Our poor first quarters

[dizza]

Add another one to the poor first quarter list: 2.2 (4 shots) to 8.6 (14 shots)  

Dimma said after the game that we gave away 8 frees to 2 in the first quarter from simple holding on frees and the Pies got 3 goals directly from free kicks.

You didnt say it but I thought the Umpires helped put us out of it then first 20 min. Sure our trunovers were them main problem but some of those frees they got and some we didnt made it very hard to get into the game. Thing is I have seen this in every Collingwood game this year and it very disturbing.

Some of their "free-kicks" in the first quarter were atrocious decisions. And when they're that frequent, the "it was a mistake" excuse only goes so far. What tends to happen though is that later in the game (when the damage is already done) the decisions start to go the other way to try and "even it up".

At the end of the day though, umpiring is only part of it. I think our biggest problem is by far and away the fact that our fluent style of play is taking us a while to get going, and that's what we need to focus on.

[RedanTiger]

I have been saying this for ages, we are not turned on from the first bounce. We have always had this problem and it must be rectified. We play catch up footy all the time.

Maybe we should start our warm up a little later and stay out a little longer.

Interesting comments.
It was very noticable at the pre-season game in Shepparton against the Hawks that our pre-game warm up was so much softer than theirs.
After the teams ran on the field the Hawks did sprint run throughs to warm up and then the onballers did centre bounces with the ball passed on a lead to Roughie or Buddy. Their backs did spoiling drills against the other forwards and practised rebounds.
At the other end we did goalkicking practice like at the school lunchtime and a few half hearted run throughs.

They came out and pounded us with their intensity from the outset.

[Mr Magic]

Great thread. A clear pattern has emerged and it needs to be addressed.
Can't keep playing catch up and expect to win.

[one-eyed]

5. SLEEPY STARTS
 
RICHMOND is the worst starting team in the competition with a -90 points record in first quarters across the first four games.
 
Most of the damage is being done in the first 15 minutes, when the Tigers are -56 points.
 
Might be time for a bit of John Northey fire 'n brimstone. Maybe they could give Tim Smith, Carlton boxing coach and part-time motivator, a call.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-game-gets-grubbier/story-e6frf9jf-1226040387944

[RedanTiger]

5. SLEEPY STARTS
 
RICHMOND is the worst starting team in the competition with a -90 points record in first quarters across the first four games.
 
Most of the damage is being done in the first 15 minutes, when the Tigers are -56 points.
 
Might be time for a bit of John Northey fire 'n brimstone. Maybe they could give Tim Smith, Carlton boxing coach and part-time motivator, a call.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-game-gets-grubbier/story-e6frf9jf-1226040387944

Funny that Northey is mentioned because that's who I thought off re this subject.
Saw the warmup in the rooms a few times when Northey was coach and remember clearly he had to cool down the players when they used to do a pile in just before going onto the ground so they didnt hurt each other.
Of course that was old style football and wouldn't be suitable for modern times. 

[Hellenic Tiger]

An observation I make is this. We always seem to be out second from the two teams and we go in a few minutes before the opposition. Don't know what that means but maybe we need to stay out there longer.

Early last year Dimma had them doing tackling drills and handball drills in close quarters in their warm ups to get a feel for the ball and body contact whereas I have noticed that we are back to the kicking drills shooting for goal and stretching near the goal posts. Perhaps we need to be more intense and get back to some simple physical confrontation and intimidation drills to get the blood boiling and mental switch on.

[mightytiges]

Still a major issue that needs addressing despite the win. It seems we need the first 10 mins for everyone to get up to speed with the game and organise our planned structures each week and in that time we gift 3-4 goals to the opposition. In the end becuase North aren't that good we won the remaining 3 quarters by 5 goals and were the dominant side in general play.

[WA Tiger]

Yep, really starting to irk me these slow starts, just no intensity until the 3rd qtrs.. It has to stop.

[mightytiges]

Yep, really starting to irk me these slow starts, just no intensity until the 3rd qtrs.. It has to stop.

No excuses with our starts next week against the bottom placed Lions although they did jump Melbourne at the 'G a fortnight ago. If we want to become a good side we should be aiming to jump them early to break their confidence. Beginning the game with our intensity at being first at the ball and contest would be a start to fixing our first quarters problem. Once again we were second to the ball and reactive early on tonight.

[one-eyed]

Slow starts a mental issue for Tigers, says Justin Leppitsch
Matt Windley
Herald Sun
April 29, 2011


RICHMOND assistant coach Justin Leppitsch says the Tigers' poor first-quarter performances this season are a mental issue that needs to be fixed.

The Tigers have been swamped early in several matches.

"We have addressed it and we did start slowly again on the weekend (against North Melbourne)," Leppitsch said yesterday.

"I guess it was six scoring shots to four when you look at it, and while the gap was still four goals, it's still probably our best result for first quarters.

"It's hard to put a finger on it. I think it's more a mental thing with our group than a physical thing because, physically, we are a very fit team.

"It's just a matter of attacking the game nice and early and we have broached that."

Leppitsch said there was no simple solution.

"I don't think there is," he said.

"You'll find clubs have trends and this is the first time this one has bobbed up in my time here at the club.

"It's interesting. I think all you can do is broach it with the players, speak about it.

"We've tinkered with their warm-up a bit also, but does it help or does it hinder them? You don't really know. Really, it's up to the players to take control of the game."

Leppitsch said there is no risk of Dustin Martin getting ahead of himself following recent positive publicity.

Teammates Nathan Foley and Jack Riewoldt this week described Martin as the best second-year player they've seen, while the Herald Sun yesterday revealed Martin is second to only Hawthorn's Lance Franklin in total score involvements this season.

"I don't think Dustin would get carried away with much," Leppitsch said.

"He's a very quiet character and he keeps to himself. You won't see him speaking too often in the media, that's just his type of personality.

"He just plays true football. He goes out there, he's not an overly structured sort of character.

"But you talk about knowing how to manoeuvre your body in contested sorts of situations, he just knows that better than anyone and it doesn't seem to matter about the size of the opposition either, he just knows how to do it well. He's a great natural footballer."

Leppitsch said the substitution rule had helped Martin become more versatile.

"He's spent more time forward. And it's helped us realise that he can play there for longer periods of time whereas last year he would have rested on the bench."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/slow-starts-a-mental-issue-for-tigers-says-justin-leppitsch/story-e6frf9jf-1226046569875

[mightytiges]

Still back to the drawing board. Despite Brisbane kicking the first goal inside 30 seconds  I thought we might have steadied kicking the next two but then we went to sleep again playing reactive second to ball footy. We are just not switched on when we have these complete fade outs in games  .

[eliminator]

Concentration over 4 quarters is what is needed. Loss of intensity in 3rd annoying because we should have thrashed them. They are a Young side and this is going to happen for a while.

[cub]

Got a fair bit to work on still the Tigers, when we get over this psychological hurdle will be another baby step on our journey.

[dizza]

ANOTHER shocking first quarter against Brisbane. Not so much the score, but the way we played. The amount of times Brisbane had 3 or 4 players free on the Southern Stand wing whom they used to get the ball directly from our 50 to theirs was a joke, and we fell back to the old habit of over-possessing the ball but getting nowhere and eventually coughing it up. Luckily we got going in the 2nd quarter, but some of the errors we made in the 1st quarter would have been pounced upon by better sides than Brisbane.

[Tigeritis™©®]

A win is a win. 4 points, young players getting better. Great coach and assistants. Plan in place. New facilities. Benny Gale.....  Things are looking good!

I'm content at the minute.