No surprise there was plenty of discussion about us today on SEN.
Mark Robinson:
Richmond players need to ask themselves we know we are trying but are we trying collectively? Or are we insular?
Chip, chip, chip footy allows the opposition to get numbers back. It's a catch 22. Even if you get it forward there's too many numbers behind the ball blocking the space to score.
Message this week should be 'move it on at all costs'. Problem is even if one takes it on, if no one else does then it gets turned over. That player with the ball needs the support of those around him to protect and offer options for the 'play on' to succeed. There needs to be the cry - 'When we play on then everyone goes together; when we need to get back then everyone goes together'. They are playing like Carlton two weeks ago.
If we leave people to do individual things then [quoting Al Pacino] we die as individuals. It needs to be a collective effort. There's nothing worse than when you are fighting one against two and you turn around and see there's a teammate 10m away with his hands on his hips. You just glare at him asking what the hell is going on!
Deledio has become Richmond's best player because he's missed the past month and they miss his run.
Robbo has a theory that Hardwick now believes the run and gun style of last year won't work in finals (eg: Elim final) and Richmond needed to toughen up [defensively]. Problem is when you tell players to control the ball more, it unsettles their thinking and they go the whole way and stop.
Brereton:
Hardwick needs to rebuild the confidence in that team. The trust is gone in teammates and once a player turns over the ball a few times then that trust is very hard to get back. Teammates no longer run hard as they would when they know that their workrate will pay off. Instead they don't run hard forward to position because they don't want their man getting on the end of a turnover and hurting them the other way. Last year, Richmond ran hard for each other but not this year.
Richmond no longer hurt teams on the rebound as they did last year. In the past against Hawthorn, they didn't allow the Hawks time to set up defensively behind the ball and they didn't allow the Hawks to cut through them the other way. Yesterday, they were pedestrian.
Deledio is a loss because naturally he's a good player but compared to any other established club (non-GWS/GC), Maric's loss to Richmond is greater than any other club. He is a warrior and they badly miss that.
Schwarz:
Schwarz agreed Maric's absence being huge.
He also said there's a number of Richmond players who don't go hard enough at the contest. Without naming names, they'd rather go one handed than put their whole body on the line and take the oncoming hit.
