It is interesting what you say about tanking for the best draft picks this year. I agree with you that it is the best way to go especially if Richmond win less than 5 games again, they could well get a few of the top picks and pick up Rich and the Fijian ruckman add on top with Delido and Crotchin you will have a good list to build on.

Read more of my article: http://www.kick2kick.net/afl/is-2008-the-year-of-tanking

Jermayns last blog post..Somewhere in the Real World – Vanessa Amorosi

We are number 1 in contested ball – which is terrific. However, we are last in actual laid tackles, 1%’s and clearances.

Surely Terry Wallace and the coaching group must be aware of this figure, as figures suggest Wallace coached teams have been appauling tacklers in his tenure as a coach at the Bullies and now Richmond. (BELOW)
Age is not a contributing factor in tackling. In fact winning the contested ball suggests AGE is no barrier at Richmond. Proper technique and pinning the arms is how you improve it. Grapple tackle. Watch the Melbourne Storm tackle. Sydney and Brisbane are the 2 best tackling teams in the comp. Watch them tackle. They want to hurt you.

Newman, Brown, Hyde, Pettrified, Bowden (And numerous other cancers at our club (Brown is not a cancer) can not and will not tackle.

Morton, Edwards, McMahon are not the tackling types either.

Make these softies the ‘farking’ tackle types or else.

Statistics from 1996: (Mostly concerned with the lack of tackling and the 1% per centers Terry Wallace coached sides do in a season).Tackling1996: Sydney = Runners up Rated 1st in tackling Footscray: 16th1997: Adelaide = Premiers 1st in tackling W.B 12th1998: Adelaide = Premiers 1st W.B 11th1999: Kangaroos = Premiers 4th W.B 10th2000: Essendon = Premiers 2nd W.B 14th(Note Essendon’s only loss in 2000 was to the Western Bulldogs in round 21. Western Bulldogs tackled more than Essendon that evening.2001: Brisbane Lions = Premiers 4th in tackles W.B 15th(Note in 2002 and 2003 Brisbane was rated no 1 in tackles in the competition).2005: Sydney = Premiers 1st in tackling Richmond 15th2006: Melbourne = ? 1st in tackling Richmond 11th
2007: Premiers = Geelong = best tackling side.
2008: Brisbane is leading tackle count. Richmond = last.1 per centers (Smothers, Shepard’s, blocks,) e.t.c2000: Essendon = Premiers 4th in 1 per centers W.B 16th2001, 2002, 2003, 2004: Brisbane = Runners up and Premiers 3 straight yearsNo 1 in one per centers W.B in 2001 15th2005: Sydney = Premiers 1st in one per centers Richmond 16th2006: Melbourne = ? 1st in one per centers Richmond 15th
2007: Brisbane no 1 in 1%’s / Richmond last.
2008: Geelong is no 1 at present. Richmond are last again.
Note: Premiership teams in the history of the game have been good tackling sides. Tackling does many things in a game of football; it places pressure on the opposition and even places perceived pressure when you do it correctly. It obviously fatigues sides later in the contest also. In Finals games when there is a definite improvement in areas mentioned above, it has been proven that Terry Wallace coached teams do not tackle and apply physical pressure and 1%’s on the ball carrier, or in the game in general.In Wallace’s best years in charge of a team 1997 and 1998 they were overrun and then smashed by the crows in both years. You could see Adelaide lift especially in 1997 because they were not being tackled, and therefore were not tired at games end. It gave them the ability to run the game out.Wallace at the Bulldogs had one of the best tacklers the game has seen in Tony Liberatore. Even still it did not assist tackle numbers team wise. Romero, West, Dimma, and others were also productive tacklers or should have been.Wallace allows teams with good foot skills too much time and space. In Richmond’s severe losses this year, the opposition has eased through the midfield with the mindset they would not be tackled. (Figures above prove this) If you give AFL footballer’s time and space they surely will cause havoc.Wallace is successful in limiting contested marks, as well as hard ball gets to the opposition, although this may be a thing of the past. Most teams now play with an uncontested aspect to assist their running players. Teams with numerous forward options will often beat a Terry Wallace coached side. He likes to have a defender such as a Bowden free at Richmond to zone off or be the 3rd man up at the contest. At the Bulldogs Craig Ellis or Todd Curley would do that role. If you are the opposition and you see this, you surely direct some football through Bowden to hurt them on the scoreboard.Wallace has struggled to beat coaches such as Mark Williams, Schwab (Hawthorn), Malthouse and Matthews because of either their success at uncontested style of football, their ability to tackle fiercely, or the fact they have had numerous options up forward.Wallace would probably like to play 22 wingman if he could. A fast running side that does not tackle. The purchase of Tambling and Oakley-Nicholls may come off, although at present Richmond stand 16th at clearances. Either at stop plays or centre breaks. In and under footballers would stop this trend. Richmond have refused to draft Nathan Jones and Jordan Lewis who are excellent at the stoppages, rather they chose Danny Meyer and Tambling types.The lack of an up and coming spine could spell disaster for Richmond. If you pressure Richmond’s defence they do not have the ability to hit targets going forward. At the Bulldogs Wallace did not have the spine to win in September.With the draft picks at his disposal (at Richmond) he could have well and truly improved the position of Richmond’s talls. However he has decided to go with the Western Bulldogs style again which did not pay dividends the first time around.Wallace is a very smart business operator, has excellent media skills which will benefit the club with members and sponsorship. However it remains to be seen whether he will take the Richmond side to sustained success. The lack of tackling, sustained pressure, one per centers and clearances (with bigger bodies) need to be worked upon. Whether it will remains to be seen. As history and statistics show you need to be successful at tackling to win premierships. With Wallace at the helm it is highly doubtful.Note: In Richmond’s best seasons in recent times: 1995 and 2001 they were a good tackling side.1995: 1st in total tackles2001: 3rd in total tackles.

Yes there has been significant improvement in the last 4 weeks and I have been quite proud with the performances, but why shouldn’t there be? No-one of signifance is out injured, Wallace is into his 4th year as coach and our players should be suitably mature to play the game.

Yet; Tackling figures, 1%’s and clearances suggest we are not doing the hard things that other clubs do. And Terry Wallace does not have the pedigree that the Roos’ and Matthew’s have to change this dramatically, urgently and quickly it seems.

I guarantee if we make more tackles than the opposition, complete more 1%’s and win the stoppages in individual football games, we will win more games than we lose this season.

Against Essendon this week:

Do not play a shootout game. Play a hard contested football game with tackling, 1%’s and Clearances the objective. I do not want the Bombres to kick more than 10 goals. If the game is a free-flowing piece of crap basketball game – I will know Wallace has and will never learn the intracies of coaching and what good teams do to strugglers. In all honesty supporters want a 15 – goals to 7 game and an 8 goal win, compared to a rubbish 23 goal to 20 game.

Get stuck into Lloyd the velvet sledgehammer – for his repeated – ‘talking crap about Richmond speeches’ we have seen so regularly over the last 4 seasons or so.

A testing time at Richmond. If we were to lose to Essendon (Anything is possible) I suggest strongly about the tank. 1 more year of pain will not hurt. Think about it like this.

You could have:

1 Naitanui
3 Hurley
19 Yarran e.t.c
35 Robbie Warnock!!
51
67

or a crapshoot Draft?? Where the ‘gems’ are gone!

7
23
39
55
71

Robbie Warnock is not worth any more than a 3rd round draft pick. No higher than pick 35ish. Be fuming if you give up anything between 18-34 for him.

Players to look at: Foster (Coburg), Fort Caruso (Coburg) Liddle (Coburg)

Trade: Pettrified, Bowden, Jackson, Hyde, Hughes (Soft as Nathan Lonie), Raines.

The draft next year should go like this for the Richmond Tigers (if as I unfortunately suspect you morons provide us with a position between 9th and 11th): Not farking 9th again. My heart, my heart!!

Pick 1: CHF (Ben Reid Mold)
Pick 2: Hard at it Midfielder / Forward pocket specialist (Yarran)
Pick 3: Ruckmen (Warnock) – pick 35+
Pick 4: A speculative 194 – 196 footballer who can bloody kick (Unlike Adam Farking Pattison)

The Drafts could obviously be improved if the Tigers tank – to get players like the Naitanui, Rich, Hurley and Yarran’s of the world.

I propose to you that if we lose to Essendon the ‘tanking’ debate will be started at Punt Road – as it bloody should be. With Gold Coast and Scum Sydney – getting freebies – load up now!

Play Collins this week = Star. Oakley Nicholls = Damn Shame – will be a player.
Drop: Morton / Hyde / Edwards (Shat himself once on Sat and won’t tackle at present).

INS: Cartledge, (Coughlan – rooting pigs blood in Brazil isn’t he?) Collins, Polo.

Out: Hyde (never to be seen again); Bowden (Put him on Missing person’s unit) and Edwards (Tell him to tackle for fark sake).

Conners = a lazy bugger.

Collard = talented = turtle meat lover who would come back 150 kilo’s if you sent him over to sort out indigenous affairs without ‘Michael Mitchell’ I mean Richard Tambling.

Keep tackling, performing 1%’s and winning clearances as well as maintaing number 1 spot on contested ball stats and I will be happy.

Jermayns last blog post..Somewhere in the Real World – Vanessa Amorosi

i also wouldve thought Rob Murphy would’ve been a good chance for the brownlow, but no longer, i have to wonder though with a one week suspension looming, how much will that damage the dogs this week? will they still be able to get up and defeat St Kilda without the quality in the centre half forward line?

Think it will be a case of who ever is the most consistent. I may go into more detail this Wednesday…

btw Freos form is taking the embarrassing situation away from the Eagles and even other disappointment teams like Essendon, St Kilda and Melbourne. Its far from a joke…

Jermayns last blog post..Somewhere in the Real World – Vanessa Amorosi

maybe a wildcard/outside chance at the brownlow if this form continues…

Fremantle are going to lose sponsorships, members and fans unless they start winning quick. other clubs are losing as well, but at least theyre not giving the other team the win….

Also its starting to beyond a joke with Fremantle, its not like they can blame young inexperienced players as they are the oldest side in the comp. Maybe its that all the grandpas in the side run out *ahem* vi&g@a

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