Caddy Campbo can fix Richo's swing
01 April 2003 Herald Sun Mike Sheehan
DURING a recent public discussion on the role and worth of assistant coaches, Richmond's Darren Crocker was asked why Matthew Richardson couldn't kick straight.
The question was simple enough: clubs have a minimum of three and as many as five full-time assistants, yet players like Richo remain blighted by the same flaw year after year.
What, then, do all these blokes do between games?
Crocker, who kicked three goals in North Melbourne's 1996 premiership, understood the sentiment perfectly. He didn't claim to have an answer, merely an explanation.
Richo did everything you could expect of a sportsman genuinely keen to eradicate a problem, Crocker said.
He practised a modified technique, often practising to the point of tedium. He even had a cardboard cutout standing the mark, Crocker told us.
It seemed to work, too. Until the heat of battle.
Richardson's return of 1.6 (and a couple that missed the lot) from 13 kicks on Friday night was both wasteful and more of the same.
He produced a similarly dismal scoreline two weeks earlier in a pre-season practice game against the Swans in Sydney.
He has been missing sitters for years.
So, time for senior coach Danny Frawley to try something different. Something radical.
Time to turn to his on-field leader and most reliable player, Wayne Campbell, for a solution.
Given the Tigers can't kick big scores and Richo can't kick straight, Campbell should be deployed in an area where he can help with both problems.
The skipper is the best kick for goal in the team and the strongest player on the list mentally.
Let him ride shotgun for Richo, who has publicly declared his respect for him. The big bloke should be under orders to take a set shot every time he marks within kicking distance. Instructed to stop and follow his weekday routine, no matter what.
That's where Campbell comes in.
Playing inside the forward 50 within earshot of Richo, he would be able to direct him to take his time, to set up properly, run the required number of steps, kick through the ball.
It's a bit like the function of a good caddy with a golfer whose confidence is wobbly.
The caddy says "It's a seven-iron; hit it front left." The player does as he's told, and the results follow.
Richardson's natural kicking technique is flawed, but his training routine is solid and adequate.
The problem erupts when he starts poorly in a game and his confidence evaporates.
He reverts to type; he unloads as quickly as he can, even if it means playing on from within 20m.
Why, you ask, should a 28-year-old man need to be wet-nursed through the task that helps him score several hundreds of thousands of dollars a year?
Because the conventional system just doesn't work, that's why.
Having a respected teammate in his ear may be seen to be demeaning, but surely it couldn't be any more humiliating than missing shots within the capabilities of most of the kids in action at halftime.
In sporting terms, it is a terrible affliction. One that has claimed many victims.
The by-product of a Campbell move forward is his ability to make the most of his opportunities.
He reads the play superbly and is a classy kick to 50m.
The Tigers would miss him in the midfield, but the most urgent need in this team is players who can kick goals.
01 April 2003 Herald Sun Mike Sheehan
DURING a recent public discussion on the role and worth of assistant coaches, Richmond's Darren Crocker was asked why Matthew Richardson couldn't kick straight.
The question was simple enough: clubs have a minimum of three and as many as five full-time assistants, yet players like Richo remain blighted by the same flaw year after year.
What, then, do all these blokes do between games?
Crocker, who kicked three goals in North Melbourne's 1996 premiership, understood the sentiment perfectly. He didn't claim to have an answer, merely an explanation.
Richo did everything you could expect of a sportsman genuinely keen to eradicate a problem, Crocker said.
He practised a modified technique, often practising to the point of tedium. He even had a cardboard cutout standing the mark, Crocker told us.
It seemed to work, too. Until the heat of battle.
Richardson's return of 1.6 (and a couple that missed the lot) from 13 kicks on Friday night was both wasteful and more of the same.
He produced a similarly dismal scoreline two weeks earlier in a pre-season practice game against the Swans in Sydney.
He has been missing sitters for years.
So, time for senior coach Danny Frawley to try something different. Something radical.
Time to turn to his on-field leader and most reliable player, Wayne Campbell, for a solution.
Given the Tigers can't kick big scores and Richo can't kick straight, Campbell should be deployed in an area where he can help with both problems.
The skipper is the best kick for goal in the team and the strongest player on the list mentally.
Let him ride shotgun for Richo, who has publicly declared his respect for him. The big bloke should be under orders to take a set shot every time he marks within kicking distance. Instructed to stop and follow his weekday routine, no matter what.
That's where Campbell comes in.
Playing inside the forward 50 within earshot of Richo, he would be able to direct him to take his time, to set up properly, run the required number of steps, kick through the ball.
It's a bit like the function of a good caddy with a golfer whose confidence is wobbly.
The caddy says "It's a seven-iron; hit it front left." The player does as he's told, and the results follow.
Richardson's natural kicking technique is flawed, but his training routine is solid and adequate.
The problem erupts when he starts poorly in a game and his confidence evaporates.
He reverts to type; he unloads as quickly as he can, even if it means playing on from within 20m.
Why, you ask, should a 28-year-old man need to be wet-nursed through the task that helps him score several hundreds of thousands of dollars a year?
Because the conventional system just doesn't work, that's why.
Having a respected teammate in his ear may be seen to be demeaning, but surely it couldn't be any more humiliating than missing shots within the capabilities of most of the kids in action at halftime.
In sporting terms, it is a terrible affliction. One that has claimed many victims.
The by-product of a Campbell move forward is his ability to make the most of his opportunities.
He reads the play superbly and is a classy kick to 50m.
The Tigers would miss him in the midfield, but the most urgent need in this team is players who can kick goals.
