For what it's worth

[BringBackMadDog]

For what it's worth Tony, your excuses are becoming long in the tooth. The one about coaching is the biggest crock I've ever read.

Some here will yell at you for this comment.
Not me.
Agree 100%.
Get ready for Rd2 for cliches from tony74, the work experience teenager from Seaford.

That's very harsh and no need to make it personal and shoot the messenger.

It's not Tony's fault the way we played.

Do you want him to stop giving us updates and inside info?

Pull your head in.

Ask this liar why the club insist on selecting Gilbo, who is worse than Clint Jones,
but refuse to play Acres- apparently Acres needs to learn to execute team rules?
Yesterday, what happened to "team rules"? Was it "let Melbourne swarm around the ball in huge numbers, don't try to chase, don't pressure, let 8 Dees run forward in a sea of red and blue and score 10 unanswered goals"
TEAM RULES my giddy aunt

You are acting like a prized <edited by mods>, pull your head in

[fugazi]

Geez settle down, Tony is allowed an opinion as much as anyone. Appreciate his input, even if I have a couple of disagreements.

1. Acres should play ahead of Dunstan, Wright, Lonie...at the very least
2. Bigmart has been spot on about Dunstan - 16 disposals - that's it -
3. Lonie is a delist for mine - he really is just too small, he is no Milne - #44 was a freak
4. Gilbert has to go, prefer D-Mac any day
5. Nathan Brown - that was ordinary , so immobile. Only in when they have 2 genuine gorilla forwards
6. As others mentioned - it looked like they had a big week on the track, no zip, no agro
7. Gresham is awesome- just awesome

Out :
Dunstan, Lonie, Roo (knee), Wright, Brown

In:
Acres, D-Mac, Paddy, Minchington, Dempster

Hoping that was an aberration from Hickey - one more go against WCE, then switch if necessary

[desertsaint]

dunstan was poor, but the best of he, armo, and ross. much better disposal than most yesterday.
kicked his set shot when all others missed theirs.

[RODOS]

for what it's worth... we might be in for some pain next week, west coast on fire :O

[RODOS]

also gaff would be pretty handy right about now

[Linton Lodger]

I'm sure that many of you will criticise this post and blah blah blah.....
Most of these observations were mentioned before this game, some of you may choose to believe me whilst others will say l have no idea. It was a very long and painful night for all.
1. Newnesy was the boy who did his hammy on Thursday, I can assure you he was a goner but it finished up obviously as cramp and he played. He believed he had strained it on the day
2. The game will be decided with the Hick Gawn contest-- and it was.
3. The third man up will not be good for us
4. It is extremely hard to coach against a new coach you have no template to base your strategies on-- and we were out coached. ( as Gold coast was )
5. The ball being thrown up, not bounced at the centre square didn't help.
6. A cliche but worth remembering-- the season is a marathon not a sprint we'll be OK

I'm being honest as I can, up to you if you want to believe me.

My thoughts FWIW; conditioning staff need to take a massive mia culpa here, we looked very tired across the board after 1.5 qtrs and that just screams of stuffing up the taper for rd 1. If it's only a few that looked tired, poor selection/ attitude etc...if it's the whole team, it's a taper thing.

Match day coaching and ability to adapt and execute under scoreboard pressure from infield leaders was very poor and had a big influence.

J Bruce will get the best big defender every week and MacDonald is a very good defender and won this contest well.

Sandilands has dominated 'hitouts' for a decade 3rd man up or not...and if Leigh Mathews doesn't think it's the be all and end all, sorry Tony but I think I'll back the player of the centuries opinion. Our mids ability to stop the run and spread of the dees was way more telling than the 'hitout count'. Again I'm putting a big onus on the conditioning, our players were baked after 1.5 qtrs. stuffed the taper!!

Surely all these calls for mass changes and absolute carve up of our midfield as slow, one dimensional etc...its practically the same side that played run + gun and toppled the cats and demolished the doggies in the last part of 2016, when we looked fast hungry and ballistic...again...the fact that 'everyone'looked cooked and slow points to overtrained and a stuffed taper!

Speaking of the doggies...we dusted them late last year and looked irresistible, they didn't panic, they didn't implode, they backed themselves and their method and righted the ship. That's our challenge now! And hats off to the dees, the biggest win for them was psychological, because while we tired so badly after 2.5 qtrs, they still had to kick goals.

I'm still backing us to beat them in ladder position this season! Especially knowing Rooey will still play a decent part in this campaign!!

Good point St Wagga, they really looked lethargic after quarter time after being manic in the 1st quarter. Melbourne had no answers in the first, then our energy slowly sapped away from then on.

I'm no expert in the management of fitness, but it looked like they were not physically well prepared. Did our sport scientists factor in that we've been training in unseasonal heat for weeks and unseasonal heat & humidity in the last week. Surely that should have changed our preparation?

[saintsRrising]

for what it's worth... we might be in for some pain next week, west coast on fire :O

And note that WCE lost the Hot Out Battle 29 to 51.

[SMS]

Im hoping here was a virus going through the camp???
We were completely gassed half way through the second quarter. WHY?? Has anyone heard of virus??

[fugazi]

Im hoping here was a virus going through the camp???
We were completely gassed half way through the second quarter. WHY?? Has anyone heard of virus??

That's what I said in the 2nd qtr.....looked like they were under the weather...Mav looked completely stuffed

[Con Gorozidis]

Geez settle down, Tony is allowed an opinion as much as anyone. Appreciate his input, even if I have a couple of disagreements.

1. Acres should play ahead of Dunstan, Wright, Lonie...at the very least
2. Bigmart has been spot on about Dunstan - 16 disposals - that's it -
3. Lonie is a delist for mine - he really is just too small, he is no Milne - #44 was a freak
4. Gilbert has to go, prefer D-Mac any day
5. Nathan Brown - that was ordinary , so immobile. Only in when they have 2 genuine gorilla forwards
6. As others mentioned - it looked like they had a big week on the track, no zip, no agro
7. Gresham is awesome- just awesome

Out :
Dunstan, Lonie, Roo (knee), Wright, Brown

In:
Acres, D-Mac, Paddy, Minchington, Dempster

Hoping that was an aberration from Hickey - one more go against WCE, then switch if necessary

I love his opinions. But if he is selling the 'inside club' angle then the people inside thet club arent real bright.
Fancy lumping the loss all on to Hickey. This is crazy talk and let's our midfield off the hook. It also lets our appalling link players like Savage and Gilbo who are supposedly experienced off the hook. We didnt lose just because of Hickey.

[tony74]

For what it's worth Tony, your excuses are becoming long in the tooth. The one about coaching is the biggest crock I've ever read.

Some here will yell at you for this comment.
Not me.
Agree 100%.
Get ready for Rd2 for cliches from tony74, the work experience teenager from Seaford.

Entitled to your opinion Wellard. But I can assure you enormous analytical work goes into the game plan and coaching techniques of the opposition and when they are brand new we have little to go on. Same thing happened last year with Bolton. It's often referred to as the honeymoon period for coaches ( just another cliche!)
To answer other queries we have basically no idea why we run out of puff, mind you Melbourne was out on its feet too. The ground was spongy but it's the same for both teams ( another cliche) We had a pretty soft week on the track and the boys were ready physically and mentally. But we were caught short. As was Sydney, GWS, Gold Coast. Our missed shots in the second and fourth were real momentum killers. Melbourne took them, we didn't
P.S I have reported you to my teacher.

[Playon]

I'm sure that many of you will criticise this post and blah blah blah.....
Most of these observations were mentioned before this game, some of you may choose to believe me whilst others will say l have no idea. It was a very long and painful night for all.
1. Newnesy was the boy who did his hammy on Thursday, I can assure you he was a goner but it finished up obviously as cramp and he played. He believed he had strained it on the day
2. The game will be decided with the Hick Gawn contest-- and it was.
3. The third man up will not be good for us
4. It is extremely hard to coach against a new coach you have no template to base your strategies on-- and we were out coached. ( as Gold coast was )
5. The ball being thrown up, not bounced at the centre square didn't help.
6. A cliche but worth remembering-- the season is a marathon not a sprint we'll be OK

I'm being honest as I can, up to you if you want to believe me.

So come finals time the top 4 will be made up from the clubs that have the top 4 ruckmen? Or does this only apply to us?

I thought we lost the game because our midfield was terrible, but then they weren't the only ones, We only have to look back to last year for more examples where our midfield all failed at once and we got smashed.

But, for the last couple of years we have started the season off the boil and not coming good until a few games in, So perhaps our preparation isn't as good as other clubs, rusty skills and not quite fit.

Basically we failed in all areas of the game from coaching to goal kicking and everything in between. Because Gawn gave Hickey a bath should of been expected, isn't he the number 1 ruck after all? I dont see how you can blame it on Hickey, he wasn't the only one.

Am I worried? No, because we seem to start off slow. We'll improve this year, but it may not show on the ladder with our draw

[WellardSaint]

My membership is paid monthly.
Pick Gilbo this week, and it might be cancelled
Pick Gilbo in Rd 3, and I will definitely cancel my membership.
Had a gutful. Clint Jones, now Gilbo and Geary.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Sounds like we have one great ruckman divided between four bodies.

[SuperDuper]

Geez settle down, Tony is allowed an opinion as much as anyone. Appreciate his input, even if I have a couple of disagreements.

1. Acres should play ahead of Dunstan, Wright, Lonie...at the very least
2. Bigmart has been spot on about Dunstan - 16 disposals - that's it -
3. Lonie is a delist for mine - he really is just too small, he is no Milne - #44 was a freak
4. Gilbert has to go, prefer D-Mac any day
5. Nathan Brown - that was ordinary , so immobile. Only in when they have 2 genuine gorilla forwards
6. As others mentioned - it looked like they had a big week on the track, no zip, no agro
7. Gresham is awesome- just awesome

Out :
Dunstan, Lonie, Roo (knee), Wright, Brown

In:
Acres, D-Mac, Paddy, Minchington, Dempster

Hoping that was an aberration from Hickey - one more go against WCE, then switch if necessary

I love his opinions. But if he is selling the 'inside club' angle then the people inside thet club arent real bright.
Fancy lumping the loss all on to Hickey. This is crazy talk and let's our midfield off the hook. It also lets our appalling link players like Savage and Gilbo who are supposedly experienced off the hook. We didnt lose just because of Hickey.

Yep, generally love Tony's information... but if that is really what the coaching staff took out of the loss then we are in big trouble

[BigMart]

Members review

Mentioned Hickey

Did not blame him

All mids basically

[Zed]

Our season got on a roll in the back half of last season when we brought in wright, Minch and DMac. All have speed, apply enormous tackle pressure and are intense at the contest. Yesterday we just looked slow. Combined with the fact Jack Steven and Mav had off days , you can see why we were soundly beaten. I can see what they were looking for when they recruited Ben Long.

We need to learn how to negate good oppo mids quick smart because WC are arguably stronger in the midfield than Melb and it could be a blood bath.

[Johnny Member]

Our season got on a roll in the back half of last season when we brought in wright, Minch and DMac. All have speed, apply enormous tackle pressure and are intense at the contest. Yesterday we just looked slow. Combined with the fact Jack Steven and Mav had off days , you can see why we were soundly beaten. I can see what they were looking for when they recruited Ben Long.

We need to learn how to negate good oppo mids quick smart because WC are arguably stronger in the midfield than Melb and it could be a blood bath.

Jack Steven is all we've got.

[Linton Lodger]

For what it's worth Tony, your excuses are becoming long in the tooth. The one about coaching is the biggest crock I've ever read.

Some here will yell at you for this comment.
Not me.
Agree 100%.
Get ready for Rd2 for cliches from tony74, the work experience teenager from Seaford.

Entitled to your opinion Wellard. But I can assure you enormous analytical work goes into the game plan and coaching techniques of the opposition and when they are brand new we have little to go on. Same thing happened last year with Bolton. It's often referred to as the honeymoon period for coaches ( just another cliche!)
To answer other queries we have basically no idea why we run out of puff, mind you Melbourne was out on its feet too. The ground was spongy but it's the same for both teams ( another cliche) We had a pretty soft week on the track and the boys were ready physically and mentally. But we were caught short. As was Sydney, GWS, Gold Coast. Our missed shots in the second and fourth were real momentum killers. Melbourne took them, we didn't
P.S I have reported you to my teacher.

Yep, that's about it in a nutshell, hardly a crisis! We also have two bona-fide Premiership contenders in the same boat with us.

[Linton Lodger]

My membership is paid monthly.
Pick Gilbo this week, and it might be cancelled
Pick Gilbo in Rd 3, and I will definitely cancel my membership.
Had a gutful. Clint Jones, now Gilbo and Geary.

...and you'll fit right in as a Richmond member.

[Con Gorozidis]

My membership is paid monthly.
Pick Gilbo this week, and it might be cancelled
Pick Gilbo in Rd 3, and I will definitely cancel my membership.
Had a gutful. Clint Jones, now Gilbo and Geary.

...and you'll fit right in as a Richmond member.

I think sticking by VFL hacks and over rating their own players is what sets Richmond apart these days.
Greg Tivendale managed 188 games for god's sake.
Are we the new Richmond?

[Joe Bloggs]

For what it's worth Tony, your excuses are becoming long in the tooth. The one about coaching is the biggest crock I've ever read.

Some here will yell at you for this comment.
Not me.
Agree 100%.
Get ready for Rd2 for cliches from tony74, the work experience teenager from Seaford.

Entitled to your opinion Wellard. But I can assure you enormous analytical work goes into the game plan and coaching techniques of the opposition and when they are brand new we have little to go on. Same thing happened last year with Bolton. It's often referred to as the honeymoon period for coaches ( just another cliche!)
To answer other queries we have basically no idea why we run out of puff, mind you Melbourne was out on its feet too. The ground was spongy but it's the same for both teams ( another cliche) We had a pretty soft week on the track and the boys were ready physically and mentally. But we were caught short. As was Sydney, GWS, Gold Coast. Our missed shots in the second and fourth were real momentum killers. Melbourne took them, we didn't
P.S I have reported you to my teacher.

Yep, that's about it in a nutshell, hardly a crisis! We also have two bona-fide Premiership contenders in the same boat with us.

Yep that's right seven other teams lost on the weekend...lol

[Jacks Back]

For what it's worth Tony, your excuses are becoming long in the tooth. The one about coaching is the biggest crock I've ever read.

Some here will yell at you for this comment.
Not me.
Agree 100%.
Get ready for Rd2 for cliches from tony74, the work experience teenager from Seaford.

Entitled to your opinion Wellard. But I can assure you enormous analytical work goes into the game plan and coaching techniques of the opposition and when they are brand new we have little to go on. Same thing happened last year with Bolton. It's often referred to as the honeymoon period for coaches ( just another cliche!)
To answer other queries we have basically no idea why we run out of puff, mind you Melbourne was out on its feet too. The ground was spongy but it's the same for both teams ( another cliche) We had a pretty soft week on the track and the boys were ready physically and mentally. But we were caught short. As was Sydney, GWS, Gold Coast. Our missed shots in the second and fourth were real momentum killers. Melbourne took them, we didn't
P.S I have reported you to my teacher.

"we have basically no idea why we ran out of puff"

Houston, we have a problem!

[Bernard Shakey]

My membership is paid monthly.
Pick Gilbo this week, and it might be cancelled
Pick Gilbo in Rd 3, and I will definitely cancel my membership.
Had a gutful. Clint Jones, now Gilbo and Geary.

...and you'll fit right in as a Richmond member.

Microwave it!

[suss]

My membership is paid monthly.
Pick Gilbo this week, and it might be cancelled
Pick Gilbo in Rd 3, and I will definitely cancel my membership.
Had a gutful. Clint Jones, now Gilbo and Geary.

...and you'll fit right in as a Richmond member.

Microwave it!

Last time I threatened to do that was round 5, 1997. I've been more measured about such statements ever since.