Player Watch #31 Rhyan Mansell - Re-Signed Until 2026

[RJKTiger]

Look its an autopsy after a win in the VFL & another close loss in the AFL.
The whole club comes under scrutiny.
List management, soft cap, selections.
I caught Noah's games in Qld. His debut vs the Suns was very good. He and MRJ looked a potent replacement for George. Noah's final was a bit underwhelming

Tarranto, Hopper and Dusty returning to the side squeezed Noah out.

But jeez how disappointing MRJ, Sonsie, Noah, Miller in the fwd line. Also disappointing that Dimma persists with pressure fwds.

And as I say Mansell just about equals Noah right now.

In only caught the last 10 minutes of the game.
No injuries but I'd rest Cotch, Kmac, Prestia, Jack R. drop Dow.

In reality It'll be Dow, Hugo, Ryan, Mansell

He really isnt - Mansell is in no way "an equal" to Noah as a forward.

Cumberland has kicked 25 goals in 15 games mate, with a portion of those only "half games" as a sub. He is averaging close to 2 goals a game when you consider the "subbed" games. Mansell has kicked multiple goals in a game only once & then failed to even score a point from 35 minutes out with 2 minutes to go to ice the game. he is NOT a forward - a natural forward would ****ing eat up that moment - Mansell looked like he was about to shit a 6ft brick

Cumberland is miles ahead of Mansell as a forward. There is not a list manager in the league who if offered Mansell or Cumberland would take Mansell - especially if the condition was you had to play them as a forward.


Fans really need to start making up their own opinions and stop listening to Dimma and just trusting his process. He is not the same coach from the first decade with the club - you can't just blindly trust someone based on previous success in sport as everyone, eventually, has a used by date.

My biggest concern is how none of these younger players really look like they play for Dimma. The team has looked divided into "old heroes" & "young kids" for a while now and the problem is just getting worse. there is no-one connecting the 2 groups - or at least thats how it looks from my arm-chair.

 

[RJKTiger]

We were losing when Cumberland was playing...and without him we won then lost a game by a point. The team needs structures and systems that work just as much as it needs players who can impact around the ball.

We have been losing with Cotchin, Riewoldt & Dusty in the team too.

All duds - delist

Very nothing comment pointing out we lost games with Noah playing as well.

Can anyone actually explain the integral structural difference between Cumberland being in the team and being out of the team VS Mansell, Clarke etc?

Its awesome everyone is drinking their Kool-Aid while Dimma tries to explain another poor loss without himself ever taking accountability - but what is the actual difference in our structure that you are referring to

 

[Rayzorwire]

He was making that kick with tired legs.

As I always say quietly to myself when reading the boards, you can tell the posters who have actually played football (or at least some other sport) at something resembling a high level, and those people who didn't, couldn't and wouldn't - invariably, the ones who run their mouths off the loudest abusing players for not meeting their drawn from zero experience standards.

it's an understatement to say that there's an enormous gap in understanding what it actually takes to do what players do. If you've never tried to kick a footy straight when your legs are burning, your boots are full of sweat and you can hardly stand up, then you have no idea how difficult it is.

Of course, we expect professional footballers to be pretty good at overcoming those things, but those expectations must be tempered by a player's age and experience. The kid's copped more abuse than Lynch did for missing that sitter in Brisbane and I don't hear anyone saying Lynch should be banished from the seniors forever, is not a 'natural forward', is a 'choker' or whatever.

Nige had a great game overall last night and obviously, if 21 other players didn't have really poor games, or good games that were obviously not good enough, he wouldn't have been put in the position of needing to play hero.

If we'd played to 40% of our best we wouldn't have put him in that position.

When you go through the team sheet after the game and measure realistic expected output V actual output from the game, Mansell should end up the highest praised. His last two games have been among the best pressure forward games anyone has played since the flags - and he's had a lot less to work with than those days.

Instead, the clueless jackal squad have their teeth in him...experts in football and fairness that they are...filling page after page with their well researched and reasoned pixel vomit.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

As I always say quietly to myself when reading the boards, you can tell the posters who have actually played football (or at least some other sport) at something resembling a high level, and those people who didn't, couldn't and wouldn't - invariably, the ones who run their mouths off the loudest abusing players for not meeting their drawn from zero experience standards.

it's an understatement to say that there's an enormous gap in understanding what it actually takes to do what players do. If you've never tried to kick a footy straight when your legs are burning, your boots are full of sweat and you can hardly stand up, then you have no idea how difficult it is.

Of course, we expect professional footballers to be pretty good at overcoming those things, but those expectations must be tempered by a player's age and experience. The kid's copped more abuse than Lynch did for missing that sitter in Brisbane and I don't hear anyone saying Lynch should be banished from the seniors forever, is not a 'natural forward', is a 'choker' or whatever.

Nige had a great game overall last night and obviously, if 21 other players didn't have really poor games, or good games that were obviously not good enough, he wouldn't have been put in the position of needing to play hero.

If we'd played to 40% of our best we wouldn't have put him in that position.

When you go through the team sheet after the game and measure realistic expected output V actual output from the game, Mansell should end up the highest praised. His last two games have been among the best pressure forward games anyone has played since the flags - and he's had a lot less to work with than those days.

Instead, the clueless jackal squad have their teeth in him...experts in football and fairness that they are...filling page after page with their well researched and reasoned pixel vomit.

It is true I am speaking from experience as a player. I missed what in my mind was the most important shot at goal I had ever taken, missed the lot, didn't even make the distance from 30m out, and I could kick 55m drop punts no trouble normally.

The story behind my shocking miss will explain perfectly to you why I typed what I did about Mansell's kick.

I was Captain-Coach of a wooden spoon level team. In fact we "won" the spoon that year. Without trying to excuse my unsuccessful coaching, we had a pitiable list. The club had so little money I was the only paid person at the club. In my first match as coach, in fact for the whole first season, we did not have a single player who had played regular first 18 footy for the club previously. So it was a bit of a challenge.

We were playing one of the stronger teams at home in perfect conditions one day. We were expected to lose by maybe 25-30 goals. From the start the match was a disaster. We may have only started with 1 on the bench. Players one after the other went down with injuries and had to be sent to the forward line. We could not score and every time the ball even crossed the middle it bounced back with interest. I had played in a lot more winning teams than losing teams in my life, so I really wasn't enjoying being so humiliated. At half time the score was maybe 20.15 to 0.0. The most I could do was switch myself onto their 100 goal kicking FF and try to stop him from getting his snout in the trough too much. But they started really piling it on and I had enough in the 3rd term, so in the style of the day, I decided to try to belt my way out of the situation. I fought just about their whole team some sequentially, some concurrently. If anyone has ever been in a lot of fights in a footy match, it is exhausting, moreso when you have 8 campaigners all over you trying to kill you, and not one single person on your team who has any idea what to do when a fight starts.

Anyway, at 3/4 time I seemed to have a much larger than usual crowd listening to my address, including a load of people from their club, some of whom I knew. I guess they were all wondering what a coach would say to his team when faced by a 30 goal+ deficit at 3/4 time. I couldn't berate my players, so I simply said we have one aim, we must score. I don't care what they score now, WE MUST SCORE. I told our group I have never played in a match where my team had not scored. Never played in a match where the opposition had not scored either. So I said I will move myself to Full Forward on the off chance we get a centre clearance. Our other 4 best players I put into the middle. At some point in the final term it happened. One of our 2nd 18 level midfielders got a lucky bounce, wheeled onto his right boot and sunk the ball deep into attack and straight onto my chest. Phew, I thought, we will score now for sure. I had a lot of pride riding on that kick. I desperately wanted to get a goal, but if not just simply had to score. I was normally a very reliable set shot for goal. My kick was so poor it made Mansell's effort look like the Malcolm Blight Princes Park post-siren 80m torpedo masterpiece. I realised after I kicked it if I had 10 attempts I would not have converted any of them. You can be that knackered you just can't kick properly, and you see it late in AFL matches all the time.

Final scoreline forever etched in my mind: 46.29 v 0.0


Mansell will work on his set shot routine and do better if he ever gets into that situation again. He seems to be made of the right stuff.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

Talk about a Hero to Villain moment.

Kid was a a basic set shot away from being the highest goal scorer on the ground & icing a big game & ended up possibly ending his career based on the comments here. I've never really seen the appeal as him as a forward, its always been a defender or delist, but in saying that - kid could & should have kicked 3 tonight.

I don't blame him for the loss though, & no one should.

Surprisingly I am going to agree with 1 of your posts (see im not picking on you and can agree with something that is not just rubbish )

Kingy & Montagna pointed out a few clips from the match which most that watch on TV wouldnt have seen

The shot he was taking you could see he was nervous and for a young kid he should have had more options but there was no foward movement or option being provided for the kid to consider.

The mark heppell took in that last bit of play he shouldnt have been the player that should have been there but got sucked up to that bit of play due to the mistake by jack making him have to defend and then his man running off and Mansell having to run off to cover and ending up on Heppell after a 100mtr
run

Broad was the player that decided to go 4th man up leaving Durham unattended in the goal square

 

[TigerImposter]

Surprisingly I am going to agree with 1 of your posts (see im not picking on you and can agree with something that is not just rubbish )

Kingy & Montagna pointed out a few clips from the match which most that watch on TV wouldnt have seen

The shot he was taking you could see he was nervous and for a young kid he should have had more options but there was no foward movement or option being provided for the kid to consider.

The mark heppell took in that last bit of play he shouldnt have been the player that should have been there but got sucked up to that bit of play due to the mistake by jack making him have to defend and then his man running off and Mansell having to run off to cover and ending up on Heppell after a 100mtr
run

Broad was the player that decided to go 4th man up leaving Durham unattended in the goal square

I’ve been critical on that Broad error all year and they’re generally signs of an undisciplined and poorly coached team on the way down. I mentioned this five weeks back that it was happening a lot and something I hadn’t seen a Richmond side do in years. Nankervis is the problem as he finds his way down there and totally unsettles our BL with nervousness and great fear bc he’s an obstacle and very clumsy.

 

[RJK Tiger]

I’ve been critical on that Broad error all year and they’re generally signs of an undisciplined and poorly coached team on the way down. I mentioned this five weeks back that it was happening a lot and something I hadn’t seen a Richmond side do in years. Nankervis is the problem as he finds his way down there and totally unsettles our BL with nervousness and great fear bc he’s an obstacle and very clumsy.

yep, it all starts that faithful night, Richmond V Eagles in Perth, 2021.

2 teams died that night. Was the first time we saw this brain fart, choke job richmond and it has been a like our period ever since/ Once a month we are just dealing with a headcase

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

I’ve been critical on that Broad error all year and they’re generally signs of an undisciplined and poorly coached team on the way down. I mentioned this five weeks back that it was happening a lot and something I hadn’t seen a Richmond side do in years. Nankervis is the problem as he finds his way down there and totally unsettles our BL with nervousness and great fear bc he’s an obstacle and very clumsy.

Last week when Broad was getting all the love and people here were talking about signing him at all costs i was very vocal about what we should offer him and not go over and that was 2 years at $400k and maybe a trigger for a 3rd if the 2nd year was good enough.

He has been a good player but also makes similar brain fades to balta at Times and has a habit of not sticking to the game plan and sticks out after losses but gets covered up during the wins. His good games are good but 2-3 times a game has the brain fart thats costly

 

[Rayzorwire]

It is true I am speaking from experience as a player. I missed what in my mind was the most important shot at goal I had ever taken, missed the lot, didn't even make the distance from 30m out, and I could kick 55m drop punts no trouble normally.

The story behind my shocking miss will explain perfectly to you why I typed what I did about Mansell's kick.

I was Captain-Coach of a wooden spoon level team. In fact we "won" the spoon that year. Without trying to excuse my unsuccessful coaching, we had a pitiable list. The club had so little money I was the only paid person at the club. In my first match as coach, in fact for the whole first season, we did not have a single player who had played regular first 18 footy for the club previously. So it was a bit of a challenge.

We were playing one of the stronger teams at home in perfect conditions one day. We were expected to lose by maybe 25-30 goals. From the start the match was a disaster. We may have only started with 1 on the bench. Players one after the other went down with injuries and had to be sent to the forward line. We could not score and every time the ball even crossed the middle it bounced back with interest. I had played in a lot more winning teams than losing teams in my life, so I really wasn't enjoying being so humiliated. At half time the score was maybe 20.15 to 0.0. The most I could do was switch myself onto their 100 goal kicking FF and try to stop him from getting his snout in the trough too much. But they started really piling it on and I had enough in the 3rd term, so in the style of the day, I decided to try to belt my way out of the situation. I fought just about their whole team some sequentially, some concurrently. If anyone has ever been in a lot of fights in a footy match, it is exhausting, moreso when you have 8 campaigners all over you trying to kill you, and not one single person on your team who has any idea what to do when a fight starts.

Anyway, at 3/4 time I seemed to have a much larger than usual crowd listening to my address, including a load of people from their club, some of whom I knew. I guess they were all wondering what a coach would say to his team when faced by a 30 goal+ deficit at 3/4 time. I couldn't berate my players, so I simply said we have one aim, we must score. I don't care what they score now, WE MUST SCORE. I told our group I have never played in a match where my team had not scored. Never played in a match where the opposition had not scored either. So I said I will move myself to Full Forward on the off chance we get a centre clearance. Our other 4 best players I put into the middle. At some point in the final term it happened. One of our 2nd 18 level midfielders got a lucky bounce, wheeled onto his right boot and sunk the ball deep into attack and straight onto my chest. Phew, I thought, we will score now for sure. I had a lot of pride riding on that kick. I desperately wanted to get a goal, but if not just simply had to score. I was normally a very reliable set shot for goal. My kick was so poor it made Mansell's effort look like the Malcolm Blight Princes Park post-siren 80m torpedo masterpiece. I realised after I kicked it if I had 10 attempts I would not have converted any of them. You can be that knackered you just can't kick properly, and you see it late in AFL matches all the time.

Final scoreline forever etched in my mind: 46.29 v 0.0


Mansell will work on his set shot routine and do better if he ever gets into that situation again. He seems to be made of the right stuff.

Loved that story, mate, what a ripper.

I'm assuming that elusive first score came in the 2nd game?!

I realised after I kicked it if I had 10 attempts I would not have converted any of them. You can be that knackered you just can't kick properly, and you see it late in AFL matches all the time.

That's it, the legs just can't do it and that's what happened to Nige. Had little to do with technique, choking or whatever, and everything to do with the fact that he'd just done the four quarter running of a senior player using a 22yo, 24 game body.

Right at the death of games is the last time you want to be relying on the youngest players for clutch heroics - they're dead on their feet.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Loved that story, mate, what a ripper.

I'm assuming that elusive first score came in the 2nd game?!




That's it, the legs just can't do it and that's what happened to Nige. Had little to do with technique, choking or whatever, and everything to do with the fact that he'd just done the four quarter running of a senior player using a 22yo, 24 game body.

Right at the death of games is the last time you want to be relying on the youngest players for clutch heroics - they're dead on their feet.

That wasn't the first game that year. We did manage to goal in every other game. I think our lowest score beside that might have been 4.1 from memory. The club won 1 game in my first season as coach, 5 in my second. The club rightly sought a higher profile coach and gradually improved from that very low base. I played on for a couple of seasons to help out. Loads of the young guys I coached ended up playing in multiple Premierships after I had left to live overseas. It grew to being a very high profile country club. I was down watching a game recently and Gil McLachlan was swanning around buying beers and pretending to drink some of them. I am sure I saw him tipping his beer into a pot plant though.

 

[Rayzorwire]

That wasn't the first game that year. We did manage to goal in every other game. I think our lowest score beside that might have been 4.1 from memory. The club won 1 game in my first season as coach, 5 in my second. The club rightly sought a higher profile coach and gradually improved from that very low base. I played on for a couple of seasons to help out. Loads of the young guys I coached ended up playing in multiple Premierships after I had left to live overseas. It grew to being a very high profile country club. I was down watching a game recently and Gil McLachlan was swanning around buying beers and pretending to drink some of them. I am sure I saw him tipping his beer into a pot plant though.

I just knew he'd be the kind of bloke who abuses pot plants to try and fit in with the other humans!

That'd be a satisfying trajectory to see unfold, the club going from nothing to a success after you were there making the difference right back when things were worst.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

I just knew he'd be the kind of bloke who abuses pot plants to try and fit in with the other humans!

That'd be a satisfying trajectory to see unfold, the club going from nothing to a success after you were there making the difference right back when things were worst.

I don't think I can take much credit but I did my job. I was more of a cricket coach really, but I enjoyed my short stint coaching footy. And I enjoyed it more due to the challenge of having to try to make something out of being dealt a dead man's hand, so to speak. I am sure there were a few opponents who came looking for an easy kill who left trying to figure out why the easy kill was so unco-operative. My favourite move was to follow the rule of 10. If a player looked like kicking 10 goals against us, I would move onto him, and he wouldn't kick 10. I won't reveal all of my rule of 10 methods, other than to say some of them were related to orthodox and sound defensive technique.

There were other people at the club when I was there who made great contributions to help put the club onto the right track, and unlike me, they were not paid, so they deserve all the credit. You are right however, it was extremely satisfying to see our efforts amount to something worthwhile in the end.

 

[Rayzorwire]

I won't reveal all of my rule of 10 methods, other than to say some of them were related to orthodox and sound defensive technique.

Looking like getting 10 goals down, go Balmey on the most dangerous oppo player...rinse and repeat if and when required.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Looking like getting 10 goals down, go Balmey on the most dangerous oppo player...rinse and repeat if and when required.

I can categorically say I never went Balmey. But I did try to test the skill and courage of opponents in every contest and most players would co-operatively fail in one of those areas at least. A certain percentage just didn't want any part of it after the first contest. I hope these physical test and courage elements are never legislated out of the game.

I think I can correctly say I only got taken apart once as a full back. The bloke(who I knew very well through cricket) was just too good a player for me, and kicked 8 on me and I had no excuses whatsoever, he was just too good. I threw everything at him in every way I could think of, but he was just too big, too strong, too tough, too fast and too skilled for me to stop him. In the end I had to resort to targetting his iffy knee in contests, otherwise it could have gotten even worse.

It is one of the things I love about footy as a sport. You can be tested in so many ways. My achilles heal was my lack of endurance running ability, and crafty opposition coaches and players could exploit this.

 

[Coach_Required]

I was very much in the dislike camp on Mansell at the start of the year, but after the weekend and watching you all melt over a guy who has played a handful of games, he is fast becoming one of my favourites.

Get a dog up ya haters

 

[lizard man]

I’m sure he will need scans but has anyone heard any word on how bad his injury is …..Please help him Louie

 

[tiger_tough]

I’m sure he will need scans but has anyone heard any word on how bad his injury is …..Please help him Louie

He didn't look to be in too much pain. Hopefully just a minor tweak.

 

[lizard man]

He didn't look to be in too much pain. Hopefully just a minor tweak.

Okay yeah a minor tweak would be good news … let’s hope that’s the case!

 

[THE_GUN]

out for 12 weeks

Meehan will make sure of that

 

[tunksy]

Hope it’s minor and he pushes his case for selection next week

 

[juss]

It's not just missing the entire sticks from 35 out, he also lost that contest with Heppell that led to the Bombers goal.

I mean what's the hope he's going to become? At best he's another chase and tackle space guarding forward. That gameplan worked 5 years ago, not anymore.

When you play state league quality players, you get state league quality results.

Think the above sums it up.

Imagine he cost us another game but in a final, whenever we next get there.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Think the above sums it up.

Imagine he cost us another game but in a final, whenever we next get there.

Jesus give players a chance to learn and grow. Mansell is clearly improving, and there is plenty of room on our list and in our team for these type of players who are prepared to put the team first.

 

[Future Third]

I am backing him in - his toughness, endeavour, run and pressure will keep him in the team I reckon. Needs a few games in a row with the full support of the Coaches to see what he can bring, has had a rollercoaster of ins and outs over the past couple of years.

Missing that goal was a bad mistake but plenty of other things happen in a tight game. If you are looking for a scapegoat, I would look elsewhere.

 

[tiger_tough]

Made some big contests and had a big hand in a couple of goals. That miss is inexcusable though. On watch.

 

[Toadvine]

It would be hard coming straight back in after injury and then being put into a high intensity game as sub ahead of schedule.

I think he'll be better next week