Quite apart from the standard of umpiring tonight I find the coaching of players by the umpires (eg. after the siren and a player kicking for goal) to be so inappropriate! The players know, or should know the rules. If they deviate off their line, its game (or quarter) over! Simple. The risk of no score is totally on the player.

Anyone know who Bill replaced as the Sub?  Jordan?

2 hours ago, adonski said:

Brown's gotta come in to protect JVR and/or Petty

Not sure only 2 key defenders is sustainable

Great game by Viney

Very odd coaching to have Gawn ruck to majority of the game when we needed a seasoned body up forward

It was actually pretty much a 50-50 split.

Gawn had 15 CBAs and 35 ruck contests, while Grundy had 14 CBAs and 35 ruck contests.

I suspect they wanted to give Grundy a lighter load this week given he's run solo for a few weeks, so it was probably more about protecting Grundy than anything tactical.

I actually felt the game turned in the moments when Grundy was at the centre bounces. Max's tap work remains far too predictable, but equally Grundy doesn't quite have the chemistry yet with the mids, so room for improvement.

I worry sometimes about the aggressiveness of Max's ruck work too. He often taps defensive side in a D50 stoppage, which really puts pressure on our mids and defenders.

But don't get me wrong though. Very happy to have Max back, as I'm sure Grundy was too.

2 hours ago, SPC said:

Still worried about how we handle ground balls in our back half.. we just cannot stop the opposition. 
Wins wallpaper cracks.

It's certainly a trend in our games isn't it? That's 3 out of 6 matches where we've really, really struggled for ground balls in our defensive 50, and just generally struggled for ground balls. In the first quarter, Richmond were +10 in ground ball gets.

If we can't mop up ground balls, our game falls over, as would anyone's.

I reckon we're still really struggling with when to go and when to play tempo and possession. Tonight, we went too fast and too often/at the wrong times. I'm hoping it'll come together the more we practice it. After all, it took Collingwood 10-15 rounds for it to click last year and become instinctive.

Edited April 24, 20231 yr by A F

1 hour ago, In Harmes Way said:

Did anyone else think the umpiring was questionable, or was that just me?

Understatement of the year. 

1 minute ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Anyone know who Bill replaced as the Sub?  Jordan?

Rivers. I think he was cramping. Then seconds later May hobbled off never to return. 

1 hour ago, dee-tox said:

Except he's from Zimbabwe!

That’s a load of ‘ Bull awayo ‘ !!!

1 hour ago, Spargonicus said:

Hardwick: “we know the kind of football that beats Melbourne, we just needed to execute it for longer”

this is what worries me - sides have worked our main strategy out and we don’t have enough different ways to play…and don’t choke sides out like we used to…

don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying watching our team play strong footy these days, but we’re not our once irresistible selves…

Knowing how to and being able to is the difference between flags and spoons.

Just now, Dr. Gonzo said:

Knowing how to and being able to is the difference between flags and spoons.

Correct. I know how to make a billion dollars. But I’m still poor. 

Just now, Jaded No More said:

Rivers. I think he was cramping. Then seconds later May hobbled off never to return. 

Yikes!

12 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Ball had bounced, no? Marking contest is fine but you can’t spoil a bounced ball directly over line.
 

The Gus holding the ball a far bigger crime against the sport 

I didn’t know that bounce made a difference, but that’s a terrible rule.

If the only option to effect a contest is to leap and spoil the ball (which is fine if the ball doesn’t go out of bounds), then the umpires should be giving the benefit of the doubt to the spoiling player as long as he doesn’t have another option. He clearly wasn’t trying to deliberately put the ball over the line as the main action, he was doing the only thing he could do to effect the contest. 
 

Paying deliberate out of bounds is when you have other options (in theory). Not sure what else Brayshaw could have done other than not even go for the contest, sit back and wait for the opposition player to collect the ball. 
 

That is not in the spirit of Aussie Rules. 

5 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Yikes!

I think he got a corky. Walked off fine post game. Took a pain killer when he came off. Swore loudly and then just stood on the boundary line like an agitated man. 

 

23 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Ball had bounced, no? Marking contest is fine but you can’t spoil a bounced ball directly over line.
 

The Gus holding the ball a far bigger crime against the sport 

That’s garbage, if Gus doesn’t dive and punch the ball away Dusty was off and gone. That’s as good as a spoil to me. 

1 minute ago, Demonland said:

 

Melbourne working overtime to secure those F/S gems👏🏼

 

How’s the height on him 😳

Richmond are ordinary and were massively aided by one sided umpiring. That aside, it’s hard to see us beating the well coached sides this year. I do think we’ve had the best list in the league the past few years, but that alone isn’t enough. Sides like Collingwood, who are well coached, daring and agile, will always have our number. We are a one trick pony, we lack the versatility to switch it up. We made hard work of a faded veteran tonight. Wasting our window. Thank Christ we got Freos picks as they are deadset hopeless.

 

1 hour ago, DEE fence said:

That was a brilliant game, all those dismissing it are not crediting Richmond who really brought the heat. Richmond won the 1st quarter and then our team went to work. Exactly the sort of effort you want to see. JVR, haven't been as excited about one of our forwards since Schwarz in 1995! McVee is playing like Jarred Rivers did on debut, just so bloody reliable and clutch. Quickly becoming my favourite player, he's one of those guys that doesn't drop his head, just goes every time, not a confidence player, just a player and will get a RS this year. It was a hard game to watch because it was close, we are too used to perfection, but we won, we are still a team you can trust.

Jack Viney, people can go punch themselves in the heads when they bag him, you just don't understand football, it's not ice dancing. I honestly feel like he is one of the reasons (along with N.Jones) that we got through the dark years. Did you see the way he barreled in when JVR was getting kneed? (shout out to Grundy as well), provided pressure but didn't give away a silly free, tell me that you don't walk taller with the way the team back each other.

Our defense is so much better with Lever and Hibberd in it, and I am still firmly in the Petty forward camp, feel like today was proof. He stretched Richmond and Fritsch was unlucky to not get off the leash. Time and again he provided body and protection.

Gawn, welcome back, our rucks managed to swing the game after we arrested the early damage. Brayshaw super reliable, another huge team man, ran all day, huge km, likewise Langdon, just got where he needed to be, great efficiency lovely goal. This ruck combination, if fit, will clean up this season.

Petracca and Oliver got into the game, Oliver looked to really think his way through disposals today, and that 2nd qtr goal was class under pressure. Trac did thing that I take for granted and shouldn't, great presence.

Chandler another tribute to our recruiting and craft brining young men on.

ANB provided huge defensive pressure and run, easily tracking for best season so far.  Carlton can take their beauty queen bunch of a team, I will take the ANB's and Chandlers that just do a power of work to get the best out of themselves and play a role perfectly in a team game.

May needs a reset, he's riding the wrong emotions in game, needs to get his head right, am worried he's NQR 'cos his calf isn't right for explosive movements feel like he's going to cost us a free or two in critical moments. Bowey is still a bit off but after a booboo he laid a smother that Bradley Hill would've been proud of, was pleased he kept his head in the game, but at the moment if Salem is fit, Bowey is who I would drop.

Umps sucked, but our class is such we didn't drop our heads. Loved the Crowd, we match Richmond for Noise, well done @WCW and others.

More to say but am dealing with Sudan right now, this is the first time off I've had in seven days, 18hr days, 3 colleagues killed, after distributing rations to refugees, another three shot (one of who we couldn't extract for 3 days, a good friend kidnapped, and dear friends still trapped inside. That and I've lost everything I own, clothes, photos/HD, blah blah, but seriously seeing the stress of friends who cannot get out of a warzone is emotionally tough, my french colleague was in Cairo for weekend and her kids were trapped for a week, one 10yo son with a family in Amarat, the 8yo daughter in Riyad with the nanny and noone else, they only just made it to Djibouti yesterday, mum is going insane. I needed today, thanks Dees.  

Glad the Dees won for a temporary relief for you.

 

Good luck with everything there mate.

10 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Melbourne working overtime to secure those F/S gems👏🏼

 

How’s the height on him 😳

He’s a Demon through and through. If he’s half decent in his draft year he will be a Demon. 

1 hour ago, Jaded No More said:

And yet this never ever ever gets paid. Until tonight. 

Watch it get changed silently in the next few. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 
 

 

Judd McVee's ceiling is through the roof 🥱

If I brave the replay, I'm keen the check out how often we did the following... we seemed to do something different with our zone tonight and I couldn't work out if we were letting the zone accidentally go this way or whether Richmond were using it against us, or if it was a legitimate tactical tweak. I noticed it in the third quarter. When we were defending a stationary kicker at half back, for 30m or so, we went 1v1 and behind it we played zone.

One of my St Kilda mates reckons St Kilda were doing something very similar early on in the season. 1v1 defending inside D50 and zone when defending the corridor and the higher parts of the ground.

I wonder if we're taking cues off Ross Lyon or if it's something we've come to ourselves? Because it means if you can prevent the running handball off half back and hold up the kicker, the little short angled kicks into the corridor and along the boundary, are made into legitimate 1v1s, so it forces the kicker down the line and plays into our intercepting hands (literally, hopefully). It is vulnerable to the switch though, which would mean the defensive team would have to implement a zone in transition rather than 1v1 or simply play 1v1 right across the ground from certain plays. It would seem flicking the switch between the two modes would be way too difficult to coordinate.

In the first half especially after the Essendon game thought we would struggle to make the 8 wrestle back momentum in the third quarter and ran over them in the final term largely thanks to Roo. It makes a huge difference when we have a key target to kick to. Love Gawny he's the best mark in the comp. Viney was sensational and deserved the Checker Hughes medal .

16 minutes ago, KingDingAling said:

Richmond are ordinary and were massively aided by one sided umpiring. That aside, it’s hard to see us beating the well coached sides this year. I do think we’ve had the best list in the league the past few years, but that alone isn’t enough. Sides like Collingwood, who are well coached, daring and agile, will always have our number. We are a one trick pony, we lack the versatility to switch it up. We made hard work of a faded veteran tonight. Wasting our window. Thank Christ we got Freos picks as they are deadset hopeless.

 

You thought Richmond were ordinary tonight

I'd like to play against you

8 minutes ago, A F said:

If I brave the replay, I'm keen the check out how often we did the following... we seemed to do something different with our zone tonight and I couldn't work out if we were letting the zone accidentally go this way or whether Richmond were using it against us, or if it was a legitimate tactical tweak. I noticed it in the third quarter. When we were defending a stationary kicker at half back, for 30m or so, we went 1v1 and behind it we played zone.

One of my St Kilda mates reckons St Kilda were doing something very similar early on in the season. 1v1 defending inside D50 and zone when defending the corridor and the higher parts of the ground.

I wonder if we're taking cues off Ross Lyon or if it's something we've come to ourselves? Because it means if you can prevent the running handball off half back and hold up the kicker, the little short angled kicks into the corridor and along the boundary, are made into legitimate 1v1s, so it forces the kicker down the line and plays into our intercepting hands (literally, hopefully). It is vulnerable to the switch though, which would mean the defensive team would have to implement a zone in transition rather than 1v1 or simply play 1v1 right across the ground from certain plays. It would seem flicking the switch between the two modes would be way too difficult to coordinate.

Wouldn't you love a replay that you could choose the wider shots to look at this sort of thing. Very interesting post thanks.

1 hour ago, Demon Dynasty said:

The "some work needed" was my call at about half way through the third for him to hit the gym and bulk up / get his strength up a bit more Mono as he was getting pushed around a bit too easily early on from what i was witnessing.

I did also say he was good for a speckie from behind and called for Max to go forward.  But yes hand up, the comment on Rooh was (in the main) proven to be a shocker in the end.

He was getting scragged and pushed under the ball all game. The pushing under the ball will come with strength/positioning but the scragging was bloody frustrating especially when they were paying them down the other end. Same story with Oliver getting a free against him for holding coming out of the centre bounce, that was bloody rich considering he is tackled at every contest before taking possession.

So only just pretty much got home at 12:40am after some great decisions by the geniuses at Public Transport Victoria.

No only is there already replacement buses galore from Camberwell to Box Hill, but the nuckle heads decided to also shut down the Glen Waverley line on the way home and couldn't organise replacement buses better than a bunch of kindergarten kids.  Give yourselfs an upper cut whatever manager was responsible for organising and supervising all that chaos tonight.  You bloody peanut.

And to the bus driver who sat in the way of other busses that could have taken some of the hundreds of passengers who'd been left waiting nearly an hour while you sat there and picked your nose - time to get a new day job.

Between this crazy drama and the rubbish the umpires dished up tonight, you managed to take 'some' of the shine what was generally a satisfying win by the mighty Demons.