Little to say – but what a great run it’s been. We love you Richo.

Matthew Richardson - The People's Champion

Seminary, an Oregon alumnus from the Portland area, attended the game in Boise. According to the Web site everydayshouldbesaturday.com, he was so unhappy with what he saw, he sent Ducks coach Chip Kelly an e-mail, with an attached invoice for $439 in travel expenses.

“The product on the field Thursday night is not something I was at all proud of, and I feel as though I’m entitled to my money back for the trip,” he wrote, according to the Web site.

According to the Web site, Kelly replied to Seminary’s e-mail with a question: “What is your address?”

Sure enough, a check for $439, apparently signed by Kelly, arrived in Seminary’s mailbox.
Fan asks Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly for refund after loss at Boise State, gets a check for $439 in return – ESPN

So – my retirement is taken care of. I reckon even if I could get 1% of the $439 this guy got for every disappointing, heartbreaking performance the Tigers put in, I’ll be set up for life!

Joel Bowden: Farewell and thanks for all the points.

In many ways Joel Bowden’s actions this week has typified his career at Richmond, and what you have to like about the guy. He saw what was happening for the team, summed the situation up, and did what was best for the team regardless of the consequences for himself. He could have put up a big fuss this week, made it clear that he was unhappy to be finishing up, and possibly even threaten to give the pre-season draft a try. To be honest, a better team would want Joel Bowden to stick it out for another year – but we’re not a good team.

Joel Bowden was always one of those players that you were just glad to have out there. In a team renowned for being a dumb football team, Bowden at least had you convinced that he was always thinking. And love him or not (and I’m certainly in the former camp), the man was asked to do a lot more than most medium-sized defenders. For quite a few years he was the second tall defender, and at times he was the number one.

Like it or not, the game that many will remember Bowden for is the infamous rushed behind match against Essendon. With no time left on the clock, Bowden wound the clock down by kicking the ball to himself, waiting for the Essendon forward to rush at him, then calmly walked back over the goal line to rush a behind. It wasn’t pretty, nor was it particularly popular, but one thing was for sure: there’s no other man in the Richmond line up who would have had the brains to win Richmond the game that day.

But my favourite memory of Joel comes not from that day but another from last year – in Round 13. Having been sent back to the VFL after a poor performance against Adelaide, Joelly Bowden returned to win the game off his own boot, with an enormous 39 possessions (and many of them hard fought), and taking a great mark in the final minute in front of a leading Motlop to save the game and pick up a much needed win.

Joel Bowden has always felt like he could retire any time in the past 5 years: because it felt like he’d been around forever. Now that he is, it doesn’t seem real. But good on you Joel – a true Yellow and Black man to the end.

I know this must be a stupid idea, I just can’t put my finger on why. Feel free to let me know.

Super Sheedy? Or is that Director Sheedy!

Jade the Blade

Caretaker coach. It’s got to be a difficult job. Inevitably you want to keep the job you’re currently doing, but it’s pretty rare to have any kind of assurance that you can keep it. There is however, a growing trend of caretaker coaches taking the job long term: with mixed results. Brett Ratten took the job after being brought in as caretaker in the most recent example, though he did appear to have greater backing for the job full time.

But etched deep into the psyche of all Tiger supporters is the last caretaker coach who was “unleashed”. The Geisch. What a miserable few years that turned out to be. As if having Robert Walls as coach hadn’t been enough punishment.

So as we consider the performance and prospective employment of Jade Rawlings (in light of the removal of Buckley and Malthouse from the available talent pool), we are left with the question. Would Jade be the next Geisch, or is there instead a Paul Roos deep inside him just waiting to restore Richmond to premiership glory and making the world a better place? Let’s consider the evidence:

Argument for Jade Rawlings as the next Jeff Geischen

• Not an amazing football career – Jade was quite acceptable as a forward at Hawthorn, but miserable when he moved to the Bulldogs and Roos.
• Not an amazing set of results at Coburg – We’ve been acceptable in the magoos but hardly set the world on fire.
• Like Geischen, when appointed as coach nobody thought he would get the job full time. The emotion of a mid-season sacking (sorry, resignation *snicker*) can make for an unreliable measurement.
• There must be a question of inexperience.

Argument for Jade Rawlings as the next Paul Roos

• The man just makes sense when he talks – which would be new for a Richmond coach.
• Rawlings does seem to have captured the attention of the playing group: players like Deledio, Riewoldt and Tambling all appear to have responded to a different coaching style
• He’s shown very little hesitation to drop players who would normally continue to get a game when their efforts haven’t been good enough: thus “Jade the Blade”
• We beat Essendon.
• He has already indicated that he won’t let Richo’s exuberance get in the way of where Richmond are headed as a team.

In conclusion: I have no idea. Jade has shown a willingness to address some long running problems (players like Tuck, Deledio, etc just expecting to get a game each week) but it’s very hard to imagine that he’s definitely going to be a better coach than candidates like Brad Scott and Damien Hardwick.

Either way, I say screw draft picks: I just want to see Tigers winning games for the rest of the year!

1. Take your checkbook, pen and a piece of paper with “3 year contract” written on the top of it.
2. Set up camp on Mick Malthouse’s front yard, and let him know that he can sign a contract right there and then.
3. Keep doing that until his name is either on a contract with Richmond or a contract with Collingwood.

If we could win this week, the season is no longer a complete waste.

Vickery for Simmonds

Exciting to see our number eight draft pick out on the field. With three ruckmen picked (Graham, Pattison and Vickery), it’s fair to suggest that we’re hoping for one of the resting ruckmen to make an impact up forward. Tyrone Vickery – welcome to the big time. Troy Simmonds needed the message that he’s no longer the number one ruckman, and could well slip below number two if Vickery and Pattison do well. Without some fire in his belly, Troy is just about done.

Edwards for McMahon

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would be quite happy if Jordan McMahon never pulled on a Richmond jumper again. His constantly poor decision making costs us turnovers, and costs us any momentum we have with the ball. In his press conference Jade Rawlings said “I want to reward people who are playing the right way.” Jordan McMahon does not. Shane Edwards is no superstar, and this season could almost be his last chance to prove that he’s going to become a footballer, but he’s a better option than McMahon.

Nahas for Pettifer

Robin Nahas works hard, chases and puts his body on the line for his teammates. Kayne Pettifer? Not so much. Nahas was only out through injury, and you felt that Pettifer was only there to make up numbers. Pettifer is unlikely to have a spot on the list next year. Robin Nahas is more likely to win the best and fairest next year than get de-listed.

Graham for Bowden

This one does seem a tough call, and I can’t see Bowden remaining out of the side for long. But I think it is an acceptance that the Richmond backline in the next year or two will be structured without the presence of Joel Bowden. Joel has probably got at least a year left in him, but that will depend a lot on the mindset of an incoming coach. And he did have an ordinary game against the dogs. Angus Graham was another who was only out through injury, and at the moment looks a lot like the best ruckman in the team. Only query with Graham is around fitness.

Hislop for Coughlan

Mark Coughlan is the feel good story of the year, but for one thing. He still is yet to have adjusted to the pace of the highest level. His foot-speed, decision-making and disposals are all too slow. The worst part is that he’ll go back to the VFL and put in some best-on-ground performances, but that won’t necessarily change the underlying problem. Hopefully something clicks soon, because it would be an absolute tragedy for Coughlan to never return to the player we saw three years ago. Tom Hislop I haven’t seen, but I’m really hoping he’s worth what we paid for him. I don’t think I could handle another poor recruiting decision.
So overall, well done Jade Rawlings. Let’s just hope these boys can step up and start the season anew.

So well done Tiges, lets hope Jade can get the good guys up for a win against the West Coast Whingers.

All bitterness and unhappiness aside – thanks Terry for the past five years. And let’s hope for more Tiger success for the next 5.