Wallace; Skills; Richo
I've always thought that Terry Wallace made a fair bit of sense and had some reasonable thoughts on the game. His tenure at Richmond, and indeed his entire coaching future, must now be under a cloud after the Tigers' insipid opening round performance.
After four seasons and five pre-seasons, the Tigers under Wallace continue to demonstrate deplorable disposal skills in most circumstances. The question, again, is whether Wallace is the reason, the solution, asleep at the wheel, or a passenger in a bus crash.
As a player, Wallace certainly wasn't considered skillful. His was a get-the-ball-forward-any-old-way style that very much suited the roles he played at Hawthorn and Richmond. It's not unreasonable to anticipate that teams will take on some of the instinctive style traits of their coach, and yet the Bulldogs, under Wallace, were not the skills trainwreck that the Tigers have become.
Regular Aussie Rules Blog readers will be aghast to read that I think Wallace is a passenger in a bus crash — and the bus is being driven by Richo!
Notwithstanding his seven hundred-odd goals, or his obvious dedication to the Tigers' cause, or his undoubted physical work ethic, Richo's status as hugely-favoured hero of the Tigers faithful in spite of his apalling disposal, goal-kicking and decision-making at crucial times simply means that there is no real pressure for the Tigers' lesser lights to aspire to anything better. Even those, like Andrew Raines, who arrive at the club with silky skills are, within a few short seasons, reduced to virtual turnover factories. Jordan McMahon looks a shadow of the precise deliverer who once played with the Bulldogs.
It will take a turnover of at least a generation of footballers after Richo retires before the Tigers can contemplate the return to a skills-based gameplan.
Cousins
Whoever gave the nod for Cousins to return to the field in the final quarter, be it club doctor, physio, right up to and including the senior coach if necessary, should be summarily sacked. This is not about Cousins himself, who I think had a fairly ordinary contribution (which is what I'd expected). This is about the reason for all the hype surrounding the Tigers, the figure who generated the interest, the memberships, the expectation, the Cuz buzz!
To sacrifice all of these positives, let alone on-field presence and regaining of match fitness, for an inconsequential run in the last quarter of a clearly lost cause right after a three-quarter-time break where the player's fitness was very obviously in question, is not simply a tragedy. It is incompetence of the highest order!
What's that sound?
In the background you'll hear a sound like a distant waterfall, or a rogue compressed air hose thrashing its jet of high-pressure air about wildly. Don't panic — it's merely the sound of people jumping back off the Richmond bandwagon!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Game One washup
I've always thought that Terry Wallace made a fair bit of sense and had some reasonable thoughts on the game. His tenure at Richmond, and indeed his entire coaching future, must now be under a cloud after the Tigers' insipid opening round performance.
After four seasons and five pre-seasons, the Tigers under Wallace continue to demonstrate deplorable disposal skills in most circumstances. The question, again, is whether Wallace is the reason, the solution, asleep at the wheel, or a passenger in a bus crash.
As a player, Wallace certainly wasn't considered skillful. His was a get-the-ball-forward-any-old-way style that very much suited the roles he played at Hawthorn and Richmond. It's not unreasonable to anticipate that teams will take on some of the instinctive style traits of their coach, and yet the Bulldogs, under Wallace, were not the skills trainwreck that the Tigers have become.
Regular Aussie Rules Blog readers will be aghast to read that I think Wallace is a passenger in a bus crash — and the bus is being driven by Richo!
Notwithstanding his seven hundred-odd goals, or his obvious dedication to the Tigers' cause, or his undoubted physical work ethic, Richo's status as hugely-favoured hero of the Tigers faithful in spite of his apalling disposal, goal-kicking and decision-making at crucial times simply means that there is no real pressure for the Tigers' lesser lights to aspire to anything better. Even those, like Andrew Raines, who arrive at the club with silky skills are, within a few short seasons, reduced to virtual turnover factories. Jordan McMahon looks a shadow of the precise deliverer who once played with the Bulldogs.
It will take a turnover of at least a generation of footballers after Richo retires before the Tigers can contemplate the return to a skills-based gameplan.
Cousins
Whoever gave the nod for Cousins to return to the field in the final quarter, be it club doctor, physio, right up to and including the senior coach if necessary, should be summarily sacked. This is not about Cousins himself, who I think had a fairly ordinary contribution (which is what I'd expected). This is about the reason for all the hype surrounding the Tigers, the figure who generated the interest, the memberships, the expectation, the Cuz buzz!
To sacrifice all of these positives, let alone on-field presence and regaining of match fitness, for an inconsequential run in the last quarter of a clearly lost cause right after a three-quarter-time break where the player's fitness was very obviously in question, is not simply a tragedy. It is incompetence of the highest order!
What's that sound?
In the background you'll hear a sound like a distant waterfall, or a rogue compressed air hose thrashing its jet of high-pressure air about wildly. Don't panic — it's merely the sound of people jumping back off the Richmond bandwagon!
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2 comments:
I have to agree with most of what you wrote...
I do not think Richo is the main problem, more aimed at the coach and skills coach.
I was listening to Andrew Jarman talking about his new coaching gig down at Perth Demons in the WAFL and his comments about getting rid of certain players was simply "If you cant kick, the games simplest skill, your not on my team".
As I've written on your blog regarding both Richardson and Franklin, Kick2Kick, when they do the ordinary as well as they occasionally do the extraordinary they'll be entitled to the "champion" tag. If Richardson is not the centre of the skills issue, how do you demand better of everyone else, but continue to laud Richardson as a champion, even when he screws up? (Heaven help me for writing this) I agree with Jarman. Accurate and efficient disposal is not negotiable or part-time.
Appreciate you reading and commenting.
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