AFL Fantasy News: Murphy and Darcy Back To Their Best
The Tigers got to 100 points, they had goals from Polak, Richardson, Hyde and Schulz but it wasn't enough as the game was played at the pace that the Bulldogs like. Murphy and Darcy showed they are back to 100% health as they each kicked 4 goals. Tom Williams played his first AFL game, he didn't have any influence on the result but Bulldogs' fans will be happy to have a big and mobile player in their lineup and it won't be long until he plays an important role, probably in the back line but there is also the chance he is used as a big tagger in the middle.
Bulldogs 132 - Tigers 100
Fantasy Player News
Western Bulldogs
Murphy: Reported, nothing in it. Big fantasy points game with 4 goals and 8 marks.
Darcy: A big improvement on his previous games, kicked 4 goals and also added 10 hitouts.
West: 35 possessions, stepped up his production a bit with Cross out.
Gilbee: The usual game for fantasy points, 19 kicks.
Cooney: Turned on the fantasy points at the end of the game and finished with 4 goals.
Harris: Richardson didn't play badly but Harris got a lot of fantasy points, with 9 kicks and 7 marks.
Williams: Some potential there for fantasy points in the future, but not in this game as his biggest stat was free kicks against.
Richmond
Polak: He was started on the bench, not a good position for fantasy points but later he would kick 3 goals and have 8 marks.
J Bowden: Getting more fantasy points now, had 10 kicks and 7 marks.
Raines: His bets game this season, 16 kicks and 14 handballs.
Tuck: 31 possessions, fantasy points helped by receiving 4 free kicks.
Edwards: Only played half the game in his debut, had 7 kicks.
Bulldogs 132 - Tigers 100
Fantasy Player News
Western Bulldogs
Murphy: Reported, nothing in it. Big fantasy points game with 4 goals and 8 marks.
Darcy: A big improvement on his previous games, kicked 4 goals and also added 10 hitouts.
West: 35 possessions, stepped up his production a bit with Cross out.
Gilbee: The usual game for fantasy points, 19 kicks.
Cooney: Turned on the fantasy points at the end of the game and finished with 4 goals.
Harris: Richardson didn't play badly but Harris got a lot of fantasy points, with 9 kicks and 7 marks.
Williams: Some potential there for fantasy points in the future, but not in this game as his biggest stat was free kicks against.
Richmond
Polak: He was started on the bench, not a good position for fantasy points but later he would kick 3 goals and have 8 marks.
J Bowden: Getting more fantasy points now, had 10 kicks and 7 marks.
Raines: His bets game this season, 16 kicks and 14 handballs.
Tuck: 31 possessions, fantasy points helped by receiving 4 free kicks.
good to see the doggies playing their run and gun game once again after being humbled in the last 2 weeks. verrrry nice as borat would say.
a couple of my mates are fantasy football fans but i can't get into it especially the nba version because i spend enough time on basketball already.
if i became a fantasy team owner for the nba, let alone multiple sports i'd neglect the other things in my life such as work, uni and girls!
Patrick Bowden doesn't have half the skills of his brother, sure he was a useful fantasy player last year but some of his decision making lets him down badly.
Adam Pattison in my opinion was having a good run as a make-shift ruckman, why would they drop him and force Polak into the ruck?
Edwards showed little, but it was only his first game.
Richo is just Richo, either love him or hate him.
Where is Jack Riewoldt?
Jake King looks half decent in his first game, strikes me though as a similar player to Cam Howat. Hard working player without the real class about him.
Joel Bowden and Andrew Raines back to there best, always good to see.
Schulz, well I've been a long time supporter of his since his 6 goal effort against Brisbane at the gabba. He's showing something playing alongside big Richo.
McGuane is showing something for me, I like his game.
Foley is a gun. Simple.
Deledio is having alot of solid games in that half back flanker role, doesn't solve the midfield troubles though.
Come end of the season, I think richmond needs to recruit some ready bodies. I'm not talking older guys that have only a couple of seasons left in them, but young midfielders who are stuggling to get a game at their club, ie. half of the West Coast midfield. Also a real full back could be useful. Gaspar isn't up to taking the best forward and Bowden is better as a rebounder. McGuane is a couple of years away.
Where do you think the biggest areas that they need to improve in are? A Predicted finish on the ladder this year and next?
nathan brown and terry wallace. that just says it all for me.
The Bulldogs did benefit when both of them left. Wallace may say otherwise in his newspaper and on the radio but his tactics and ideas don’t produce wins. His recruiting is often of the smaller player when a good tall prospect is available. Looking at the Bulldogs, it was Wynd who helped them win and not Wallace. As soon as Wynd retired the Bulldogs stopped being competitive, Wallace’s smallball approach at the Bulldogs wasn’t effective without a tall star ruckman giving them first use of the ball. Wallace has a lot more height in key positions available to him now, he doesn’t seem to have the gameplan that plays to the strengths of Richardson and their other talls.
Patrick Bowden doesn't have half the skills of his brother, sure he was a useful fantasy player last year but some of his decision making lets him down badly.
Adam Pattison in my opinion was having a good run as a make-shift ruckman, why would they drop him and force Polak into the ruck?
Edwards showed little, but it was only his first game.
Richo is just Richo, either love him or hate him.
Where is Jack Riewoldt?
Where do you think the biggest areas that they need to improve in are? A Predicted finish on the ladder this year and next?
P Bowden should have a role somewhere, maybe he could help Richmond on the wing. He is mobile and when combined with his height could give them a mismatch to use sometimes.
Pattison is a very good prospect. He does seem to go better as a forward, but he should be in the team somewhere.
Edwards is a lot younger than King so his future is probably brighter. Edwards was quick and didn’t do too many things wrong in his first game.
Richardson entertains, fans of both teams were cheering some of his kicks. Richmond have to fit their team around him. Either make a rule that he can’t leave the forward 50 or unleash his athleticism and run and tell him to do whatever he wants and to run everywhere. The Tigers can then adjust their forward setup for this tactic by playing a couple of extra marking targets closer to goals.
The above idea would put Riewoldt into the team, where he belongs. With Richardson leading up to the wing like he often finds himself doing now, Riewoldt and Schulz could be played close to goals and maybe Polak could be the centre half forward. Riewoldt has to be there next week.
The Tigers do have enough firepower to put up a winning score. Their back line is in disarray, they will need to fix that with some trades and drafting after the season finishes. The picks that Richmond sent out to acquire Nathan Brown eventually became Kepler Bradley and Sam Butler, the Tigers could have used them in the back half. The midfield should keep maturing and will improve without any additions, the forward line is solid but the improvement in the Richmond back line will have to be found elsewhere.
The predicted finish for this season has to be very low now, the Tigers could be 2 and 2 at this time but as they are 0 and 4 they are in trouble when their upcoming games are looked at. They host the Eagles, then they host the Cats but that is at Telstra Dome. Two tough games are followed by two trips to Adelaide and then they return to face the Bombers. Later in the season, Richmond have 2 trips to Subiaco and 1 to the SCG. Richmond is looking at a bottom 4 finish.
Theoretically, if Richmond finish last they could bring in Grant Thomas as assistant coach and then lure Nick Riewoldt to Punt Road and take him in the preseason draft. A forward line of Riewoldt, Richardson and Riewoldt could make Richmond a top 4 team.
For 2008, maybe Gaspar is gone although Coughlan will return. So the midfield would still be good but the back line could be in more trouble. Wallace is looking to 2011, and there is some reason behind that. There isn’t a lot of reasons for 2008 being better than 2007 for Richmond. One thing to look forward to is Deledio, if he is in the middle next season he would be a big Brownlow chance.
Thank you both for you comments.