Comparison with Fremantle

[mat073]

The Dockers are a team we all love to mock.....They have over the years provided many reasons to be thankful to be a Richmond supporter.....Unfortunately I can see so many similarities its scary.

Fremantle went into the 2008 season with an aging list still believing that their premiership window was open.Even though they had won only 10 games in 07 they topped up their list with the experienced Mark Johnson.After round 11 after many honorable losses they still only had one win on the board.....then the penny dropped.

During the year they said goodbye to former captain Peter Bell plus "over rated" club favourites Matthew Carr,Heath Black and Sean McManus.At the end of the season other "high profile" players like Josh Carr and the Wizz were given the flick.

They then decided not to draft any more recycled players for 2009.

Now I know Freo are still only 14th on the ladder...but they have won 3 of their last 4 including victory over the team that destroyed us in round 1....while playing their kids.I still doubt wether they will make finals but at least they are heading in the right direction.

The point I am trying to get across is it is time for Richmond to REGENERATE....If we can be 15th(in a season we were ment to be locked and loaded for) with players like Brown,Simmo,Bowden and even Richo in the team...Surely we can manage that with out them.

I will slightly contradict myself by saying Cousins has to be around next year...He is a beaut.

[Stripes]

I think one of TW biggest mistakes is that he didn't get rid of the oldest players on our list first when he arrived. He got rid of the poor performers but not the root of the culture problem. I hope the new coach doesn't make the same mistake.

We no longer rely upon the senior players so for mine they are only holding us back.

Stripes

[Francois Jackson]

I think one of TW biggest mistakes is that he didn't get rid of the oldest players on our list first when he arrived. He got rid of the poor performers but not the root of the culture problem. I hope the new coach doesn't make the same mistake.

We no longer rely upon the senior players so for mine they are only holding us back.

Stripes

spot on

throw in old chestnuts P Bowden, kingsley and Knobel in that lot too.


Part of the new coaches contract should read DONT THROW AWAY ANY DRAFT PICKS

[bojangles17]

I think one of TW biggest mistakes is that he didn't get rid of the oldest players on our list first when he arrived. He got rid of the poor performers but not the root of the culture problem. I hope the new coach doesn't make the same mistake.

We no longer rely upon the senior players so for mine they are only holding us back.

Stripes

i hear that ol chestnut but it neglects to recognise that we completley buggered up the 5 from top 20 2005 draft , securing 1 A grade player from that pool has cost us dearly...compounded by non existent player development that has seen All Austn juniors on the brink of delistment..EG sarge, Hughes...Neither of these critical factors have anything to do with andy kellaway and gasper playing an extra year

[jezza]

Said it a few days ago, Melbourne and Freo are ahead of us because they both have cleared out their lists and brought in large numbers of kids. Still very concerned that many will be in job preservation mode and will look for more quick fixes this off season.

[mightytiges]

Freo had just 6 players U23 in their side on Friday night while we had 10 on Sunday yet they are called a young side  ???.

[Chuck17]

I find it a bit hard to compare Freo to us.

Their main players are ageing especially their spine with Pavlich (28), Tarrant (29), Sandilands (27), McPharlin (28), Grover (29) and other older players Solomon (29), Hasleby (28), Hayden (29), Headland (28).  They probably have this year and the next to impact finals and then they are in serious need of some KPP players stepping up from their young players. 

I dont believe Freo have got the young players significantly advanced enough to cover the above players when their from and age impacts their performance.

We have five old players on our list that will retire in the next couple of years and look fairly good in the development stakes apart from the forward line and the loss of one champ in Richo.

[mat073]

I was trying to compare the Dockers of 08 with the Tigers of 09 and imply that moving on "senior high profle players" isn't necessary a bad thing.

I just believe Freo & Richmond share a history of making the same mistakes such as over rating their lists and holding on to players past their use by date.

However the point I was trying to make seems irrelevant after what transpired yesterday.

[Stripes]

It was the senior players meeting yesterday that most worries me. They, with the leadership group, called the meeting in good will to discuss changes to TW game plan amoung other things, to turn the season around. It was not their fault that the media misunderstood the nature of the meeting and created their own headlines in an effort to break the story but I am concerned about the future ramifications (sp?) of having the senior players begin to dictate to the coach.

If the senior players are determining the style of play we as a team will play for the remainder of the year then self preservation will obviously cloud any decision they arrive at. They know this year could be their last and they know they need to perform well to have any chance to remain. What this leads to is that they would be mad to say to the coach -'I think it is time we play the kids and drop us to the seconds!' nor will they be creating a game plan they themselves could not be directly involved in and which suits their skills/style.

The older players are not fast or risk takers so I fear we will be playing a chip backwards, possession style with them all playing in the place of our up and comers.

I could be reading more into things than what is actually there but this meeting worries me....

Stripes

[Chuck17]

I just believe Freo & Richmond share a history of making the same mistakes such as over rating their lists and holding on to players past their use by date.

That is definitely comparable and also our ladder finishes are quiet comparable as well.

[big tone]

The older players are not fast or risk takers so I fear we will be playing a chip backwards, possession style with them all playing in the place of our up and comers.



Stripes
[/quote]
That game plan sounds a lot like the one we have been playing Stripes??

[Hellenic Tiger]

It was the senior players meeting yesterday that most worries me. They, with the leadership group, called the meeting in good will to discuss changes to TW game plan amoung other things, to turn the season around. It was not their fault that the media misunderstood the nature of the meeting and created their own headlines in an effort to break the story but I am concerned about the future ramifications (sp?) of having the senior players begin to dictate to the coach.

If the senior players are determining the style of play we as a team will play for the remainder of the year then self preservation will obviously cloud any decision they arrive at. They know this year could be their last and they know they need to perform well to have any chance to remain. What this leads to is that they would be mad to say to the coach -'I think it is time we play the kids and drop us to the seconds!' nor will they be creating a game plan they themselves could not be directly involved in and which suits their skills/style.

The older players are not fast or risk takers so I fear we will be playing a chip backwards, possession style with them all playing in the place of our up and comers.

I could be reading more into things than what is actually there but this meeting worries me....

Stripes

Sounds like a game plan that is high possession and all fluff.
Sounds like a game plan a certain senior member likes to play.
Will be blasphemous to some if I mention his name so I'll let you get the image of him in your minds.

[bojangles17]

Said it a few days ago, Melbourne and Freo are ahead of us because they both have cleared out their lists and brought in large numbers of kids. Still very concerned that many will be in job preservation mode and will look for more quick fixes this off season.

thats nothing more than a throwaway line, the demons have a number of untried players as we do, there's nothing at all at this point in time that suggests their unknowns are better than our unknowns...little more than heresay