Last year he was the number one player for pressure acts, that was always a good base to start with but he needs to add some more tricks to the arsenal.
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Maurice Rioli Jnr
- Thread starter Tigertool
- Start date
He had all the freedom in the VFL yesterday and still didn’t excite
He seems lost out there
I think its an awareness thing with MRJ. Was getting a bit of the ball in running positions yesterday and looked good when running, but seemed to just hold onto the ball that touch too long and get caught and have his disposal rushed. Not sure he has great awareness of where the opposition are around him.
Lovely kid by all accounts and I truly wish him well but to my eye he's just not a natural footballer and doesnt have the instincts or fast twitch hand eye co-ordination necessary to survive and thrive in any role he could conceivably be asked to play at senior level.
Spends the ball before he gets it.
When he gets it he doesn’t seem to have the first 3 steps to evade the tackle and gets caught or held up.
Have a look at Collingwood's latest find, Bobby Hill. We missed one there
When he gets it he doesn’t seem to have the first 3 steps to evade the tackle and gets caught or held up.
Have a look at Collingwood's latest find, Bobby Hill. We missed one there
Just got back from pies / Gold Coast .game . Bobby Hill is a star . Lighting quick , highly skilled . Jumps 2 metres . Awesome to watch . No comparison to MRJ
Yep, he had to build on his improvement in that area and didn't and is now paying the price for it. His tank is probably his biggest deficiency among many others, and can ill afford to regress in that area.
Liam Henry is a gun also. Him and shai would be amazing in combo with Tarranto Hopper
It seems to me that many on here are able to pinpoint what certain Tiger players need to do to become better players in the AFL but some will never by more than bit players - if that.
I look at the body shape of MRJ and can see immediately that he has a big hill to climb. He has naturally small legs that struggle to carry a rotund upper body, over a game of footy.
That shape has not changed in his time at the RFC - and places severe limits on what he can do on the field.
I understand what you are saying but to me looking at him, he’s very similar in body shape to someone like Lachie Neale (Not overly tall, solid body and short legs) He needs to build a tank and the only way to do that is through committing to training unbelievably hard and having great determination to succeed. It’s not beyond him imo to change his body shape, whether he has the ability to play a Midfielder role is another matter
Facts are that the club love him and he will continue to get chances in front of others he may not really deserve .
I remember been so under whelmed when first seeing him play, however he has definitely improved, but who wouldn’t in an AFL system like ours. Again my biggest worry for him as a small forward is he rarely gets to the right spots to crumb the ball , he is also far from super clean that you need to be , poor footskills, zero aerial ability , his biggest positive is the team seem to love him out there and he gives a great vibe , however not sure that still works when your 24 .
Wouldnt call him a bust , considering what draft pick we gave up , he has also been a great feel good story due to his old man been a Tiger favourite.
I remember been so under whelmed when first seeing him play, however he has definitely improved, but who wouldn’t in an AFL system like ours. Again my biggest worry for him as a small forward is he rarely gets to the right spots to crumb the ball , he is also far from super clean that you need to be , poor footskills, zero aerial ability , his biggest positive is the team seem to love him out there and he gives a great vibe , however not sure that still works when your 24 .
Wouldnt call him a bust , considering what draft pick we gave up , he has also been a great feel good story due to his old man been a Tiger favourite.
Similar chunky style build to the Cyril bloke. It's not the body shape that'll define whether he has a long and successful career, it's the little grey rubbery blob between the ears. Still got time n development to go, but so far he's looking like he may be an honest toiler and not the " OMG Rioli " we were all hoping for.
Maurice, Cyril, Daniel, Willie, Dean,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Moju looking like the pesky tag along snot nose little brother at the moment, but damn we footy fans have been spoiled over the years.
Jnr has already shown he can play. No doubt he was fantastic at the end of last season & I'll argue with anyone who says differently.
Why this year he's struggled is a bit of a mystery but I do think one reason is that the high pressure role being asked of him has an extremely high burn out factor.
If your skill set beyond tpressure as a small forward isn't great (his isn't) then it won't take much for it to be exposed at AFL level.
Pains to say but he's at the crossroads for sure.
Why this year he's struggled is a bit of a mystery but I do think one reason is that the high pressure role being asked of him has an extremely high burn out factor.
If your skill set beyond tpressure as a small forward isn't great (his isn't) then it won't take much for it to be exposed at AFL level.
Pains to say but he's at the crossroads for sure.
Club very happy with his development. Was so far off senior footy when drafted.
Surely he had some excellent traits as a teenager? We didn't just recruit him based on his name did we?
From WIKI - For a third straight season, Rioli played for St Mary's in the 2019/20 summer and into early autumn, ahead of his final year of underage football.[16][17] He played nine games in the season, with his most impressive performance coming with a best-on-ground four goals in a semi-final win, before adding one goal in St Mary's losing grand final showing the following week.
Start of 2021...he was a stand-out performer at AFL reserves level, kicking two goals and recording 17 disposals in the opening round of the VFL season that same weekend.[38][39] He was an AFL emergency regularly over the month that followed, while continuing to play VFL football as a small forward with occasional stints in the midfield.[40][41] In May, Richmond senior coach Damien Hardwick labelled Rioli close to AFL selection, but said he would require a stronger endurance base before he could be named for a debut.
He needs to be fitter, but perhaps Dimma blunted his flair by making him a defensive forward? Or, he didn't have that top grade skillset? Lets see how he goes when he is properly fit.
