carn tigez
Club Cricketer
I am thrilled to be announced the new coach of the Richmond Football Club. With the NAB Cup starting this week I will get right into the swing of things, and look to try out some new players in new positions during this competition. I think we have a good list with a good mix of youth and experience, however we are 2-3 years of being genuine premiership contenders. We will aim to finish in the top 10 this year with at least 10 years, and anything less will be seen as a failure. Our list is fairly solid in all areas but we could probably use 1-2 good taggers and a couple more star small forwards.
Nab Cup Round 1: Richmond v Sydney
B: Raines - Hall - Moore
HB: Newman - Rance - McMahon
C: Cotchin - Meyer - Richardson
HF: King - Riewoldt - Pettifer
F: Tambling - Bowden - Hughes
R: Putt - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Tuck - Collins - Polo - Gourdis
For this match we have made plenty of changes to last week's side. None of these are performance based as it is all just to get as many players a game as possible before the season starts. Richo will start on the wing and once again the result is not our main priority, just a good performance and a lot of positives is all we are after.
Richmond: 4.7.31 - 9.9.63 - 12.10.82 - 17.15.117
Port Adelaide: 2.5.17 - 6.11.47 - 11.14.80 - 14.16.100
Goals
Richmond: Collins 3, Riewoldt 3, Morton 2, Tambling 2, White, Polo, Cotchin, Richardson, Hughes, Gourdis, Raines
Port Adelaide: Tredrea 5, Stewart 2, White 2, Lobbe 2, K.Cornes 2, Ebert
Best
Richmond: Cotchin, Riewoldt, Newman
Sydney: Tredrea, K.Cornes, Stewart
That was a really good win to get after once again going in undermanned. We got smashed in the clearances again (33-20) despite winning the hitouts. This is a problem we will need to address, because although this isn't our strongest side the majority of them will start in round one and will need to work on their weaknesses. I was really impressed with the way we fought back in that third quarter when they kicked 4 in a row and led by 9 points, and then under pressure in the final term we played brilliantly. Andrew Collins has pretty much booked himself a spot in the round one side, as has Edwards who got 26 disposals despite only having about 70% match time. Cotchin and Morton were both sensational, Richo was great again, and Riewoldt and Gourdis combined to make a dangerous forward line. Unforunately it looks like Rance will miss the first half of the season after injuring his back, and Polak did a hammy and may miss up to 5 weeks. Next week we will go with a more experienced side and a side that will be more similar to how we will line up in round one.
We know coming into this game that Geelong are a very tough opponent, and they have named a near full strength side for this practice match. On the other hand, we have gone in without Richo, McMahon, Foley, Cotchin and Newman, who we see as a vital part of our regular 22. Nathan Brown, Kane Johnson, Troy Simmonds and Greg Tivendale are all playing their first game for the year after we rested them in the first two matches. Apart from that it is a similar side to the first to games and hopefully we are competitive, and as our midfield is near full strength we will hopefully improve in the clearances which we made a major focus at training during the week. We will use Kane Johnson to tag Gary Ablett, hopefully he can keep him under 20 touches as Kane will most likely be our number 1 tagger this year.
Richmond: 4.4.28 - 4.5.29 - 5.8.38 - 6.8.44
Geelong: 4.3.27 - 9.7.61 - 13.12.90 - 17.18.120
Goals
Richmond: Tambling 2, Pettifer, Graham, Tivendale, Brown
Geelong: S.Simpson 3, S.Johnson 2, Corey 2, Milburn 2, McKenna 2, Harley, D.Simpson, Stokes, Mooney, Ling, Ablett
Best
Richmond: Collins, Pettifer, Bowden
Geelong: Scarlett, Milburn, Chapman
A really disappointing performance there. Although we didn't expect to win, we played maybe one good quarter of footy and three quarters of crap. With the wind blowing that strong, a one point quarter time lead was never going to be good enough. Our second quarter wasn't too bad but it wasn't good either, and our third quarter, kicking with the wind and losing it by 20 points, was a disgrace. We played pretty well in the last quarter I thought but by then it didn't mean much, and the Cats had probably stopped trying. On a positive note, Kane Johnson was exceptional in keeping Gary Ablett to just 16 disposals and a goal to have him ranked 26th on the ground. Tambling, Bowden, Pettifer, Simmonds and Collins were all very good and Hughes showed positive signs up forward with 16 disposals and 6 marks, but couldn't finish and ended up with 0.4. Will Thursfield had an absolute shocker, allowing Simpson 15 disposals, 10 marks and 3 goals in just over a quarter of footy before he was dragged for the remainder of the match. Next week we will go with a full strength side and play to our best in the prequel to our round one clash against the Blues.
Richmond
B: Newman - Thursfield - McGuane
HB: Raines - Bowden - McMahon
C: Edwards - Cotchin - Johnson
HF: Tambling - Richardson - Collins
F: Pettifer - Hughes - Riewoldt
R: Simmonds - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Polo - Jackson - Brown - Gourdis
Out: Morton, Tuck, Moore, Schulz
Carlton celebrate after the siren in their 56 point flogging of Richmond
What a terrible effort. Once again we lose what we expected to win, only this time it was when it mattered.
Our first quarter was absolutely terrible. There was a 1-2 goal wind blowing their way in the first term, but that is no excuse to be down by 36 at the break. Our goal kicking was a worry at this stage with 1.4 for the term, and 0.2 to Cleve.
Our second quarter started out poorly when they kicked the first two to lead by 53 points, but we kicked 4.3 to nothing in the last 10 minutes and it looked like we might be back in it with the margin down to just 26 at half time. We flooded early in the quarter, but when we had stemmed the flow we went back to an attacking gameplan and that is when we looked dangerous.
We started the third quarter with this same gameplan and got absolutely smashed; they kicked 10 goals to 2 to put the result beyond doubt. When we were down by 75 at the last change, I told the boys all I wanted was a good performance and aim to lose by under 50. It didn't quite go to plan but we kicked 4.4 to 1.3 and lost by 56 in the end, a very disappointing result for everyone involved with the club.
Cleve Hughes was a lone star, booting 5.5 and earning his spot in the side. If he can continue to improve that goal kicking hopefully he can start turning that into 7 or 8 goals by the end of the year. Richo, Riewoldt and Johnson were the only other real standouts. Our lack of a good full back is starting to hurt us as we rotated Bowden, McGuane and Thursfield onto Fisher and none of them could stop him. Considering we won the inside 50's (62-53) we really should have been able to limit his impact. The umpiring I didn't think was flash, and when the free kick count is that lopsided (20-7) it is usually off the mark.
Cleve Hughes boots his 4th
Changes will be made to the side for this week's clash against North, who won their game narrowly in round one. We will continue to search for a good full back, and a few players who didn't contribute will also lose their spots.
Nab Cup Round 1: Richmond v Sydney
B: Raines - Hall - Moore
HB: Newman - Rance - McMahon
C: Cotchin - Meyer - Richardson
HF: King - Riewoldt - Pettifer
F: Tambling - Bowden - Hughes
R: Putt - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Tuck - Collins - Polo - Gourdis
We have gone with a very different looking side for the first hitout of the season. Joel Bowden will line up at full forward and Schulz at full back, and the beauty is we know that both are capable of playing at either end of the ground. Big Matty Richardson is going to start on the wing to see if we can use his endurance and marking more fully than we have in the past, as I believe he is wasted when used solely up forward. He still will go forward in patches but he won't be there all game. We are also going in with Putt and Gourdis as our 2 starting ruckmen, both of whom are unlikely to play in round one. Brown, Simmonds, Johnson, Foley, Pattison and Polak are all being rested but will probably play round one.
Richmond: 2.3.15 - 4.5.29 - 4.8.32 - 8.11.59
Sydney: 4.2.26 - 10.5.65 - 14.7.91 - 19.11.125
Goals
Richmond: Collins 4, Richardson 2, Hughes, Newman
Sydney: Hall 3, Davis 3, O'Loughlin 2, R.O'Keefe 2, Goodes 2, Kennelly 2, Everitt, Mathews, Fosdike, White, Barry
Best
Richmond: Collins, Coughlan, Deledio
Sydney: Fosdike, Kennelly, Bolton
We came into this game not expecting to win as we fielded a very inexperienced side. This was exposed in the middle quarters as Sydney kicked 10.5 to 2.3 and killed the contest. Our first quarter showed promising signs and in the last we played a more attacking style and used Richo more up forward than we did before. He was fantastic in both roles and finished with 23 disposals, 19 marks and 2 goals. Coughlan was terrific with 31 disposals and young star Collins left his mark with 19 disposals and 4 goals. However Collins allowed his opponent Kennelly a bit too much space which is something he will need to work on. We got smashed in the clearances (36-22) which was mainly due to our lack of experienced ruckmen, although the hitouts did finish level. Shane Tuck was the only player to really fail.
Luckily we got through the game unscathed and with no reports, and a lot of our reserves impressed in the 40 point win over Sydney's reserves. Pattison, Graham, Edwards, White and Foley were the best, and will all most likely play in next week's practice match.
Sydney: 4.2.26 - 10.5.65 - 14.7.91 - 19.11.125
Goals
Richmond: Collins 4, Richardson 2, Hughes, Newman
Sydney: Hall 3, Davis 3, O'Loughlin 2, R.O'Keefe 2, Goodes 2, Kennelly 2, Everitt, Mathews, Fosdike, White, Barry
Best
Richmond: Collins, Coughlan, Deledio
Sydney: Fosdike, Kennelly, Bolton
We came into this game not expecting to win as we fielded a very inexperienced side. This was exposed in the middle quarters as Sydney kicked 10.5 to 2.3 and killed the contest. Our first quarter showed promising signs and in the last we played a more attacking style and used Richo more up forward than we did before. He was fantastic in both roles and finished with 23 disposals, 19 marks and 2 goals. Coughlan was terrific with 31 disposals and young star Collins left his mark with 19 disposals and 4 goals. However Collins allowed his opponent Kennelly a bit too much space which is something he will need to work on. We got smashed in the clearances (36-22) which was mainly due to our lack of experienced ruckmen, although the hitouts did finish level. Shane Tuck was the only player to really fail.
Luckily we got through the game unscathed and with no reports, and a lot of our reserves impressed in the 40 point win over Sydney's reserves. Pattison, Graham, Edwards, White and Foley were the best, and will all most likely play in next week's practice match.
Practice Match: Richmond v Port Adelaide
B: Raines - Thursfield - McGuane
HB: Newman - Rance - McMahon
C: Cotchin - Meyer - Richardson
HF: Morton - Riewoldt - White
F: Tambling - Polak - Hughes
R: Pattison - Foley - Deledio
I/C: Edwards - Collins - Polo - Gourdis
In: Thursfield, White, Pattison, McGuane, Foley, Edwards, Morton, Polak
Out: Schulz, Pettifer, Putt, Moore, Coughlan, Tuck, King, Bowden
B: Raines - Thursfield - McGuane
HB: Newman - Rance - McMahon
C: Cotchin - Meyer - Richardson
HF: Morton - Riewoldt - White
F: Tambling - Polak - Hughes
R: Pattison - Foley - Deledio
I/C: Edwards - Collins - Polo - Gourdis
In: Thursfield, White, Pattison, McGuane, Foley, Edwards, Morton, Polak
Out: Schulz, Pettifer, Putt, Moore, Coughlan, Tuck, King, Bowden
For this match we have made plenty of changes to last week's side. None of these are performance based as it is all just to get as many players a game as possible before the season starts. Richo will start on the wing and once again the result is not our main priority, just a good performance and a lot of positives is all we are after.
Richmond: 4.7.31 - 9.9.63 - 12.10.82 - 17.15.117
Port Adelaide: 2.5.17 - 6.11.47 - 11.14.80 - 14.16.100
Goals
Richmond: Collins 3, Riewoldt 3, Morton 2, Tambling 2, White, Polo, Cotchin, Richardson, Hughes, Gourdis, Raines
Port Adelaide: Tredrea 5, Stewart 2, White 2, Lobbe 2, K.Cornes 2, Ebert
Best
Richmond: Cotchin, Riewoldt, Newman
Sydney: Tredrea, K.Cornes, Stewart
That was a really good win to get after once again going in undermanned. We got smashed in the clearances again (33-20) despite winning the hitouts. This is a problem we will need to address, because although this isn't our strongest side the majority of them will start in round one and will need to work on their weaknesses. I was really impressed with the way we fought back in that third quarter when they kicked 4 in a row and led by 9 points, and then under pressure in the final term we played brilliantly. Andrew Collins has pretty much booked himself a spot in the round one side, as has Edwards who got 26 disposals despite only having about 70% match time. Cotchin and Morton were both sensational, Richo was great again, and Riewoldt and Gourdis combined to make a dangerous forward line. Unforunately it looks like Rance will miss the first half of the season after injuring his back, and Polak did a hammy and may miss up to 5 weeks. Next week we will go with a more experienced side and a side that will be more similar to how we will line up in round one.
Practice Match: Richmond v Geelong
B: White - Thursfield - McGuane
HB: King - Bowden - Oakley-Nicholls
C: Edwards - Brown - Johnson
HF: Morton - Riewoldt - Collins
F: Pettifer - Hughes - Tambling
R: Simmonds - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Tuck - Moore - Tivendale - Graham
B: White - Thursfield - McGuane
HB: King - Bowden - Oakley-Nicholls
C: Edwards - Brown - Johnson
HF: Morton - Riewoldt - Collins
F: Pettifer - Hughes - Tambling
R: Simmonds - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Tuck - Moore - Tivendale - Graham
We know coming into this game that Geelong are a very tough opponent, and they have named a near full strength side for this practice match. On the other hand, we have gone in without Richo, McMahon, Foley, Cotchin and Newman, who we see as a vital part of our regular 22. Nathan Brown, Kane Johnson, Troy Simmonds and Greg Tivendale are all playing their first game for the year after we rested them in the first two matches. Apart from that it is a similar side to the first to games and hopefully we are competitive, and as our midfield is near full strength we will hopefully improve in the clearances which we made a major focus at training during the week. We will use Kane Johnson to tag Gary Ablett, hopefully he can keep him under 20 touches as Kane will most likely be our number 1 tagger this year.
Richmond: 4.4.28 - 4.5.29 - 5.8.38 - 6.8.44
Geelong: 4.3.27 - 9.7.61 - 13.12.90 - 17.18.120
Goals
Richmond: Tambling 2, Pettifer, Graham, Tivendale, Brown
Geelong: S.Simpson 3, S.Johnson 2, Corey 2, Milburn 2, McKenna 2, Harley, D.Simpson, Stokes, Mooney, Ling, Ablett
Best
Richmond: Collins, Pettifer, Bowden
Geelong: Scarlett, Milburn, Chapman
A really disappointing performance there. Although we didn't expect to win, we played maybe one good quarter of footy and three quarters of crap. With the wind blowing that strong, a one point quarter time lead was never going to be good enough. Our second quarter wasn't too bad but it wasn't good either, and our third quarter, kicking with the wind and losing it by 20 points, was a disgrace. We played pretty well in the last quarter I thought but by then it didn't mean much, and the Cats had probably stopped trying. On a positive note, Kane Johnson was exceptional in keeping Gary Ablett to just 16 disposals and a goal to have him ranked 26th on the ground. Tambling, Bowden, Pettifer, Simmonds and Collins were all very good and Hughes showed positive signs up forward with 16 disposals and 6 marks, but couldn't finish and ended up with 0.4. Will Thursfield had an absolute shocker, allowing Simpson 15 disposals, 10 marks and 3 goals in just over a quarter of footy before he was dragged for the remainder of the match. Next week we will go with a full strength side and play to our best in the prequel to our round one clash against the Blues.
Practice Match: Richmond v Carlton
B: Newman - Moore - McGuane
HB: Raines - Bowden - McMahon
C: Edwards - Cotchin - Johnson
HF: Tambling - Schulz - Collins
F: Pettifer - Richardson - Hughes
R: Simmonds - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Tuck - Morton - Brown - Gourdis
B: Newman - Moore - McGuane
HB: Raines - Bowden - McMahon
C: Edwards - Cotchin - Johnson
HF: Tambling - Schulz - Collins
F: Pettifer - Richardson - Hughes
R: Simmonds - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Tuck - Morton - Brown - Gourdis
This side will be very similar to the one selected in round one, with only form from this match and injuries causing any changes. Richo will line up at full forward as our forward line is empty without him, but he will move to the wing at times if needed. Gourdis was chosen for second ruck as he was the best of the 3 throughout the pre season so far, but he will need to perform reasonable well to stay for round one. This side is very strong and we will aim for nothing less than a win.
Richmond: 3.3.21 - 4.8.32 - 7.11.53 - 9.15.69
Carlton: 2.3.15 - 8.9.57 - 15.10.100 - 18.13.121
Goals
Richmond: Brown 2, Tambling 2, Richardson, Edwards, Johnson, Hughes, Bowden
Carlton: Stevens 4, Fisher 4, Judd 2, Blackwell 2, Hadley, Bentick, Gibbs, Fevola, Walker, Browne
Best
Richmond: Bowden, Tambling, Coughlan
Carlton: Walker, Stevens, Browne
That is not how we planned to finish our pre season. With a full strength side we expected a win and after the first quarter it seemed likely we would get it. I have no idea what happened after quarter time but from then we played some horrible footy and in the end lost by 52 points, in a game we really should have won. We lost clearances 31-20, and we also got beaten in inside 50's 61-49. Bowden was very good on Fevola, holding him to 19 disposals and a goal while he picked up 20 disposals, 11 marks and a goal including 11 possessions in the first quarter. Tambling was brilliant in the middle where he gathered 30 touches and kicked 2 goals, and once again Hughes impressed with everything bar his goal kicking. We will make that a major focus for him at training this week. This week in our round one clash we will expect a far more competitive effort.
Richmond: 3.3.21 - 4.8.32 - 7.11.53 - 9.15.69
Carlton: 2.3.15 - 8.9.57 - 15.10.100 - 18.13.121
Goals
Richmond: Brown 2, Tambling 2, Richardson, Edwards, Johnson, Hughes, Bowden
Carlton: Stevens 4, Fisher 4, Judd 2, Blackwell 2, Hadley, Bentick, Gibbs, Fevola, Walker, Browne
Best
Richmond: Bowden, Tambling, Coughlan
Carlton: Walker, Stevens, Browne
That is not how we planned to finish our pre season. With a full strength side we expected a win and after the first quarter it seemed likely we would get it. I have no idea what happened after quarter time but from then we played some horrible footy and in the end lost by 52 points, in a game we really should have won. We lost clearances 31-20, and we also got beaten in inside 50's 61-49. Bowden was very good on Fevola, holding him to 19 disposals and a goal while he picked up 20 disposals, 11 marks and a goal including 11 possessions in the first quarter. Tambling was brilliant in the middle where he gathered 30 touches and kicked 2 goals, and once again Hughes impressed with everything bar his goal kicking. We will make that a major focus for him at training this week. This week in our round one clash we will expect a far more competitive effort.
Round 1
V


Richmond
B: Newman - Thursfield - McGuane
HB: Raines - Bowden - McMahon
C: Edwards - Cotchin - Johnson
HF: Tambling - Richardson - Collins
F: Pettifer - Hughes - Riewoldt
R: Simmonds - Coughlan - Deledio
I/C: Polo - Jackson - Brown - Gourdis
Out: Morton, Tuck, Moore, Schulz
This is going to be a big test for our boys, having been thrashed by the Blues last week. It will be interesting to see how we bounce back, only 4 changes have been made so it is up to the playing group to find an answer that wasn't there last week.
The Blues are favourites for this match and after last week that is fair enough. The key for us will be to restrict Fevola and Judd, if they have limited impact then it will bode well for our chances. Kane Johnson will start the match on Judd and hopefully he does a better job this week, while once again it is up to Bowden to play on Fev. Moore has been dropped and Thursfield will get first crack at full back, which is an area we need to cover pretty quickly as we haven't been strong there in the pre season.
For us to win we will need to lift in the clearances which is where we have struggled throughout the pre season. Our physical pressure around the contests was lacking in the past two games but I am confident the boys will lift in that regard, as I told them to be careful in the pre season. Hughes will need to make the most of his chances this game, and Richo will be looking to recover from his shocker last week. Against a side I rate similar to our own, a win by any margin is all we will be happy with.
Richmond: 1.4.10 - 5.7.37 - 7.8.50 - 11.12.78
Carlton: 7.4.46 - 9.9.63 - 19.11.125 - 20.14.134
Goals
Richmond: Hughes 5, Johnson 2, Richardson, Edwards, Newman, Cotchin
Carlton: Fisher 8, Fevola 3, Betts 2, Hartlett 2, Browne, Scotland, Saddington, Kruezer, Judd
Best
Richmond: Raines, Hughes, Johnson
Carlton: Kreuzer, Fevola, Waite
The Blues are favourites for this match and after last week that is fair enough. The key for us will be to restrict Fevola and Judd, if they have limited impact then it will bode well for our chances. Kane Johnson will start the match on Judd and hopefully he does a better job this week, while once again it is up to Bowden to play on Fev. Moore has been dropped and Thursfield will get first crack at full back, which is an area we need to cover pretty quickly as we haven't been strong there in the pre season.
For us to win we will need to lift in the clearances which is where we have struggled throughout the pre season. Our physical pressure around the contests was lacking in the past two games but I am confident the boys will lift in that regard, as I told them to be careful in the pre season. Hughes will need to make the most of his chances this game, and Richo will be looking to recover from his shocker last week. Against a side I rate similar to our own, a win by any margin is all we will be happy with.
Richmond: 1.4.10 - 5.7.37 - 7.8.50 - 11.12.78
Carlton: 7.4.46 - 9.9.63 - 19.11.125 - 20.14.134
Goals
Richmond: Hughes 5, Johnson 2, Richardson, Edwards, Newman, Cotchin
Carlton: Fisher 8, Fevola 3, Betts 2, Hartlett 2, Browne, Scotland, Saddington, Kruezer, Judd
Best
Richmond: Raines, Hughes, Johnson
Carlton: Kreuzer, Fevola, Waite

Carlton celebrate after the siren in their 56 point flogging of Richmond
What a terrible effort. Once again we lose what we expected to win, only this time it was when it mattered.
Our first quarter was absolutely terrible. There was a 1-2 goal wind blowing their way in the first term, but that is no excuse to be down by 36 at the break. Our goal kicking was a worry at this stage with 1.4 for the term, and 0.2 to Cleve.
Our second quarter started out poorly when they kicked the first two to lead by 53 points, but we kicked 4.3 to nothing in the last 10 minutes and it looked like we might be back in it with the margin down to just 26 at half time. We flooded early in the quarter, but when we had stemmed the flow we went back to an attacking gameplan and that is when we looked dangerous.
We started the third quarter with this same gameplan and got absolutely smashed; they kicked 10 goals to 2 to put the result beyond doubt. When we were down by 75 at the last change, I told the boys all I wanted was a good performance and aim to lose by under 50. It didn't quite go to plan but we kicked 4.4 to 1.3 and lost by 56 in the end, a very disappointing result for everyone involved with the club.
Cleve Hughes was a lone star, booting 5.5 and earning his spot in the side. If he can continue to improve that goal kicking hopefully he can start turning that into 7 or 8 goals by the end of the year. Richo, Riewoldt and Johnson were the only other real standouts. Our lack of a good full back is starting to hurt us as we rotated Bowden, McGuane and Thursfield onto Fisher and none of them could stop him. Considering we won the inside 50's (62-53) we really should have been able to limit his impact. The umpiring I didn't think was flash, and when the free kick count is that lopsided (20-7) it is usually off the mark.

Cleve Hughes boots his 4th
Changes will be made to the side for this week's clash against North, who won their game narrowly in round one. We will continue to search for a good full back, and a few players who didn't contribute will also lose their spots.
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