GAME DAY Tiges v Suns

[Ridley]

I cant believe how out of form I am at losing.

made all sorts of fundamental errors last night.

drank too much, picked (and lost) a short fight with mrs EZ, sent and posted stupid reactionary stuff all over the place, woke up on the couch.

But im a proud man and I know my best is good enough and that its not to far away.

there were some signs last week of my old effective losing strategies, but there will be a bit of a lag.

Im gonna go to work on a few things this week.

Yeah I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to follow a *smile* team. Not that I think we’re *smile*; but the last two weeks we have certainly played like a *smile* team; we wouldn’t have beaten any other team in the last 2 weeks.

Struggling to make sense of it all. I’ve loved the last 4 years but the reality is you can’t win every year. We would have had to have made some serious history to win the flag this year. No team has won 4 out of 5 since the 1960s Demons. So I was realistic in what I thought we could do this year. But I thought we’d be at least in the finals for a couple of weeks and who knows what happens. Certainly didn’t expect what we’ve seen the past 2 weeks; diabolical performances.

As someone posted if you can’t beat the Suns in Melbourne then you’re not playing finals. Our dramatic downfall is a bit hard to deal with. In a depressive funk this morning.

 

[eZyT]

As someone posted if you can’t beat the Suns in Melbourne then you’re not playing finals. Our dramatic downfall is a bit hard to deal with. In a depressive funk this morning.

I feel like I do the day after funerals.

I became fixated on calculating how old I'll be in 37 years, in the darkest hour of the night.

then at dawn, I realised 63 isnt that old to be walking up stairs at The G

I know tomorrow will be brighter.

8th spot is between us and Essendon IMO.

I just want to beat Geelong now.

 

[bengal tigers]

Aarts 30 games
Baker 58
Bolton 61
Chol 27
Ccj 7
Rcd 8.
Dow 4
Graham 71
Naish 9
Ross 22..
Thats nearly 300 games of experience between 10 player's who played.

Missing Balta 44..Broad 84 ..Lambert 123...Nank 93..Prestia 170...Soldo 36... Thats 550 games of experience out ,and thats 6 player's .

I think that explains a lot about last nights game,we are missing alot of experience.
Some of the young player's will go on and have good careers some won't,but if you are expecting us to play like a top 4 side or even a top 8 side you won't get it at the moment .

 

[eZyT]

Aarts 30 games
Baker 58
Bolton 61
Chol 27
Ccj 7
Rcd 8.
Dow 4
Graham 71
Naish 9
Ross 22..
Thats nearly 300 games of experience between 10 player's who played.

Missing Balta 44..Broad 84 ..Lambert 123...Nank 93..Prestia 170...Soldo 36... Thats 550 games of experience out ,and thats 6 player's .

I think that explains a lot about last nights game,we are missing alot of experience.
Some of the young player's will go on and have good careers some won't,but if you are expecting us to play like a top 4 side or even a top 8 side you won't get it at the moment .

I dont know if im being unrealistic,

but after a kids parents have worn out 2 engines driving them around for 10 years, they've trained 1000 times, kicked the ball 100,000 times, handball 250,000 times, played 250 games, played the U14, 16, 18 champs against the best, been selected amongst the best 100 kids in the world and coached by the best coaches for 2 years,

I expect them to hit a target in game 1.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Missing Balta 44..Broad 84 ..Lambert 123...Nank 93..Prestia 170...Soldo 36... Thats 550 games of experience out ,and thats 6 player's .

I've done this for other clubs and don't see why we should be spared.

Biggest age differences for Richmond this year

Age Diff	Round	Opp	Rich Avg	Opp Avg	Result	Mgn​
+2.90	3	Syd	27.14	24.24	L	45​
+2.38	8	G.C.	26.51	24.13	L	10​
+2.13	9	GWS	25.91	23.78	W	86​
+1.84	5	St.K	26.93	25.09	W	28​
+1.63	11	Adel	26.16	24.54	W	40​
+1.59	15	St.K	26.78	25.18	L	34​
+1.54	6	Melb	26.95	25.42	L	25​

Those are the unmistakable results of a club going over the cliff. None ever come back.

To put those results in perspective, Hardwick began this season with 30 wins from 32 games with an age difference of +1.00 or more (the two losses were Gold Coast 2014 and St.Kilda last year).

No slow taper like at many other top clubs. We're done-diddly-done for.

 

[K3]

I was at the game .
There is a definite loss of confidence amongst other things but our skills were just deplorable.
if we had won it would have been a heist, a few moments every now and again won’t win a game of AFL footy.
We were reemed by the umps in the last but the result was the correct one. It was way over umpired all night and we were beneficiaries of some of that in the first 3 quarters as well as the suns.
Concerned that some of our guys are nearing the end. Cotchin is gone, Astbury, Houli got plenty of the ball but made multiple errors, Jack is just going, Edwards hasn’t been himself all year.

Yep, with the ways things are going I can see the Tige's having a dip next year as well.

Wonder what trades we can get for a few who seem to have an over-inflated opinion of their talents...?

Aarts 30 games
Baker 58
Bolton 61
Chol 27
Ccj 7
Rcd 8.
Dow 4
Graham 71
Naish 9
Ross 22..
Thats nearly 300 games of experience between 10 player's who played.

Missing Balta 44..Broad 84 ..Lambert 123...Nank 93..Prestia 170...Soldo 36... Thats 550 games of experience out ,and thats 6 player's .

I think that explains a lot about last nights game,we are missing alot of experience.
Some of the young player's will go on and have good careers some won't,but if you are expecting us to play like a top 4 side or even a top 8 side you won't get it at the moment .

We played the Suns...

 

[ToraToraTora]

We should've lost that game by 5g. We are lost atm. The WC loss has complately deflated the side. Injuries have compounded it. I don't expect a huge turnaround in coming weeks. Prestia and Lambo would help, but the backline has been down on form all year and now is decimated. We will probably smash a few sides in run home. Prefer to miss finals at this stage and capitalise on draft hand. But seriously, this was always coming, and I cannot complain about it. May as well count this draft as rebuild Y1.

 

[leon]

Yeah you're probably right Zgod.

But... Gold Coast. They were out on their feet in the last quarter. How we conspired to lose that game is truly beyond me.

WE didn't conspire. The AFL and umpires did, through one particular umpire. 11/1 frees to GCS in Q4. That will usually do it.

 

[tigerman]

I cant believe how out of form I am at losing.

made all sorts of fundamental errors last night.

drank too much, picked (and lost) a short fight with mrs EZ, sent and posted stupid reactionary stuff all over the place, woke up on the couch.

But im a proud man and I know my best is good enough and that its not to far away.

there were some signs last week of my old effective losing strategies, but there will be a bit of a lag.

Im gonna go to work on a few things this week.

It must be a Gold Coast Suns thing easy. My missus had me in the doghouse for a long long time after my behaviour when Harmichael )unt kicked that goal after the siren way back when.

 

[Baloo]

I cant believe how out of form I am at losing.

made all sorts of fundamental errors last night.

drank too much, picked (and lost) a short fight with mrs EZ, sent and posted stupid reactionary stuff all over the place, woke up on the couch.

But im a proud man and I know my best is good enough and that its not to far away.

there were some signs last week of my old effective losing strategies, but there will be a bit of a lag.

Im gonna go to work on a few things this week.

I was oddly at ease. Started doing something else midway through the third with just the odd glance at the TV when the commentators got excited. We won't win the flag this year. We may struggle to make the Eight. But we've been up longer than anyone of us could ever believe. History will say Four years at the top is about maximum. The excitement and emotional investment of the last 4 years is now parked and we'll see how we go next year.

It's a shame, but it doesn't really hurt. Being *smile* for 37 years hurt.

 

[leon]

Has he already committed to a new club? If not after tonight he would be thinking harder about it.

Yes, that's what I'm seriously wondering. The big 'something has upset the boys since the WCE loss and the bye' question. Either this:
- Shai has told them he wants/has to return home to take care of his mother and family
- Cotch has told them he's had enough after all the club success but the harm and stress to his family after latest episode when McKenzie hospitalised
- Rioli/Shai brawl episode and media flurry. Rioli struggling at AFL level; dropped. Trouble in all this; are players peed off?
- Dimma's split from Mrs. Hardwick; he is not held in the same regard by players perhaps; lost respect?

I don't know whether any of these are true but something is badly amiss. Maybe just SHocking's rule changes carefully calculated to stop our game, backed by intolerably biased umpiring? Too many injuries and players both sore, tired and fed up?

But clearly, after last week's appalling performance, to come out and allow, of all clubs, GCS, to "take a whopping 40 first-quarter marks as they transitioned the ball with ease*," along with Touk Miller to take 36 disposals?
Seriously?

* RFC match report.

 

[eZyT]

I was oddly at ease. Started doing something else midway through the third with just the odd glance at the TV when the commentators got excited. We won't win the flag this year. We may struggle to make the Eight. But we've been up longer than anyone of us could ever believe. History will say Four years at the top is about maximum. The excitement and emotional investment of the last 4 years is now parked and we'll see how we go next year.

It's a shame, but it doesn't really hurt. Being *smile* for 37 years hurt.

yeah, im getting over the shock today.

I just baked a cake. something I haven't done in 20 years. its pretty flat and doughy, but its the start of a new dawn.

we scaled the mountain, stayed at the top, and got shoved off the other side.

I reckon we'll land on a precarious ledge, and climb back up,

for one more Dusty Era flag though.

I think considered History will not show another team that shoved us from the top, but The AFL.

 

[achillesjones]

when personnel is down players who are 80% fit will put their hand up to play. we might be blaming those who did this. Cotchin and Vlossy probably wouldn't have played if we weren't desperate.

 

[Total Tiger]

It's funny, I started playing games on my phone during the 3rd. Struggling to get too upset. I've seen us play way worse than last night for an entire season. My 15 year old, who really only knows Richmond as a finals team, nearly shoves a door through the wall. No losing experience. No perspective. Damn lucky that door stopper held up better than the backline did.

 

[Harry]

320 disposals last night 50 or 60 less than the past month.

57 marks, 44 uncontested. Half of what we've been having for the past month.

176 uncontested possessions, haven't been under 240 in a month.

Kick/handball ration 1.41. Last month 1.56.

I'd love to hear an explanation for why we are rolling with two completely different game styles this season.

Good spot.

We are going back to the Richmond blueprint. Dimma admitted to this.

We are encountering some major re-calibration issues at the moment.

Hopefully once we get Nank and our game plan back to full force we can make a late charge and win it from 8th.

It'll be the greatest premiership in the history of world sport.

 

[Harry]

And yet a few weeks ago he was talking about how we were deliberately tweaking our game to take more uncontested marks.

Yep Dimma's been flip flopping quite a bit this year.

Called it early that the change to slow possession style will end in tears.

 

[T-Shirt Tommy]

Everyone is looking for some kind of insidious reason off field for our current form.

I said it before and I'll say it again.

Our form before this losing streak was iffy at best. Wobbly wins over distinctly average teams.

IMO Hardwick panicked when we had a couple of surprising defeats when we played the surge game of the last 4 years. He changed it to a rubbish kick mark 2016 type game, we played worse than before and now he's realised he *smile* up and trying to get us playing the surge game again. No wonder our players are confused. It's like he's channeling Terry Wallace.

This rolled up with out of form veterans, rubbish treatment and development of our kids (the promotion of Ryan, Ross being unused sub for multiple games and then trying to change him into a HB etc) and you get what we dished up the last couple of weeks.

 

[ToraToraTora]

Is this season any real surprise? 3 peat would've been much bigger. Personally I think it's rebuild time. If they get on with it we could be back in no time.

 

[achillesjones]

Herein lies the problem. Playing the kids means we will lose many games. Prematurely retiring the champs is soul destroying.

 

[DavidSSS]

I reckon the supposed change in game plan is over-rated. We were trying to stop the insane bombs up the ground to a contest (or worse, straight to the opposition), which were created by a lack of run, spread and players presenting and calling for a pass. When you have nowhere forward to go, you go sideways.

In any case, I've seen no evidence of a change in any game plan over the last 2 weeks - I have seen no evidence of a game plan at all.

DS