It is early in the season and the blowtorch has already been applied to more than half a dozen clubs in the era of the 24-hour news cycle.
Collingwood have worked their way into the season after a horror Round 1, Sydney silenced their critics last week only to have them find voice again after their home loss to North, and Melbourne have bought some time after their first win under Paul Roos.
Little was expected of Brisbane pre-season and they’ve delivered less, striking unimaginable injury trouble along the way. Adelaide were under the pump after opening the season as victims of three consecutive thumpings.
St Kilda went into the season as favourites for the wooden spoon but responded in fine style to win their opening two matches.
Carlton’s ineptitude against Essendon last Sunday spared Richmond the heat after a loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 3. The most despised of Tiger enemies again helped out their bitter rivals again by conspiring to lose to the hapless Dees, taking the focus off the Tigers’ embarrassing display against the Pies.
Well, not anymore.
It has been an alarming fall from grace for Richmond, after a 2013 rise which included periods of stunning football and heady results when obliterating both grand finalists, Hawthorn and Fremantle, in the middle-to-latter part of the season.
Richmond’s two losses and two close wins against Carlton over the last 12 months have been well documented, and offer penetrating insight into all that is good and bad about the Tigers.
The last four times they’ve met the Blues, they have held leads of 37 points, 32, 30 and 37. The respective results have been Richmond by 12 points, Carlton by 20, Carlton by 10 and the Tiges by 5.
This is not a mentally strong football team and as a club they have to overcome decades of cultural softness and inadequacy.
At their best, which was seen increasingly consistently over seasons 2012 and 2013, Richmond was one of the finest exponents of ‘fast footy’ in the league.
Their trademark was instinctively switching the ball in the back half before sweeping it forward with a wave of runners alongside each other, whipping the ball between them with quick handballs and finishing it off on the scoreboard.
The Tigers would run hard, both to create space for a teammate and also to find it themselves, which helped when using short kicking to provide death by a thousand cuts. Being in space and hitting free players means not having to be as precise with foot skills as you do when under pressure.
This freedom actually sees you hit more laser passes because in your mind there is no punishment for error. Hawthorn has turned it into a fine art, but deliver the same precision when the heat is on.
The ability to cut a swathe through the middle of the ground with that sort of run and movement can only come from individuals playing with confidence and enjoying their footy. Right now, the opposite applies to every person wearing yellow and black.
Playing stagnant football kills you in today’s game. Teams are defensively set up to stifle their opponents, and slow movement of the ball plays into their hands.
A player lacking confidence in a team under siege doesn’t want to make a mistake. He doesn’t want to be the one to let the team down. So he holds onto the ball and either chips it short – often sideways or backwards – or goes long down the line.
Neither scenario helps his team.
The sideways chip, when not part of an attacking switch, simply allows the opposition more time to set up their defensive zone. They can then sweat on the inevitable mistake, when the pressured man with the ball goes short to a 50-50 contest, and rush into an open forward line.
The long kick down the line isn’t much better. It is almost always to an out-numbered situation that involves the opposition ruckman, at least one key defender and the specialist third man up.
Having the entire opposition between the ball carrier and your forward line also makes it difficult for leading forwards to find space and forces them into one-on-three situations (hello, Jack Riewoldt). They become discouraged at their futile leads, and eventually stop working as hard, meaning there are even fewer options and the vicious circle becomes a noose.
Riewoldt is the poster-child for Richmond when things go awry, the easy target for both the media and opposition supporters who are probably lucky to watch the Tigers twice a year.
As someone who has watched him closely, his work ethic and appetite for the contest is far higher than he is given credit for. Claims of his selfishness are so ridiculous as to be bordering on defamatory.
When a team is down on form and confidence the instinct is to focus on the players, savaging their faults and deficiencies. But the Richmond of 2014 has largely the same players as 2013.
Matt Thomas has come in for Shane Tuck as the hard-nut clearance specialist, and Shaun Hampson has been decent ruck cover for Ivan Maric, but the rest are the same.
Speaking of these additions, people are starting to criticise of the list strategy of mature-age recruiting. People have been vocal about Richmond getting ahead of themselves and ‘topping up’ for a premiership.
Shaun Grigg and Bachar Houli were whipping boys at their original clubs, christened as successes in their first few years at Richmond as the Tigers climbed, and are back to their original state now the footy has turned ugly.
Outside players are the first to cop it when form goes south.
Troy Chaplin finished third in the best and fairest last season but, like his team, is shadow of those capabilities. Ivan Maric was almost All-Australian in his first season at Tigerland, but has laboured under injury since.
Aaron Edwards has played nine games for the Tiges, Shaun Hampson three, Chris Knights five, Matt Thomas four. Ricky Petterd has played fifteen, much to the chagrin of this Richmond-supporting writer.
This is hardly a list of rejects over-running the club. Most have shown they can be an integral part of a side finishing fifth on the ladder after a home-and-away season. It’s a fair question to ask whether they can take them any further.
There is a problem when too many limited footballers are in the one side. Any confidence and form issues are only compounded when the worst of each player is on display.
Damien Hardwick has built a list of hard-nosed footballers and solid citizens. On their bad days, they’re a bunch of one-paced triers. What his squad is lacking is speed and class, players who can turn a match when the chips are down.
Trent Cotchin has class. So too Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin, Riewoldt when on song and Nick Vlastuin. Chris Newman used to have it, but he’s barely touched the ball this year. It’s a pretty thin list for a supposed top-four contender.
Richmond couldn’t run with the young Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs sides, and Chris Yarran always has a field day in second halves when the Blues mount their comebacks.
Damien Hardwick has built this list, and now it’s up to him to turn it around. He’s been soundly out-coached on more than a few occasions in the last year. His lengthy honeymoon period is over. It’s grind-it-out time.
His team needs to remember that fast mistakes are better than slow mistakes. The worst thing you can do is take too long to make bad decisions.
A trip to Brisbane this week comes at the right time, a chance to get out of Melbourne and play a team even further mired in the doldrums than themselves. A loss is not even worth contemplating.
Col in paradise
Guest
But the Saints rebuild and Alan Richo at the helm is looking pretty good to me...and I see them moving back up into the 8 next year and after that...whilst the Blues and Tigers fall apart with bitching, sacking players and coaches and starting again...Saints in good position to add to a very good young team next draft and trades...
Cameron Rose
Expert
It's beyond disgraceful. I can see reasons for almost every other player, but why Petterd. Why Dimma? Why?
Milo
Guest
But with Foley, McDonough & Lennon as emergencies....and Petterd (+ Houli, Grigg) Seriously, could we get a better opportunity to blood Lennon? or give McDonough another run? And Axel , god knows what he has to do. FFS!!
Radelaide
Guest
Lyon won a GF as assistant at Sydney and Franklin got carried through 2 premierships so they probably are more alike, take 2008 for instance it took Dew to kick Buddy to the bench and run amok with Williams and Rioli to break the game open.
yellow & black
Guest
stop the presses. HS reports Vickery dropped (but Petterd recalled -- FFS!)
yellow & black
Guest
Ryan, I'm guessing you do not watch the Tiges that often. My opinion on Grigg and Houli was formed in their first year at the club and remained unchanged because they have remained unchanged. Houli is a squib that can be useful in a good team that is winning the ball because he is able to run and carry and generally deliver the ball well when in space. But he has no defensive skills whatsoever (yet he plays in the backline!) and I've never seen the guy give us a second effort when initially beaten. Anyone who thinks Grigg can play obviously looks at the stats sheet and not the game. This bloke can collect 25 touches and do no damage whatsoever (other than maybe to us with his sloppy disposal!). In his favour is that in the past he has busted a gut to get himself into space ...although I am not seeing that this year. But getting the pill in space is not that much of an asset when you cannot hit a target. He is vying for worst kick in the team ...but it is a big field. He has served a purpose but time to move on from him with some of the kids coming through, e.g. Miles, ...and Lennon sounds ok. I'd probably agree with you about the generalizations of slow vs fast. Losing teams always look slow. Slow/Fast is as much about ball movement as leg speed. At the moment we are slow because every bloke who gets the pill looks backwards and sideways before looking forward. Having said that, when you are at the game one of the reasons for that -- well sometimes anyway, because it really does look like it has been drilled into them -- is that no ba5tard up the field is presenting. They are all standing flat footed waiting for someone else put in an effort. Bit of discussion about Hardwicks coaching. The only game I have walked away from feeling that Hardwick clearly had the coaching honours was last year against Freo at the G. Every other game he was broken even or got pantsed.
Franko
Guest
On White, Hinkley told he he'd have more opportunity to start and generally play more of a role. I think they offered him a 3 yr deal instead of 2 also. From another forum: "White said that when he was discussing the move to Port with Hinkley at the end of the conversation, Ken asked if he was going to the GF and if he wanted to go with him and some of the Port people. White said no - because he couldn't stand going to watch other players win a flag after he hadn't played in a final. He was dropped for the elimination final. He said Ken told him that if he comes to Port, he wont go to watch a GF until Port plays in one and we can go together. He then told us 5 minutes later he rang his manager and asked to get him to Port."
Ryan
Guest
Its hilarious how quickly people turn after a few losses. The calls for the likes of Grigg and Houli to be dropper are ridiculous. One of the finest examples I have seen of creating a scapegoat out of nothing in some time. Both players have contributed valuably to the sides performance last year, and now 3 losses later there complete duds! Now people writing Richmond need to get rid of Thomas, they just got him...and his playing well! Its like articles being written about Collingwood being too small, now they are winning they of perfect physical statue. Richmond losing = too slow, Richmond winning = quick enough. You will see if Richmond manage to string a few together at some stage the "Richmond find balance of grit and speed" type articles everywhere. The Richmond situation isnt quite as bad as people are making out. Its Richmond, so its fun to laugh at there failed dreams but realistically its just not quite that bad. They were incredibly poor against Collingwood, but surely they can serve that rubbish up every week. Missing there full-back, 1st choice ruckman, best outside mid and last years B&F for the at least a few of the games has uncovered depth issues. But if they can turn it around a bit, and these 4 join the line-up than surely finals is still a possibility. Looking at the fixture, assuming they beat Brisbane( can one assume?) and than lose to Geelong and Hawthorn; they will go to the bye at 2-5. They return with 2 winnable games against GWS and Melbourne which likely leaves them at 4-5. They than have a season defining 6 game stretch; - Essendon - North Melbourne - Fremantle at MCG - Sydney at MCG - St kilda - Brisbane at MCG Pinch 3-4 of those (assuming they find some decent form) and they could be something like 7-8/8-7, which will set up a really tight end to the year. Loose 4 or more, and its curtains. Its not over quite yet for them, its close but they can still turn it around. In saying that they will only be making up the numbers outside the top 4 and not a legitimate chance, but so will every other side on the fringe.
Milo
Guest
Yes i know he was a restricted free agent, but i cant believe we didnt try harder to keep him. Dont tell me PA offered him a sheep station? I just have this perception that he doesnt fit the hardwick profile or mustve done something wrong somewhere. He showed a bit over the last few years not just last year, and i wouldve loved to have seen him played more consistently. Yeah, Couldves Shouldves Wouldves - too late now, but i hope we learn something. Whats wtih Foley? Has he been seeing the coach's wife? Yes we all know he's had an injury interrupted career but after regaining fitness last year, hasnt done a lot wrong. Why Axel (and MW) wasnt picked for the EF last year i still dont know. ANd yes he may get a game tomorrow but only through others injury/omission. Is he really that bad a kick? Is he not more valuable than at least one of the 22 that usually take the field? Clearly Im missing something.
slane
Guest
He's an outside player with no speed or class. I'd rather Matty White got games over him last season. Too late now.
Rob
Guest
Gee it has been a disappointing start for the Tigers, but great to watch for everyone else. Top 4 hopes gone, top 8 probably gone, on the plus side, they'll finish on top of Carlton this year...probably.
WOP GENIUS
Guest
Richmond, Richmond, Richmond....... I am of the opinion that the Tigers are a club who are a victim of their own expectations. I know the Tigers won games against Hawthorn and Fremantle last year. But Melbourne beat Carlton on the weekend, so does that mean the Dees are a better side than the Blues? I don't believe so.
D.Large
Guest
I doubt Grigg would get a game at Hawthorn, Freo or Geelong, has a place on your list, but a limited one for mine.
Cameron Rose
Expert
On the Richmond point Dalgety, I believe they have. Hardwick has been addicted to recruiting mature-bodied, hard-nosed midfielders - look at Ellis, Conca, Vlastuin as first picks in recent drafts. Complement that with Petterd and Thomas, when you've already got Jackson, Morris, Newman, and all of a sudden it looks pretty slow.
D.Large
Guest
I would give plenty of my hard earned to see a Lions win!
D.Large
Guest
No issue with Macaffer in general, but with his new 'hard tagging' role he has certainly joined Crowley as one of the players I would most like to see stretchered off...
D.Large
Guest
Would love to see more of Vlastuin in the guts, certainly looks like he could handle it.
D.Large
Guest
I thik time has already told, they have made one more GF than they would have without Ross.
D.Large
Guest
Certainly seems as though you have quite the hatred for Ross Axle. I can tell you St Kilda and Hawks aside, there would be 15 other clubs queing up for his services.
D.Large
Guest
Love the passion Yellow & Black!