It is sad that Richo is remembered by many people for his on-field brain fades and body language. When you look at his record, especially in such a poorly performed team, he was an absolutely amazing payer. Buddy is heralded as the next superstar of the competition yet I keep waiting for his true attitude and substance abuse issues to raise their ugly head.
Imagine the player Richo would have been if he had had the midfield delivery Buddy had in 2008! Buddy came back to the pack this year because his delivery was no where near as fluid or the opposing defense as much caught by surprise. How many games did Richo have 3 or 4 players all over him? How many year's was Richo our only forward option while Buddy had numerous supporting cast members?
Offensively, Richo has it all over Buddy IMHO, yet he was never made accountable by his coaches defensively. Imagine the player Richo could have been if he tackled, blocked, shepherded and worked with the other forwards to generate goals for the team rather than just himself.
Given that you would have to say Buddy is the better player but not because he is superior athletically, skill-wise or via passion. Buddy was just better coached which is why he is a more complete player to Richo and why he was more of an asset to his team. Sad but true.
Stripes
