20 hours ago, Wadda We Sing said:

Martin is unreal.....takes 3 players then wins and gives off to the loose man.....what I would give to have him at the Dees..

all we had to do was pick him originally

ie take the risk!!! Something that this club is very poor at doing. The club follow not leads.

10 minutes ago, jackaub said:

all we had to do was pick him originally

ie take the risk!!! Something that this club is very poor at doing. The club follow not leads.

I have said it in a previous thread but us selecting Dusty in 2009 would have seen him out of the league in 5 years. The place was a shambles and an impressionable young bloke like Dusty would have fallen through the cracks.

If you don't believe me, see how we handled Liam Jurrah (with this I am specifically referring to the trip to Shanghai and him reportedly developing a drinking problem after this).

9 hours ago, Akum said:

They got their midfield right by bringing in Caddy & Prestia, 2 tough inside mids to do the 'extraction', for want of a better word. This allowed Dusty & Cotchin to play where they're much more dangerous - in taking the ball away from clearances, and being link men through the corridor.

They worked out their defence, got the right mix of players in the right positions, and were able to play them together for just about the whole season. They had very few injuries or suspensions. They developed into a really tight unit. And they played one on one, not zone, for maximum pressure.

Didn't they hit upon the small forwards by accident when 2 of their 3 tall forwards got injured in the same game? They discovered that was the way to create forward pressure.

They also do smart things like kick into space, and run the ball in waves, rather than kick, through the corridor. And they mix up their forward thrusts - they aren't predictable. Adelaide were very predictable.

Hardwick clearly sat himself down and had a real think about how to build the side. Yes, they were lucky with the draw and with injuries. But a lot of the credit has to go to Hardwick. And Neil Balme is the best of the best as footy manager.

Good post Akum ... I read somewhere that Hardwick reports to Balme and that Balme oversees a number of other people in prominent positions. 

Anyway, as it stands, Neil has made an obvious difference ... they've never even come close to playing like they have this season and it's Hardwick's 9th year.  He's reinvented himself as a coach but there might have been some gentle persuasion involved. 

Balme never got another coaching gig but he should have done.  Looking back at his tenure at the Demons, injuries cruelled his coaching attributes.  In many ways, he was ahead of his time with regards to where the game was heading.

Sorry if mentioned already, I read the Crows players were getting stuck into each other in the second quarter, a lot of arguing and screaming. 

Tigers players saw what was going on and were full of buzz heading into the sheds at half time.

Great time to start the finger pointing Crows.

18 hours ago, rjay said:

@dazzledavey36called the Tiges as the real deal early in the year...I thought not. The Tiges are my blind spot and Hardwick is now a Premiership coach. Never thought I would see the day.

Good call 'Dazzle'...

I picked them on the basis of that if their list stayed healthy (which it did) they could do some serious damage come September. 

I truly still believe our best footy is better then theirs.

57 minutes ago, jackaub said:

all we had to do was pick him originally

ie take the risk!!! Something that this club is very poor at doing. The club follow not leads.

We should have stood up and picked Luke Ball as well in the same Draft

but again, lacked the balls to make a statement...

38 minutes ago, Macca said:

Good post Akum ... I read somewhere that Hardwick reports to Balme and that Balme oversees a number of other people in prominent positions. 

Anyway, as it stands, Neil has made an obvious difference ... they've never even come close to playing like they have this season and it's Hardwick's 9th year.  He's reinvented himself as a coach but there might have been some gentle persuasion involved. 

Balme never got another coaching gig but he should have done.  Looking back at his tenure at the Demons, injuries cruelled his coaching attributes.  In many ways, he was ahead of his time with regards to where the game was heading.

Balmey was a great coach. Knee injuries in 2005 ruined his coaching career

15 hours ago, Skin Deeamond said:

You are right. Why can’t we get some stars and improve the culture? Richmond have turned themselves around in one year!!!! 

I'm not sure whether or not you are being sarcastic. Regardless of that you're right. But the Tigers have turned it around, not in one year, but in the space of 10 weeks (following their thumping at the hands of the Saints).

You don't need stars. I wouldn't classify Caddy, Prestia and Nankervis as 'stars'. Grigg, Grimes and Houli certainly aren't.

Any Dees supportersthat saw us belt up the Dogs came away from that game wondering why on Earth we can't produce that same ferociousness every week, just as the Tigers did from round 22 onward. 

Sucks to be Adelaide. Karma, [censored]. You went into the finals series as the best team by some way, but you couldn't help let your arrogance get the better of you in round 23, and instead of worrying about your destiny, you used... what you thought... was your lock as the best of 2017 to try and shape the finals. I hope it hurts for 100 years.

17 minutes ago, Uncle Fester said:

Sucks to be Adelaide. Karma, [censored]. You went into the finals series as the best team by some way, but you couldn't help let your arrogance get the better of you in round 23, and instead of worrying about your destiny, you used... what you thought... was your lock as the best of 2017 to try and shape the finals. I hope it hurts for 100 years.

maybe it's karma for being in a grand final they previously won which they shouldn't have been in except for a bizarre twist of the then afl final's fixturing rules

7 hours ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

I don’t think enough credit has been given to Terry Wallace laying the foundations for this premiership with his 30 year plan ... what a visionary 

Wallace was very strong early in the season that Adelaide were one way front runners that would crumble when serious pressure was applied. Arm wrestling is not their caper. Got that one right.

Edited October 1, 20177 yr by america de cali

41 minutes ago, america de cali said:

Wallace was very strong early in the season that Adelaide were one way front runners that would crumble when serious pressure was applied. Arm wrestling is not their caper. Got that one right.

So was Simon Goodwin in Rd 8 

i take your point though , they were unconvincing minor premiers

52 minutes ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

So was Simon Goodwin in Rd 8 

i take your point though , they were unconvincing minor premiers

To be fair, richmond were a crooked david mundy kick from finishing top

Congratulations Richmond. Kept bringing out 4 quarter efforts when it really counted. I am extremely encouraged by what both the doggies and the tiges have shown the last 2 years. If you truly believe in the the coach, teammates and the club, anything is possible. Go demons! 

11 hours ago, Macca said:

Good post Akum ... I read somewhere that Hardwick reports to Balme and that Balme oversees a number of other people in prominent positions. 

Anyway, as it stands, Neil has made an obvious difference ... they've never even come close to playing like they have this season and it's Hardwick's 9th year.  He's reinvented himself as a coach but there might have been some gentle persuasion involved. 

Balme never got another coaching gig but he should have done.  Looking back at his tenure at the Demons, injuries cruelled his coaching attributes.  In many ways, he was ahead of his time with regards to where the game was heading.

Blake caracella is the brains behind this, not balme

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/josh-caddy-lauds-blake-caracellas-impact-at-richmond-ahead-of-blockbuster-final-against-old-side/news-story/3d9a3907edfe43fc38463628ce2b4b0c

14 hours ago, jackaub said:

all we had to do was pick him originally

ie take the risk!!! Something that this club is very poor at doing. The club follow not leads.

Oliver was a risk, he was a draft bolter that came from nowhere and surprised quite a few. I feel like our attitude in this regard has changed a fair bit in the last few years. 

21 hours ago, daisycutter said:

Remembering “Kick a Vic”...