Now that the 2011 season is over for the Richmond Tigers, what’s a better way to start the pre season? I have created a ratings system for our players and their 2011 season; it’s pretty simple how it works. Each week I’ll give my best in depth summary of four players and this is part one.
Two categories
• Consistency - A player will receive 7.0 points out of ten if he has played 16 games or more this season. If he’s played over 20 than he’ll receive 7.5, this of course excludes injured players. To achieve higher than an 8.0 each player will be assessed on my own personal view of his performances throughout the 2011 season.
• Impact - A player will receive a 7.0 automatically if he’s scored 4 goals or more in three matches this season, and if he’s collected 30 or more possessions on three occasions this season. It won’t hurt a player’s tally if he’s blanketed some of the toughest forwards in the competition either! Any result above an 7.5 will be determined on my own personal view of each players performance.
2. Will Thursfield - Will has only played 10 games for the season, which doesn’t qualify him for an automatic 7.0 points. But his ability to work hard and earn a spot after a much-maligned previous season has earned him my respect this year. Although inconsistent in patches, he’s added an important level of depth on our list and because of this I believe he definitely should stay on our list in 2012. A pleasing statistic of Will’s I am impressed with is his defensive fifty pressures. During our victory against Adelaide Thursfield accumulated the most tackles of his career, laying four. He still needs to work on not giving away unnecessary free kicks to the opposition. In his nine games so far, he’s given away 10 free kicks whilst receiving three in return. It doesn’t sound too bad, but when you’re a defender giving away these free kicks, how many are shots on goal for the opposition? If we have six defenders each giving away one free kick per game inside our defensive fifty, how many goals is that per match? Thursfield hasn’t impacted in possessions or goals this season but he was pivotal in our performance over Sydney. That was one of our best defensive efforts of the season due to Sydney’s low final score. Taking this into consideration I’m giving him a 6.5 for consistency and a 6.3 for impact.
Will Thursfield - 64% (C)
29. Tyrone Vickery - He honestly seems like a new mature age recruit. His agility is breathtaking, his confidence is building and sometimes I mistake him for a skyscraper. He’s piled on more than 35 goals this season and has played each match this year. Vickery would probably be Jack Riewoldt’s best friend simply because he has taken that massive goal kicking load off of Jack’s back. What’s most exciting about Tyrone is the fact that we’ve only began to scratch the surface of what this kid can do. Whilst he continues to mature he’ll be able too use his phenomenal height to control marking contests, we’ve seen glimpses with his ability to reach into the heavens and pluck a contested - which seemed like a uncontested mark. Vickery finished in the top 20 in the Coleman Medal tally, exceeding everyone’s expectations in the process. Stats suggest that he is already an elite ruck/forward prospect of the competition. I’ll give him an 8.1 for consistency and an 8.6 for impact.
Tyrone Vickery - 84% (A)
18. Alex Rance - Oh boy has this guy come on! I’m proud to admit my relationship would be in jeopardy if this Casanova was hitting on my misses, the only reason I’m proud to admit it, is because this guy will be our full back for the next 10 years. Who could forget his 2010 season, he struggled to make the senior team, this year he has cemented one of the toughest positions in the AFL - full back. He’s used his magic to throw the invisibility cloak over opponents such as Goodes, Brown, Walker and the J-Pod. One attribute that has earned Rancey the admiration of his coach is his courage, never-say-die attitude that has rubbed off onto his teammates throughout the last few weeks. If there is a free ball, he’ll pounce on it - like he was an actual Tiger. Along with Vickery he is a key indictor as to where we’re at, and where we’re going as a football club. For consistency he receives a 7.9, his rating only drops a little because he missed a few games early in the year due to suspension, his impact in our defence has been astronomical. He has stepped up since Astbury, Grimes, Moore have been injured and McGuane & Thursfield have battled to find consistency in their game, Rance has been our rock, and because of this for impact he receives an 8.7.
Alex Rance - 83% (A)
13. Brad Miller - Brad’s been an interesting acquisition for us this season. Most of the football community laughed at us for picking this ‘spud’. You can usually tell these people have eaten their words once you hear nothing but silence. Brad’s been phenomenal and everyone knows it, Dimma stated that Miller was outlined his role at the start of the season, he was practically a depth player. He has covered that depth brilliantly. Whilst Griffiths and Post get settled into whatever position they will fill, Miller has been crashing packs, playing the perfect decoy for Jacktastic and Tyriffic. His offensive pressure has been absolutely outstanding; just check his awesome tackle on Heath Grundy against Sydney a few weeks ago, that one passage of play that nailed the result beyond doubt. There are still deficiencies in his game, such as his set shot, but it’s improved dramatically and I would be shocked if he was not offered another one-year contract for 2012. Surely if he gets that contract, he can introduce the Richmond faithful properly to his lovely wife, I sure wouldn’t complain about that. For consistency I’m giving Brad a 6.7. I always thought that he plays a brilliant role in the team structure, but has the tendency to go missing in matches, it’s too be expected though because he isn’t Chris Judd, but his impact has been appreciated, and he receives a very nice 7.2 for that.
Brad Miller - 70% (B)
Come back next week for my analysis of Trent Cotchin, Matt Dea, Bachar Houli and Shaun Grigg.
Until next time, Eat THEM’ Alive!
Con Bouliopoulos
