meltiger said:
Franklin has not been as good as Deledio Kev.
Common Tiger talk, but tiger fans do rank Deledio as the greatest youngster ever to grace the paddock (despite performances) so I'm not surprised you hold this view.
meltiger said:
But of course, this is the same person that called me childish for stating my belief that Richmond were capable of playing finals footy in 2005...
No, Craig. I called you childish because you ponce on with the same Richmond for the flag dross at the start of every season.
meltiger said:
The same person who stated Terry Wallace cannot coach & Clarkson was the best choice.
No, again. I didn't say Wallace couldn't coach, I denied strongly that he was the super coach the media talked him up into. I also outlined his strong character flaws, having left three sides (including your own) in the lurch in the past while doing a runner when the going got too tough. Both of the facts above are well documented by history, and while you may not like the sound of them, you cannot deny either of them.
For Hawthorn's position, Clarkson was the best choice. With Wallace always just using us to get the Miller Plan at Richmond, I wasn't sorry to see us miss out on him, as I want someone in charge who is fully commited to the club, not merely his wallet.
meltiger said:
Shame come Round 18 Richmond are still in the finals race after a pitiful season last year, Terry's draftee's at the Dogs have been a big part of vastly increased form of Footscray this year & Hawthorn are again looking at priority picks after yet another shameful season for a club that was proud once upon a time.
Hmmm. Richmond are coming off 3 consecutive bottom four finishes and are two years ahead of Hawthorn in rebuilding terms so you would want to see them higher on the table wouldn't you? Mind you, all you'd have to do is swap Richo in the two sides and despite the Hawks being behind on the rebuild, the two sides would change ladder spots. Tell me how confident you'd be feeling right now, if Richo were to go down tomorrow?
Terry's draftees at the Dogs... Its well acknowledged (by himself for that matter) that he totally stuffed-up trading & drafting at the club hence their lengthy stay at the bottom of the table. Most of the key players behind the Bulldog late season resurgence are from the Rohde era.
[QOUTE=meltiger]Terry has got immense improvement out of Richmond whilst Clarkson has seen Hawthorn go backwards.[/QUOTE]
Improvement yes, but hardly immense improvement, particularly on the back of 3 consecutive bottom four finishes and the short-term view purchases of experienced players last season. Its been very noticeable this season that Richmond gets routinely belted by top sides and has its fortunes controlled by big Richo. He's a coach with a five-year contract on a two-year plan, while Clarkson is a coach on a two-year contract with a five-year plan. Hawthorn is already shaping a lot better for the long-term.
meltiger said:
We wouldn't want to admit though that the Hawthorn-led sledging of Wallace's record only started after it became clear the former player had zero desire to return to coach the sinking ship and was only using Hawthorn to increase the bid from Richmond.
Pfft. If you're happy enough to have a no better than solid coach use your club up to get massive dollars for himself, then I'm happy for you.
I'm continually surprised by the insecurity of Richmond fans on Bigfooty and on the Punt Road End site.
Their ongoing angst about the Hawks is astonishing.
Richmond clearly has the largest quotient of knobjockeys on BF (Bentleigh, Tigerboyz, Jackson Rules, Mrs Richo, Its in the Blood, Blaisee, True Tiger, Tiger T, Local, nut, oxxx) and they all tend to concern themselves far more with Hawthorn than they do Richmond. Granted there are about 3-4 going the other way, but clearly the greater fixation is coming from the Tiger side of the fence.
Similarly, the number of threads devoted to Hawthorn on the PRE was stunning compared with the minimal interest generated by Hawk fans on the HawkHQ.
Richmond fans need to get over Hawthorn, and concentrate on their own side. I wonder why they obsess about Hawthorn so?
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meltiger said:
If you are going to make a judgement call on Tambling, at least wait until the kid has actually had a chance to get some consistent on field time under his belt. He has been injured for long periods during the season. Hardly a great way to develop in his first season.
Oh, I haven't given up on Tambling yet, I'm merely stating that I've already heard a number of Tiger fans regretting the choice of Tambling at 4 in the last draft. Very short term thinkers these Tiger types.
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meltiger said:
The fact remains Kev that two players were by far and away the biggest talents of the 2004 Draft. Deledio and Griffen. The fact that Hawthorn passed over one of them is truly shameful.
Which is why the radio commentators yesterday (and not for the first time) were stating Franklin could be the biggest thing in the game once he adds on extra bulk.
Frankly, I expect Roughead will end up being an even better footballer than Franklin long term. Clearly we haven't used our key picks on a Fiora or a Pettifer, LOL.
meltiger said:
Check the numbers by the way, Brett has been equal to Judd in his first season.
Not quite...
Judd was average an extra possession, an extra 3 points and an extra tackle per game. More significantly, he was playing in the midfield for the Eagles, not drifting off a flank.
Its also noted that Deledio was a couple of possies a game off the Hodge pace, despite the latter missing the entire preseason and playing throughout 2002 with a groin injury.
By way of comparison, Lewis (who constantly maintains a sensational effective disposal rate) runs figures almost identical to Hodge's, but with less goal clout and an extra mark a game.
Franklin has ran at 11 possessions, 5 marks 2 tackles and a goal a game, but draws better opposition from defences given Hawthorn's lean forward options this season. He can play everywhere on the paddock (incuding ruck and including rover). Will without a doubt represent the most nightmarish pre-game player match-ups for rival coach's in future years. Still needs some weight and finesse though, admittedly.
I'm not saying Deledio isn't good, but he hasn't at all been greatly better than a number of others, especially allowing for his easier role.
