Ben Lennon

[Giardiasis]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Seems to have footy nous, kicking skills and marking ability down pat.

Two things to work on: Building running capacity, and speeding up his ball handling skills.

I think if he can improve in these two areas, his lack of pace shouldn't hold him back.

 

[Sintiger]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

His promotion could have been just as easily been round four when we were struggling, Menadue was about 7 kgs lighter when he was given his first game.

yes it could have been.

Probably best for him that it wasn't though.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Dimma commented afterward he didn't realise how good Miles was.

Don't think anyone realised how good Miles actually was at the time, otherwise he'd still be at GWS.
Both Miles n Thomas played solid pre season footy, Dimma gave the nod to the experienced big bodied Thomas rather than the rejected youngster in Miles, no surprise, just a bit conservative. Obviously no player just instantly pops into knowing the team structures from one week to the next it's a constant growth n development system. Miles could just as easily have struggled for a while if he'd been thrown straight into the seniors without a few months to consolidate his performances n become totally comfortable with the game n his team mates, happens to plenty of top players who change clubs.

As farcical as it was to the fans n magoos watchers, there's nothing to prove the club did anything wrong in the handling of Miles, plenty to show that it worked perfectly as he's now playing top quality footy for us. I'm more than comfortable with the way the club is handling the youngsters like Lennon, Beanie, C Ellis, Mena etc. Giving them a taste plus allowing them to get a rock solid grounding in the magoos while they harden into mature players. It lets them grow up n appreciate the work n commitment required to succeed at AFL level without pounding them to much early.

 

[AngryAnt]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

It's a constant refrain round here - Dimma doesn't like playing kids and Tim Clarke is a rubbish VFL coach. Yet somehow we end up playing more kids than most other teams and when they come in they perform more often than not - and if they perform they keep getting picked for a stretch of games. If they don't, down they go again to keep preparing.

I reckon Dimma loves playing the kids and Tim Clarke ain't half as bad as many on here make out.

And if you look at our winning game plan of the last half season, it's very clear that to get picked and keep your spot you have to tackle, zone, shepherd, bump and compete. It's the Richmond Way.

 

[puregreen]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

I think the frustration last year was that Cotch was constantly being tagged and that limited our ability for a player to go and get the ball. Miles coming in freed him up to be more damaging as he didn't have to be the sole player in and under the packs.

You put a hardnose Miles into the midfield who just hunts the ball and the contest and starts almost straight away to get mid 20's disposals a match - that's where the calls to bring him in earlier were coming from.

Cotch then was freed up to dominate a lot of those games in the winning run. That may have been part of the thinking with bringing Lambert in for rd 2, they didn't want this guy dominating the VFL when he could easily translate his form to senior level. It's just cruel luck that he got injured when he did and shows the faith to bring him back into the seniors so soon after his return from injury.

It's easy to hypothesize, but imagine what sort of year we could have had if Titch, Lambert and Knights had all remained injury free.

 

[Brodders17]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

And if you look at our winning game plan of the last half season, it's very clear that to get picked and keep your spot you have to tackle, zone, shepherd, bump and compete. It's the Richmond Way.

maybe not sheperding....

 

[Brodders17]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Undervalued in this case means the coach did not value what he had to offer the team enough to promote him to the seniors.

I was stoked when he was promoted but noted that it was four days after he refused to sign a contract offer but put it off till seasons end.

it was 4 days after it was reported he refused to sign a contract. there is a difference.
i doubt he would be selected on that basis.

 

[CarnTheTiges]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

agree - I think this is the right approach - could Lennon become our Bartel.

its how Hawthorn go about it - players come in when they know our systems back to front. I also think it comes down to who they are competing against for that spot.

and, sometimes from the outside it is very hard to know the reasons why some players get selected before others

Got a way to go before he's Bartel, but he's definitely a useful inclusion.

 

[Tenacious]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Undervalued in this case means the coach did not value what he had to offer the team enough to promote him to the seniors.

I was stoked when he was promoted but noted that it was four days after he refused to sign a contract offer but put it off till seasons end.

Coincidences do happen.

 

[Mr Brightside]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

I'm liking his improvement an ability to kick goals, however if he ends up wanting out and helps us land Treloar so be it

 

[TOT70]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Our kids are taking more and more time to break into thr senior team because we have an improving team. That means we can afford to give them a solid grounding in the reserves and we don't have to play them until they are beating the door down.

Guess what, that is how it should be.

BTW, McBean is beating the door down.

 

[tigerlove]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

would you consider that maybe Lennon wasnt ready 3 months ago and the time spent in the vfl has improved his game?

Yeah 3 months ago maybe, but 2 months ago? 1 month ago? Maybe with the extra experience he'd be doing even better now. All hypothetical. But why keep an obviously far more talented player out of the team for an experiment of trying to turn a failed backman into a forward and given him a whole pre-season and 12 games of the season proper to confirm what we all already knew?

 

[tigerlove]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Strange but last year they did a similar thing with Snipper, made him play half a year in the magoos, playing consistently well n forced him to learn all the team structures n requirements. Such a farce for so long n it worked perfectly. As soon as Snipper was given a run, he grabbed the opportunity n has been running flat out with it ever since, much to our delight.

Different scenario. The only reason Miles wasn't playing earlier is because we stuffed up and elevated Thomas instead so we coudn't elevate Miles. Miles was killing it in the 2nds and should have been playing AFL level at the time. I remember, I was furious he wasn't elevated. Nearly cost us a finals berth imo as we had some key players out early in 2014 and he would have picked up the slack beautifully. Was getting 30 disposals in his 2nd AFL game. Plus he's 23 years old. Another selection blunder imo.

 

[ninjahaha]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Well done lad. Playing some good footy with heaps of upside. Took some nice marks, good kick and kicking goals(although not this week.). :clap

Another upgrade to our bet 22.


Started to doubt he would make it. But he looks like he belongs. other few preseasons and I think he will be a beauty.

 

[TigerMasochist]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Another selection blunder imo.

Pretty sure Richmond selected him in the draft. Pretty sure Richmond selected him to be elevated from the rookies to the senior list n I'm also pretty sure Richmond selected him to play senior footy.

So that's three core selection moments we made n got absolutely right.
Where's the blunder?

Did they not select him to play senior footy soon enough to satisfy your expert personal opinion? Hardly what I would consider a blunder.

 

[AngryAnt]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Love these arguments. We recruited these guys, trained and developed them. They perform - "yeah but dimma should have played them earlier - SELECTION BLUNDER".

If these are blunders lets hope and pray for many more blunders in the years to come.

 

[RedanTiger]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

Different scenario. The only reason Miles wasn't playing earlier is because we stuffed up and elevated Thomas instead so we coudn't elevate Miles. Miles was killing it in the 2nds and should have been playing AFL level at the time. I remember, I was furious he wasn't elevated. Nearly cost us a finals berth imo as we had some key players out early in 2014 and he would have picked up the slack beautifully. Was getting 30 disposals in his 2nd AFL game. Plus he's 23 years old. Another selection blunder imo.

Geez it's so hard to get these fixations out. Like the most indelible stain ever discovered.
AGAIN and AGAIN it's explained.

IT WASN"T A CHOICE BETWEEN THOMAS AND MILES. (or at least shouldn't have been)
WE WERE ALLOWED TWO ROOKIE ELEVATIONS TO REACH OUR TOTAL SENIOR LIST.
MARIC HAD A LONG TERM INJURY AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE LTI LIST.
RATHER THAN ELEVATE STEPHENSON AS A LTI REPLACEMENT FOR MARIC and ELEVATE THOMAS AND MILES, RICHMOND ELEVATED STEPHENSON AND THOMAS AND KEPT MARIC ON THE INJURY LIST FOR OVER EIGHT WEEKS.(the replacement time) Stephenson only played one game as a replacement for Maric.

It wasn't Thomas OR Miles.
It was Thomas AND Miles with Stephenson as an injury replacement.

 

[Giardiasis]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

LOUD NOISES!?

 

[AngryAnt]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

LOUD NOISES!?

:hihi

I feel RedanTiger's frustration. Even when Dimma and the crew get it right they still got it wrong for some around here.

It's the same as the "Dimma got rid of Matty White ERMAGERD" crowd.

 

[Tenacious]

Re: Welcome to tiger land Ben Lennon

:hihi

I feel RedanTiger's frustration. Even when Dimma and the crew get it right they still got it wrong for some around here.

It's the same as the "Dimma got rid of Matty White ERMAGERD" crowd.

Matty who?