Richo back in round 18

[one-eyed]

Richo was on 3aw before the game today and said he's just finished his last rehab session and will train with the main group this week. He's ahead of schedule and expects to make his comeback in round 18 with a run around at Coburg.

The big fella was also asked about his fellow older guys in Bowden and Brown. On Bowden Richo said Joel like anyone would be disappointed about playing in the VFL and not in the seniors but he is professional in everything he does and has been named in the bests in all the 4 or so weeks he's been down there. On Browny he expects him to come into the side next week.

Richo was then asked if there was one main area Richmond needs to improve in what is it? Richo said it's workrate. We're too inconsistent. He also said we need to develop our own. Hawthorn under Clarkson and Essendon under Knighter have shown that works. You don't trade away your draft picks and just work on developing your own young players.

[one-eyed]

Rawlings talking about Richo today:

Richardson close to return
23/07/2009 1:40 PM
Paul Gough
Sportal

"Not this week but the way he is training at the moment, based on the amount of training he has done and the amount of footy work he has done, he will probably play next week," Richmond caretaker coach Jade Rawlings said of Richardson on Thursday.

"We will make a decision on how much he has done and whether it's Richmond, Coburg (in the VFL) or Coburg reserves so we will wait and see."

"I wouldn't have thought he would be playing five in a row at Coburg so he will be back (in the seniors at some stage)."

Full story on the Sportal site:
http://sportal.com.au/afl-news-display/richo-close-to-return-74517

[mightytiges]

"We will make a decision on how much he has done and whether it's Richmond, Coburg (in the VFL) or Coburg reserves so we will wait and see."

Watching the vision even Jade couldn't keep a straight face saying Coburg reserves lol. Probably imagining Richo ending up with 50 possies, 40 marks and 10 goals 

[Smokey]

"We will make a decision on how much he has done and whether it's Richmond, Coburg (in the VFL) or Coburg reserves so we will wait and see."

Watching the vision even Jade couldn't keep a straight face saying Coburg reserves lol. Probably imagining Richo ending up with 50 possies, 40 marks and 10 goals 

Or a recurrence of the injury or a new related injury.  What's the rush?

[one-eyed]

Richardson set to return via VFL
Roger Vaughan
July 26, 2009 - 9:39PM

Richmond veteran Matthew Richardson should return to playing football next weekend as he tries to return to the AFL before the end of the season.

Richardson needed hamstring tendon surgery after the round-six loss to Sydney and is about a fortnight ahead of schedule in his recovery.

His brother-in-law and Richmond caretaker coach Jade Rawlings said the Tigers would decide on Monday where Richardson resumes - at VFL side Coburg, the Coburg reserves or straight into the AFL side.

"He's great, we had a meeting the other day and he said 'I just want to play footy ... with what's happened around the place, I'd probably feel a bit weird if I came straight back in," Rawlings said.

"That will be our decision, we'll work out what's best for him and the team.

"I would have thought at this stage it would be Coburg."

Richardson, Ben Cousins, Nathan Brown, Joel Bowden and Troy Simmonds are all Richmond players who have turned 30.

The Tigers will have to decide on all five at the end of the season.

Richardson is the league's most popular player and if he can prove his fitness and wants to keep going, the Tigers will most likely let him.

Cousins had 31 disposals in Sunday's five-point win over Essendon and, as Rawlings pointed out, he played a pivotal role.

Again, as it stands now, he will probably continue next year.

Brown returned from injury to kick a goal and have 13 possessions against the Bombers, while Bowden is in the VFL and Simmonds is recovering from a groin problem.

http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-sport/richardson-set-to-return-via-vfl-20090726-dxlp.html

[one-eyed]

Richmond's Matthew Richardson in mix to play Melbourne Demons
Jon Ralph | July 27, 2009

MATTHEW Richardson will make his return from hamstring surgery next week, while Ben Cousins looks guaranteed another year at the Tigers.

While caretaker coach Jade Rawlings heaped praise on Cousins, he was equally thrilled with Richardson's quick recovery after rupturing his hamstring against Sydney in Round 6.

He will return to action with Richmond's VFL affiliate Coburg against Box Hill on Saturday, a fortnight ahead of schedule.

Rawlings said there was a chance Richardson might step straight back into the senior side against Melbourne, but he was more likely to play in the VFL.

"We will make a decision tomorrow about where it will be. Coburg reserves, Coburg, or Richmond," he said.

"He is great. We had a good meeting the other day and he said, 'I just want to play footy'.

"He said with what has happened around the place, (he) would probably feel a bit weird if (he) came straight back in.

"We will work out what will be best for him and the team."

Many of Richardson's veteran teammates are languishing in the VFL, and the 34-year-old is happy to gain match fitness at the lower level.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25839018-19742,00.html

[Tigermonk]

retire Richo  give him going away games. make this his last season & create a new culture. He cant kick the goals when we need them most & that kills morale among other players who constantly do the hard work getting it to him. Its time to let the new forward line blend with the younsters who thrive on kicking goals

[TigerLand]

retire Richo  give him going away games. make this his last season & create a new culture. He cant kick the goals when we need them most & that kills morale among other players who constantly do the hard work getting it to him. Its time to let the new forward line blend with the younsters who thrive on kicking goals

Short memory. Was 1 more good game away from being 2008 Brownlow Medlalist. Let's see what he's made of before we use the "R" word.

Look at the positives his tendinitus in his knee has had 10 weeks to rest. IML should be given the year off and a years extention. He's teh veteran, wont cost us anything.

No need to rush. Plus give Jack the whole year out to see how he goes.

[Tigermonk]

retire Richo  give him going away games. make this his last season & create a new culture. He cant kick the goals when we need them most & that kills morale among other players who constantly do the hard work getting it to him. Its time to let the new forward line blend with the younsters who thrive on kicking goals

 

Short memory. Was 1 more good game away from being 2008 Brownlow Medlalist. Let's see what he's made of before we use the "R" word.

Look at the positives his tendinitus in his knee has had 10 weeks to rest. IML should be given the year off and a years extention. He's teh veteran, wont cost us anything.

No need to rush. Plus give Jack the whole year out to see how he goes.

most older players have a good year near the end of thier careers
Take note dreamer that champions never recover serious hammy injuries at 34/35
& the champion list is too large to type out so you can see it & it wouldnot get into that brain of yours anyway
Richo's injury was severe & they donot mend well & leave scarring which weakens the old injury

[Fishfinger]

He's teh veteran, wont cost us anything.

Still have to pay him all of his salary.
I personally think keeping Richo is an easy decision, even without the advantage only half his salary counting towards Total Player Payments for him being veteran listed.

The advantage of having an extra player outside the senior list is now not so advantageous as it used to be because a rookie can be elevated straight away to an unfilled veteran position.

[one-eyed]

Robbo on SEN said he wouldn't risk playing Richo this year and just stick to playing the youngsters. Richmond should just tell Richo now he'll be around next year so don't worry.

[one-eyed]

Thursday's training session is final hurdle
richmondfc.com.au
By Matthew Richardson Thu 30 July, 2009

WELL, the wait is nearly over. I'm finally getting back on a footy ground to play a real game.

I'm nearly at the start line. I just have one more session to complete on Thursday and if all goes well there, then I get to have a run around on Saturday at Coburg.

I reckon I'll be a bit toey come Saturday because I haven't played for three months and nerves always come with getting over the injury and then getting through the game unscathed.

You've also got to think about what the coach wants you to do and perform to a level to ensure your name is put up for selection in the seniors.

I played one game for Coburg about six or seven years ago. I don't really mind where they play me because I just want to get out there and do what I'm paid to do. Footy is still my No. 1 priority.

I'm really looking forward to it getting my hands on the ball and running out as part of a team again.

There'll be some smart arses from the Box Hill Hawks who will want to give me a bit of a spray, but that's all part of the fun and games. I'm big enough and have been around long enough to be able to handle that.

A few comments will come from the other side of the fence too, but I wouldn't expect anything less.

It's all part of the fantastic world of footy.

I've discovered that it's never easy dealing with a long-term injury, even if you've had them before.

When I first got injured I thought I might as well keep busy and get some experience doing some other things: media, bits and pieces around the club and personal stuff as well.

Now I'm ready to play again, we'll wind all that back and just concentrate on getting a kick on the weekends.

Your stress levels are a bit lower when you're not playing, because all you have to do is go to training and work hard rather than play and impact the way a game is played.

But the flip-side of that coin is that you don't have the enjoyment factor that comes with playing and winning.

By far the biggest stress in football is performing on the weekend. Strangely, once you do perform really well, you feel good for a few minutes and then you start stressing because you've got to do it all again the next weekend.

I've always found that the week after a really good game is quite nerve-wracking, because when you're playing well you tend to worry more. You feel you've got the ball rolling and you start thinking about maintaining that level of performance.

Footy's a funny game. There aren't many times when you're not worried about something.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/81664/default.aspx

[mightytiges]

Richo got through training today so he should be right to go for Coburg on Saturday

[one-eyed]

from the RFC site....

Tigers star Matthew Richardson will make his long-awaited return this weekend via the VFL, and King said he expected the 34-year-old to be straight back into the AFL the following week.

King said Richardson would not need extended exposure at VFL level to prove himself ready for the seniors, as his quality would quickly show itself.

"He has missed three months of football, so that's quite a substantial absence, so we'll just be happy to see him out there again," King said.

"He'll probably play 60 per cent of game time out there and get a feel for the game again.

"It's probably unfair to bring him straight back into the team – unfair on him and unfair on us. He just has to do a week down there and he'll be right."

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/81691/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Richardson to return in the VFL
John Salvado
July 30, 2009 - 1:00PM

Having been a one-man band in the Richmond attack for so many years, Matthew Richardson must now sing in tune with the new batch of Tigers' forwards.

Richardson, at 34 the AFL's oldest player, will return to action on Saturday in a rare hit-out for the club's VFL affiliates Coburg.

It will be his first game since suffering a serious hamstring injury against Sydney in early May.

Richardson is understood to be keen to play on for one more season in 2010, assuming he gets the nod from the Tigers' new head coach.

Although he spent much of his stellar 2008 season freewheeling on the wing, it is up-forward where he made his name during a celebrated 282-game career.

But in his enforced absence, the likes of Jack Riewoldt, Jayden Post, Mitch Morton and Tyrone Vickery have taken up much of the slack in the key attacking posts.

"It'll be fascinating to see how they go with Richo coming back in, seeing as he's such a dominant presence," Richmond assistant coach David King said on Thursday.

"What we've seen from Riewoldt and Post and Vickery in the last few weeks has been very exciting for us.

"He needs to complement that and not detract from that at all.

"That's the balancing act for us going forward.

"He's been able to command a wing role pretty well in the last 18 months so there are other options for him.

"He's a unique beast, you can use him anywhere.

"That's the beauty of Matthew, we can play him in a number of different roles and we will."

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/richardson-to-return-in-the-vfl-20090730-e2f4.html