Zantuck concedes: I lost the plot
9:43:53 PM Mon 4 August, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Richmond defender Ty Zantuck has admitted he 'lost the plot' during the dying stages of Saturday’s loss to Fremantle at Subiaco.
Zantuck, playing his 50th game, was one of the Tigers best players until the final term as he kept the dangerous Paul Medhurst quiet.
But with the game still in the balance in the final term, Zantuck collected Medhurst late after the Dockers’ forward had marked and gave away a costly 50 metre penalty – resulting in a certain goal for the home side.
The Dockers went on to win by 23 points, a result which ended the Tigers’ slim finals hopes of 2003.
Zantuck, one of the Tigers’ most improved players over the past two seasons, told afl.com.au he was disappointed with his actions at the end of Saturday’s game.
“I lost the plot a bit at the end,” he admitted.
“It was actually the first 50 metre penalty I have given away this season and it wasn’t good for the team but I can tell you it won’t be happening again.”
The incident was a rare personal lowlight in the past two years for the son of former Melbourne, North Melbourne and South Melbourne defender Shane Zantuck.
After playing just ten games in his first two years, the 21-year-old played every game last season and has played every game this season – establishing himself as one of the most improved defenders in the competition.
And Zantuck has also showed himself to be versatile, not only capable of playing on small, quick forwards such as Medhurst but also on key forwards such as Brisbane’s Alastair Lynch and Essendon’s Matthew Lloyd.
In the absence of the injured Darren Gaspar, Zantuck has fast become the player to get the big jobs in defence for the Tigers but admits the loss of the Tigers’ best defender with a knee injury in round 11 this year had hurt the side greatly.
“Gas is a terrific player and he is rarely beaten,” Zantuck said.
“And with him out it’s meant that Andrew Kellaway or myself play on the players he would normally play on so it leaves us one tall defender short.”
However despite being without Gaspar for so much of the season – Zantuck is rightly proud of the Tigers’ defensive performance during a difficult season in which they have lost nine of their past ten matches to slump from third to 12th and out of finals contention for the second straight year.
Only the top six sides have conceded fewer points than the Tigers in 2003 and one of those in fifth-placed West Coast has only conceded 13 points less.
In contrast at the other end the Tigers have only scored more points than 13th placed Geelong and 15th placed Carlton, making it fairly obvious where the club’s problems in 2003 lay.
Zantuck said he believed the Tigers were building a solid defensive unit that could hold the club in good stead for years to come with Darren Gaspar, Mark Chaffey, Kellaway, much-improved youngster Chris Newman and Zantuck forming the core of the backline.
“When we are all there it’s a pretty solid unit and we have got that belief in each other,” he said.
Bitterly disappointed at missing the finals yet again, Zantuck said the players were now desperate to finish the season off on a good note.
“We want to win the next four games to try and give the supporters something to cheer about at the end of the season,” he said.
9:43:53 PM Mon 4 August, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Richmond defender Ty Zantuck has admitted he 'lost the plot' during the dying stages of Saturday’s loss to Fremantle at Subiaco.
Zantuck, playing his 50th game, was one of the Tigers best players until the final term as he kept the dangerous Paul Medhurst quiet.
But with the game still in the balance in the final term, Zantuck collected Medhurst late after the Dockers’ forward had marked and gave away a costly 50 metre penalty – resulting in a certain goal for the home side.
The Dockers went on to win by 23 points, a result which ended the Tigers’ slim finals hopes of 2003.
Zantuck, one of the Tigers’ most improved players over the past two seasons, told afl.com.au he was disappointed with his actions at the end of Saturday’s game.
“I lost the plot a bit at the end,” he admitted.
“It was actually the first 50 metre penalty I have given away this season and it wasn’t good for the team but I can tell you it won’t be happening again.”
The incident was a rare personal lowlight in the past two years for the son of former Melbourne, North Melbourne and South Melbourne defender Shane Zantuck.
After playing just ten games in his first two years, the 21-year-old played every game last season and has played every game this season – establishing himself as one of the most improved defenders in the competition.
And Zantuck has also showed himself to be versatile, not only capable of playing on small, quick forwards such as Medhurst but also on key forwards such as Brisbane’s Alastair Lynch and Essendon’s Matthew Lloyd.
In the absence of the injured Darren Gaspar, Zantuck has fast become the player to get the big jobs in defence for the Tigers but admits the loss of the Tigers’ best defender with a knee injury in round 11 this year had hurt the side greatly.
“Gas is a terrific player and he is rarely beaten,” Zantuck said.
“And with him out it’s meant that Andrew Kellaway or myself play on the players he would normally play on so it leaves us one tall defender short.”
However despite being without Gaspar for so much of the season – Zantuck is rightly proud of the Tigers’ defensive performance during a difficult season in which they have lost nine of their past ten matches to slump from third to 12th and out of finals contention for the second straight year.
Only the top six sides have conceded fewer points than the Tigers in 2003 and one of those in fifth-placed West Coast has only conceded 13 points less.
In contrast at the other end the Tigers have only scored more points than 13th placed Geelong and 15th placed Carlton, making it fairly obvious where the club’s problems in 2003 lay.
Zantuck said he believed the Tigers were building a solid defensive unit that could hold the club in good stead for years to come with Darren Gaspar, Mark Chaffey, Kellaway, much-improved youngster Chris Newman and Zantuck forming the core of the backline.
“When we are all there it’s a pretty solid unit and we have got that belief in each other,” he said.
Bitterly disappointed at missing the finals yet again, Zantuck said the players were now desperate to finish the season off on a good note.
“We want to win the next four games to try and give the supporters something to cheer about at the end of the season,” he said.
