One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on May 02, 2009, 03:16:30 AM
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Tigers of old out in cold
Gerard Healy | May 02, 2009
THE future of Richmond coach Terry Wallace is known to us all and, barring a miracle, it is only the date of his departure that needs clarifying.
What's been hidden by the focus on Wallace, however, is that the club's biggest names are in the same position, and are fighting to save their own careers.
Nathan Brown (31), Ben Cousins (30), Troy Simmonds (30), Joel Bowden (30), Kane Johnson (31) and even Matthew Richardson (34), all out of contract at season's end, are being evaluated microscopically inside and outside the club and face the same future as Wallace, unless things change dramatically. Even then, there's no guarantee.
One prospective coach, whose name would be high on any short-list, has already confided that if he were given the job, the axe would fall on all of the above players - Richardson included.
It would be a controversial move, particularly for Richo, whose commitment, effort - and, importantly, performance - can't be questioned, but it's a formula that has worked before, so no one will be safe.
Related LinksPoll: Should Richo and the old Tigers play beyond this year?
In 1996, Malcolm Blight took swift action when appointed coach of the Crows, axing Tony McGuinness, Andrew Jarman and Chris McDermott, the club's three most decorated players, before he'd even left Melbourne.
There was no phone call, no second chances, no farewell match, just a DCM (don't come Monday) from football manager and Blight's lieutenant, John Reid.
It sparked a furore in Adelaide, with sympathy for the three running high, but no amount of emotion was going to sway Blight. He'd taken the long-term view and would not be persuaded otherwise.
Two flags later there was no need for an explanation.
Blight had worked his magic and while most felt it a harsh way to end the careers of three highly decorated players, there was not one Crows supporter in the land who could remember ever being against the move to sack them.
Success dulls even the most bitter memories of football fans and if the next Richmond coach believes that high-profile senior players are not going to be part of the future, or, in fact, are going to hinder the pathway to success, then Richmond supporters and players should brace themselves. Not all senior players will survive.
In fact most won't, as a severe cleanout is certain.
That's the brutal position the group of senior players find themselves in, and it is why today's Coburg Tigers match will be one of the most important VFL games this year.
Ben Cousins and Troy Simmonds will take the field alongside Trent Cotchin and Andrew Raines, with the injured Nathan Brown a big chance to join them when he recovers from injury.
Not all will be selected in the seniors the next week and, despite the major reputations of the veterans, the first picked will be Cotchin if his tank is ready.
He is the future and the player most likely to have the biggest impact on the club next year, so that leaves the others to fight it out for senior selection.
Bowden, it appears, has already been read the last rites, but his past two games suggest he's pretty keen to stick around and fight for his career.
But the next three months will determine whether it is his last season at Tigerland. He is in front of the others now because he already has a place in the team from which he can launch a survival campaign against the odds.
Cousins finds himself again fighting for his career.
Without the support from Wallace it would already be over, so in the remainder of the season he has to win the battle not only against his hamstring, but, more importantly, the fight to convince the next coach of his worth.
The finals window that was seemingly open for Richmond three months ago was the tiniest factor that persuaded a sceptical board of Cousins' potential value.
Their outlook will have changed, and while no one can dispute recruiting Cousins was a great positive for the club, he will not even register on the next coach's radar if that person has a similar outlook to Blight.
Cousins has some work to do and it will begin in a Coburg jumper today.
Brown has been one of my favourite players of the past decade. To see him cut down by the most savage of leg injuries was a blow to all who love his mastery of the ball.
But, to quote Neil Craig, "the game doesn't care how old you are" or if you're injured, and if Brown can't get himself back to his best this season his career will quickly come to an end.
If a "best of" team was picked from those who have represented Australia against Ireland, Brown would just pip Craig Bradley as the first picked.
Brilliant with the ball against any opposition, under any pressure, it is winning it that has become his challenge in the AFL. Getting that gift back is the key to his longevity.
Simmonds faces a similar battle.
A knee injury in last year's state game robbed him of a follow-up on his outstanding season in 2007 when he was just pipped for All-Australian selection.
He's out of the side and well down on confidence and form.
I suspect he should try to persuade Wallace to give him more game time out of the goalsquare, as in his days at Freo, because they have to get game time into the young ruckmen at Richmond.
As well, another string to Simmonds' bow could help him in the eyes of a prospective coach. That said, rediscovering his form in the ruck is the only way to guarantee another year.
Johnson was a good choice as leader when appointed, and didn't let his team down, in at times difficult circumstances for the club.
This will be his last season and hopefully he gets an opportunity to go out in style on the ground.
Finally, to Richo.
He is a unique case, more Richmond than Punt Rd. Any decision to end his career against his wishes would be explosive, no matter how well it was handled.
He is almost certain to play on if it's his decision, and so he should, given his form.
But under the Blight "scorched earth" policy, and the philosophy of at least one of the prospective candidates, Richo, like all the others, would be gone too, no matter how well he plays.
There will be tough decisions for whoever takes the helm at Richmond next season, but few tougher than this one would face any coach starting afresh at a new club.
Despite the tumultuous start to the season there is still so much of the year to play out, and so much to play for, if you are a senior player on the Richmond list.
Anything less than great form will seal an individual's fate.
It seems ridiculous to even think it at the moment but the Tigers are still capable of playing finals, in what would be a satisfying way for Wallace to end his coaching career.
It's an unlikely outcome, granted, but given the ruthless nature of the game and the stark reality of a certain major cleanout under a new coach, Richmond's season may yet be propelled to an exciting conclusion by a senior group now collectively facing the end.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25415970-19742,00.html
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Hard to disagree.
Nathan Brown (31) - Injured and out of form must show something when he returns or you are the weakest link ...... Goodbye
Ben Cousins (30) - Will hold judgement till I see him playing in the side but he wouldn't want to do any other hammy's
Troy Simmonds (30) - Must perform very well in the ruc when (if?) he returns to the side or he will be (jeff) White-d
Joel Bowden (30) - Joel I think would be in our best five players this year. That said we would have to win a lot of games and retain Wallace for him to remain,
Kane Johnson (31) - Gone-son
Matthew Richardson (34) - I don't want to even speculate. I hope he goes out on his own terms.
It seems ridiculous to even think it at the moment but the Tigers are still capable of playing finals, in what would be a satisfying way for Wallace to end his coaching career.
It's an unlikely outcome, granted, but given the ruthless nature of the game and the stark reality of a certain major cleanout under a new coach, Richmond's season may yet be propelled to an exciting conclusion by a senior group now collectively facing the end.
Heres hoping :thumbsup
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what a fantastic article to be honest made a fair and intelligent media person.
Good to see the spotlight on the veterans.
Simmo and Browny have done SFA in the last 2 years and as Craigy says the game doesn't care what injuries you have had in the past,
its about here and now and those 2 would NOT get a game in any other club right now, bar Freo.
Richo, the end is near but he will know when he is ready and quite frankly 3rd in a brownlow in 08 suggests he has one more year to go.
Bowden time to go. I liked Joel but we need to move on. He seems smart enough to know to retire at season's end.
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All but Richo I could deal with.
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One prospective coach, whose name would be high on any short-list, has already confided that if he were given the job, the axe would fall on all of the above players - Richardson included.
Geesh couldn't we play one hell of guessing game with that statement ???
Who could it possible be :D
All but Richo I could deal with.
I reckon the vast majority would be thinking like that
Personally I still see alot of upside in Cousins - next 17 weeks will tell I suppose ...
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I think it's hard to compare to Adelaide given they cut only 3 and we have 6.
Personally I'd be fine with it as long as it excluded Richardson, but would also prefer Cousins to stay one more if I had a choice. I think leaving a couple would also stagger their departure, especially as there are a couple of others who need to be cut/traded as well. We can't have too big of a change to the list in one year.
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One prospective coach, whose name would be high on any short-list, has already confided that if he were given the job, the axe would fall on all of the above players - Richardson included.
Geesh couldn't we play one hell of guessing game with that statement ???
Who could it possible be :D
All but Richo I could deal with.
I reckon the vast majority would be thinking like that
Personally I still see alot of upside in Cousins - next 17 weeks will tell I suppose ...
im with u wp, too early to call on cuz, if his body holds up and he plays with all his class and polish he must be a keeper, same as joel and richo
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Actually the main reason I see this won't/can't happen will be the salary cap. You need to pay a minimum of 92.5% of the approx $8 million TPP every year and cutting all the senior players would get us WELL under that amount.
Other than Cousins and Simmonds, they'd all be on decent wages, most likely around the $500k mark, some more, some less. This would mean around 1/3 of our wages would go in one year and close to 25% of TPP would have to be given to the other players in pay rises/front loaded contracts.
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For mine - In the following order as well.
Bowden should be gone
Johnson should be gone
Brown should be gone
Simmonds should be gone
Richardson if he wants to stay for 2010 then ok- but it should be publically stated that it will be his last
Cousins - a couple of weeks ago I suggested in here that Cousins should be played in a sweeper role in defence, if we do this and he can keep his hammys in order between now and round 22 then he stays in 2010.
So - 4 GONE ASAP and the other 2 we need to see what happens.
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Actually the main reason I see this won't/can't happen will be the salary cap. You need to pay a minimum of 92.5% of the approx $8 million TPP every year and cutting all the senior players would get us WELL under that amount.
Other than Cousins and Simmonds, they'd all be on decent wages, most likely around the $500k mark, some more, some less. This would mean around 1/3 of our wages would go in one year and close to 25% of TPP would have to be given to the other players in pay rises/front loaded contracts.
At a time when GC 17 and WS 18 would be able to snap up the Deledios Cotchins of this world we should move heaven and earth and build a team around them as they are the next 10 years of the club.
It will be unfortunante for those concerened but the club is bigger than the individual but that is life. I think Richo would be the hardest one for me to cope with.
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Joel and Sugar are retiring so no decision needed there.
Richo and Cuz should go again as long as their bodies hold up.
It's Simmo and Browny that the question mark is on. On form/injury so far this year it would be a neah.
As for the Adelaide/Blight comparison there's more to why McDermott (c), McGuiness (vc) and Andrew Jarman were given the stuff than just their age. Blight wanted to get rid of a culture he didn't like in one fell swoop. Rumour at the time had it that those 3 players had too much say in the club.
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Lets wait and see where it all ends up before we jump to conclusions.
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Lets wait and see where it all ends up before we jump to conclusions.
And who said Terry is going anywhere??
:)
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Lets wait and see where it all ends up before we jump to conclusions.
Exactly.
Healy can't even get his facts right. ::)
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Tapping Richo on the shoulder and suggesting its time to retire is the same as the local vet recommending its time to put down the much loved family dog.You Know its probably for the best....but are never ready to say goodbye.
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Tapping Richo on the shoulder and suggesting its time to retire is the same as the local vet recommending its time to put down the much loved family dog.You Know its probably for the best....but are never ready to say goodbye.
:lol
Matthew Richardson (34) - I don't want to even speculate. I hope he goes out on his own terms.
Aha just found the person who put the mockers on Richo ;D
On the thread topic at the start of the year I would have said just Richo and a maybe on Cuz to see how he went around in 2009. However seeing Bowden's form this year I would place him in the maybe bucket as well.
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At this stage I would be happy for Bowden, Simmonds, Johnson to give it away.
Hope Cousins can play in 2010.
Maybe give Richo another year out of the goal square as out Al Lynch type
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Just like the big mare Sunline had to be put down last week for her own good, it is time at the end of the season for the Tiges to erect the big canvas screen around Richo, and metaphorically speaking, bring out the double barrel shotgun.
It will be for his and everyone's good.
Does he deserve 300 games? Yes
Will he get it? No
New coach = No Richo
Tuckerbag is right, we may have seen the last of him.
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At this stage I would be happy for Bowden, Simmonds, Johnson to give it away.
Hope Cousins can play in 2010.
Maybe give Richo another year out of the goal square as out Al Lynch type
Hope so but Lynch had a wonderful midfield in front of him skillswise so that helps whereas I can't see us rectifying that soon. Would not like his chances though if someone in the next 16 games steps up to the plate however as he may retire.
Simmonds Brown Johnson Bowden Richo. All should go at the end of the year.
New era for the club began today as personally I think Richo won't get back this year.
I think the Hawthorn home game in Round 21 or the Collingwood game most preferably in Round 20 will be the swansong on field for some of these boys and a pre or post game ride in a Toyota Hilux around the G for some others to give us a chance to say godbye as we play W Coast in Perth in rd 22.
That way we can say ggodbye to all of them in one swoop and get on with things. It will be emotional for all of us but it needs to be done. :-[
Collingwood in round 20 is the logical choice for me.
Home game biggest rivals and spoiling their top 4 or top 8 chances to boot as part of a side dish to all the retirees. :thumbsup
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Simmonds Brown Johnson Bowden Richo. All should go at the end of the year.
It's ironic that the 30+ year old that probably had the biggest question mark over his future (not just from a footy p.o.v. either) is now looking like the only one who could still be around in 2010.
If the casualty rate is 5 of them this will alter things dramatically from the list management side of things. You can only cut so many players and if the oldies are 5 of them then that'll "save" some in their 20s who would've gone first if most of the oldies had continued on in form and fitness from 2008. Also if Joel and Richo both retire then we'll have no veterans in 2010 which means our senior list will only have 38 players compared to 40 now and we'll have up to 8 rookies.
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Richardson, Cousins - keep
Bowden - 75%
Brown, Simmonds - 25%
Johnson - :'(
as of Round 6.
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Tapping Richo on the shoulder and suggesting its time to retire is the same as the local vet recommending its time to put down the much loved family dog.You Know its probably for the best....but are never ready to say goodbye.
but at least let him have a full season next year .... Its away of saying thanks for all those great spekies and goals when we needed them ... if the just say get out , i will consider droping my membership
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Richardson, Cousins - keep
Bowden - 75%
Brown, Simmonds - 25%
Johnson - :'(
as of Round 6.
I know Joel has been good the past couple of weeks but this is his final year. Both he and Sugar will retire come round 22.
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Richardson, Cousins - keep
Bowden - 75%
Brown, Simmonds - 25%
Johnson - :'(
as of Round 6.
I know Joel has been good the past couple of weeks but this is his final year. Both he and Sugar will retire come round 22.
Joel to me is one of two of the 5 I would retain- he has poise on the ball, never panics when challenged, makes good decisions and kicks it well- a real smart player IMO. The other is Cuz, but as everyone has said, injury durability will tell the tale there.
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Richardson, Cousins - keep
Bowden - 0%
Brown, Simmonds - 0%
Johnson - 0%
Fixed
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Richardson, Cousins - keep
Bowden - 0%
Brown, Simmonds - 0%
Johnson - 0%
Fixed
That's what it is looking like Infamy.
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Richardson, Cousins - keep
Bowden - 0%
Brown, Simmonds - 0%
Johnson - 0%
Fixed
That's what it is looking like Infamy.
Its a pity that there is a suggestion that this will be a weak draft as I would suggest there will not only be the older player that will be looked at. I am guessing on current form we might have at least 8 national draft picks.
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Well Cuz will at least be fresh. Out for three weeks in for one....... There is a joke there somewhere........ :lol
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Keep Simmonds for 1 more year.
Maybe cousins
Off load the rest.
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Keep Simmonds for 1 more year.
Maybe cousins
Off load the rest.
How could you possibly want to keep Simmo and get rid of Richo?
Have you watched any of our games this year?
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Simmo is gawn. Sadly a shadow of his former self and now a liability in the side given he keeps going to ground far too often and far too easily in a contest.
Browny was one of our best on Saturday night and Plough has stood up for him in his EOTT report but with a new coach and tough calls needed to be made on the oldies he could be gawn in 4 months time as well.
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If I was new coach I'd tap them all on the shoulder due to our list imbalances.
I'd rather have rookies on the list than vets at this point.
Thanks for your services but we are looking to the future.
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I'd keep 3 of them -Richo, Cousins, Brown
The other 3 I'd let go
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I'd keep 3 of them -Richo, Cousins, Brown
The other 3 I'd let go
I would only keep Cousins and only if he plays out the rest of the season relatively injury free. Browny has slowed down and lost his evasive skills. He struggles on the lead now to shake his defender. As much as I love the guy, Richo has become a defensive liability with teams running off him where-ever he lines up.
Time for a fresh start
Stripes
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cousins and brown must stay
the rest must all move on, sadly even richo
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I would only keep Cousins and only if he plays out the rest of the season relatively injury free. Browny has slowed down and lost his evasive skills. He struggles on the lead now to shake his defender. As much as I love the guy, Richo has become a defensive liability with teams running off him where-ever he lines up.
Time for a fresh start
Stripes
there was nothing wrong Brown's evasive skills and leads in the first half against Essendon ;D - it was like the Brown of old
IMHO Richo has earnt the right to go out on his terms and should be allowed to go on. Not a doubt in my mind if Rocho thought he was letting the Club down he would pull the pin
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there was nothing wrong Brown's evasive skills and leads in the first half against Essendon ;D - it was like the Brown of old
IMHO Richo has earnt the right to go out on his terms and should be allowed to go on. Not a doubt in my mind if Rocho thought he was letting the Club down he would pull the pin
That says more about the way it was coming in, his opponent and Essendons focus on our other forwards than it does about Brown pace and evasiveness. Brown has lost the sidewards step he used to have and the spin he used to use to turn his opponents inside out. On the lead he used to put at least a few minutes on his defender before changing his lead direction and putting his opposition out of position. He has lost that element to his game now. His finishing skills are still excellent though his kicking penetration has reduced with age.
When you see Morton and Nahas on the lead compared to Brown the reduction is pace and 'zip' becomes blaringly obvious.
Richo will be at the mercy of the new coach regardless of his history to the club. I would like to see him go out on his own terms but players rarely know when they should finish. When the upside of not having Richo in the team becomes greater than the downside - he will be told either way. Let's just hope he keeps performing like last year because older players now are given little allowances for poor form or injuries.
Stripes
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That says more about the way it was coming in, his opponent and Essendons focus on our other forwards than it does about Brown pace and evasiveness. Brown has lost the sidewards step he used to have and the spin he used to use to turn his opponents inside out. On the lead he used to put at least a few minutes on his defender before changing his lead direction and putting his opposition out of position. He has lost that element to his game now. His finishing skills are still excellent though his kicking penetration has reduced with age.
When you see Morton and Nahas on the lead compared to Brown the reduction is pace and 'zip' becomes blaringly obvious.
Yep age and that broken leg has conspired so that we have missed the best years of Browny :(.
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Time to take blinkers off to 30-somethings
Matthew Lloyd | May 31, 2009
IN THE early hours of Sunday morning, the adrenalin was still flowing following our win over Richmond in the Dreamtime at the 'G game. As is often the case after night games, I couldn't sleep so I got up and flicked on the TV.
It was near the end of the game and the commentators were discussing Richmond. Luke Darcy was asked for his view on Richmond's 30-somethings and suggested they should be cleaned out at the end of the season so the club could start afresh.
Luke has done a great job making the transition from football to media commentator. He is articulate, measured and honest and I think the wider football community appreciates the way he goes about it. As is the case with any media commentator, people will disagree with your opinion from time to time. This was one such occasion for me.
It's frustrating that once players turn the other side of 30, their card is very quickly marked when it comes to assessing their performance. We — and yes, I am over 30 — seem to get pigeon-holed as a group. Your birth certificate seems to dictate worth more than the job you're doing on-field.
Putting together a list is a very difficult task. Broadly, players fall into three categories. You have the young kids (22 and under), the middle tier (23-29) and the experience (30-plus). Finding the balance is critical to the success of your team.
Youth is seen as the future, the middle tier is the present and, too often, the experienced group the past — but I think they have a very important role to play in the here and now and that role can be missed or significantly under-estimated.
When Alastair Clarkson took over the Hawks' coaching job, he made the hard calls on Nick Holland, Peter Everitt, Nathan Thompson, Jonathan Hay and Mark Graham as, in his opinion, they would not be part of their next premiership. I have no doubt that at the time, Shane Crawford would have been asking himself, 'Where does that leave me?'
Four years on, Clarkson recruited Brent Guerra and Stuart Dew to top up what was a young side that lacked some hard bodies and experience. Both also have great foot skills, particularly Dew. It doesn't mean that the initial decision was wrong, but I do believe it was recognition that 30-somethings have an important role to play.
In my opinion, list management over the past five years at the Hawthorn Football Club won it a premiership. There are no hard and fast rules on player ages or limitations, Clarkson and Chris Pelchen made decisions on what was best for the club at the time and the direction in which it was heading.
Getting back to the Tigers, they have some very important decisions to make in the coming months. Younger players need a mix of people around them and that includes the 30-somethings. There is no doubt some of the players Luke spoke about would, in their own mind, feel their time is up, while others — in particular Matthew Richardson who was runner-up in the Brownlow Medal last year — still have something to offer. "Richo" deserves to be treated with the utmost respect as he is the heartbeat of the Richmond Football Club.
Careers can be jeopardised by putting players in too early, so I think the all-or-nothing approach is fraught with danger. You can damage a player's confidence so much that the critical self-belief required goes out the window. Zac Dawson may be a case in point. I don't know the Saints' Zac, but I imagine he would have had some very difficult times in the early part of his career at Hawthorn. It is great to see him come through it — but some don't.
The other danger is to their bodies. You can break young players down if you push them too hard, too early. You have to make hard decisions on players, but you still need to make sensible ones.
Leadership is another important issue in my mind that I think on and off-field can go hand-in-hand in many ways. As we know, football and footballers are being increasingly put under the microscope. It creates significant pressure, particularly for a young player coming into the game. You need a sound leadership group to nurture players during this difficult period. Thirty-somethings have plenty to add in this respect and, ultimately if you get this right, you have a far better chance of achieving premiership success.
I sat back last Friday night and watched in admiration the performances of Jason Akermanis and Brad Johnson. They willed the Bulldogs back into the game with four goals apiece; they are both into their 30s but are still game-breakers. It baffles me to see a player in Akermanis' form questioning whether he can go on. If he were 25, there would be no doubt whatsoever.
Geelong, St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn have built lists that have them as the teams favoured to win this year's premiership. They have the perfect blend of youth and experience. This is what it takes to win a flag, but it does take time, a commitment to development, the right decisions at the draft table and the right decision on your older players.
I have been told by a number of people that "the game doesn't know how old you are". The great game might not, but some coaches, journalists and supporters seem to remind you every day.
EXPERIENCE COUNTS
ADELAIDE 4 — Brett Burton, Tyson Edwards, Simon Goodwin, Andrew McLeod
BRISBANE LIONS 3 — Simon Black, Daniel Bradshaw, Tim Notting
CARLTON — None
COLLINGWOOD 3 — Shane O'Bree, Simon Prestigiacomo, Anthony Rocca
ESSENDON 3 — Dustin Fletcher, Matthew Lloyd, Scott Lucas
FREMANTLE — None
GEELONG 2 — Tom Harley, Darren Milburn
HAWTHORN — None
MELBOURNE 2 — James McDonald, Russell Robertson
NORTH MELBOURNE 2 — Brent Harvey, Adam Simpson
PORT ADELAIDE 4 — Dean Brogan, Peter Burgoyne, Brendon Lade, Warren Tredrea
RICHMOND 6 — Joel Bowden, Nathan Brown, Ben Cousins, Kane Johnson, Matthew Richardson, Troy Simmonds
ST KILDA 2 — Max Hudghton, Steven King
SYDNEY 5 — Leo Barry, Jared Crouch, Barry Hall, Brett Kirk, Michael O'Loughlin
WEST COAST — None
WESTERN BULLDOGS 5 — Jason Akermanis, Nathan Eagleton, Ben Hudson, Brad Johnson, Scott Welsh
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/the-30somethings/2009/05/30/1243456785929.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
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You you compare the number of older players we have with the number and quality of the older players in the other side you can see our problem. The other teams have 2/3 older players on average but the quality and talent of those players compared to ours is the biggest difference.
Johnson, Simmonds, Bowden and Brown do not compare with players such as McLeod, Aka, Fletcher, Lloyd, Harley, Harvey, Black, Bradshaw, etc. The older players from the other teams are better than most of the compeition in general whereas most of our older players struggle to be better than most of our list.
Probably the only 30+ year old players who still remain better than most of our list and competition in general is Richo and Cousins.
Stripes
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We've been forced in a way to hold onto so many of our older players for longer because the next age bracket which should be the main core of the team is simply non-existent. We are still paying for the recruiting mistakes of 6-10 years ago. If we had around 20 quality players aged between 23-29 then there'd be arguably only Richo 30+ still on our list. Gas and Chubba went a season or two longer than they should have and now it's Sugar, Browny, Joel and Simmo. Only Richo has been playing at an elite level (2nd in the Brownlow 2008).
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Pettifer, Simmonds, Bowden did not do enough to keep spots in the side.
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Pettifer, Simmonds, Bowden did not do enough to keep spots in the side.
Pettifer is clearly tarnished with a scarlet letter or something
He's returned from a knee reco in under 12 months better than most players in the history of AFL
You have to give him credit for the hard work he's done to get back, he was not in the worst 5 players on the night, not even close