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\u2018STOP ORCHESTRATING YOUR OWN DEMISE\u2019: DESPERATE TIGERS PLEA AS FAMILIAR ISSUES REAR HEAD<\/p>\n
Winless Richmond\u2019s midfield issues reared their head once again in last Friday night\u2019s loss to Melbourne, with two-time premiership player David King \u201cpleading\u201d for change. <\/p>\n
There were multiple glaring examples from the loss to the Dees, which laid bare poor decision-making with ball in hand, and bad man-marking in the defensive half. <\/p>\n
On First Crack, King highlighted the failures, which included Dion Prestia – one of the side\u2019s most senior players – failing to give an easy handball at stoppage to make for a cleaner exit, and a miscommunication between Jacob Hopper and Jack Ross that left Caleb Windsor free inside-50 to gather and goal. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a plea for Adem Yze to stop orchestrating your own demise,\u201d King said, as vision of the Tigers\u2019 missteps played. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I look at what Richmond is doing in the middle of the ground \u2026 right now, the game is saying \u2018you\u2019ve got to hunt for pure\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if you do that (blast away to kick, rather than giving the easy handball), you\u2019ll bleed the other way on turnover, immediate turnover, every time. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they are paying a heavy price.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richmond sits 17th for points against from post-clearance turnovers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are going to play the plodders in there, they\u2019ve got to demand that they get the matchups right, and they get the organisation done,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
\u201cToo easy at stoppage.\u201d<\/p>\n
But concerningly, it\u2019s not just about what is – and isn\u2019t – being done at the stoppage itself. It\u2019s what the club\u2019s one-paced onballers, such as the 33-year-old Prestia, are doing after the clearance that\u2019s also hurting the side. <\/p>\n
King highlighted a passage of play from last Friday where Prestia lost track of Kozzy Pickett at a centre ball-up and then couldn\u2019t cope with his speed and elusiveness. <\/p>\n
Then, in the same passage, tasked with manning Caleb Windsor, Prestia lacked the speed to prevent the young Demon from handball-receiving and getting the footy into Melbourne\u2019s forward half. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have guys in there who can move, because if you lose (the clearance), you\u2019ve got to be able to put pressure on,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cLook at what Pickett does to the one-pacers in the middle \u2014 he just laughs at them. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what\u2019s happening. It\u2019s not just what you do (in terms of) winning the clearance, it\u2019s the price you pay (after) losing the clearance. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf nothing changes here, they will get beaten every week in the same manner. I\u2019m sick of saying it; it\u2019s a plea for (Yze) to make the change.\u201d<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t just the likes of Prestia and Hopper who were made to look second-rate; the youngsters were left eating dust on more than one occasion, too. <\/p>\n
And as King rightly notes, \u201cyou can\u2019t make all the change at once\u201d as it pertains to the midfield mix. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t have all the youngsters there,\u201d he said. \u201cYou need a little bit of experience, because they\u2019re going to get lost \u2026 the blend is important, but they\u2019ve got to learn. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have the right people teaching them, and you can get somewhere. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut right now, this, I think, is a blind spot for Adem Yze.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Taranto is set to return from concussion protocols this Saturday against West Coast, but he\u2019s a ball-getter in a similar mould to Prestia and Hopper. <\/p>\n
And as King alludes to, \u2018blend\u2019 is important. Yze shouldn\u2019t play all of Prestia, Hopper and Taranto in there at the same time. <\/p>\n
Mixing in the Sams – Lalor, Cumming and Grlj – is crucial, and even maybe sprinkling in some Seth Campbell or Jayden Short, as left-field options. <\/p>\n
Watch First Crack\u2019s full breakdown of Richmond\u2019s struggles in the video player below. <\/p>\n
Tigers “orchestrating their own demise” | 02:01<\/p>\n
WHY SWANS PRESENT AS AFL\u2019S \u2018GREATEST CHALLENGE\u2019<\/p>\n
The Swans, even without arguably their best player in Errol Gulden, rank first in the competition for the vast majority of the game\u2019s key metrics. <\/p>\n
And their game plan, at the present time, is the \u201cmost effective\u201d of all teams. <\/p>\n
Dean Cox has Sydney raring in his second year as senior coach, with the side ranking no.1 for scoring, inside-50s, time in forward half, points against, opposition chain-to-score, and more. <\/p>\n
The Swans sit atop the ladder with six wins and one loss, and while they lost Tom McCartin for a few weeks in last Thursday\u2019s win over the Bulldogs, their game is in remarkable shape. <\/p>\n
In particular, their suffocating defence and pressure are the backbone of the way they want to attack on the counter, as dual North Melbourne flag-winner David King explains. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fascinated by the Swans – the way they play, they create live play. The game never sits in uncontested marks,\u201d King said on First Crack. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re basically looking at the pressure game \u2026 they put you under intense heat, but then they win the ball back and take it from inside to out. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey get into open, clean air immediately, and to see it is quite amazing, quite remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney ranks first in the competition for pressure applied. But on the flipside, it sits 17th for pressure received. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey always have heat on the ball-carrier \u2026 you get a disrupted kick, then a spoil, and how do you take it out of pressure? You have numbers on the outside already, by just natural design,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then they\u2019re off and gone back through (the) corridor \u2026 and then you can get over the back (of the retreating defence). <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can\u2019t get yourself out of that bubble (pressure at the contest), look out, because they\u2019re coming with speed and an intensity that you can\u2019t handle and can\u2019t operate (under). <\/p>\n
\u201cThey make you kick high balls, they give you nothing easy down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were several examples from the Swans\u2019 comprehensive win over the Western Bulldogs last Thursday where, once they won the ball back from the Dogs, they immediately looked for open teammates corridor-side. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is immediate every time. This, I think, is the greatest challenge in the game right now – denying this,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHandling the heat, and then being able to put the Swans under some sort of pressure. Because if you can\u2019t, the numbers are stark. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s, to me, finals footy. It\u2019s got a very September feel about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, the Swans sit first in the competition for both points from turnovers (11th last year) and points against from turnovers (12th last year). <\/p>\n
Sydney currently allows just 35.3 points against from turnover. For context, of the past nine premiers, that figure ranks second behind only Geelong 2022 (34.7), not counting Richmond 2020\u2019s 30.4 in the COVID-shortened games. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis turnover game right now; +35 points (differential), which is clearly AFL-best,\u201d King added. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe second-best team is Fremantle, at +18 points. So, that\u2019s a huge (Sydney) number. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got the most effective game plan, right now, in the competition, for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Doing it better than anyone’ King | 01:50<\/p>\n
CROWS AREN\u2019T PLAYING \u2018STANDBALL\u2019… AND IT\u2019S COSTING THEM<\/p>\n
Ball movement continues to be at the core of Adelaide\u2019s problems, eight weeks into the season. <\/p>\n
The Crows, who have now lost four of their past six games going into a nervy Showdown clash with in-form Port Adelaide, sit third-last in the competition for both chain-to-score rate and defensive-50-to-forward-50 success. <\/p>\n
And what\u2019s become clear early in the season is that high handball usage has typically been conducive to successful transition scoring. <\/p>\n
Thus far, no team has done it better than the first-placed Swans, with David King explaining their wild success with \u201cstandball\u201d – exploiting the still-standing man on the mark with handball-receive. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are techniques that teams are operating with to maximise the fact that that guy is fixed to one point, and effectively playing one short,\u201d King began on Fox Footy\u2019s First Crack preview. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m watching Sydney, and I\u2019m wondering what the competition is seeing when they watch Sydney play \u2026 because they are doing it better than anyone. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn simple terms, it comes up as metres gained by hand, but it\u2019s really about capitalising on that redundant man on the mark,\u201d King said. <\/p>\n
The Swans rank first in the competition for handball metres gained, with an average of 651 per game. <\/p>\n
But on the other side of the spectrum, Adelaide sits dead last with 105. <\/p>\n
It comes after the Crows averaged 102 per game last year \u2014 a season in which their ball movement was also questioned, despite finishing as minor premiers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a couple of clubs, Richmond and Adelaide, that I don\u2019t think have embraced this in any way, shape or form, and I think they\u2019ve been left for dead,\u201d King continued. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just concerned that the Adelaide Crows haven\u2019t updated to the iPhone – they\u2019re still using the old Motorola, the flip-phone. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think they need to get with modern footy, because the AFL average has jumped 30-40 per cent. So, if you\u2019re not capitalising on this, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Further, Champion Data guru Daniel Hoyne raised an important correlation between utilising handball and ball movement success. <\/p>\n
\u201cOf the top six (for) metres gained by hand, five of those top-six are top-six at going from one end of the ground to the other,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd history says that you need to have that (ball movement ability) to be able to challenge the opposition. So, if you\u2019re not doing it, can you actually compete?\u201d<\/p>\n
King pinpointed two examples from last Sunday\u2019s loss to Brisbane where Crows players marked, but instead of using the handball-receive option, wheeled around to kick long to contest. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re not doing it, I think you want your head read,\u201d King said, rounding off. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think you need to say: \u2018Are we keeping track of what the competition is saying that we need to do, or are we losing ground?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think a couple of these clubs are losing ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg Swann talks new Draft rules | 03:16<\/p>\n
HAWKS\u2019 PUNISHMENT AT 11-YEAR BEST<\/p>\n
The Hawks, winners of six-straight games – including a statement against Gold Coast last Saturday – are one of three clubs with a league-best 6-1 record. <\/p>\n
And they\u2019ve made a marked improvement to a certain aspect of their game. <\/p>\n
Since last season, Hawthorn has surged in its ability to punish the opposition, going from 12th last year to first this season for intercept-to-score rate. Second and third? Brisbane and Sydney. <\/p>\n
\u201cTheir numbers are strong. That\u2019s a clear indication of where their game\u2019s at, both defensively and offensively,\u201d four-time Hawks flag-winner Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy\u2019s On the Couch. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real reason and a big stat that premiers over the last 10 years have got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their intercept-to-score rate of 26 per cent is the club\u2019s best result after Round 7 since 2015, when Hawthorn won the premiership. <\/p>\n
Further, the Hawks\u2019 67.3 average points scored from turnovers ranks second in the league, behind only Sydney\u2019s 70.0. <\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, they\u2019re also top-six for defence, and their score-per-inside-50 against ranks second, just shy of Fremantle. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe hardest thing for a coach to get is to get all different lines performing on the one page, and I think right now, they have a really good mix across the field,\u201d Lewis added. <\/p>\n
Coach Sam Mitchell is quickly rising the ranks as one of the best tacticians in the competition, with his notable ability to right Hawthorn\u2019s previous wrongs. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it seems like everyone understands their role, and you can see that by the way they play. There\u2019s a hardness to them which is once again evident,\u201d Lewis said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think at half-time, when (Mitchell) comes into the changerooms, (when) he understands that the players aren\u2019t performing at their best \u2026 he\u2019s prepared to rip into them. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think there\u2019s that respect and there\u2019s that balance that, right at the moment, he\u2019s got right.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a stingy Collingwood presents on Thursday night, the Hawks will face two of the in-form sides of the competition in Fremantle and Melbourne, before Adelaide, St Kilda and the Bulldogs. <\/p>\n
It\u2019d be fair to say we\u2019ll soon learn just how credentialed a premiership contender Hawthorn is. <\/p>\n
ROUND 7 FIXTURE AND FOX FOOTY COMMENTATORS<\/p>\n
COLLINGWOOD vs. HAWTHORN<\/p>\n
Thursday April 30, 7.30pm at the MCG<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Sarah Jones, Jason Dunstall, David King and Leigh Montagna, with commentary from Matt Hill, Mark Howard, Jack Riewoldt, Cameron Mooney and Jon Ralph. <\/p>\n
WESTERN BULLDOGS vs. FREMANTLE<\/p>\n
Friday May 1, 7.30pm at Marvel Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Garry Lyon, Tom Hawkins and Jordan Lewis, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Jason Dunstall, Brad Johnson and Jon Ralph.<\/p>\n
ADELAIDE CROWS vs. PORT ADELAIDE<\/p>\n
Friday May 1, 8.10pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 8.00pm on Channel 504, with Dwayne Russell, Mark Riccuito, Ken Hinkley, Shaun Burgoyne and Kath Loughnan.<\/p>\n
ESSENDON vs. BRISBANE LIONS<\/p>\n
Saturday May 2, 12.35pm at Marvel Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 12.00pm on Channel 504, with Anthony Hudson, Adam Simpson, Leigh Montagna, Sarah Jones and Eddie Betts.<\/p>\n
WEST COAST EAGLES vs. RICHMOND<\/p>\n
Saturday May 2, 4.15pm at Optus Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 4.00pm on Channel 503, with Adam Papalia, Kelli Underwood, Gerard Healy, Brad Johnson and Will Schofield.<\/p>\n
GEELONG vs. NORTH MELBOURNE<\/p>\n
Saturday May 2, 4.35pm at GMHBA Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 4.00pm on Channel 504, with Dwayne Russell, Jason Dunstall, Nick Dal Santo and Ben Dixon.<\/p>\n
CARLTON vs. ST KILDA<\/p>\n
Saturday May 2, 7.35pm at Marvel Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7.30pm on Channel 504, with Mark Howard, David King, Jack Riewoldt, Cameron Mooney, Kath Loughnan and Jay Clark. <\/p>\n
SYDNEY SWANS vs. MELBOURNE<\/p>\n
Sunday May 3, 3.15pm at the SCG<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 2.45pm on Channel 504, with Matt Hill, Corbin Middlemas, Nick Dal Santo, Brad Johnson, Ruby Schleicher and David Zita.<\/p>\n
GOLD COAST SUNS vs. GWS GIANTS<\/p>\n
Sunday May 3, 7.20pm at People First Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7.00pm on Channel 504, with Dwayne Russell, Anthony Hudson, Jordan Lewis, Gerard Healy, Alastair Lynch and David Zita. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Numbers and glaring vision prove why Richmond continues to \u201corchestrate its own demise\u201d, while it\u2019s clear which club…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[19102,1146,9126,638,19057,64,63,689,55,639,64925,16716,309479,7491,651,3237,19098,242773,37351,309494,68968,309481,309495,82572,309489,8001,15830,247300,2458,1818,12148,309491,17988,309062,309484,309482,61783,100133,10992,18664,10145,107302,31756,61,2485,9130,6278,309472,309480,6854,7492,309492,795,52914,3231,1823,9021,9014,12149,19074,309476,19080,309483,7484,3465,19096,19117,647,265097,36657,3830,309485,13152,677,309488,309470,309486,6082,309473,41653,309490,701,104570,309477,672,309471,309493,19093,309474,22401,17989,14400,309478,1124,85,1122,28264,309487,7200,7663,9022,19118,14359,309469,309475,42949,660,56545,3439,698,45705],"class_list":["post-639131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-adam-papalia","tag-adam-simpson","tag-adelaide-crows","tag-afl","tag-alastair-lynch","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-ball-back","tag-ball-movement","tag-ball-movement-success","tag-ben-dixon","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-lions","tag-burning-questions","tag-caleb-windsor","tag-cameron-mooney","tag-centre-ball-up","tag-chain-to-score-rate","tag-cleaner-exit","tag-club-presents","tag-coach-sam-mitchell","tag-comprehensive-win","tag-concussion-protocols","tag-corbin-middlemas","tag-daniel-hoyne","tag-data","tag-david-king","tag-dean-cox","tag-desperate-tigers","tag-dion-prestia","tag-draft-rules","tag-eating-dust","tag-familiar-issues","tag-finals-footy","tag-fox-footy-commentators","tag-fremantle","tag-game-plan","tag-garry-lyon","tag-gary-lyon","tag-gerard-healy","tag-gerard-whateley","tag-gold-coast","tag-gold-coast-suns","tag-greg-swann","tag-handball-usage","tag-handball-receive-option","tag-hawthorn","tag-hawthorn-hawks","tag-in-form-sides","tag-inc","tag-intercept-to-score-rate","tag-jack-jovanovski","tag-jack-riewoldt","tag-jack-ross","tag-jacob-hopper","tag-jason-dunstall","tag-johnson","tag-johnson-ampamp-jon-ralph","tag-jordan-lewis","tag-kath-loughnan-ampamp-jay-clark","tag-ken-hinkley","tag-leigh-montagna","tag-mark-howard","tag-matt-hill","tag-melbourne","tag-midfield-issues","tag-midfield-mix","tag-motorola","tag-movement-ability","tag-nick-dal-santo","tag-oceania","tag-open-teammates-corridor-side","tag-opposition-chain-to-score","tag-plodding-mix","tag-port-adelaide","tag-post-clearance-turnovers","tag-premiership-contender","tag-pressure-game","tag-queensland","tag-real-reason","tag-riccuito","tag-richmond-tigers","tag-right-people-teaching","tag-ruby-schleicher-ampamp-david-zita","tag-sarah-jones","tag-sarah-jones-ampamp-eddie-betts","tag-senior-coach","tag-senior-players","tag-seth-campbell","tag-shaun-burgoyne-ampamp-kath-loughnan","tag-south-australia","tag-sports","tag-st-kilda","tag-stand-rule","tag-swans-doing","tag-sydney-swans","tag-talking-points","tag-tim-taranto","tag-tom-hawkins","tag-tom-mccartin","tag-transition-scoring","tag-turnover-game","tag-two-time-premiership-player","tag-victoria","tag-video-player","tag-western-australia","tag-western-bulldogs","tag-will-schofield"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}