Ha ha not quite Merv. The player in question is in this year's draft and might be chance to be drafted. I am watching keenly so I can lay some claim.
dare I say we have been collectively drooling over this guy for a while
by what we have put out on the paddock so far this season , yes we are a middling side
but i don't believe we are anchored there
there are flashes of great play which to me suggest the coaches are working on stuff , but can this playing execute it on a regular basis ?
we have the mature imports that will need time to settle (lynch prestia & caddy all took time before playing really good footy in our colours)
Sonsies back and doesnt he look good
Taylar Young has come out of nowhere and looks promising , yes more improvement , but look how few games he's played
Ryan Sampson is steadily progress and hopes are still high there for a quality tall
Josh Gibcus is wait and see after the surgery , but given the draft pick we used and form last year , hopes are high for a quality defender
Cumberland, MJR, Hugo, Dow , Clarke - I don't believe all will become regular 1st graders but some will and each one is an interesting study in their own right
Banks, Brown , Campbell, Green , Smith have all excited training and vfl watchers at some point but seriously at this stage who knows
and theres still Biggie , Colina & Bradtke
I think that lot will produce enough quality players and roles players to get us above a middling side
That's a pretty good summary & is the point I'm trying to make, the club is bigger than the individual. The Richmond Man label may well have worked in the past, I think it had a place during the dynasty years, we had a squeaky clean captain & a number of selfless agents who oozed professionalism, it was an easy sell. I'm more focused on the future however, I think our next leadership group needs their own identity, a fresh coat of paint so to speak. Speaking of which, the post Nankervis years will be an interesting watch, massive shoes to fill. If Cotchin hasn't been our most influential leader in the club's history he's the clear number 2.
Spotty? 3 flags in 4 years....nearly 4 in 4. Isn't the change of culture between players and coaches what made us better after 2016? Dimma said it many times to be open, no secrets, think positive, respect each other. The way Dimma promotes it now probably sounds a bit cheesy as after 7 years and different players/coaches/staff it wears out, but I still feel it was the core of our success. Most of our team were always labelled 'blue collar' types which means not much talent and skill.
Well, when I think of culture I think more about the off-field stuff more than the on-field. Over our premiership period – we had a few off-field indiscretions that if looked at objectively could appear to indicate a poor club culture.
3 to 4 retiring at the end of season . It will be a different Tigers line up in 2024 . ( but that does give opportunities to young players )
No need to relitigate this, but the original contention was that coaching/culture/management were significant, whereas you thought they weren't. Then as now I think they are significant, you don't ... and that's fine.
Richmond Man was viable with Cotchin at the helm, he was the perfect embodiment of all the ideals the club was attempting to project, he sacrificed personal achievement for the team, he conducted himself with grace & humility, he led from the front when we needed spark, he set the standard for others to follow. If the club wants to run with another round of Richmond Man then they need another Cotchin & a support cast with a Houli, Jack, Rance, Dusty etc. At the moment we don't have a clear candidate for leadership therefore it would be wise to step back and switch the focus to the collective, at least until an appropriate leading man can be sourced. The Hawks never found their Hodge, Geelong will probably struggle with a Selwood replacement, these things don't just magically appear.
