Gifting Games vs what is best for 2019 and managing our list

[saintsRrising]

I note Richo's recent comment on not gifting games at present.

However is this what is really best for the club at this point in time?

The season is gone and we cannot make the finals. So surely what is required now is to set us up for 2019 and beyond.

Now I guest that Maddies Match against the Tigers will have a lot of media attention and as such the club will want to put its best match day fora number of different reasons.

But after this I think the club needs to focus on perhaps "gifting"some games so that any player that the club is considering keeping or not can be assessed at AFL level. We have seen this year how some players like Rice have actually performed surprisingly well at AFL level, compared to their VFL, when given their chance.

In addition players who have not been looked at yet who have played ok should be given a run.

To get a good idea at least 2 matches should be given to such players.

There are three players that come to mind.

- Freeman is the obvious one. Has gone ok, even if it appears his extreme pace has gone. Decision needs to be made at seasons end to retain, rookie or delist.

- Pierce. Has been given the season at Frankston to develop his game as a ruck. Has only played one game to date in the seniors. He is almost 24 and so lets have a look at him at the highest level.

- Paton. Has had a solid year and has transitioned from hb to the midfield. Has done enough to deserve 2 games to assist in his development for 2019 and beyond.

- Goddard. Seems to have gone ok at VFL without setting the world on fire. We need to see if he is indeed too slow now for AFL level or not

Beyond that I am not so sure. Perhaps Connellan as it may be interesting to see how he would go in the small forward role at AFL .

[bigcarl]

Not a fan of “gifting” games to anyone. They should be given to players who have earned them and that would certainly include Freeman, for instance.

IMO what is best for the club is to win as many of the remaining games that we can and give some optimism that the club won’t be a total disaster going into 2019.

[saintsRrising]

Not a fan of “gifting” games to anyone. They should be given to players who have earned them and that would certainly include Freeman, for instance.

IMO what is best for the club is to win as many of the remaining games that we can and give some optimism that the club won’t be a total disaster going into 2019.

My suggestion is for players who have shown enough to suggest that they may have a future.

With Ross available again this week as well as Acres we have a excess of mids and so purely on form Freeman and Paton would not be selected at all this season. For the reasons outlined in my post I think they should given at least 2 games each in a midfield role in the seniors.

Just playing Freeman as say a small forward role that he has not played in at VFL level would achieve little IMO. We need to see if he can make it as a mid.

[Spinner]

What was Richo's comment?

Don't believe in gifting games when you are at the bottom of the ladder. In a sense, it can be argued the 22 out there each week have been gifted games and not performed.

Play and try players. Can't be any worse than some of our other selections throughout the year.

[supersaints]

Not sure about gifting games but...

Ive done many posts regarding the rucks in the past but we should have a good look at Lewis Pierce (seeing many want to get rid of him).

Since he has had an opportunity to go first ruck for Frankston (instead of floundering around as second or mostly third ruck with either Longer or Hickey and or Holmes) He has improved and is progressing as one would expect.

His season so far his (ten games averaged)

42 Hits out's
4.1 marks
2.8 tackles

He has also been in the best players for half his games (I don't recall our other rucks doing any better at Sandy ? , but ill stand corrected)

He is still young...IMO if we get rid of him its a bad move, I think in the future he and Marshall could end up playing in the same team as Marshall as a two ruck/forward set up.

[dragit]

Richo tends to gift games to older guys who aren't performing rather than trying younger guys out, this has been mitigated somewhat this year via extensive injuries, otherwise we probably wouldn't have seen much of Austin, White, Rice, Phillips, McKenzie, Marshall or Battle this year… all of which get a lot less leeway than richos old favourites.

[bigcarl]

Richo tends to gift games to older guys who aren't performing

True, I can think of a few examples. It needs to be a meritocracy rather than a seniorocracy.

[Yorkeys]

Be fair, look at it from Richo's position. All he has to sell now is the vague hope of a future where the team wins more than 5 -7 games a season. If he plays the men mentioned above and they prove duds then there obviously is no hope. If he plays them and they show they are better than the journeymen he has chosen for so long he would look silly and some may unkindly question his professional skills. Hence the don't gift games doctrine; you actually back the incumbents at selection and but at the same time throw out the line that there is natural improvement coming from the list somewhere. He has to balance club gullibility with the bored/disappointed to frustration syndrome, but. Lethlean might help him out with good quality FAs - but then, who to drop?

[vacuous space]

At this point, I don't believe Richo has the ability to make a tough decision. I don't think he can look a player in the eye after a 10+ goal win and tell them they're not in our best team right now. I don't think he has the ability to tell an older player that they're not in our best team going forward, and this season is shot, so we're going to play a younger guy. He's that boss who wants to be everybody's friend. We need someone who can make tough decisions, because there are a lot of them on the horizon.

[Enrico_Misso]

Gifting games to a few of these "maybe" players IS best for 2019.

We need to make some key retain/delist decisions at season end.
We are much more likely to get them right if we have a decent look at those guys now at top level.

[mad saint guy]

We'd learn a hell of a lot more by giving Freeman, Goddard, Pierce and Paton a chance than we would from continuing with the same rotation of known quantities (Lonie, Wright, Gilbert, Weller etc). People talking about not gifting games haven't paid much attention to the form of many of our senior players this year

[Jacks Back]

I agree with the OP and it is not really "gifting" games if the Sandy players are playing okay football anyway.

Richo might be concerned with a new player playing too many games this year and then not being able to win the rising star award (it's 10 games Richo so you are alright to play other players now).

[Scollop]

At this point, I don't believe Richo has the ability to make a tough decision. I don't think he can look a player in the eye after a 10+ goal win and tell them they're not in our best team right now. I don't think he has the ability to tell an older player that they're not in our best team going forward, and this season is shot, so we're going to play a younger guy. He's that boss who wants to be everybody's friend. We need someone who can make tough decisions, because there are a lot of them on the horizon.

Yep

[BringBackMadDog]

At this point, I don't believe Richo has the ability to make a tough decision. I don't think he can look a player in the eye after a 10+ goal win and tell them they're not in our best team right now. I don't think he has the ability to tell an older player that they're not in our best team going forward, and this season is shot, so we're going to play a younger guy. He's that boss who wants to be everybody's friend. We need someone who can make tough decisions, because there are a lot of them on the horizon.

what a load of horse s***, this is the stupidest thing I have read on here for a while. First and foremost there is a selection committee not just the senior coach picking the team. secondly, there isn't a single AFL coach that doesnt have to make tough decisions every single week, to say that Richo won't drop a player because he wants to be liked is a f****** joke

[sunsaint]

< this is the stupidest thing I have read on here for a while. >

and you have to read a lot of stupidest things on here dont you BBMD?

[sunsaint]

should have gifted Freeman a game against Blues but didnt
We need to sort our list out this year - and certainly not add past the use by date players like BJG as another thread is hinting at

[saintsRrising]

Ok...now that Maddie's Match is out of the way can the club please get serious about developing our 2019 and beyond team?

[congorozides]

Notes from Richo's Selection Committee Notebook:

Keep the faith with Mav. As long as possible. Hold firm. Firm. Be Strong.
Another pre-season is only a few months away.
All those hot days. Top off in the gym. Muscles rippling.
The camps. Oh god the camps. So much opportunity at those camps.

[bigred]

We need to get as many games into Nathan Brown as we possibly can.

[bigcarl]

At this point, I don't believe Richo has the ability to make a tough decision. I don't think he can look a player in the eye after a 10+ goal win and tell them they're not in our best team right now. I don't think he has the ability to tell an older player that they're not in our best team going forward, and this season is shot, so we're going to play a younger guy. He's that boss who wants to be everybody's friend. We need someone who can make tough decisions, because there are a lot of them on the horizon.

Yep, I fear you may be right.

Sure there is a selection committee, but I suspect they tend to give the coach the personnel he asks for.

Richo is set in his ways and is myopic regarding the list and game plan. Not just who plays, but where they play. The whole damn place needs a shake up and perhaps some selectors who think a bit differently to Richo is a good starting point.

If we’re not going to move him on, let’s hope they get some brains around him. Not someone who wants his job but someone he trusts enough to listen to and act on. I hope he’s listening to Lethlean, for example. Otherwise we are destined for more pain with no end in sight.

I don’t think it’s a great list, but it’s not as bad as it’s played this season. The coach needs to wear some of that.

[saintspremiers]

Ok...now that Maddie's Match is out of the way can the club please get serious about developing our 2019 and beyond team?

But what if (and pure speculation from my part) Richo has a minimum win clause in his contract to not be sacked (I’m guessing 5 wins)! and he plus the selection committee are doing everything to try and achieve this?

The current board desperately seem to want to do everything they can to justify keeping on Richo next season. Sacking him will be seen as a total failure of the current board.

[jonesy]

Ok...now that Maddie's Match is out of the way can the club please get serious about developing our 2019 and beyond team?

But what if (and pure speculation from my part) Richo has a minimum win clause in his contract to not be sacked (I’m guessing 5 wins)! and he plus the selection committee are doing everything to try and achieve this?

The current board desperately seem to want to do everything they can to justify keeping on Richo next season. Sacking him will be seen as a total failure of the current board.

The board needs to go. They are completely incompetent

What happened to this coup from the secret billionaire ? All has gone quiet on that front . No point making a move in the offseason , do it now, no one will be stupid enough to come to us right now on our current path. A new direction is need immediately, the clock is ticking

[dragit]

We need to get as many games into Nathan Brown as we possibly can.

#browny200

[Con Gorozidis]

Hopefully we do a community camp out in cattle country. South Gippsland maybe. Traralgon.
Imagine the photo opportunity.
Mav in dusty jeans. Rugged boots. No shirt. An akubra on top.
Phwoooar.
Richo will have dancing loins at the prospect of this.