Mark Robinson says the question for the Tigers and Blues is how they deal with disasterHerald-Sun
June 02, 2014 PUT a fork in Richmond and Carlton.
They’re done, which prompts the question: How do they approach the remainder of the season?
There is a disease which has been lying dormant since 2009, when firstly Gold Coast and then Greater Western Sydney hogged the prized draft selections.
Most of the rest of us call it tanking. Outgoing AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou called it list management.
For the sake of goodness, Richmond and Carlton need astute list management.
At the halfway mark of the season, they have two choices.
1. Battle their way through to the end with their current selection philosophy and hope for a ninth or 10th finish, which gives them pick No.9 or No.10 in the national draft. Both teams need key position players and they will find one, but he won’t be absolute top end.
2. Put more games to kids to fast track their development, which means, of course, the percentages of winning games drops dramatically.
Coaches Mick Malthouse and Damien Hardwick might curl their lip at the suggestion, but for two teams in similar positions — current output and list profile — a 9th or 10th finish puts them in no man’s land.
It is a horrible place to dwell. Not good enough to play finals, not pathetic enough to finish bottom three and secure, perhaps, a generational player.
They’re there, they’re always there, but how can you get them when you self-inflict ninth-itis.
Always, clubs identify where they are and then how do they get to where they want to be.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick addresses the media after his side's 104-54 loss to Essendon.
The Tigers embarked on a recycling program, and while last year there was success, this season has been an implosion, which means the Tigers have massive decisions to make.
On available evidence, the game plan hasn’t worked, the personnel is not good enough, and the too-often accusation the team is emotional fragile still dogs them.
They lost the Tommy Hafey game because of poor skills up against resilient Melbourne and on Saturday night against a rampant Essendon, they didn’t give a yelp.
With that effort, they are exactly where they should be: in 13th spot on the same points as St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and the Demons.
The 2014 national draft has a minor hangover — there are leftover compensation selections — but the gravy is there for scooping for the Tigers.
And so it is for the Blues.
Gee, they are a difficult team to assess. They are spasmodic to say the least, which is a direct reflection of the players. Brisbane got them at the weekend because of ill discipline and lack or work ethic when the whips were cracking in the final quarter.
The umpiring didn’t help them, but if you blame umpiring then you are putting your head in the sand. The players succumbed more than the umpires.
The Blues and Tigers have played their youngsters. Lennon, Gordon, Lloyd, McDonough and Dea at Richmond. Cripps, Graham, Docherty, Buckley, Menzel and even 24-year-old Casboult at Carlton. They need to play them for the remainder of the season unless they are injured or sore. Others who have not played yet, should also get an opportunity.
They are two teams in footy’s heartland in trouble.
Indeed, the heartland at the half-way mark has some challenges.
Sydney, Port Adelaide and Fremantle are expected to finish top four, leaving one spot available which will be contested by Hawthorn, Geelong and Collingwood. That leaves two spots available in the eight.
The Crows, on the back of Tex Walker’s return, will contend for the finals, so will Gold Coast, Essendon has its mojo back, albeit against the frightful Tigers, which leaves North Melbourne and West Coast as the remaining contenders.
For most of the rest — leaving Melbourne aside — list management has already began.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/mark-robinson-says-the-question-for-the-tigers-and-blues-is-how-they-deal-with-disaster/story-fndv8t7m-1226939116827
