping victories.

He has also indicated to the club his determination to play on next season.

Johnson will lead the Tigers in tomorrow's must-win clash against Fremantle at the MCG. A victory would see Richmond's finals hopes remain alive following its wooden spoon in 2007. Richmond's last game is also at the MCG against Melbourne.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/richmond-veterans-to-play-on/2008/08/21/1219262414255.html

[Moi]

Nurse, smelling salts for Ox lol

[Tigermonk]

  wanted man Joel  by several clubs, Tigers will pay him well for his services  he deserves every cent he gets cause his a champion player & the young blokes look up too him 

[Ramps]

This is poor list management imho. One of the two should have been retired this year. The club will make the mistake of losing all its old players in one hit. This is a bad decision. Infact there was a serious argument that both players should have been retired.

[bushranger]

Bowden most definightly he's a proven champ. Sugar I bloody hope not, especially as captain. He doesn't deserve the job, go back to where you came from is all I can say. I can see bowden helping out the young ones on what and how to position themselves on the feild.
But Sugar has nothing to add to the team.
Now if we put a hat in and everyone put in to show him we no long need him will he take the money and leave and never come back. I'll put in just to see his ugly butt walk out the door.

[Smokey]

We still need them both.  We are still a year or 2 from the kids being able to stand on their own 2 feet and mix it with the big boys.  They still need a measure of protection and guidance and if we get rid of all our experienced, harder bodies too early then it will set us back by a couple of years.  One year contracts for all these guys (Richo included) is terrific list management at this point in time and suits both the club and player perfectly.  If we find that the older bodies struggle next year (a la Tivendale this year) then it will do no harm and probably a lot of good for them to finish the year off at Coburg helping the babies down there in their development but if they stand up and play the season in the seniors then (a)  we must have needed them and (b) our bigger kids will benefit by the extra year of 'protection' and growth.

Win win.

[Stripes]

All our older players are desperately trying to hold onto the coat-tails of the up and coming young players in hope of finally seeing the success that they themselves failed to deliver.

Bowden and Johnson can see the writing on the wall. Johnson has had an average couple of seasons with a few good games thrown in but is certainly no inspirational leader and is being outplayed by most of our developing midfielders already. Bowden has had years of negative, inadequete, unaccountable, meaningless possession acquiring with a few well timed acts that saved us some games. Without these acts he would be well and truly gone.  

I agree with you Ramps, dependent upon injuries and form - Bowden should have gone this year(2009), Richo and Johnson next (2010)and Browny and maybe even Simmo the year after (2011) that.

I just hope we don't delist a young player such as Meyer, Casserly or even Cogs to keep these two for just another season or two.

Stripes

[Tigermonk]

All our older players are desperately trying to hold onto the coat-tails of the up and coming young players in hope of finally seeing the success that they themselves failed to deliver.

Bowden and Johnson can see the writing on the wall. Johnson has had an average couple of seasons with a few good games thrown in but is certainly no inspirational leader and is being outplayed by most of our developing midfielders already. Bowden has had years of negative, inadequete, unaccountable, meaningless possession acquiring with a few well timed acts that saved us some games. Without these acts he would be well and truly gone.  

I agree with you Ramps, dependent upon injuries and form - Bowden should have gone this year(2009), Richo and Johnson next (2010)and Browny and maybe even Simmo the year after (2011) that.

I just hope we don't delist a young player such as Meyer, Casserly or even Cogs to keep these two for just another season or two.

Stripes

another b.u.lls.hit  post on Bowden

[WilliamPowell]

We still need them both.  We are still a year or 2 from the kids being able to stand on their own 2 feet and mix it with the big boys.  They still need a measure of protection and guidance and if we get rid of all our experienced, harder bodies too early then it will set us back by a couple of years.  One year contracts for all these guys (Richo included) is terrific list management at this point in time and suits both the club and player perfectly.  If we find that the older bodies struggle next year (a la Tivendale this year) then it will do no harm and probably a lot of good for them to finish the year off at Coburg helping the babies down there in their development but if they stand up and play the season in the seniors then (a)  we must have needed them and (b) our bigger kids will benefit by the extra year of 'protection' and growth.

Win win.

Agree smokey

One year deals for players of this age are the way to go

[Stripes]

All our older players are desperately trying to hold onto the coat-tails of the up and coming young players in hope of finally seeing the success that they themselves failed to deliver.

Bowden and Johnson can see the writing on the wall. Johnson has had an average couple of seasons with a few good games thrown in but is certainly no inspirational leader and is being outplayed by most of our developing midfielders already. Bowden has had years of negative, inadequete, unaccountable, meaningless possession acquiring with a few well timed acts that saved us some games. Without these acts he would be well and truly gone.  

I agree with you Ramps, dependent upon injuries and form - Bowden should have gone this year(2009), Richo and Johnson next (2010)and Browny and maybe even Simmo the year after (2011) that.

I just hope we don't delist a young player such as Meyer, Casserly or even Cogs to keep these two for just another season or two.

Stripes

another b.u.lls.hit  post on Bowden

I just call it as I see it big fellow. 

As I have said to you before I think Bowden has had a few good games which have saved his skin but until those games he was a liability rather than an asset.

Sorry if that opinion upsets you 

Stripes

[bushranger]

We still need them both.  We are still a year or 2 from the kids being able to stand on their own 2 feet and mix it with the big boys.  They still need a measure of protection and guidance and if we get rid of all our experienced, harder bodies too early then it will set us back by a couple of years.  One year contracts for all these guys (Richo included) is terrific list management at this point in time and suits both the club and player perfectly.  If we find that the older bodies struggle next year (a la Tivendale this year) then it will do no harm and probably a lot of good for them to finish the year off at Coburg helping the babies down there in their development but if they stand up and play the season in the seniors then (a)  we must have needed them and (b) our bigger kids will benefit by the extra year of 'protection' and growth.

Win win.

Agree smokey

One year deals for players of this age are the way to go

As long as Sugar signs off on the captainsy, He's the false pretender and should hand it over. But if he stays I bet he'll keep it. Cause it makes him feel important.

[Ox]

Nurse, smelling salts for Ox lol

Geez Moi,I just came to after reading this mornings paper

[Ox]

]

Bowden and Johnson can see the writing on the wall. Johnson has had an average couple of seasons with a few good games thrown in but is certainly no inspirational leader and is being outplayed by most of our developing midfielders already. Bowden has had years of negative, inadequete, unaccountable, meaningless possession acquiring with a few well timed acts that saved us some games. Without these acts he would be well and truly gone. 


Stripes

Hit the nail on the head Striper and summed up Bowden's self preserving career.

As I have said to you before I think Bowden has had a few good games which have saved his skin but until those games he was a liability rather than an asset.

Sorry if that opinion upsets you

Whadd'ya expect Stripes....birds of a feather

[Fishfinger]

Bwaha! This has made my day.
Maybe we could have another half @rsed Bowden poll. 

[Infamy]

Very dissapointing news, we are just setting ourselves up for a mass exodus of old farts rather than staggering their departure and managing the transition.
If only one had to go then at least Bowden can stay on the veterans list, but Id prefer it if both went, not sure who we're going to cut now, can't be many.