• Fantasy round review: The big guns deliver
• Around the state leagues: Report could delay Morabito return
RICHMOND'S loss to Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday was, hands down, the most disappointing performance by any side so far this season.
There have been plenty of blowouts so far this season and not enough great games but the Tigers' 17-point loss to the Demons plumbed new depths in terms of the importance of the day and what they had to play for.
The Tigers of old, as in those of the Tom Hafey era would have eaten their opponents alive, all puns intended. But the Tigers of any time since have been known for the crushing disappointments they have served their fans on a regular basis and Saturday at the MCG underlined that once again.
Richmond racked up more inside 50s and more scoring shots, but the finishing was woeful – 9.20 – a sign that the confidence and the strut that marked the Tigers through much of last year has evaporated, perhaps for good in 2014.
We have remarked before that the dash and verve has disappeared from the Tigers. They are now a tentative bunch but the disappointing statistics out of Saturday was 121-138 deficit in contested possessions and 32-41 in clearances. On a day that honoured Hafey, who liked his footy tough and hard, these were damning figures.
The Tigers are clearly the most disappointing team so far this year. Looking through Saturday's selected 22 perhaps the only player who has visibly improved on last year is key defender David Astbury and he suffered a serious knee injury in the third quarter and appears set for a long stint on the sidelines.
Trent Cotchin has been a great leader for the Tigers once again and on Saturday he played up forward on a bung ankle, perhaps ill-advisedly, given it now puts him in doubt for the Giants game this week at Spotless Stadium. And the lack of leadership through the middle in his absence was glaring.
I'll be fit to face GWS, says captain Cotchin
There are plenty at Richmond who played on Saturday who are down on last season and (in no particular order) Shaun Grigg, Bachar Houli, Troy Chaplin, Steven Morris and Ty Vickery immediately come to mind.
And a look through the Tigers' VFL team that lost to Box Hill on Saturday doesn't give great cause for optimism. No.1 ruckman Ivan Maric got through his first game of the year unscathed but is at least a fortnight away from returning to the senior side, but among those who featured in the best players were Aaron Edwards, Matt Thomas, Matt Dea and Dylan Grimes.
Now, that quartet has shown they are worthy of playing senior football for Richmond and can be useful players in patches. But other than Maric, I'm not sure they will make the Tigers any better.
The by-product of all this underperformance is supporter unrest towards the coach. With Richmond fans, it is always thus.
But Damien Hardwick isn't going anywhere. He's contracted until the end of 2016 and no sane club would remove a coach with two years left on a contract. He led the Tigers last year to their first finals appearance in 12 years – amid great fanfare it must be remembered – and he deserves the opportunity to turn the club around.
WATCH: Knee blow for Tiger AstburyThe irony for the Tigers on Saturday was that it was 'one of their own' who helped put them to the sword.
OK, we're stretching just a bit but Dom Tyson, who racked up 23 possessions on Saturday and kicked two crucial goals, not only grew up a mad Tiger fan, but nearly ended up at Richmond at the end of 2012.
Tyson, the No.3 draft selection at the end of 2011, played 10 games for the Giants in their maiden season but battled with homesickness and was open to a return to Victoria.
The Tigers and the Giants talked, but couldn't swing the deal, unlike the Demons 12 months later.
We've said this before but it bears repeating: the deal that sent Tyson and the draft pick used for Christian Salem to the Demons in exchange for Josh Kelly to the Giants will prove to be Exhibit A in 'how to engineer a win-win trade deal for both clubs'.
Suddenly Melbourne supporters have cause for optimism. They have Tyson, labelled by former Demon Mitch Clark on the weekend as a cross between Luke Hodge and Simon Black, who together with Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince, Jack Viney and Daniel Cross make up a decent midfield group, one that Paul Roos can engineer to make the Demons so much more competitive.
When they are plainly willing to work harder than their opposition, which was the case on Saturday, Melbourne will be competitive nearly every week, something we haven't said about the Demons for the past five years.
There are plenty at Richmond who played on Saturday who are down on last season and (in no particular order) Shaun Grigg, Bachar Houli, Troy Chaplin, Steven Morris and Ty Vickery immediately come to mind.
And a look through the Tigers' VFL team that lost to Box Hill on Saturday doesn't give great cause for optimism. No.1 ruckman Ivan Maric got through his first game of the year unscathed but is at least a fortnight away from returning to the senior side, but among those who featured in the best players were Aaron Edwards, Matt Thomas, Matt Dea and Dylan Grimes.
Now, that quartet has shown they are worthy of playing senior football for Richmond and can be useful players in patches. But other than Maric, I'm not sure they will make the Tigers any better.
The by-product of all this underperformance is supporter unrest towards the coach. With Richmond fans, it is always thus.
But Damien Hardwick isn't going anywhere. He's contracted until the end of 2016 and no sane club would remove a coach with two years left on a contract. He led the Tigers last year to their first finals appearance in 12 years – amid great fanfare it must be remembered – and he deserves the opportunity to turn the club around.
WATCH: Knee blow for Tiger AstburyThe irony for the Tigers on Saturday was that it was 'one of their own' who helped put them to the sword.
OK, we're stretching just a bit but Dom Tyson, who racked up 23 possessions on Saturday and kicked two crucial goals, not only grew up a mad Tiger fan, but nearly ended up at Richmond at the end of 2012.
Tyson, the No.3 draft selection at the end of 2011, played 10 games for the Giants in their maiden season but battled with homesickness and was open to a return to Victoria.
The Tigers and the Giants talked, but couldn't swing the deal, unlike the Demons 12 months later.
We've said this before but it bears repeating: the deal that sent Tyson and the draft pick used for Christian Salem to the Demons in exchange for Josh Kelly to the Giants will prove to be Exhibit A in 'how to engineer a win-win trade deal for both clubs'.
Suddenly Melbourne supporters have cause for optimism. They have Tyson, labelled by former Demon Mitch Clark on the weekend as a cross between Luke Hodge and Simon Black, who together with Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince, Jack Viney and Daniel Cross make up a decent midfield group, one that Paul Roos can engineer to make the Demons so much more competitive.
When they are plainly willing to work harder than their opposition, which was the case on Saturday, Melbourne will be competitive nearly every week, something we haven't said about the Demons for the past five years.
Dom Tyson's stellar start at Melbourne has justified the Tigers' earlier interest in him. Picture: AFL Media
QUESTION TIME
Was this a lost fixturing opportunity for the AFL in Queensland?
A quirk of the draw meant that both Queensland sides were in Melbourne for the weekend and they played 24 hours apart at Etihad Stadium, and with vastly contrasting results. But perhaps the fixture wasn't right. The NRL had a Queensland derby Friday night and the Reds were in town for a Super Rugby home game the following night. But the AFL could have owned Sunday in Queensland with the Suns playing at home. Certainly, the Saints-Suns game barely created a stir in Melbourne with the paltry 14,625 crowd the second lowest ever by the Saints at the Docklands. It was also the sixth smallest AFL crowd ever at the stadium. It is easy to be smart in hindsight and the AFL schedule is a complicated beast, but these bye rounds need just a bit more tweaking next year and beyond.
Ashley Browne: Given that there were fans of the Bombers and the Swans among the 41,000 at Etihad on Friday night we might be unfair in apportioning all the blame to the Essendon contingent, although given the scoreline at the time it was the Essendon supporters who were more likely to feel embittered. That said, all Troy Pannell was doing was his job and he was just stiff to be in Nick Malceski's way. And given that the ever-smiling Pannell is reportedly one of the best blokes going around, it was poor form by whoever chose to jeer.
WATCH: Malceski collides with Pannell
AB: Of course it was. Cloke is the best contested mark in the League, one just out of form at the moment. Get Ben Reid back in the side and Collingwood can start engineering the match-ups in their favour and allow Cloke to play to his strengths.
AB: I think they do value goalkicking. You only have to see the furrowed brows and heads in hands when players miss gettable goals. The issue for players is their technique when fatigued and when under mental pressure. Richmond just couldn't execute the fundamentals when it mattered in the final quarter against Melbourne and it arguably cost it the four points. I have often wondered whether footballers should adopt the same techniques with their goalkicking practice as do professional golfers with their putting. Drive for show, putt for dough. Is there are a parallel in footy?
AB: I think quite a bit. It can't be easy for the Essendon players to come to work every week with this hanging over their heads. In a recent interview, Hawthorn pair Shaun Burgoyne and Sam Mitchell said a key to what gets them through the season is that coming to the football club six days a week is fun, but that surely can't be the case at Essendon right now, as a middling team living in fear of what the postman might bring each day.
AB: What? Another head clash? When did this happen? Why don't they ever show replays of such things? In all seriousness, brace yourself for another big week of talk about the bump. My hope is that the appeal hearing out of the Jack Viney clash of a fortnight ago has re-established the fact that accidents do happen in footy and that this was one. Hurley had his head over the ball, Hannebery approached the contest with no malice intended and the contact was accidental. If the Match Review panel pays more heed to real time vision as suggested they would by Mark Evans a fortnight ago, then Hannebery should be OK.
WATCH: Hannebery in strife after Hurley hit?
AB: No criticisms of Bruce McAvaney here – he is a national TV icon. Having said that, there isn’t much fresh blood coming through the footy broadcasting ranks. Again, I'm a massive Sandy Roberts fan, but it was an 'old school' move to have him back behind the microphone as a caller for Fox Footy this year. If you're a young broadcaster with designs to call AFL games, you might be facing a long wait because the teams at Seven and Fox seem entrenched for some time. But if you're looking for some inspiration, Google the name 'Kevin Burkhardt' and look at his meteoric rise through the NFL broadcasting ranks in the US.
AB: The AFL slashed their number from two to down to one this year despite the protestations of the coaches. Given the pace of the game and that players manage their own rotations and even their positional changes, I'm not quite sure what purpose the runners serve these days. Rest assured, if they were banned altogether, coaches would find another way to get their messages across in game. They're crafty like that.
AB: 22 rounds over 25 weekends means significant gaps along the way, and this was one of then. Sunday afternoon footy falls by the wayside when there are Thursday, Friday and Saturday night timeslots to be filled. And because Saints-Suns was a Fox Footy game, the preferred timeslot was late Sunday afternoon. If Thursday night games continue to surge in popularity, then afternoon games on weekends will be the ones to make way.
AB: We're not quite at the 'Kennett Curse' stage but it must be a concern to the Cats that they struggle to beat one of their fellow premiership contenders on a regular basis. The Dockers niggle the Cats, get under their skin and prevent them from playing the sort of footy they like and it is fascinating to watch it all unfold. The good news for the Cats and for us neutrals is that they get another chance to square the ledger, this time in round 20 at Geelong. The Cats really need to win that one.
AB: Lots of replies to a tweet of mine from last Thursday following news of Josh Gibson's injury about how the Hawks might structure up defensively while he and Brian Lake are missing. I think this answer is sensible, although Hodge might be needed more through the midfield. Matt Spangher and Kyle Cheney will also come into the defensive mix depending on match-ups. Spangher could play the second tall defender leaving Stratton to play the third-man up, key spoiling role that is key to how Hawthorn plays defensively. Whatever the case, Alastair Clarkson faces his most challenging few weeks for quite some time.
Twitter: @afl_hashbrowne
QUESTION TIME
Was this a lost fixturing opportunity for the AFL in Queensland?
A quirk of the draw meant that both Queensland sides were in Melbourne for the weekend and they played 24 hours apart at Etihad Stadium, and with vastly contrasting results. But perhaps the fixture wasn't right. The NRL had a Queensland derby Friday night and the Reds were in town for a Super Rugby home game the following night. But the AFL could have owned Sunday in Queensland with the Suns playing at home. Certainly, the Saints-Suns game barely created a stir in Melbourne with the paltry 14,625 crowd the second lowest ever by the Saints at the Docklands. It was also the sixth smallest AFL crowd ever at the stadium. It is easy to be smart in hindsight and the AFL schedule is a complicated beast, but these bye rounds need just a bit more tweaking next year and beyond.
@afl_hashbrowne @AFL Are Essendon fans the worst in the league for booing an unconscious umpire? #afterthesiren #afl #yes
— Lindy Bassett (@lindybassett) May 18, 2014
Ashley Browne: Given that there were fans of the Bombers and the Swans among the 41,000 at Etihad on Friday night we might be unfair in apportioning all the blame to the Essendon contingent, although given the scoreline at the time it was the Essendon supporters who were more likely to feel embittered. That said, all Troy Pannell was doing was his job and he was just stiff to be in Nick Malceski's way. And given that the ever-smiling Pannell is reportedly one of the best blokes going around, it was poor form by whoever chose to jeer.
WATCH: Malceski collides with Pannell
@afl_hashbrowne @AFL was keeping Travis Cloke the right decision for Collingwood? #afterthesiren
— Jay-R Relingado (@R32Jay) May 18, 2014
AB: Of course it was. Cloke is the best contested mark in the League, one just out of form at the moment. Get Ben Reid back in the side and Collingwood can start engineering the match-ups in their favour and allow Cloke to play to his strengths.
#AfterTheSiren Another weekend plagued by terrible kicking for goal. When are coaches going to get back to really valuing goal kicking? @AFL
— Chris Howard (@chrishoward) May 18, 2014
AB: I think they do value goalkicking. You only have to see the furrowed brows and heads in hands when players miss gettable goals. The issue for players is their technique when fatigued and when under mental pressure. Richmond just couldn't execute the fundamentals when it mattered in the final quarter against Melbourne and it arguably cost it the four points. I have often wondered whether footballers should adopt the same techniques with their goalkicking practice as do professional golfers with their putting. Drive for show, putt for dough. Is there are a parallel in footy?
@afl_hashbrowne What mental toll is the never ending ASADA investigation having on the Essendon Football Team? #afterthesiren @afl
— Shane Martin (@marty67) May 18, 2014
AB: I think quite a bit. It can't be easy for the Essendon players to come to work every week with this hanging over their heads. In a recent interview, Hawthorn pair Shaun Burgoyne and Sam Mitchell said a key to what gets them through the season is that coming to the football club six days a week is fun, but that surely can't be the case at Essendon right now, as a middling team living in fear of what the postman might bring each day.
@afl_hashbrowne Will Daniel Hannebery get time for Friday night? Harsh if he does. Eyes on the ball, had to protect himself #afterthesiren
— Domhnall Mc Inerney (@DomhnallMc) May 18, 2014
AB: What? Another head clash? When did this happen? Why don't they ever show replays of such things? In all seriousness, brace yourself for another big week of talk about the bump. My hope is that the appeal hearing out of the Jack Viney clash of a fortnight ago has re-established the fact that accidents do happen in footy and that this was one. Hurley had his head over the ball, Hannebery approached the contest with no malice intended and the contact was accidental. If the Match Review panel pays more heed to real time vision as suggested they would by Mark Evans a fortnight ago, then Hannebery should be OK.
WATCH: Hannebery in strife after Hurley hit?
Is the cupboard so bare in sports broadcasting in this country that Bruce will have a job for life? #afterthesiren #afl @afl_hashbrowne
— loveapunt (@loveapunt) May 18, 2014
AB: No criticisms of Bruce McAvaney here – he is a national TV icon. Having said that, there isn’t much fresh blood coming through the footy broadcasting ranks. Again, I'm a massive Sandy Roberts fan, but it was an 'old school' move to have him back behind the microphone as a caller for Fox Footy this year. If you're a young broadcaster with designs to call AFL games, you might be facing a long wait because the teams at Seven and Fox seem entrenched for some time. But if you're looking for some inspiration, Google the name 'Kevin Burkhardt' and look at his meteoric rise through the NFL broadcasting ranks in the US.
@afl_hashbrowne @AFL Are runners a thing of the past? should we do away with them all together? #afl #afterthesiren
— Aaron (@The_Jet1) May 18, 2014
AB: The AFL slashed their number from two to down to one this year despite the protestations of the coaches. Given the pace of the game and that players manage their own rotations and even their positional changes, I'm not quite sure what purpose the runners serve these days. Rest assured, if they were banned altogether, coaches would find another way to get their messages across in game. They're crafty like that.
@afl_hashbrowne @AFL Why is there one game today? #afterthesiren
— Tom Keys (@TKeys19) May 18, 2014
AB: 22 rounds over 25 weekends means significant gaps along the way, and this was one of then. Sunday afternoon footy falls by the wayside when there are Thursday, Friday and Saturday night timeslots to be filled. And because Saints-Suns was a Fox Footy game, the preferred timeslot was late Sunday afternoon. If Thursday night games continue to surge in popularity, then afternoon games on weekends will be the ones to make way.
@afl_hashbrowne Is it becoming a concern that Geelong has lost 4 of its last 5 v Freo? #afterthesiren
— Thomas Bennetts (@ThomasBennetts) May 18, 2014
AB: We're not quite at the 'Kennett Curse' stage but it must be a concern to the Cats that they struggle to beat one of their fellow premiership contenders on a regular basis. The Dockers niggle the Cats, get under their skin and prevent them from playing the sort of footy they like and it is fascinating to watch it all unfold. The good news for the Cats and for us neutrals is that they get another chance to square the ledger, this time in round 20 at Geelong. The Cats really need to win that one.
@afl_hashbrowne @HawthornFC * If Hodge back - Duryea - Shoenmakers - Birchall Hodge - Stratton - Suckling #afterthesiren
— Taylor (@t_woof) May 15, 2014
AB: Lots of replies to a tweet of mine from last Thursday following news of Josh Gibson's injury about how the Hawks might structure up defensively while he and Brian Lake are missing. I think this answer is sensible, although Hodge might be needed more through the midfield. Matt Spangher and Kyle Cheney will also come into the defensive mix depending on match-ups. Spangher could play the second tall defender leaving Stratton to play the third-man up, key spoiling role that is key to how Hawthorn plays defensively. Whatever the case, Alastair Clarkson faces his most challenging few weeks for quite some time.
Twitter: @afl_hashbrowne
