Teams 2007 Review and 2008 Preview

[Pup]

Well to pass my time over summer that is not filled by numerous other sports/study and work and also to get my footy fix i thought i would review 2007 and preview 2008 and beyond for every team over the next month or so. I will post each team about three or so days after each other depending on when i finsh them (May be earlier or may be later) Will start from Wooden Spooners and work up to the Premiers.

Richmond 16th

Arrivals

Jordan McMahon (WB), Mitch Morton (WCE), Angus Graham (R), Jake King (R), Trent Cotchin (2), Alex Rance (18 P), Dean Putt (55)

Departures

Darren Gaspar, Ray Hall, Kent Kingsley, Trent Knobel, Patrick Bowden, Brent Hartigan, Andrew Krakour, Carl Peterson.

2007

2007 was a terrible year for the Tigers, It was hard to find to many positives when the side only won 3 out of 22 games. The way they started was diabolical, to be 0 from 11 is nearly unheard of in this day and age, and to make matters worse lost in Rnd 6 by a massive 157 points to the eventual premiers. The midfield was held up bravely by one of the most improved players in the competition in Nathan Foley who amassed 534 Possesions for the year at an average of 24 a game. Matthew Richardson was as prominent as he always his, you can doubt his body language and kicking ability but no one can doubt his passion, work rate and amazing talent that he does have. He was rewarded for this with his first best and fairest for the club. They unearthed a talented mature rookie in Jake King and where rewarded for picking up Graham Polak who was very nearly recruit of the year. One other pleasing aspect was that Nathan Brown got a considerable amount of game time after returning from that horrendous leg injury. All in all a very poor season for the Tigers but at least the faithful had something to be pleased with.

Best Game
Rnd 19 Vs Collingwood at the MCG

Richmond stunned a highley fancied Collingwood to win by 20 points, Bowden was good, while Foley was terrific having 28 disposals. Deledio proved he can be a match winner kicking 5 goals in a polished display.

Worst Game
Rnd 6 Vs Geelong at TD

No doubt that this was the most one sided game of the year, Richmond were as bad as Geelong were good. Cats led by an amazing 18 goals at half time and ended up running out winners by 26. Foley was the only shining light with 28 possesions, while Geelong did what they pleased n the 157 point win.

Who Stood Up

Nathan Foley, Matthew Richardson, Jake King, Graham Polak

Who needs a big 2008.

Jarrod Oakley Nicholls- Has not shown much (If any) improvement since being drafted after being touted as a future star. Needs a massive 08 to silence his critics and confirm his future.

Mark Coughlan- After 2 knee Recos, this talented midfielder needs to prove to himself and the tigers faithful that he is still a force and can contribute through the middle.I hope he does well because i am a fan but i have reservations.

One to look out for

Jack Rewoldt- After a year in the system and after playing well in the VFL he will be keen and ready to play more senior football for Richmond and have a decent impact.

08 and Beyond

IMO they have done well in the off season, aquiring pace and skill through Mitch Morton and Jordan McMahon. They also where the winners in the draft along with WCE IMO picking up a brilliant midfielder in Cotchin and IMO the best key back prospect in Alex Rance. These 2 wont make a big difference in 08 but during 09 and beyond look out! They need Simmonds to hold up the ruck stocks, with an injury free year. They will be hoping Pettifer, Schulz, Brown can support Richo so they can kick a winning score. Brett Deledio needs to stamp himself on more games and become a genuine midfielder instead of a HFF, HBF. Even with these handy additions i cant see the Tigers improving a great deal. Backman stocks look a little thin especially with injury clouds over Thursfield and co.

Pups Prediction 13th to 16th

Next to Come- Melbourne Demons

[Rik E Boy]

13th to 16th? Really going out on a limb there Pupster. At least predict a ladder if you going into all this analysis.

A good start with your review/preview but you neglected to mention one unalterable fact; Richmond's list has been badly mismanaged over the past few years and this is why they ended up 0-11. You can't go into a season with an injured Simmonds with only Pattison as a back up in the rucks and they have paid big time for taking Tambling ahead of Franklin.

regards,

REB

[Pup]

13th to 16th? Really going out on a limb there Pupster. At least predict a ladder if you going into all this analysis.

A good start with your review/preview but you neglected to mention one unalterable fact; Richmond's list has been badly mismanaged over the past few years and this is why they ended up 0-11. You can't go into a season with an injured Simmonds with only Pattison as a back up in the rucks and they have paid big time for taking Tambling ahead of Franklin.

regards,

REB

Agree, The likes of Tambling, Oakley Nicholls, Krakouer (Before last year),Chris Hyde, Danny Myer and Patrick Bowden just dont do enough, Early picks have haunted Richmond picking Tambling before Buddy and picking Fiora before Pavlich. Yes i was being conservative with my ladder position, I think that they are certain to finish bottom 4, Most likely 16th.

[Blue Boy]

This might be one of those years that happen every now and then where Richmond might be a bit more competitive !!!

[Rik E Boy]

This might be one of those years that happen every now and then where Richmond might be a bit more competitive !!!

You might be right Bleu Boy. They made the finals in 95 and 01 so 08 could be the next extremely slow cab off the rank. Either that or they missed their chance in 06 and will have to wait until 2017.

regards,

REB

[Dirko]

This might be one of those years that happen every now and then where Richmond might be a bit more competitive !!!

They will be more competetive, but so will the other 14 teams (excluding Essendon).
Richmond for mine will finish 15th. Wallace is gawn and another lot of chicken shit will
be dumped at Punt Rd.

[Blue Boy]

This might be one of those years that happen every now and then where Richmond might be a bit more competitive !!!

They will be more competetive, but so will the other 14 teams (excluding Essendon).
Richmond for mine will finish 15th. Wallace is gawn and another lot of chicken s***t will
be dumped at Punt Rd.

You are correct about Essendon IMO - but I have the Tigers fininshing above my Crows !!!

[Dirko]

You are correct about Essendon IMO - but I have the Tigers finishing above my Crows !!!

What Where do you see the Crows finishing. For mine it'd be 8th barring injuries, 10th with a bad trot.
I can't see Richmond pulling that out of the bag...

[Blue Boy]

You are correct about Essendon IMO - but I have the Tigers finishing above my Crows !!!

What Where do you see the Crows finishing. For mine it'd be 8th barring injuries, 10th with a bad trot.
I can't see Richmond pulling that out of the bag...

Not expecting much from the Crows in 2008 and not to be with in the final 8 at all as im really hoping that we play the kids and history suggests that we may be a light lean on wins.

[JK]

You are correct about Essendon IMO - but I have the Tigers finishing above my Crows !!!

What Where do you see the Crows finishing. For mine it'd be 8th barring injuries, 10th with a bad trot.
I can't see Richmond pulling that out of the bag...

Not expecting much from the Crows in 2008 and not to be with in the final 8 at all as im really hoping that we play the kids and history suggests that we may be a light lean on wins.

Question for you BB ... If hypothetically, the Crows were to miss the 8 (which most of us believe will happen) - Would your prefer to see them just miss out (say 9th or 10th), or would you prefer to see them have a shambles of a year and finish 15th or 14th for the better draft pick?

[heater31]

Question for you BB ... If hypothetically, the Crows were to miss the 8 (which most of us believe will happen) - Would your prefer to see them just miss out (say 9th or 10th), or would you prefer to see them have a shambles of a year and finish 15th or 14th for the better draft pick?

Whilst I'm not Bluey but I hope that the crows don't "tank" for an early draft pick beacuse there is a high chance of them f**king it up

[Rik E Boy]

Nah, the Crows won't finish behind Richmond. But the improvement required just to maintain their spot in the top eight isn't there IMO.

regards,


REB

[Hondo]

I feel relief actually that our (Crows) expectations for 2008 are lower - last year it was GF appearance after 2 Prelims. Now the focus can be on developing the kids, NC will have his greatest test so far.

No way do I want to chase early draft picks - I want the team to be as competitive as it can be.

[Blue Boy]

You are correct about Essendon IMO - but I have the Tigers finishing above my Crows !!!

What Where do you see the Crows finishing. For mine it'd be 8th barring injuries, 10th with a bad trot.
I can't see Richmond pulling that out of the bag...

Not expecting much from the Crows in 2008 and not to be with in the final 8 at all as im really hoping that we play the kids and history suggests that we may be a light lean on wins.

Question for you BB ... If hypothetically, the Crows were to miss the 8 (which most of us believe will happen) - Would your prefer to see them just miss out (say 9th or 10th), or would you prefer to see them have a shambles of a year and finish 15th or 14th for the better draft pick?

I would be happy to see the kids gettin game time and none of this two games in and two games out type stuff !!!

If we are competitve with a plan for the future and we lost more games than we won I wouldnt be upset with the club as some of our lads really need some exposure !!!

There obviously has to be a mixture of new and old but I would be pretty mad with the club if they dont drop senior players out of form and drop a young kid for a name player as they have done in the past !!!

In a nut shell there is a balance between being competitive and being a shambles - lets hope mummbles doesnt stuff it up !!!

[Pup]

Melbourne 14th

Arrivals- John Meesen (Adel) Jacob Bode (R), Kyle Cheney (53), Jack Grimes (14), Adam Maric (21), Tom McNamara (66) and Cale Morton (4)

Departures- Clint Bizzell, Nathan D Brown, Byron Pickett, Travis Johnstone, Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Heath Neville and Daniel Ward.

Best Game
In front of over 70 thousand people, Melbourne proved to good for Collingwood in a game that did not reach any real heights. Brock McLean was good with 26 possesions, while Russel Robertson was the match winner with 7 goals. Melbourne ran out winners by 13 points. The Brownlow votes went to Robbo, Brock and Ben Johnson for the losers.

Worst Game
You could hear the Melbourne fans hearts breaking as Scott Lucas put Essendon back in front with the last kick of the game in Neale Danihers last game as coach. A game that should not have been lost from that position. It was a terrible way to go out for Neale and you could see how much it meant to the senior players. Neitz and Robbo battled hard with injuries and kicked 3 each while James Macdonald continued his good form with 26 touches as did Brock McLean. The brownlow votes went to Lucas, Hird and the improving McLean for the demons.

Who Stood Up James McDonald, Nathan Jones, Russel Robertson, Brad Green and Michael Newton

2007

A hard year for this proud Melbourne club, they lost a very good coach who actually has quite a good record while at the club. They finished 14th on the ladder and really didnt live up to their expectations at the start of the year. A lot of experts had this side being the big chance to knock over the interstate dominance. How wrong they were! Once again they where held up by too few players. James MacDonald who seems to get better with age had another very good year from HB and through the middle. Nathan Jones who looks and plays like a 30 year old yet is only 19, performed with so much maturity in the midfield. He has the talent and the workrate to just about be anything. They unearthed a quality forward for the future in Michael Newton, he can jump, kick and has excellent presence in the forward line. Injuries did hurt the club with Robbo, Neitz, Bruce and co spending extended time on the sidelines. My problem with their side is the backline, with Bizzell gone , Holland is on his last legs, Ferguson got the chop. Carroll is the only one they can look for to stop the big forwards like Gehrig, Lynch, Lloyd and co. They really need Rivers and Frawley to come on in leaps and bounds to give the backline a good feel to it. You just cant start the year with an 0-9 run and that proved to be the case.

Players who need a big 08
Paul Johnson- Is on his last legs with meesen arriving. Had 2 years at WCE and now into his 4th at Melbourne and has still only played 27 games without making any serious inroads. He struggles at CHF and is probably not big enough to be a full time ruckmen. Make or break year for Paul as Melb have White, Jamr and now Meesen. Needs to play 18+ games and hold down a spot in the forward line.

Cameron Bruce- This may seem hard but he really is the key to this club with Russel Robertson. He is a great player but IMO he needs to step up and become an elite player. he has all the attributes, he can kick, has a fantastic motor and can get forward and kick goals. If Melbourne are going to improve then he is the bloke that is going to start the trend. Expect big things from Bruce in 08 or Robert Walls comments about trading him wont look so silly.

08 and beyond
They did pretty well out of the draft picking up a terrific player in Morton who may slot straight in their side next year, The best small forward in the draft by a mile and the most accurate kick for goal to ever come out of the draft (Maric.). The question is do they have the improvement in their squad? They have a lot of good players but not many great ones such as Bruce, Green, McDonald, Johnstone (Last year) and co. They really need one or both of Bruce and Green to step up. Blokes like Neitz and Yze ar finished IMO and should be their last year so you cant expect to much out of them. It is important that Rivers realises how important he is to this side, he along with Frawley need to develop their games and become regulars, in Rivers case get back to the form we all know he is capable of. Robbo will have to do the brunt of the scoring again although hopefully Newton after round 2 can develop even more and become a 30+ goal kicker next year.

Player to look out for
Nathan Jones- Plays with so much maturity for someone so young, Has really come on in leaps and bounds since he debuted. Expect him to keep improving and IMO could become one of the best midfielders from last years draft. (Behind Selwood)

Pups Prediction
Will improve but not enough to play finals, Should finish between 10th and 13th. IMO 12th.

Next Up- Carlton

[Dirko]

Looking forward to the Carlton wrap Pup...

[stan]

Thats a good analysis of melbourne, as for there predicition i think its more like 14 - 16. I feel they have a good young group that will provide a few upsets along the way, but have lost some senior players.

[Dutchy]

Thats a good analysis of melbourne, as for there predicition i think its more like 14 - 16. I feel they have a good young group that will provide a few upsets along the way, but have lost some senior players.

agree no higher than 14th for me and if Richmond can get their arse out of gear the D's might be looking at a wooden kitchen item

[heater31]

Melbourne 14th

Arrivals- John Meesen (Adel) Jacob Bode (R), Kyle Cheney (53), Jack Grimes (14), Adam Maric (21), Tom McNamara (66) and Cale Morton (4)

Think you will find its Jace Bode there Pup.

[Pup]

You are right. Typo.