Finals effectively gone. What do we do from here for the 2023 season?

[banana_bus]

We should beat Swans at the G, eagles at OS, hawks, and North at the G (4 wins). That leaves dees. Dogs and Saints at Marvel and Port at AO
Need to win two of those 4 games to make it. Dees at the G and hope to split a win out of dogs or saints at Marvel. Port at AO can't see it.

This is how I saw it pre-Brions game as well - win 1 of the Marvel games and beat the Dees and Swans and we're in.

Can't see it now, after losing Shorty (likely done for the season as well as Lynch) - hopefully last night was an aberration/kick in the ass we need but Im a bit less optimistic.

 

[banana_bus]

But what is best available though? Is it really the mix we've been going with the past 5 weeks add or take away a couple of players?

In our premiership years, we always changed things up by adding new players. We only debuted one player this year and are going with the same conservative lineup every week. I don't know why Brisbane have room to debut two first-year players and we have only room for one 24-year-old first-year player that'll turn 25 this year. I don't get it tbh.

We can only lose 2 more games if we want to make finals IMO, which would take us to 12-1-10. With two Marvel games, Melbourne at the MCG, and a trip to AO for Port Adelaide remaining, we can't just rely on the same lineup. St Kilda and Bulldogs will kick our behinds at Marvel stadium with our current forward set-up (see the Gold Coast game for a preview of how our forwards perform at Marvel). Port Adelaide is yet to lose at AO against a travelling side, and I'm not waiting for a win against Melbourne.

If we want to make finals, then we need to do something different. This current side is good enough to push Port Adelaide at the MCG and beat Fremantle away, GWS away, and St Kilda at the MCG. However, it's not good enough to beat Bulldogs at Marvel, St Kilda at Marvel, Melbourne, and Port Adelaide at AO.

I haven't even started talking about the danger game that's Sydney at the MCG either, so playing players we haven't played this year is our only hope for making finals IMO. It might be the spark we need.

I think it's easier to debut players and add youth/speed/freshness when the team is humming and playing super confident football. You can carry some of those lighter bodies and in many cases they add a spark that the team needs.

We aren't humming, thats the problem. If our top 10-15 were blowing other teams off the park consistently we'd be able to tinker with that bottom 7-12 in the squad to get the right mixture. Right now we're treading water trying to stay afloat. Maybe losing to the Swans next week would be a blessing.

 

[Frustrated Tiger]

With finals likely gone (or are they?), and no first rounder in 2023, we are in a really difficult position.

There's no benefits to finishing low by way of a top draft pick, but at the same time we still need to invest in our future kids development, whilst also trying to honour the club greats like Cotchin who for better or worse we seem desperate to carry him to 300 games.

We are also in a position where I don't think our coaches future should be secured for 2024, and it probably hinges in the clubs eyes on the rest of 2023.

So firstly, do you think we are any (beyond mathematical) change of finals?

And based on that,
How do we approach the rest of 2023?

Go to the snow maybe???

 

[tugga]

Ryan probably needs a rest, so give biggie that spot.
banks and brown, give them some games to get them up to speed with the pace of AFL.
would have been a good opportunity to give coulthard a run with mansell out for three weeks.

 

[Lsta062]

I think it's easier to debut players and add youth/speed/freshness when the team is humming and playing super confident football. You can carry some of those lighter bodies and in many cases they add a spark that the team needs.

We aren't humming, thats the problem. If our top 10-15 were blowing other teams off the park consistently we'd be able to tinker with that bottom 7-12 in the squad to get the right mixture. Right now we're treading water trying to stay afloat. Maybe losing to the Swans next week would be a blessing.

Yeah that’s true, but even debuting Bauer, Banks, Brown, and playing Nyuon while they were in VFL form would’ve been nice. Without exposure, our youth are going to take longer adjusting to AFL compared to their peers. Greater chance of a young player not making it that way IMO

 

[banana_bus]

Ryan probably needs a rest, so give biggie that spot.
banks and brown, give them some games to get them up to speed with the pace of AFL.
would have been a good opportunity to give coulthard a run with mansell out for three weeks.

Ryan has really been gifted a run at it hasn't he? His output since the Geelong game has been abysmal

 

[tugga]

Ryan has really been gifted a run at it hasn't he? His output since the Geelong game has been abysmal

Yeah.
he still a baby when it comes to ruck work and being a kpf.
i see a lot of good things in his game, but a spell doesn’t hurt any young colt.
biggie needs to get a crack at it otherwise we either keep him around for yet another year or delist him.

 

[Truetiger]

We need to see if some of our young players can play. Not so hard now is it. Must play them with an eye for the future.

 

[Makeshft_Mauler]

We need to see if some of our young players can play. Not so hard now is it. Must play them with an eye for the future.

its not in mcqualters best interest to play the kids though right?

if he can snag a win against dees, dogs, saints we probably miss finals by a game and he puts himself squarely in the drivers seat to be selected as head coach,

if he plays the kids we probably lose all of those games, and the sydney and hawthorn games probably become closer to coin flips, and we finish somewhere in the 11th to 13th range and really hes just in the pack.

playing the kids is certainly not something you do when your coaching for your head coaching spot, its something you do when your locked in

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

That was a reasonable side we had on the Park last night...we really ought to have given it a good shake...regardless of the outs!

 

[Sir_Loin]

We need to see if some of our young players can play. Not so hard now is it. Must play them with an eye for the future.

They’ll only do that if we’re a mathematical chance of not making it. There’s still a chance but a few losses over the next month they’ll use the back end to do that

 

[Tiger Toffee]

They’ll only do that if we’re a mathematical chance of not making it. There’s still a chance but a few losses over the next month they’ll use the back end to do that

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

 

[banana_bus]

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

We all had this marked down as a loss. Next week is the game. Lose that, we're done. Win that, the next 3 weeks should be wins as well and then its big boy month.

 

[juss]

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

If we need 13(+0.5 for us given the draw) wins to make finals, we need to win 7 of our remaining 8 games.

It's not negative to basically admit we're done. It's realistic.

So far we're a 40% winning team over a good sample size of 15 games. And some people think we're going to turn that around in a week and become an 87.5% winning team over our last 2 months? Why? Because we're Richmond supports and we hope that'll happen?

There's just no logical argument beyond hope because it's nice to have that we will make finals from here.

To do that, we'd have to go almost flawlessly against a team that had belted us earlier in the season when they had more injury concerns than they do now hitting their best form (Sydney), 2 other top 4 teams (Port and Demons), both of who have beaten us already, 1 which will be in Adelaide, and notorious bogey sides at Marvel the Saints and Dogs.

Providing we do win the other games against Hawthorn, North and the Eagles, (Hawks isn't a guarantee), if anyone seriously thinks we are only dropping 1 game of the above with our current available list and form, they're kidding themselves.

We should be turning our focus to 2024 development.

 

[Makeshft_Mauler]

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

so you had us sitting half a game in the 8 after weve played all the garbage teams bar north.

so with 5 rounds to go wed need to at best for us win 3 of the remaining 5 games (as i predict adelaide and essendon will end up on 12 wins)

please tell me where we are picking up wins on our current form without and given our track record at marvel?

Melbourne at the MCG
Dogs at marvel
Saints at marvel
North
Port in adelaide

wed legitimately go in favorite in one of those games, i could see us stealing one of demons, dogs or saints, but not two of the 3.

 

[bluehouse]

Yeah.
he still a baby when it comes to ruck work and being a kpf.
i see a lot of good things in his game, but a spell doesn’t hurt any young colt.
biggie needs to get a crack at it otherwise we either keep him around for yet another year or delist him.

Biggy won’t make it unless we play him as a ruckman mostly. Prefer in defence than forward too.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

It's not as if we're gonna have the flu every week.
Hats off too Loui.
Sides never win after the bye
Timed it well.

 

[Truetiger]

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

Never said it’s over. Just would like to see it a tad more. I had us losing last night and finishing 8th.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

If we need 13(+0.5 for us given the draw) wins to make finals, we need to win 7 of our remaining 8 games.

It's not negative to basically admit we're done. It's realistic.

So far we're a 40% winning team over a good sample size of 15 games. And some people think we're going to turn that around in a week and become an 87.5% winning team over our last 2 months? Why? Because we're Richmond supports and we hope that'll happen?

There's just no logical argument beyond hope because it's nice to have that we will make finals from here.

To do that, we'd have to go almost flawlessly against a team that had belted us earlier in the season when they had more injury concerns than they do now hitting their best form (Sydney), 2 other top 4 teams (Port and Demons), both of who have beaten us already, 1 which will be in Adelaide, and notorious bogey sides at Marvel the Saints and Dogs.

Providing we do win the other games against Hawthorn, North and the Eagles, (Hawks isn't a guarantee), if anyone seriously thinks we are only dropping 1 game of the above with our current available list and form, they're kidding themselves.

We should be turning our focus to 2024 development.

While it's still mathematical chance too play finals it'll be foolish too throw in the towell
You never know what happens in September.

 

[Tigeron]

Jacob Bauer must come in this week

 

[Sir_Loin]

Jacob Bauer must come in this week

Couldn’t hurt

 

[Coach_Required]

We just need to try and win as many games as we can still. Maintain our senior experience but bring a kid in to play for a few weeks. We need to start getting games into some youngsters.

 

[Oldest Tiger]

Soldo dominated so in for Ryan. Bauer must come in BOG by a mile. We need speed so debut for Coulthard (rest Cotch).
Both Rioli and Dow should be dropped from the seconds. Dow has no ball security and his disposal is terrible. Rioli can't kick, mark or make smart decisions, his tackles resulted in either a free against or ball up. Morris must shake his head when duds are sent down and he is forced to play them.

 

[tugga]

So predictable that the negative nellies all think it's over with, they over think too much. Before last night i had us in 8th spot after the hawks game and that included a loss against Brisbane which also included us being 6 points out after this round. It's not over by a long shot.

Hawks no certainty and lolnorf seem to bother us.

 

[Truetiger]

I have us losing to Melbourne, Port Adelaide, and lets say the Dogs. 8th On the ladder if we lose them and win the rest. My tipping not so bad either.