Who goes from Tigerland?
11 August 2003 AFL
RICHMOND has been immovable on two delicate issues during its troubles: Danny Frawley and Matthew Richardson are staying put.
The strategy is understandable, too. At Richmond, the coach always is the easy first casualty, while Richo simply is too valuable as a marketing tool.
The Tigers now have some serious contemplation ahead of them on both fronts after perhaps the worst of their 12 losses for the year at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.
Defeats of the magnitude of 80 points rarely, if ever, are acceptable.
They are intolerable when inflicted by a team sitting immediately above it on the ladder in 11th place, a team that hasn't been in the eight any time this year, one Richmond accounted for with 26 points to spare first time round this year and at the same place.
If Richmond loses to Essendon, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn in its remaining three games, it will have won one of its last 14 games of the year.
Coming on top of seven wins in 2002, that would mean 14 wins from 44 games after reaching the preliminary final round in 2001.
In economic terms, it's a dismal price-earnings ratio, one that will unsettle the shareholders.
Frawley and his assistants, and the administration, were saved embarrassment on Saturday night by the respect of everyone at the stadium for the retiring Nathan Burke.
The Tiger faithful isn't always known for its grace under pressure, yet there was a heart-warming element of black and yellow in the emotional farewell for the veteran Saint.
All branches of the Richmond family conducted themselves with dignity; few can say they did so during the two hours beforehand.
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was ridiculed and rebuked when he said after Round 4 he was upset by the loss to Richmond because his Saints were a superior team.
I was one of his critics. I thought it inopportune and ungracious. Thomas, though, has been vindicated in essence.
This Richmond group either will bring the coach down or will have to be savagely pruned between seasons. Big names included.
Richo's roller-coaster ride through his career continues. After two good weeks in a redefined role, his old habits resurfaced Saturday night.
He was unaccountable and his second efforts, so good against the Western Bulldogs two weeks earlier, were non-existent. He had just 10 possessions and took five marks.
The grapevine has it that the idea of trading him no longer is out of the question at board level.
As for the coach, director of football Greg Miller and chairman Clinton Casey both will have to back away from unequivocal support for Frawley if change is to occur.
Injuries have hurt the Tigers this year. Wayne Campbell has played nine games, Darren Gaspar 11, Brad Ottens eight, Ben Holland six, Justin Blumfield eight.
Yet Hawthorn has had an even worse run and continues to box on.
The Richmond game plan continues to confuse observers. How does a team have more of the ball yet lose by 80 points? Richmond had 311 possessions Saturday night, St Kilda 307. That defies logic.
The solitary positive from the game was the form of Ottens, who had 15 possessions, took nine marks and kicked two goals.
Kane Johnson was strong yet again while Mark Chaffey, Greg Tivendale and Chris Newman continued to build on solid seasons. That's it.
The question that demands an answer is this: where is this football team headed?
St Kilda knows where it's going, and that's up. Richmond is going backwards at a time the coach once predicted would show a solid ascent towards a premiership.
The next three weeks are critically important to the coach and to the bulk of his player list. The current combination isn't bearing fruit.
11 August 2003 AFL
RICHMOND has been immovable on two delicate issues during its troubles: Danny Frawley and Matthew Richardson are staying put.
The strategy is understandable, too. At Richmond, the coach always is the easy first casualty, while Richo simply is too valuable as a marketing tool.
The Tigers now have some serious contemplation ahead of them on both fronts after perhaps the worst of their 12 losses for the year at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.
Defeats of the magnitude of 80 points rarely, if ever, are acceptable.
They are intolerable when inflicted by a team sitting immediately above it on the ladder in 11th place, a team that hasn't been in the eight any time this year, one Richmond accounted for with 26 points to spare first time round this year and at the same place.
If Richmond loses to Essendon, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn in its remaining three games, it will have won one of its last 14 games of the year.
Coming on top of seven wins in 2002, that would mean 14 wins from 44 games after reaching the preliminary final round in 2001.
In economic terms, it's a dismal price-earnings ratio, one that will unsettle the shareholders.
Frawley and his assistants, and the administration, were saved embarrassment on Saturday night by the respect of everyone at the stadium for the retiring Nathan Burke.
The Tiger faithful isn't always known for its grace under pressure, yet there was a heart-warming element of black and yellow in the emotional farewell for the veteran Saint.
All branches of the Richmond family conducted themselves with dignity; few can say they did so during the two hours beforehand.
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was ridiculed and rebuked when he said after Round 4 he was upset by the loss to Richmond because his Saints were a superior team.
I was one of his critics. I thought it inopportune and ungracious. Thomas, though, has been vindicated in essence.
This Richmond group either will bring the coach down or will have to be savagely pruned between seasons. Big names included.
Richo's roller-coaster ride through his career continues. After two good weeks in a redefined role, his old habits resurfaced Saturday night.
He was unaccountable and his second efforts, so good against the Western Bulldogs two weeks earlier, were non-existent. He had just 10 possessions and took five marks.
The grapevine has it that the idea of trading him no longer is out of the question at board level.
As for the coach, director of football Greg Miller and chairman Clinton Casey both will have to back away from unequivocal support for Frawley if change is to occur.
Injuries have hurt the Tigers this year. Wayne Campbell has played nine games, Darren Gaspar 11, Brad Ottens eight, Ben Holland six, Justin Blumfield eight.
Yet Hawthorn has had an even worse run and continues to box on.
The Richmond game plan continues to confuse observers. How does a team have more of the ball yet lose by 80 points? Richmond had 311 possessions Saturday night, St Kilda 307. That defies logic.
The solitary positive from the game was the form of Ottens, who had 15 possessions, took nine marks and kicked two goals.
Kane Johnson was strong yet again while Mark Chaffey, Greg Tivendale and Chris Newman continued to build on solid seasons. That's it.
The question that demands an answer is this: where is this football team headed?
St Kilda knows where it's going, and that's up. Richmond is going backwards at a time the coach once predicted would show a solid ascent towards a premiership.
The next three weeks are critically important to the coach and to the bulk of his player list. The current combination isn't bearing fruit.
