Ivan Soldo | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Ivan Soldo

Could still pick up a back up ruck in the preseason or mid season rookie draft.

Yeah but Nank has played with a PCL injury for a while now. Blokes I know who’ve had them say you’re never the same after it even with a full recovery.

Hearing good things about Ryan. Seems like he had a pretty good year in the VFL. No idea about Colina and whether he could step up
 
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Midfielders win you more game than ruckmen do. The Hawks, Dogs, Tigers (sorry Nank) Eagles and the Cats won flags without having a champion ruckman.

I'm happy with our Taranto & Hopper strategy.
 
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Nank going down would be an issue. Not withstanding an average year in 2022 he rucks and takes marks around the ground. The odd goal. Possessions. Soldo leaving is easily replaceable. He’s just a tap ruckman for the most part and there’s little consistent correlation between winning tap outs and winning clearances. We used Grigg as a second ruck to win a premiership. It’s at ground level where it counts for clearances.

If Soldo leaves we can easily replace him with another tap ruckman. Status quo. If Nank goes down during the year, different story. We’re gonna have to shift the positional deck chairs a bit if we want to maintain an around the ground tall marking strength.
 
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Midfielders win you more game than ruckmen do. The Hawks, Dogs, Tigers (sorry Nank) Eagles and the Cats won flags without having a champion ruckman.

I'm happy with our Taranto & Hopper strategy.

Doesn’t have to be a champion - just someone that can compete and more importantly give us an advantage in centre bounce. That’s where we got slaughtered this year. A ruck is part of the midfield the whole unit needs to improve
 
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Nank going down would be an issue. Not withstanding an average year in 2022 he rucks and takes marks around the ground. The odd goal. Soldo leaving is easily replaceable. He’s just a tap ruckman for the most part and there’s little consistent correlation between winning tap outs and winning clearances. We used Grigg as a second ruck to win a premiership. It’s at ground level where it counts for clearances.

If Soldo leaves we can easily replace him with a tap ruckman. Status quo. If Nank goes down during the year, different story. We’re gonna have to shift the positional deck chairs a bit if we want to maintain an around the ground marking strength.

And Nank’s groundball game is huge. He gets clearances and lays tackles. Once the ball hits the deck he’s like a big bodied inside mid
 
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Miller has some learning to do this summer. Everything he did as a ruckman in 2022 was with no specific training as a ruck. 198 cm with a good leap. Can he hunt the ball when it hits the deck? Can he learn the running patterns around the ground, or at least tag the specialist rucks?
 
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And Nank’s groundball game is huge. He gets clearances and lays tackles. Once the ball hits the deck he’s like a big bodied inside mid
Exactly what Grundy represents, but like most fan sites it's only the chosen few who get glowing appraisals.
 
Yes, absolutely, but you have to spread the draft capital evenly & attempt to cover as many holes with the resources available. From where I'm standing we're chasing tail now, Nank goes down & the new additions probably have a reduced impact. Our ruck division looks sickly, it could have looked bullet proof & it's drawing a long bow to suggest Melbourne are taking on a superfluous spare part. The fact that the gravy from these deals would have gotten the reinforcements needed makes the whole draft haul looked skewed & somewhat desperate. GWS have done it again & now just watch them squirm as they try to ease their salary cap issues. Richmond have been running around like headless chooks when it is GWS who should be doing the heavy lifting.
I don’t think we know yet. Blair has not said a word which is always good policy before a deal is completed.
 
disagree, if we don't fix our clearance and around the ground stoppages, we only make the finals but not progress. currently, our players list is strong and very even across the board, but we will be even better with both Taranto and Hopper. The junior players will develop this and next year, future drafts focusing on short term and long term needs. Our premiership window is open from 2023 to 2025,
The cost isn't as simple as Hopper vs Grundy or Taranto vs Grundy, it's all the capital being chewed up in the process. If we don't take Taranto then we keep pick 12 at a minimum, maybe even pick 19 but let's see the eventual cost for Grundy. If it's a pick around 31 then we've missed the boat in a big way. People just flippantly saying let's just get a cheap state league guy but when I suggest that for the inside mid role it's me being a comedian. Complete double standards.
 
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Yes, absolutely, but you have to spread the draft capital evenly & attempt to cover as many holes with the resources available. From where I'm standing we're chasing tail now, Nank goes down & the new additions probably have a reduced impact. Our ruck division looks sickly, it could have looked bullet proof & it's drawing a long bow to suggest Melbourne are taking on a superfluous spare part. The fact that the gravy from these deals would have gotten the reinforcements needed makes the whole draft haul looked skewed & somewhat desperate. GWS have done it again & now just watch them squirm as they try to ease their salary cap issues. Richmond have been running around like headless chooks when it is GWS who should be doing the heavy lifting.
Yep, high stakes game we're playing but PRE thinks shoring up the ruck division with an A lister is a fool's game. Contingency planning rank in this instance, you don't just solve this problem with an untried state league guy either, this is just policy on the run.

So let Leysy get this straight, you are saying Blair (with his record) is "desperate" and working "policy on the run"?

Seems like that - because he will be doing all the moves you're saying those things are...
 
So let Leysy get this straight, you are saying Blair (with his record) is "desperate" and working "policy on the run"?

Seems like that - because he will be doing all the moves you're saying those things are...
I'm not sure you understand where I'm coming from, Blair has a good record with player identification, that's not in dispute, the cost on the other hand is another matter, we're paying overs, especially in light of the holes in the forward line & ruck division. Inside mids probably the easiest hole to plug yet here we are talking about getting state league rucks with no AFL experience.
 
Seems to be a lot of jumping at shadows atm, last year we were hearing all sorts of theories of what we should do etc etc. etc. And then BINGO Tarrant lands at Tigerland & nobody had a clue it was on the cards.

I'll wait & see what transpires in the next week before I get too het up about things.
 
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Soldo has had a difficult 21 and 22 following receipt of a foot injury courtesy of J Hawkins.
He should not be judged on those two seasons, but on what came before.
Previously then, a highly successful 2 time premiership player who made his shorter Captain, Nank, a much more formidable player.
Will be the same again. Happy though to see him go if that is what he wants.

Unusually the club is also in a position to add to his value. If he is traded to TPP poor GWS, by paying his salary all or in part, we would be providing GWS with an already successful follower at effectively no cost. As a result Ivan’s value to GWS is elevated considerably. Soldo at no charge and 31 for Hopper becomes entirely reasonable.

Add this to the internal problems at GWS arising from its mismanagement of salary offers to a host of midfielders means that GWS has had to take action on Hopper and before him Taranto.
They have no other reasonable choice but to move.
 
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He was terrible this year in that regards. Constantly handballing to space or opposition.

Yeah he made some mistakes that cost us. He wouldn’t be happy with his year but he’s been pretty bloody good for us. Basically operated off one leg for us for a good chunk of the year. I expect he’ll have a much better 2023 barring injuries
 
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Nank going down would be an issue. Not withstanding an average year in 2022 he rucks and takes marks around the ground. The odd goal. Possessions. Soldo leaving is easily replaceable. He’s just a tap ruckman for the most part and there’s little consistent correlation between winning tap outs and winning clearances. We used Grigg as a second ruck to win a premiership. It’s at ground level where it counts for clearances.

If Soldo leaves we can easily replace him with another tap ruckman. Status quo. If Nank goes down during the year, different story. We’re gonna have to shift the positional deck chairs a bit if we want to maintain an around the ground tall marking strength.
Maybe our coaching staff don’t rate a ruckman and going back to the strategy of 17 , but you still need who can take the odd mark around the ground and tough at the bounce. Nank goes down they are possibly hoping Miller steps up and Samson continues his upward curve.

It’s just risky business.

Yeah Nank is tough and pushes to play as he is the captain but injuries are catching up.

Soldo suffered a very bad knee injury. It takes time. He is a tall man. Next year I’m saying it now is that he will show us the form he was displaying prior to his injury.

This is just a fan’s perspective.

Club I guess knows what’s doing.

I like to know who initiated this Soldo talk. ?
 
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So the pies want to get rid of Grundy because of his injury? I’ve got a bridge to sell you if you’re interested
Grundy's injuries are career ending? Is this fact or are you just trying to justify Richmond's lack of interest?