Earl Hood

Vamos Diablos!

And what’s the recovery road for an MCL?

Gee I thought we had a few possibles not playing today, Gawn, Viney, Tracc, May, Windsor, Salem, Langdon might be chance to sneak in come round 1!

Barring a bad run with injuries I think we have the cattle for top 8 and even top 4 but we need to see the game plan and how we execute to really know where we sit.

Update just landed in my notifications has the MFC been reading this thread, perhaps?

McAdam suspected Achilles injury according to Ch7 report. Shute!

I am not sold on Goody’s new game plan at all!

We have the cattle to be top 4 but so much depends on the game plan. If we don’t adapt to the way the game is now being played we will have the likes of Fremantle, Collingwood and Brisbane running rings around us yet again.

Got very teary during his speech. A great man and a great Australian.

We have the cattle to finish top 4 but much depends on: - a good run with injuries - a competitive game plan. if we don’t change the way we play, with a fully fit and with key players in top form, we could still finish top 8 playing predictable, defensive footy but we won’t cut it come finals against the sides playing the hard running, unpredictable, offence first footy we saw last season especially from Premiers, Brisbane. The early signs I will be looking out for are: - Max taking marks around the ground and going back to take a long high kick down the line VS immediately dishing off a handball to a mid running past. - the coach lamenting the lack of connection between the midfield and forwards after we have won the hit outs, the clearances, the contested possessions and inside 50’s but still managing a close win/loss VS the coach lauding our forward efficiency that got us over the line.

Interesting comments re Ricky Mentha, I noticed him last week at Gosch’s during the confined space keeping’s off routine. Some of his footwork in heavy traffic was so impressive I had to get the phone out to double check who he was. Very Pickett like, I thought. Still might need a full season in the VFL to be ready to go.

I was thinking Kerry O’Keefe whose nickname is Skull.

And judging by the tan he must have spent the entire break on a surfboard in WA!

Just walked past Tom concentrating hard and holding a very small bundle with Ruby following behind with a pram and blond kids in Fitzroy this afternoon. Odd I didn’t pick up it was him until I was right next to him. Usually these tall AFL athletes stand out from streets away. He certainly has slimmed down.

So who is the culprit? I want names!

I agree I believe we have the cattle to finish top 4, again much will depend on luck with injuries, how many and who to but the most important factor to me will be our game plan on game day and under pressure. We are currently training in the sims with an emphasis on rapid and unpredictable ball movement connecting to players who are in space and on the move. I love it, it looks great and given the high speed, high risk ball movement we saw from the Lions in the finals this year, it is the only way to go. But will we play as we train when opposition pressure is applied and the season drags on? I have watched training in recent years and the sims have always featured quick ball movement but come game day we often revert to the predictable kick the ball long down the line stuff.

Wow, great photo, forget the players, where is that scar tree in the background?

It would be a nice change to see a variety of set plays from kick ins to be more attacking and to keep the opposition guessing. The May long kick to the left to Max near the boundary for the spoil over the boundary was playing the percentages but it slows our ball movement and makes us so predictable.

Totally agree. I hate that we have to play the Pies twice again next year. We can’t afford the injuries or suspensions. I live for the day, sometime soon when Darsknee Moore and Brayden Mayncharge get their right whack but it won’t be from us. We are the nice guys.

Same to you Mate!

Gone!

Good leaders but no nonsense, very driven types, maybe no room for humour, for enjoying the game, is that the identified area of improvement? Only guessing but lightening up, having a joke, enjoying the experience have been features of Richmond’s premiership sides and last year, McCrea played the nice guy, “let’s have fun” coach and certainly Darsknee Moore captained with a smile on his face, at least in the race before the game. Certainly leadership styles can foster an environment that encourages risk taking and tolerates failure vs an environment that punishes failure, that discourages risk taking and rewards conservative play.

My memory of Jennings is that he hadn’t played the game at a high level but had studied the game and evolving strategies in great detail. He used to have a regular spot on SEN covering game strategies as I remember and he seemed to know his stuff. I do remember one game in his last season with us where we got up to win a close one and the TV showed Goody in the box, all excited and he gave a sheepish looking Jennings a rub on the head as if to say, “I told you so!”. The thought in my mind at the time was that Goody and Jennings were at odds, the experienced practitioner coach (obsessed with defence & contested ball) had stopped listening to the theoretical (offensive, ball movement) strategist. And at the end of the season he was gone but we did go on to win a flag with Goody’s defensive game plan the next year I think it was. The review, it appears has recognised that our game plan needs changing and that Goodwin needs more resources and as part of that I hope he will be challenged on game strategy and the need to be less defensive to be more offensive.

Fingers crossed he can get back to his best after such a devastating injury. It won’t be easy. And I am still peeved that Darsknee Moore was able to get away with such a blatant act of violence with so little scrutiny!

If we rework on our game plan looking to improve our ball movement in both speed of movement and accuracy, I suspect Petty could go back and we could function adequately up forward with Disco, Rooey as the tall targets along with Fritsch and with small forwards Pickett, Spargo, Chandler. Add in Petracca spending time at half forward and maybe with some luck we also get something from McAdam and Jefferson. After watching the often extraordinary ball movement in the recent finals it stood out to me that we are now way off the pace. Let’s hope the new draftees bring some of that required leg speed and ball use!