Next 3 weeks...

[Dean3]

Basically our season lives or dies over the next 3 weeks:

Sydney at home
Kangas at TD
Carlton at the G

It's both fortunate and terrible that our bad run with injuries is occuring now. With a reasonably full list, these 3 games would be very winnable — now they are looking difficult but still winnable. If we can go to Brisbane at 8-4 then I think we can be happy. 9-3 would be great, but I can see us dropping one, maybe even two with current personnel. Saturday night's game is shaping as one of the most important games that we've played in the past couple of years. We simply must win to restore confidence and keep the season on track.

Go Tiges.

 

[Rosy]

Agree Deano. I think this will be a true test of the mettle of our club and how far it's come on from last season.

Last year I think the team would be pretty likely to lie down with the flogging on a road trip combined with injury worries the next week.

Hopefully the new Richmond will rise to the challenge and every one of 22 selected players gives their all.

It's important to get a couple of wins before we have the double road trip to Brissie and Adelaide (GRRRRR AFL, not good enough)

A couple more wins now will really set us up for a good attack on the comp when we have the luxury of a full list to choose from again.

I'm confident they'll do it.

Go Tiges.

 

[Tigerblood]

I think we have to prepare ourselves for the likelihood that Brad Ottens will not feature in the team's performance this year. By that, I mean that he will probably get back into the team eventually, but by then the season will be closer to the end than the beginning, and he will have no serious fitness base to work from. He still seems to be some way from even resuming in the reserves, so how long before he gets into the seniors? He will also be down on touch and confidence. Together with fitness, these are all areas that take ages for a big man to develop. And it's not as if he was doing anything special last year anyway.

We may ponder whether much of the same goes for Dutchy?

So I don't think we can bank on coming home with a wet sail once these big men come back. I think we have to face the reality that our current underdone squad is more or less the one that will have to battle out the whole year. And all this assumes that Gaspar and Stafford, who traditionally miss about a third of the season with various complaints, keep turning out each week.

I just can't see us playing any games with our full battery of talls in the line up and firing on all cylinders.

 

[Koalalill]

Agree - if we are 9-3 or 8-4 going into the bye with reasonable % the season is set. The general feeling is 12 wins will get you into the 8. So after the break we would need to win either 4 or 3 out of ten. Now if we can win 1 of the 2 interstate trips in rounds 12 & 13 then that would be a bonus.

Personally, the magic number for me is 13. 13 wins and I will say we are in until then..... I just take each week at a time ;D

 

[Tigerdog]

IMO clubs need to make the finals for a season or two before they are ready to take home the ultimate prize.
I'd just like to see us get in the finals this year and win atleast a game or two but am not expecting much.
The greatest pity about our horrendous run of injuries is that we haven't had any kids do anything of note (while other teams seem to slot in some draftees that same year). Maybe if we had of drafted some kids say the draft before last (excluding Rodan) or we were prepared to give Marty Millsy Hyde Schulz a go we may have given them a chance to show something during the past few weeks.
Sure no side can expect to get the injuries to so many key talls at the same time but what you can do is ensure that you have kids developing in the system that can be called on when desperately needed. So if you and I can see for several seasons that this is what we lack why can't they have back then?
P.S I know it's all changing now and I am looking forward to the draft and trading periods already but I am just commenting because of my frustration that we have no talls pretty much. And who knows who will take the field this week, or just how fit they will be.

 

[Rampaging_Richo]

Three very winnable games.

I think our new attitude and endeavour will see us win at least 2 of these, maybe three depending on who gets back into the team from injury.

Tigerblood - I reckon Otto will be able to get back to some form this year to be a of some value. He had a full preseason under his belt, and 5 wiz cup / prac matches under his belt before his back went. He would have begun some basic fitness work in the weeks after his injury, so would have only lost minimal fitness. His workload since then is unknown but he has been running in recent weeks culminating in full ball work yesterday. Give him another 3-4 weeks of solid training and he will be only lacking match fitness.

He had a huge year last year in terms of work load so that fitness would have carried thru to this year.

Rd 13 and 14 are abit of a worry though ???

 

[diggler]

The will be all easy victories, as long as duds like King and Duuderscombe are sent back where they belong. And the likes of Duncan Kellaway are not brought back to reek destruction.

 

[YeahNah]

If Ottens can even just slot into full forward and take the ruck hit outs in that area, he'll be a big boost to the teams fortunes.