Small Forwards | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Small Forwards

Harry

Harry

Tiger Legend
Mar 2, 2003
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Interesting to see who we play as our small forwards in 2022

Daniel Rioli - after stagnating as a chase and pressure fwd, was moved to the backline last year where he found zip and energy and looked much better. Reckon we will leave him in the backline to continue on with his form and confidence.

Jason Castagna - was quite ordinary last year and was dropped late. His chaos may not be what we're after so may struggle to get back in. Interesting to see if he's in the team during praccy matches. Reckon he'll play alot of VFL next year.

Liam Baker - Would be first choice small forward at this stage. Versatile in that he can pressure, set up goals and a good finisher off both feet. Can also rotate into the middle to provide some relief and another dimension. Lock him in as one of the small forwards.

Jake Aarts - Can tackle, good in the contest, can kick a goal, but is way too slow unfortunately. VFL and insurance if we need a small fwd. Would actually play him in the middle in some practice games to test out his contested game.

Sydney Stack - X factor and knows how to kick a goal. Question mark is around his tank and consistency of effort as there would be minimal running and pressure requirements as a small forward. If he can meet the physical demands then he'd be a great small fwd option.

Jayden Short - Think he has the tools to at least try him as a small forward, and with our options down back it's something we should look at. Is quick with a decent tank so can apply the necessary pressure. Also has a decent boot on him, especially pivoting off one or 2 steps, so would have the ability to impact the scoreboard.

MRJ and Clarke - Too early to tell - like to see how they go during pre-season.

Our small fwds as a whole were a real let down last year and hopefully we can find the right mix with the right game plan to improve this part of our game.
 
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Aarts was found out last season. Tries hard, has worked hard to make the grade but not quite good enough. He is the sort of player who makes up the numbers in an average team, sadly.

Castagna has had a stellar career so far, given his limitations. When defenders don’t play on automatically, his effectiveness dissipates. will struggle.

Baker, Stack and Bolton are the class combination. And I agree, DRioli needs to stay in the backline for a while, his confidence was shot halfway through last season.

Clarke is intriguing. Looks to have a lot of tools.
 
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Forgot Bolton, but for mine should stay full time mid. His clearance work is what we need more of.
 
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Baker, Stack and Bolton look good to me. Add in MRJ as I reckon with another pre-season he should be thereabouts in 2022, hope to see him play a few games at least.

Castagna is a worry, he needs to get into better form to justify a place.

Aarts is close to making the grade but close enough? Not sure.

Shedda rotating forward some of the time is a very nice thought, he can play anywhere and impact, hope to see him forward some of the time.

Although I really like the idea of Rioli forward, he seems to be playing better as a small back, if that turns out to be his best spot leave him there.

DS
 
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Reckon we are going to significantly change the way our small forwards play next year. They will likely be pushing well up the ground to help setup a defensive wall then push back hard into attack on the turnover to provide an outlet in transition or crumb at the feet of the talls. In short, lots of running and not just short bursts but long, sustained running too. I

This would favor the likes of Lambert, Baker and Short. All of them have the necessary running power, footy nous and foot-skills to be a threat not just inside 50 but in transition too which is where they’ll find themselves most of the time. Castagna is an interesting one because his athletic profile suits the hard running but his foot-skills are a liability.

This type of play is not going to suit Stack, Bolton and MRJ who all lack the running power needed to do this for long periods. At times Bolton would play the first half forward then move into the midfield in the second half to great effect. Not sure that will be possible anymore. Stack may end up back in defense replacing Short but that position still requires more running power than he has. MRJ has some serious work to do.
 
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TigerFurious said:
Reckon we are going to significantly change the way our small forwards play next year. They will likely be pushing well up the ground to help setup a defensive wall then push back hard into attack on the turnover to provide an outlet in transition or crumb at the feet of the talls. In short, lots of running and not just short bursts but long, sustained running too. I

........
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Some of the Training drills already look to be developing/honing this. George is doing well in those drills right now. His speed/endurance is very, very good.
 
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TigerFurious said:
Reckon we are going to significantly change the way our small forwards play next year. They will likely be pushing well up the ground to help setup a defensive wall then push back hard into attack on the turnover to provide an outlet in transition or crumb at the feet of the talls. In short, lots of running and not just short bursts but long, sustained running too. I

This would favor the likes of Lambert, Baker and Short. All of them have the necessary running power, footy nous and foot-skills to be a threat not just inside 50 but in transition too which is where they’ll find themselves most of the time. Castagna is an interesting one because his athletic profile suits the hard running but his foot-skills are a liability.

This type of play is not going to suit Stack, Bolton and MRJ who all lack the running power needed to do this for long periods. At times Bolton would play the first half forward then move into the midfield in the second half to great effect. Not sure that will be possible anymore. Stack may end up back in defense replacing Short but that position still requires more running power than he has. MRJ has some serious work to do.
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You should send that to Dimma
 
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TigerFurious said:
Reckon we are going to significantly change the way our small forwards play next year. They will likely be pushing well up the ground to help setup a defensive wall then push back hard into attack on the turnover to provide an outlet in transition or crumb at the feet of the talls. In short, lots of running and not just short bursts but long, sustained running too. I

This would favor the likes of Lambert, Baker and Short. All of them have the necessary running power, footy nous and foot-skills to be a threat not just inside 50 but in transition too which is where they’ll find themselves most of the time. Castagna is an interesting one because his athletic profile suits the hard running but his foot-skills are a liability.

This type of play is not going to suit Stack, Bolton and MRJ who all lack the running power needed to do this for long periods. At times Bolton would play the first half forward then move into the midfield in the second half to great effect. Not sure that will be possible anymore. Stack may end up back in defense replacing Short but that position still requires more running power than he has. MRJ has some serious work to do.
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Really, Georgy & Aarts have been doing that for 2 years or more
 
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TigerFurious said:
Reckon we are going to significantly change the way our small forwards play next year. They will likely be pushing well up the ground to help setup a defensive wall then push back hard into attack on the turnover to provide an outlet in transition or crumb at the feet of the talls. In short, lots of running and not just short bursts but long, sustained running too. I

This would favor the likes of Lambert, Baker and Short. All of them have the necessary running power, footy nous and foot-skills to be a threat not just inside 50 but in transition too which is where they’ll find themselves most of the time. Castagna is an interesting one because his athletic profile suits the hard running but his foot-skills are a liability.

This type of play is not going to suit Stack, Bolton and MRJ who all lack the running power needed to do this for long periods. At times Bolton would play the first half forward then move into the midfield in the second half to great effect. Not sure that will be possible anymore. Stack may end up back in defense replacing Short but that position still requires more running power than he has. MRJ has some serious work to do.
Click to expand...

The above is an example of forcing puzzle pieces into a pre-existing vision.

In recent years though, roles have been curated for the talent.

It'll be an interesting preseason to see if, or how much, change might occur.
 
HKTigerB said:
Some of the Training drills already look to be developing/honing this. George is doing well in those drills right now. His speed/endurance is very, very good.
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Is hand balling an option.... ?
 
K3 said:
Is hand balling an option.... ?
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It's actually a handball heavy drill. Start at full back, medium kick out, to the flank, inside and outside runners, handballs then a long kick to the forward 50, runners keep going, more handball and then a chip to FF. They do variations on the drill where it's a long kick out and there is no attempt to mark but just push/punch the ball forward to runners. It was noticeable that Tom L was just going up and punching the ball forward. Parker was reading it well.
 
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