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2007 Blog: Darren Gaspar

May 4, 2007 3:40 am
By Chris Greenway

Richmond’s youth policy, which mind you, is about a week old, has already claimed a casualty. Fullback Darren Gaspar quit today, after 12 years and over 200 games as a Tiger. The decision came after being told that the ‘youth first’ policy now adopted at Tigerland, would not guarantee him a regular game and there was little likelihood of his contract being extended beyond this year.

I do understand Darren’s reasons for resigning, however I find it a little premature and somewhat petulant considering that he had been selected for Sunday’s game against Geelong. I wish this decision had been made at the end of last season, it would have allowed the club to let Gaspar go and hang onto Andy Kellaway. Although there will be times throughout this season when Darren will be missed overall I think this is a good thing for the club. Gaspar, whilst a good stopper, is a liability once he has the ball in his hands, he can’t kick and he often gets caught with the ball while looking for a handball option. He has never really recovered from the knee injury in 2003.

This move, I believe, is an indication that Richmond are not only backing youth across every line, but they also intend to structure the backline around the impressive and much younger Graham Polak.

Thanks for the memories, Gas.

2007 Blog: Playing Kids

May 7, 2007 2:00 am
By Chris Greenway

I never expected Richmond to beat Geelong. Geelong were coming off a loss to the Kangaroos, the media and their own supporters had turned the blowtorch on them. A loss to the winless Tigers could send their season into free fall.

In response to losing the first 5 matches of the season Richmond had announced a youth policy, an announcement that culminated in the retirement of defender Darren Gaspar and left the team without a recognised fullback.

The result was never in doubt, a fired up Geelong came out and smashed the inexperienced Tigers to the tune of 157 points. Ouch!

I am glad that the side has decided to go for youth and back that policy, but I can’t help seeing it turn into a season full of beltings and I am not at all sure thats good for the development of the young players. Richmond is going through it’s own version of Groundhog Day yet again and I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

2007 Blog: Selection

May 17, 2007 8:11 pm
By Chris Greenway

After the Geelong thumping there was plenty of tough talk and advice from everyone from former players and coaches. Media and the ordinary supporter was forthcoming. Drop half the side, play the same 22, find out who really wants to play for the jumper was offered.

Terry said that players would be dropped and he was true to his word, although Simmonds and Tambling were mandatory due to injury. A couple of other things mystified me, though. Danny Meyer was dropped. It is true that Danny has done less in his 20 or so games than 2 game player Shane Edwards has done in his. It’s odd too, Danny has everything he needs to be a gun player; he’s tall for the position he plays, can take a mark, quick, skilled, clever, he’s a little light, but that’s all. What Meyer needs is confidence, the belief that he belongs at senior level. Putting him in for one game, a monumental beating at that, and then making him be one of the ones that carry’s the can for it won’t help. So dropping Meyer was odd. One of his replacements was even odder. Greg Tivendale. What on earth! Tivendale is a serial loser, he’s been playing for 9 years and still panics under pressure, I doubt there’s a player in the game who turns the ball over more on a regular basis than Tivendale. It’s gotten to the point where Richmond should just hand the ball to the opposition rather than give it to Tivendale, it’ll be the same end result and take a lot less time and effort. He got dropped for one match and played without result in Coburg reserves for God’s sake. I am convinced that Terry is playing for that no 1 draft pick and the highly credentialled Matt Kreuzer, although if Carlton can’t win a few more matches Richmond won’t even get that.

The end result was a better effort than against Geelong, but Port Adelaide barely worked up a sweat to towel Richmond by 40 points.

Shame is it can only get worse.

2007 Blog: Youth

May 21, 2007 1:31 am
By Chris Greenway

There were positives and negatives for the Tigers during Friday night’s match against Adelaide. I’ll start with the negatives:

Despite a valiant effort the game was a loss. It was only by 9 points and Adelaide are a top 4 side at home, but they don’t give out 4 points for a loss and Richmond remain winless at the bottom of the ladder.

A slow start in the first quarter and the second quarter enabled Adelaide to get the jump on Richmond. Playing young guys is no excuse for not being switched on from the first bounce.

Matthew Richardson finished the game with a broken eye socket and a fractured nose due to an errant knee from team mate Andrew Krakouer. The injury is not as serious as it could have been, but it will still sideline Richo for at least 2 weeks. Just what Richmond needed, another injury to a tall key position player. There were still positives to be taken from the game and most of them concern the youth policy. The best players for the Tigers were the cubs:

Brett Deledio, it was his explosive pace and intelligent use of the ball that got Richmond back into the game when he was moved into the centre midway through the first quarter.

Shane Edwards, in only his 3rd game the young South Australian gathered 16 possessions and stamped himself as a player to watch. He did make some mistakes, but his exuberance should be infectious and I would rather see a young bloke have a go and learn from it than allow fear and hesitation pressure him into errors.

Adam Pattison, the young ruckman has been doing it hard this season. It was good to see that going up against older, more experienced, better credentialled players has not hurt him, in fact it appears to have done the opposite. He finished the game full of running and his last quarter was probably the best he has played in his short career.

Nathan Foley, has improved his efficiency rating, never gives up and leads the league in centre clearances, would have to be the favourite for the Jack Dyer medal.

Jake King, the skinny kid from the rookie list cleaned up at half back, ran the lines and gave his opponent a huge headache.

These are the players that Richmond is counting on to take them forward in the future, it won’t be this year, but if their development can continue I may be able to write this from the standpoint of 8 wins, no losses a few years on.

2007 Blog: A Stupid Rule With Tragic Consequences

May 29, 2007 2:09 am
By Chris Greenway

The scoreline will tell you that Essendon defeated Richmond by 8 points, but there is far more to this tale than an 8 point loss.

There’s courage and tragedy. There’s stupidity, there is frustration and exhiliration. There are feats that defy mere description.

In the last quarter of the Port Adelaide match the man who more than any other of this generation that defines Richmond; Matthew Richardson, copped a stray boot from Andy Krakouer in the face. The blow, whilst friendly fire, did some damage. It broke Richo’s nose and more seriously left him with a cut that required 14 stitches above his eye and fractured the eye socket itself in at least 2 places. Early estimates put the big forward off the park for as much as 2 months. Later investigation showed that the break would not require surgery, but would need 2 - 3 weeks to heal and allow Richardson to play safely.

In the surprise selection of the round Richmond selected Richo, but dropped Jay Schulz which allowed the exciting Jack Riewoldt to make his debut. As there had been a media frenzy over teams selecting players that everyone knew wouldn’t play there was a lot of talk about this surprise selection and how the supporters were being played for fools. How could someone with injuries as serious as those sustained by Matthew Richardson possibly play a mere 8 days later? In one of the more courageous acts witnessed on a football field in recent times Richardson did take his place and did play. He was in obvious pain and you could easily see where the eye socket was broken. Everyone knows that he’s tough, but this defied belief. Not only did he play he played well. He kicked 4 goals and in the last quarter when Essendon were surging and had levelled the scores Richo took a mark, played on and goaled! Then the umpire blew his whistle, ajudged Richardson had placed a hand on Essendon defenders Mal Michael’s back thus earning the Bombers a free kick and then to rub salt into the wound paid a 50 metre penalty against the Tigers because Richo played on. This was despite a similar infringement being committed by Essendon earlier in the game and not being given any additional penalty.

I don’t have an issue with the free kick, that’s the rule, the umpire made the correct decision with the rule as it currently stands. The 50 metres was officious and proves that the umpires of today don’t have any idea about the spirit of the game, not to mention the inconsistency with the earlier incident. What I do have a problem with and have ever since the season started is the rule. This is an unpopular, unnecessary rule. We had the push in the back rule before this and then they decided that to use your hands in any way, shape or form, that includes incidental contact, was illegal. No one likes the rule, supporters, players, coaches, even the umpires loathe and detest it. The only people that think it’s a good idea are the AFL hierarchy and the rules committee that implemented it. Everyone knows this rule should be scrapped and it probably will be at the end of the season, hopefully the useless committee that brought it in the the first place will go to the same dustbin labelled: Ridiculous Ideas That Were Never Going To Work. The rule should be removed as of this minute, however the AFL are too pigheaded to admit that they made a mistake and so will continue to defend it until the end of the season when they can quietly remove it without too much being said about the entire mess.

That probably didn’t cost Richmond the game. A slow start, poor skills (yes, it cropped up yet again), bad decision making (surprise, surprise, that was there too), lack of awareness by certain players and a tendency to panic when in front combined to deny the Tigers at least one memorable win. The boys have forgotten how to win and I don’t know when I’m going to see another win.

One thing I do know is that Matthew Richardson bleeds yellow and black and deserved that win more than anyone else involved with the game.