McRae opens up on star\u2019s exit as Pies begin talks to tear up $750k deal<\/a><\/p>\nTHE LOSS, IN ALL ITS IGNOMINY<\/p>\n
Round 19 is right in the \u2018starting to phone it in\u2019 hitting zone for clubs with nothing to play for aside from getting games into youngsters. <\/p>\n
But smart remarks aside, there was no excuse for what Richmond dished up against the Hawks, who were allowed to do anything they pleased coming out of defence. <\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not like it lacked experience on the day. Yze\u2019s outfit had an average age of 25.5 last weekend, older than the Western Bulldogs (25.3) and Adelaide (25.3), and just a smidgen younger than Melbourne (25.7).<\/p>\n
Jarman Impey won\u2019t have another field day like that for a while, with the Tigers barely offering any resistance to Hawthorn\u2019s uncontested game and back-half transition. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo intent (on Sunday) from Richmond,\u201d Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson, who covered the game for Fox Footy, said on First Crack. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of games over the last couple of years involving the Tigers, and I\u2019ve been really impressed with their development over the time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really let emotion get in the way of how I look at footy anymore, but I was really flat with the way they presented themselves (on Sunday). <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a big opportunity against a club that\u2019s going to fight for a grand final potentially in 2026, and they just let each other down in the way they went about it in regard to their complete work rate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richmond lost the uncontested possession battle by a staggering 101. It was their fifth-worst return in the metric over the past five years. <\/p>\n
Yes, the Hawks are premiership contenders, but the Tigers lacked intensity from the outset, and then again coming out of half-time. <\/p>\n
And it\u2019s been a plaguing issue over the past five weeks. <\/p>\n
Richmond\u2019s pressure rating form (180 is considered average):<\/p>\n
Vs. Hawthorn: 163<\/p>\n
Vs. Melbourne: 169<\/p>\n
Vs. Carlton: 178 (lost by two points)<\/p>\n
Vs. Collingwood: 150<\/p>\n
Vs. North Melbourne: 152. <\/p>\n
The subsequent query is obvious enough. Is it a result of coaching instruction, or are they not fully bought-in to the defensive side of the game?<\/p>\n
Either answer should breed concern. <\/p>\n
Because if it\u2019s coaching, and part of the wider defending-the-ground strategy, it simply isn\u2019t working. <\/p>\n
And if it\u2019s because of a lack of work ethic without the ball, there has to be change at selection to reflect that. <\/p>\n
\u201cAthletically, they were destroyed by the Hawks. Maybe Adem Yze can use it as a positive to say \u2018OK, we\u2019ve got this much gap to close\u2019,\u201d Johnson said on Fox Footy. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow, I didn\u2019t expect the gap to be like that. I expected it to be a little bit closer than what I witnessed (on Sunday). They just folded back and allowed (Blake) Hardwick and Impey to get plenty of footy early in the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey weren\u2019t able to close up with any pressure; they didn\u2019t use the ball well enough off the back half of the ground. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, from an intent point of view, it was just one where I sit back and go the gap\u2019s a lot broader than I expected it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott reacts to Bucks missing Tassie job | 02:57<\/p>\n
GRIM GAME PLAN REALITY<\/p>\n
A blip would be one thing, but Richmond has ranked 18th in the AFL for pressure rating in all three seasons under Adem Yze, per Champion Data. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s an indication there\u2019s either a serious application issue in that department, or Yze\u2019s staff is coaching the side in a way that doesn\u2019t lend itself to pressure points. <\/p>\n
All season, the Tigers, with the Hawthorn game as evidence in a nutshell, have allowed the opposition to pick off strings of short kicks to gain territory. <\/p>\n
It would seem that zoning off, while frustrating for supporters, allows them to defend the ground better and with good shape. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s at least part of the reason why Richmond ranks 15th for defending ball movement – one of the few key metrics they don\u2019t sit dead-last or second-last in. <\/p>\n
The issue, which has been the case all season, is that opposition teams have still been able to get into Richmond\u2019s defensive half and find a forward target with relative ease. <\/p>\n
The Tigers are tied-last with Essendon for scores-per-inside-50 against. They allow a score 52 per cent of the time the ball goes into their defensive 50. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s ridiculously leaky, and it\u2019s a regression from the 47 per cent against rate they averaged across the past two seasons. <\/p>\n
Why is it leaky? It goes hand-in-hand with scores against from turnover – a metric for which the Tigers rank outright last. <\/p>\n
They\u2019re far from a sure thing exiting defence, prone to turnovers and allowing repeat entries when trying to escape their back half. It means easier re-entries for the opposition. <\/p>\n
But most concerningly, and in more ammunition for those already doubting Yze\u2019s capabilities as a tactician, Richmond has not improved defensively since he assumed the reins in 2024. <\/p>\n
In fact, in the most integral categories, it\u2019s gone backwards. <\/p>\n
Proof of a lack of defensive progress under Adem Yze, via Champion Data.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
So, on a lighter note, what are the Tigers doing right – or, at least, better than other areas? Stoppage. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s central to how they want to try and win, as currently constructed. <\/p>\n
Yze has mentioned in the public forum several times that he wants to be a territory side that plays a strong forward-half game. <\/p>\n
It starts with winning at the contest, then forward-half retention, and structure off the back of that. They\u2019re starting to get the first part right. <\/p>\n
Richmond has won the clearance count in four consecutive matches – against Hawthorn (+6), Melbourne (+6), Carlton (+12) and Collingwood (+1). <\/p>\n
According to Champion Data\u2019s tracking, it\u2019s the first time since 2015 that it has won that count on four-straight occasions. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s obviously still work to be done from there, with Yze\u2019s mob still ranking 16th for points from stoppage – underlining a familiar capitalisation issue – but it\u2019s at least one arrow pointing in the right direction. <\/p>\n
But while the best sides in the competition get bang for their stoppage buck, they also punish opponents by scoring from turnover – the source from which the majority of AFL scoring comes. <\/p>\n
Outside of foundational numbers like points for and against, points from turnover is arguably the best premiership indicator out there, with Sydney, Hawthorn, Brisbane and Fremantle making up the top four right now. <\/p>\n
Richmond sits comfortably 18th. <\/p>\n
Riewoldt questions Tigers’ coaching call | 03:25<\/p>\n
YZE\u2019S DEVELOPMENT STRUGGLE<\/p>\n
The other – and for some, most important of all – part of the Richmond discussion is the list\u2019s development under the guidance of Yze. <\/p>\n
Before anything else, it must be said that the coach has been hamstrung like no other in terms of selection availability this year. <\/p>\n
It comes after departed high-performance boss Ben Serpell left behind a mess that at one stage almost required VFL top-ups to field a full AFL team. <\/p>\n
Crucially, every single youngster from Richmond\u2019s highly-touted crop of 2024 draftees – Sam Lalor, Josh Smillie, Taj Hotton, Jonty Faull, Luke Trainor, Harry Armstrong, Tom Sims and Jasper Alger – has dealt with injury at some stage this year. <\/p>\n
And in all cases bar Trainor\u2019s, it was at least a medium-term issue that shelved them, with stress injuries especially prevalent. <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, for a group that desperately needs to play games and quickly, their progression – for the majority – has all but been set back a year. <\/p>\n
Because AFL clubs will continually preach the importance of the 50-game mark as a developmental milestone for young players. <\/p>\n
For example, Lalor, due to injury, is on pace to reach 50 AFL games in his fifth year, as opposed to his third. For rebuilding clubs like Richmond, which needs to get off the bottom quick-fast, even one-year development delays are critical. <\/p>\n
But as triple Richmond premiership star Jack Riewoldt notes below, those kids are \u201cgoing to develop no matter what\u201d. Through the Yze lens, it\u2019s more about the products of the 2020-23 drafts. <\/p>\n
Maurice Rioli and Samson Ryan ( 2020) have shown few signs of genuine development into reliable first-team players, while Kane McAuliffe and Liam Fawcett (2023) have shown scattered glimpses but lack consistency. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s the 2021 draft crop – that initially gave hope of propelling the next premiership era – that\u2019s turning out to be the most disappointing. <\/p>\n
Richmond took five players inside the top 30: Josh Gibcus (No.9 overall), Tom Brown (No.17), Tyler Sonsie (No.28), Sam Banks (No.29) and Judson Clarke (No.30). <\/p>\n
Gibcus, who hopeful Tigers fans still think can be the club\u2019s top key defender of the future, was playing VFL footy when he suffered his season-ending knee setback. <\/p>\n
Brown looks a shell of his early AFL self that showed such promising glimpses he could be a creative-kicking interceptor. <\/p>\n
Sonsie, who\u2019s never really settled in one position, currently can\u2019t crack the senior team and has been in and out since arriving at the club. <\/p>\n
Banks might have the best body of work of the lot, but he has his flaws as a slightly-built, offensive-leaning half-backer who\u2019s also had his injury hindrances. <\/p>\n
But Clarke is the most luckless of them all, having suffered three ruptured ACLs before the age of 22. Thankfully, he\u2019s finally back on the park in the VFL and pressing for his first AFL game in over two years. <\/p>\n
Overall, that 2021 class – which, right now, looks like a big miss – spent their third, fourth, and now fifth AFL seasons under Yze. <\/p>\n
He isn\u2019t completely responsible, and he can\u2019t control injuries, but he must shoulder some blame. <\/p>\n
Third-year senior coach Adem Yze has a big rebuild challenge on his hands at Richmond.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Riewoldt, speaking on Fox Footy\u2019s On the Couch, challenged Tigers CEO Shane Dunne\u2019s recent backing of Yze\u2019s player development. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Dunne said) they were happy with the development of their players under Yze, and they were satisfied with the coach \u2026 Injuries are a massive issue for them, but I would challenge the development piece that the players are developing under him,\u201d Riewoldt said on Monday night. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think there are maybe three players who have developed – Seth Campbell has become a really good player under Yze, Jack Ross has spent more time in the middle \u2026 and the other one is Ben Miller, who\u2019s certainly turned himself into a very handy defender. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t really count the first or second-year players, because they\u2019re going to develop no matter what, coming into an AFL list.\u201d<\/p>\n
And despite the repeated backing of Dunne and president John O\u2019Rourke, the topic of Yze\u2019s future has recently arisen – with the suggestion his Tigerland time could be coming to a premature end. <\/p>\n
Riewoldt, who said Yze\u2019s 10-55 record \u201cdoesn\u2019t stack up well on history\u201d, on Monday night revealed intel he\u2019d gleaned from top Tigers figures. <\/p>\n
\u201cSpeaking to Richmond people (on Monday), high up Richmond people \u2026 Adem Yze will be coaching Richmond at Round 1 next year,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere (were) rumblings that potentially his job was on the line, but the Tigers are sticking fat – as they did with Damien Hardwick. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was starting to be murmurings about the Tiges, and rightly so. <\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 But it certainly leaves questions on the back end of the season, with five games to go – and especially Round 21, when they play West Coast at the MCG. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a real question – you had the selection from two of them (Yze and Andrew McQualter). If they lose to West Coast at the \u2018G \u2026 you\u2019d have to be asking the question of if they picked the right man for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It isn\u2019t fair to question Adem Yze\u2019s standing as Richmond senior coach, not yet two full years into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":815390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-815389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815389","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=815389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/815390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=815389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=815389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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