Rhino Richards

I wouldn't touch Gary Lyon. No relevant coaching experience and if he is to coach in the game it will be 13 years since he played. If Bailey is not the coach we want then going into 2011 when our critical period of achievement 2012 to 2014 I would want an experienced capable coach to take us to that flag not an appointee with taints of "job for the boys" and no cred or experience as a Coach. If Bailey is the right person..fine then appoint him for that crticial period at the appropriate time. Lyon was a good captain, a fine player and could have a positive impact and influence on this Club. Unfortunately I am not prepared to risk our best chance of a flag in 50 years on a "favoured son" who now happens to put his hand up at just the right time to coach when he has not done the hard yards required.

Even more Still negotiating? Whats the rush? Are this good in front of a mauling press when we are 2 and 9? And if you get to season's end in 2010, Bailey will want a proper commitment from the Club and new contract for 3 years will you give it? If you are not prepared to do that you should be looking to sack him and replace him. Giving him a measly one year extension after 3 years is a vote of no confidence and the coach you want in 2011 will go.

Do you think so? There is about 9 wins and about 40points of % between Adelaide and Melbourne. But you think that we are a couple of years away from top 4. There is only one game difference between 4th and 6th.

This year they have approx. pick 7 and 23 in a thin draft. In a normal draft thats like picks 10 and 31. After that they have tooth- picks and they wont want to waste their shekels with those. Unless they have a player with currency to add to the deal they may struggle to trade.

What will Sydney trade with? What have they got that has serious currency and is surplus to their needs? The sheckles only relates to what they can pay a player. The issue is extracting that player from another club. Given the lack of access to top class footballers in the draft I agree teams will not part with a first rounder unless it was something good. I could see Deledio going for high first round pick. It will be interesting how the recruiters rate the draft after the first round. Marginally inching up the draft table may be neither here nor there if the draft is thin. There may be limited possibility for a player for player swap but I cant identify any obvious opportunities at this stage.

They never do say no to considering. Its whether there interested. Anyway keep the "roll up, roll up" happening. Are you on commission?

Not at all.

There have been numerous assessment of Rivers strengths and limitations. While many d'landers are besotted by him, his lack of pace and his questionable disposal limit the range of positions and players he can play on. He competes in a backline where we have young and capable defenders like Warnock, Frawley, Garland, Martin who I think will only get better. I think that group forms the nucleus of our defence for the future. Rivers is the only one on the list whom I consider could be surplus to our needs and may have some currency with sides who are short on defenders.

He underperformed but like I said there were bigger reasons for drop from 11.5 wins to 4.5 wins (excluding the MFC win). Nitpicking I would do it. Richmond wont.

In a team where Foley, Cotchin, Cousins have been injured for most or a good part of the season, Deledio has had to wear it all. He's 22 and still time to improve. There were bigger reasons for the Tigers under performance...some of them have gone already.

Correct. Although if I was Port... I would choof him off. He's too long in the tooth at Port and I dont think a number of the senior players are that united behind him.

I dont think it is formally signed according to one rumour. There are probs at Port and he is definitely part of it. Some of the players should go as well. A few rolled over and played doggy this year. You need to weed them out. I dont think Boak and Pearce are necessarily the problems. Yes its a bargaining tool for the other party to come to fair and reasonable position. It should be only exercised in extreme cases on a Club as its a small world in the AFL and you screw someone you can expect to get that back.

I dont think there list is as bad as everyone thinks. There top dozen players are OK. They have to cut some deadwood at the bottom. But I dont think it is all that bab. However there is no doubt that for 5 years they were badly coached and blew alot of recruiting opportunities

I reckon they will lose Choko before both of those players. He is part of the problem at Port. The PSD is a bargaining tool to leverage a better deal between the two clubs. Forcing the issue for a player to go through the PSD is a perfect way of creating bad blood where what goes around comes around. Port wont take picks 18 and 34 for either one. In this draft those picks are worth picks 24 and 44 in a normal draft.

Why do people think an interstate club will be willing repository for a player just because he was born there that clearly is not AFL standard and cant get a game with us?

And MFC's culture has been better than Richmond's in the past 5 years? The challenge for Richmond is that they have alot to clean out put little to bargain with at the trade table. They will want to keep Deledio at all costs. If he goes he will be expensive. They will want at least a high first round pick plus a good player (no not Newton,Bell or PJ ). We have picks 1,2 and 18. He is a good play but I cant see us dealing on him if he were to leave Richmond. I would be surprised if we trade picks 1 and 2. If I think we wont.

Its not about us. The Footy Dept have made that call. Have a chat with them. I agree with you about the young players. I dont think Wheatley will be challenging for a AFL spot next year. He really struggled this year with MFC and Casey.

Same same every year Bub. There are always clubs cleaning out, rejuvenating. Richmond have lots to clean out of little currency. They have however few pawns to trade with. If the shallowness of the draft is the case then there might be one or tow player for player trades. But I cant see an active market swapping NQR for NQR. Something about deckchairs... Anyway good fortune with the hoopla.

Why would you say that? On the back of one player? Prismall. Warnock got an offer we could not and would not have met. What players who are surplus to our list requirements have currency in the trade market? Rivers?? I cant see us trading pick 1,2 and 18 (unless its a really good deal)

All he has said is that we have an open mind. You would not expect him to say otherwise in the media. Its the same attituude as the other 15 clubs. I expect countless trade rumours/proposals to bandied around. The truth is that trade week is the most overhyped event around. I'll wait to see what it throws. And Richmond...having a clean out...no kidding. They have about 10 blokes on their list that could and should go that arent good enough and have no currency on the trade table. The players that do have currency arent the ones they want to part with. And of any of their clean out players I would not trade one of our players for and I would not waste a PSD on them. There is old saying "Buy the fact, sell the rumour". Never been more apt.

The Coach was neither here nor there. The handling of the matter by Richmond was prophetic. There should be lessons learned with that. Once the Tigers were done the media picked over NM and then were start on PA. You underestimate how much of that toxicity is fueled by the media. Be warned. And the issue of the lists and where they at is neither here or nor there When a coach is in the final year of his contract you dont have the luxury of doing these things in "Iva time". Your comment on drafting science is hardly relevant to determining the tenure of the coach unless you are inferring that we are recruiting an uber race of young footballers. They are still kids and are still growing. They will take more time than the window you will be given to decide on the Coach. Not really. :D Its all we are doing Iva sharing a perception and discussing it. Cheer up old salt.

Your intangible may not be shown from many of the gun recruits in their first year. Indeed Watts, Blease and Strauss with the new selections will be putting in their first pre season and may or may evidence until late in the season at all. If the media starts writing obituaries early in the season then you have no chance of keeping supporters onside when every media spot on MFC focusses on soon to be out of contract coach being sacked after a few hard losses. If this forum is any indication then they think little of improvements in mental application. If for many supporters their mental application cant stretch beyond the banal football crud in the Herald Sun. Richmond adopted a similar approach you wanted and they ate humble pie and looked incompetent. For someone so focussed on culture that should be an anathema. The AFL is whole media event built around a sport. Heaven help you if you cant realise the destruction they can reap in these situations. They make a hard situation untenable and unworkable. There have been enough salient examples for a more sensible approach. Tell him he is dreaming. We would be shooting the lights out (like the Hawks in 2008 and the Bombers in 1993) and working ahead of schedule. If you look at Brisbane, Port, Geelong and St Kilda, 7 years is not an unreasonable time. So by QBW, you will be in the position to determine that we can have a serious crack at the flag the following year and the year after and that you would give Bailey 3 years to do so by then? I'll put it all on no27 black...spin away.

I just dont know how you will measure that in a sufficient time frame in order to avoid trial by media. If you wait until half the year is gone and if this year is any indication the improvement really kicked in post that time. If you wait until the end of the year and I dont think you can do that then you are looking to contract him for a further three years out until 2013. Then you run the risk if Bailey flops in 2011 or 2012 you are stuffed. And in my view if you think you have to wait to the end of the year then you should already be talking to another coach because you clearly cant Bailey the support he deserves and needs As you pointed out its a young team and much of that discernible improvement may only come late in the year and into 2011. And thats beyond your timeframe of decision making. Meanwhile in the Press, the Club becomes a whipping post that makes Richmond look like a well run machine.

Dont worry. Jacktheripper has been delisted from the site.

I think your target next year is realistic and you are right with the metrics to measure imporvements. i would add a few more and not restrict structure to the forward line for example. It wont be solely games won but obvious scoreboard performance will be factor for consideration. When would you make that judgement Iva? How long would you wait before the media starts rolling out the obituaries? As you rightly pointed out, this is a young list and any highs from an emerging rising star will also be tempered with the inepxerience and inconsistency prevalent in younger players. This is also coupled with possible injuries as well. What's your window?