Finals week one

[liz]

It's because they don't over commit to the contest. They trust their teammates to do their job. How often did I see Hawthorn have two players go for a mark only to spoil each other. Or two players both commit to a contested possession. Where Richmond would commit one with a team mate standing by to take possession and propel them forward. Thats why they always seem to have a free player. Swans are also often guilty of over committing numbers to the ball. Drives me crazy. Usually both players end up out of the contest resulting in the opposition catching us on the counter.

Very good observation. Confidence in the game plan and trust in team mates to stick to that game plan are the single biggest assets a team can have, IMO. The Geelong team of the late noughties had it in buckets, which enabled their players to play high risk footy. (It helped that they had a lot of players with the skill to execute.) The Swans had it to some degree in 2012, which enable them to apply huge pressure (in 2012-terms) to knock off the more fancied teams. The Hawks most certainly had it, and now the Tigers do too.


The thing I've noticed this year about Richmond is how much their skills have improved since last year. I watched the 2017 QF between Richmond and Geelong and wasn't impressed by either team. Richmond's pressure was fantastic but their ball use was ordinary and they were lucky that the Cats weren't able to take advantage of their periods of dominance. The Tigers' skill level improved somewhat as the 2017 finals went on, but it's gone to a whole new level in 2018. I daresay a lot of that comes with confidence. The rest of us just have to hope that it tips over to over-confidence in the not too distant future, and they stop doing the little things that make them such a formidable team at the moment.

[Meg]

Finals week one

Agree with both FS & Liz.

Last year Richmond seemed to me to be almost accidental premiers, the last team standing when the music stopped. But this year they have looked the real deal. Hard to pinpoint where the improvement came from - but I agree that high levels of confidence & trust in other players seem to have a lot to do with it.

[stevoswan]

Agree with both FS & Liz.

Last year Richmond seemed to me to be almost accidental premiers, the last team standing when the music stopped. But this year they have looked the real deal. Hard to pinpoint where the improvement came from - but I agree that high levels of confidence & trust in other players seem to have a lot to do with it.

Besides their undoubted talent, their supreme confidence in their team mates to have their back and the fact that, as a result, they are loving playing the game at the moment.....makes for a powerful combination of positives. I can't see them being beaten or endangering that by becoming overconfident as the years of being 'almost' I suspect helps keep them humble and grounded in reality......our team doesn't have that supreme confidence in one another at the moment but we will I believe, very soon.

Add to that, the fact that Richmond, like all the Vic teams, know that the AFL have their back, a luxury no interstate team, especially the Swans, are afforded. That's yet another layer of confidence for the Tigers......but good luck to them, they have persevered through tough times and are undoubtedly the best team at the moment.

[Hotpotato]

Tigers are brilliant entertainment and I won’t begrudge them being Premiers again (can’t see the Swans getting as far as the last game).
Dusty just embodies their play-on mentality, their skill to hit targets and and the one percentage taps and deft soccers to advantage (adjusting to the wet).
They are very slippery and elusive to shut down and all love being out there creating mayhem and scoring .
They must be a very fit team and now they have been Lynched . Bugger.

[giant]

Tigers are brilliant entertainment and I won’t begrudge them being Premiers again (can’t see the Swans getting as far as the last game).
Dusty just embodies their play-on mentality, their skill to hit targets and and the one percentage taps and deft soccers to advantage (adjusting to the wet).
They are very slippery and elusive to shut down and all love being out there creating mayhem and scoring .
They must be a very fit team and now they have been Lynched . Bugger.

Saw the Tiges Swans game at Eithad earlier this year and their run even at the end of the game was amazing. Was shocked me was seeing Nankervis run Sinclair into the ground; I'd always imagined Sinclair to be fit/mobile - looked like a log compared to Toby.

[liz]

They must be a very fit team

Their fitness - in relative terms, relative to other teams - is an interesting question. I've read someone on here (sorry, can't remember who) observe that their game style conserves energy, which is one of the reasons why they seem to run out games some strongly. Certainly, when a team doesn't turn over the ball at will (as our boys are wont to do at times), they have to spend less energy chasing back up the ground. And we know it takes far less mental and physical energy to run offensively than defensively (well, mental anyway).

They do seem to have been relatively fortunate with injuries this year (and last), certainly compared to the carnage that some other teams have copped. I am sure several of their boys are tired and sore at this time of year, but they don't seem to have many key players obviously carrying injuries that are slowing them down. Compare the amount of tape on Tiger's players to that the Swans are decked out in (and we can't even see what, if anything, is protecting Buddy's heel).

[ugg]

I really enjoyed the insights provided by this ABC article yesterday on Richmond's tactics, in particular their focus on turnovers.

The secret to Richmond's success: how the Tigers lay a trap that AFL rivals can't help falling into - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

It was backed up by James Hird this morning in his podcast where he said the Tigers are the best team in setting up for the long kick down the line, and that to beat them Hawthorn had to risk the quick option inside to the corridor, which they failed to do consistently enough. He said that although the inboard kick is inherently risky, he didn't think it was any worse than kicking it down the line against the Tigers because they're likely to win the ball there anyway, whereas the option down the middle could open up better opportunities.

[liz]

I really enjoyed the insights provided by this ABC article yesterday on Richmond's tactics, in particular their focus on turnovers.

The secret to Richmond's success: how the Tigers lay a trap that AFL rivals can't help falling into - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

It was backed up by James Hird this morning in his podcast where he said the Tigers are the best team in setting up for the long kick down the line, and that to beat them Hawthorn had to risk the quick option inside to the corridor, which they failed to do consistently enough. He said that although the inboard kick is inherently risky, he didn't think it was any worse than kicking it down the line against the Tigers because they're likely to win the ball there anyway, whereas the option down the middle could open up better opportunities.

And that's probably how the Dogs got so close to beating the Tigers in round 23, though it's also highly likely that the Tigers weren't completely switched on in that game, having already secured the minor premiership.

[Ludwig]

And that's probably how the Dogs got so close to beating the Tigers in round 23, though it's also highly likely that the Tigers weren't completely switched on in that game, having already secured the minor premiership.

Geelong used this game plan as well, even though it was not their natural style, and also came close to winning. The Bulldogs and Essendon play a similar game style to Richmond, but are just not as good at it.

I think we would like to play this way as well, but are still a few years off getting there. The old style players are nearing retirement and the younger Swans need some more time to develop their games. But we're heading in the right direction.

[barry]

I really enjoyed the insights provided by this ABC article yesterday on Richmond's tactics, in particular their focus on turnovers.

The secret to Richmond's success: how the Tigers lay a trap that AFL rivals can't help falling into - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

It was backed up by James Hird this morning in his podcast where he said the Tigers are the best team in setting up for the long kick down the line, and that to beat them Hawthorn had to risk the quick option inside to the corridor, which they failed to do consistently enough. He said that although the inboard kick is inherently risky, he didn't think it was any worse than kicking it down the line against the Tigers because they're likely to win the ball there anyway, whereas the option down the middle could open up better opportunities.

Its probably true. But I dont think its an options the Hawks could have tried last night as the wet weather quadrupled the risk of inboard kicks.

[RogueSwan]

... the one percentage taps and deft soccers to advantage ...

And it helps that the umpires never called kicking in danger. Kinda like not seeing the Bulldogs sliding in '16

[liz]

And it helps that the umpires never called kicking in danger. Kinda like not seeing the Bulldogs sliding in '16

I think I recall one from last night, early in the game. But I think it went in favour of the Tigers, not against.

[Hotpotato]

I’m going for The Dees tonite, because Max Gawn is a cool human...
heard on the radio his house backs onto (and his garage) a fairly busy street in some suburb, Earlmore, something like that ....
and he will open his Garage door set up a table and serve free coffee to any passers by and chew the fat.
Also for Neale Daniher, be good for him to see a win .

[liz]

I’m going for The Dees tonite, because Max Gawn is a cool human...
heard on the radio his house backs onto (and his garage) a fairly busy street in some suburb, Earlmore, something like that ....
and he will open his Garage door set up a table and serve free coffee to any passers by and chew the fat.
Also for Neale Daniher, be good for him to see a win .

I also find the Demons far more palatable than the Cats. That's not hard, not when a Scott coaches the Cats and their team is full of whiners and whingers who screw up their faces every time a free kick decision goes against them.

I am also reasonably confident the Dees will win. When was the last time the Cats managed to win a game coming off a bye, mid-season or pre-finals? And this year they don't have the double chance to give them an opportunity to regroup and go again.

[Hotpotato]

You see players ( even in the first elimination final tonight) get caught with the ball, and you know that if Dusty had it he would have got it away to a team mate .