Latest news with #Yze
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Inside Richmond's flag blueprint: the hunt for the next Riewoldt and Rance
Richmond have proven most critics wrong by winning five games with five rounds to go in a season doomsayers predicted last year's wooden-spooners may not win once. The Tigers have also blooded the second-most debutants (nine), behind only injury ravaged Essendon (13). Losing top-tier talent The bulk player exits in Yze's first season at the helm, after celebrating only two victories, could have been daunting – but the coach insisted this week there was never any panic. 'You go through what we went through, and the toughest part of it was injury. Players leaving and retiring [is] part of footy,' Yze said. 'You're constantly regenerating your list, and guys are finishing and starting.' Injuries were a genuine excuse: only Carlton lost more games last year to first-choice players (167) than Richmond (155). As soon as Tigers list boss Blair Hartley knew Rioli, Bolton and Baker were leaving, he resolved to maximise the trade return and use it to make a major investment in a loaded 2024 draft that they recognised years earlier as a standout crop. Richmond's actions the previous year showed how much they loved that draft class. They made several trades, including sending Ivan Soldo to Port Adelaide and twice moving down in the 2023 draft, which resulted in them gathering future assets. Hartley then secured picks six, 10, 11, 18 and 23 for Rioli, Bolton and Baker, and engineered a separate deal with Brisbane – who were looking to stack draft selections to match father-son and academy bids – to also receive the Lions' No.20 for some of those future picks that were acquired 12 months earlier. The strategy The Tigers came no higher than ninth, and averaged a 13th-placed finish, during a difficult 11-year period between 2002 and 2012. In the early years under Hardwick, Richmond eventually played finals in each of the next three seasons before tumbling again, only for club officials to famously stick by the man who went on to lead them to three flags. That fateful decision paved the way for one of the Tigers' greatest periods – but as important were their drafting calls years earlier. After far too many recruiting missteps, and watching Hawthorn swoop on twin towers Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin either side of Brett Deledio and Richard Tambling in 2004, Richmond began identifying building blocks – big ones – who became an enormous part of the future success. Loading Francis Jackson's first draft as national recruiting manager in 2006 saw him select Jack Riewoldt (pick 13) and Shane Edwards (26). The next year, it was Trent Cotchin (two) and Alex Rance (18). In 2009, the Tigers snared Dustin Martin (three) and David Astbury (35) before using a pre-season draft pick on a kid from the Northern Knights, Dylan Grimes. Six of the seven played integral roles in Richmond's 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships. Five-time All-Australian key defender Rance played in the first, but an ACL rupture cost him from featuring in the second, before his shock retirement. Four of them were important bookends. In between, they also used a top-10 pick on forward-ruck Ty Vickery, who left for the Hawks at the end of 2016 – but assembling key-position talent was a priority. Loading That strategy was front-of-mind when current list boss Blair Hartley presided over a haul of seven first-round draft picks last year. Jackson is still at the Tigers, working in the 'futures' talent market. Richmond used six of those selections, on midfielders Sam Lalor (one), Josh Smillie (seven) and Taj Hotton (12), plus key forwards Jonty Faull (14) and Harry Armstrong (23), and tall defender Luke Trainor (21). They savvily traded the seventh in a package for North Melbourne's 2025 first-rounder, which currently projects to be the No.2 pick. The Roos drafted swingman Matt Whitlock. On day two of the draft, the Tigers resisted the temptation of rival clubs' offers to pick 199-centimetre forward-ruck Tom Sims with the opening selection of the second round. Sims was their fourth draftee who stood at least 195 centimetres tall. 'We're trying to pick a premiership team, not a team to win potentially next year,' Hartley said in November. 'You look at the basis of a lot of the premiership sides, even [going] back in time with Richmond, and it was Riewoldt and Rance in '06 and '07. Building that base of talls allows them to develop as we continue to build our side over the next few years.' Differing approaches By contrast, North Melbourne opted to build from the midfield out. It is too simplistic to just compare the Roos and Tigers in this way, but their respective recruiting blueprints were at odds. Richmond entered round 20 above North on the ladder, despite the latter launching their rebuild with a massive cleanout at the end of 2020. The Kangaroos, for various reasons, have not won more than four games in any season since, whereas the Tigers are already up to five this year. 'I recall being asked before the season, 'How are you going to cope when you're not winning, or you're getting 100-point losses?' – but we can't live in that headspace,' Livingstone told The Age. 'We understand there are going to be bumps in the road with players developing their game, but we want to teach them winning habits. We want them to be able to learn how to fight through games, and how to be down by a lot against Geelong [in round 17], down at GMHBA, and then fight through and have a competitive second half. Loading 'They're the sorts of things that will set you up for long-term success.' An opposition recruiter, who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity to discuss another club more freely, described the Tigers' early rebuilding efforts as 'unbelievable' – and forecast they could contend for finals again as soon as 2027, ahead of Tasmania's entry into the league. 'It's a credit to them for being brave enough to let all those guys go, then to make all those picks in one year,' the recruiter said. 'They would have known it was an average draft this year, particularly with how compromised it is, and that last year's draft was the one to do it [invest heavily]. But it's also a big credit to the coach for playing them all, and Blair's done a great job.' Richmond's ex-chief executive Brendon Gale famously made a bold but stunningly accurate prediction in 2010 that they would win three premierships by 2020. Yze and Livingstone were unwilling this week to do any such crystal-ball gazing, beyond saying they wanted to 'bounce back as quickly as we can'. 'We're not going to say, 'We should be here in two years' or three years' time',' Livingstone said. 'Our player development team is doing a wonderful job at trying to fast-track their careers and help teach these guys the winning habits that are going to take us forward sooner than we think. But putting time frames on it is not for us to worry about right now.'
The Age
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Inside Richmond's flag blueprint: the hunt for the next Riewoldt and Rance
Richmond have proven most critics wrong by winning five games with five rounds to go in a season doomsayers predicted last year's wooden-spooners may not win once. The Tigers have also blooded the second-most debutants (nine), behind only injury ravaged Essendon (13). Losing top-tier talent The bulk player exits in Yze's first season at the helm, after celebrating only two victories, could have been daunting – but the coach insisted this week there was never any panic. 'You go through what we went through, and the toughest part of it was injury. Players leaving and retiring [is] part of footy,' Yze said. 'You're constantly regenerating your list, and guys are finishing and starting.' Injuries were a genuine excuse: only Carlton lost more games last year to first-choice players (167) than Richmond (155). As soon as Tigers list boss Blair Hartley knew Rioli, Bolton and Baker were leaving, he resolved to maximise the trade return and use it to make a major investment in a loaded 2024 draft that they recognised years earlier as a standout crop. Richmond's actions the previous year showed how much they loved that draft class. They made several trades, including sending Ivan Soldo to Port Adelaide and twice moving down in the 2023 draft, which resulted in them gathering future assets. Hartley then secured picks six, 10, 11, 18 and 23 for Rioli, Bolton and Baker, and engineered a separate deal with Brisbane – who were looking to stack draft selections to match father-son and academy bids – to also receive the Lions' No.20 for some of those future picks that were acquired 12 months earlier. The strategy The Tigers came no higher than ninth, and averaged a 13th-placed finish, during a difficult 11-year period between 2002 and 2012. In the early years under Hardwick, Richmond eventually played finals in each of the next three seasons before tumbling again, only for club officials to famously stick by the man who went on to lead them to three flags. That fateful decision paved the way for one of the Tigers' greatest periods – but as important were their drafting calls years earlier. After far too many recruiting missteps, and watching Hawthorn swoop on twin towers Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin either side of Brett Deledio and Richard Tambling in 2004, Richmond began identifying building blocks – big ones – who became an enormous part of the future success. Loading Francis Jackson's first draft as national recruiting manager in 2006 saw him select Jack Riewoldt (pick 13) and Shane Edwards (26). The next year, it was Trent Cotchin (two) and Alex Rance (18). In 2009, the Tigers snared Dustin Martin (three) and David Astbury (35) before using a pre-season draft pick on a kid from the Northern Knights, Dylan Grimes. Six of the seven played integral roles in Richmond's 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships. Five-time All-Australian key defender Rance played in the first, but an ACL rupture cost him from featuring in the second, before his shock retirement. Four of them were important bookends. In between, they also used a top-10 pick on forward-ruck Ty Vickery, who left for the Hawks at the end of 2016 – but assembling key-position talent was a priority. Loading That strategy was front-of-mind when current list boss Blair Hartley presided over a haul of seven first-round draft picks last year. Jackson is still at the Tigers, working in the 'futures' talent market. Richmond used six of those selections, on midfielders Sam Lalor (one), Josh Smillie (seven) and Taj Hotton (12), plus key forwards Jonty Faull (14) and Harry Armstrong (23), and tall defender Luke Trainor (21). They savvily traded the seventh in a package for North Melbourne's 2025 first-rounder, which currently projects to be the No.2 pick. The Roos drafted swingman Matt Whitlock. On day two of the draft, the Tigers resisted the temptation of rival clubs' offers to pick 199-centimetre forward-ruck Tom Sims with the opening selection of the second round. Sims was their fourth draftee who stood at least 195 centimetres tall. 'We're trying to pick a premiership team, not a team to win potentially next year,' Hartley said in November. 'You look at the basis of a lot of the premiership sides, even [going] back in time with Richmond, and it was Riewoldt and Rance in '06 and '07. Building that base of talls allows them to develop as we continue to build our side over the next few years.' Differing approaches By contrast, North Melbourne opted to build from the midfield out. It is too simplistic to just compare the Roos and Tigers in this way, but their respective recruiting blueprints were at odds. Richmond entered round 20 above North on the ladder, despite the latter launching their rebuild with a massive cleanout at the end of 2020. The Kangaroos, for various reasons, have not won more than four games in any season since, whereas the Tigers are already up to five this year. 'I recall being asked before the season, 'How are you going to cope when you're not winning, or you're getting 100-point losses?' – but we can't live in that headspace,' Livingstone told The Age. 'We understand there are going to be bumps in the road with players developing their game, but we want to teach them winning habits. We want them to be able to learn how to fight through games, and how to be down by a lot against Geelong [in round 17], down at GMHBA, and then fight through and have a competitive second half. Loading 'They're the sorts of things that will set you up for long-term success.' An opposition recruiter, who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity to discuss another club more freely, described the Tigers' early rebuilding efforts as 'unbelievable' – and forecast they could contend for finals again as soon as 2027, ahead of Tasmania's entry into the league. 'It's a credit to them for being brave enough to let all those guys go, then to make all those picks in one year,' the recruiter said. 'They would have known it was an average draft this year, particularly with how compromised it is, and that last year's draft was the one to do it [invest heavily]. But it's also a big credit to the coach for playing them all, and Blair's done a great job.' Richmond's ex-chief executive Brendon Gale famously made a bold but stunningly accurate prediction in 2010 that they would win three premierships by 2020. Yze and Livingstone were unwilling this week to do any such crystal-ball gazing, beyond saying they wanted to 'bounce back as quickly as we can'. 'We're not going to say, 'We should be here in two years' or three years' time',' Livingstone said. 'Our player development team is doing a wonderful job at trying to fast-track their careers and help teach these guys the winning habits that are going to take us forward sooner than we think. But putting time frames on it is not for us to worry about right now.'
Perth Now
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Real impact of big Lynch ban
Richmond could place the club's goalkicking fortunes on a bunch of teenagers and a defender who hasn't kicked a goal all year after Tom Lynch was handed a five-match ban for striking. Already sitting second last on the ladder with just three wins, and coming off a 68-point hiding by Adelaide, the Tigers have no clear goal square presence with small forward Seth Campbell's 21 majors the most of anyone at the club this season. A calf injury suffered by key forward Mykelti Lefau in his return from an ACL last weekend will cost him up to six weeks on the sidelines causing significant front half of the ground headaches for coach Adem Yze. Last year's No.1 draft pick, Sam Lalor, is set to return for the Tigers this week and along with fellow 19-year-old Harry Armstrong, who could return in round 18, loom as possible forward options for a team which has battled to kick winning scores all season. Noah Balta might have to play forward. Mark Stewart Credit: News Corp Australia Richmond is the only team in the AFL yet to kick 1000 points this season, the total of 93 being 40 points less than even the last-placed West Coast Eagles, who have only won a single game. Yze flagged that key defender Noah Balta, who went forward late in the clash against the Crows, could be a forward prospect in the absence of Lynch. Balta has kicked just 37 goals across his 111 games, and none in seven in 2025, a season impacted by a court-imposed curfew which limits him to day games in Melbourne. The Tigers face Geelong at Geelong this week, meaning Balta can play, and Lalor, who burst onto the AFL scene with two goals in round 1 against Carlton, and has 11 for the season, should be ready to play. 'Sam passed all of his tests last week, but we made a decision that the best thing for him going forward for his long-term career was to just get a few more football exposures before we throw him back into AFL football,' Richmond high performance manager, Ben Serpell, said. 'He did some extra footy training last week, and he will get through a full session tomorrow, and then we will see him out there this weekend.' Richmond picked up Seth McDonald in the mid-season draft with a few to helping boost their forward stocks. He kicked two goals in the VFL last weekend. Armstrong, drafted as a goalkicker having been a key forward in the Under 18 competition, could be one more week away. Despite their flailing fortunes, Yze was adamant his team would not fall off a cliff this season with eight games still to go. 'I've got no doubt that our players aren't just going to look to the end (of the season),' he said.n
The Age
10-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Sub-standard Tigers feel the pain, but one loss shouldn't overshadow their progress
And don't forget 196-centimetre interceptor Josh Gibcus, who has endured a horror injury run since an eye-catching debut season in 2022 – after being the No.9 pick – and is yet to appear this season. As a result of the departures, Richmond made seven top-30 selections in 2024, but also snared a probable top-four choice from the Kangaroos in this year's edition, for the No.27 pick last year and their 2025 second-rounder. Something the Tigers need are more blue-chip midfielders to complement and eventually take over from Tim Taranto, 27, and Jacob Hopper, 28. They are set to pick two of the best few teenage talents in November, even with top-liners Zeke Uwland (Gold Coast) and Daniel Annable (Brisbane Lions) tied to northern academies. Loading Richmond recruiters will be ogling potential top-five selections Dyson Sharp, Willem Duursma – brother of Xavier, Zane and Yasmin – Sam Grlj and Oliver Greeves, while ruck-forward Cooper Duff-Tytler, a No.1 pick candidate, is another option. They have onballers Josh Smillie and Taj Hotton, both selected in the top 12 last year, waiting in the wings, too, so Blair Hartley and co. have identified their list building blocks. It makes you think of ex-Tigers coach Damien Hardwick's bold statement on joining Gold Coast, where he said he believed he already had 80 per cent of the Suns' inaugural premiership side. There is less evidence at Punt Road for Yze to make such a call about Richmond, but they should be pleased with the early signs. The Tigers know key-position players take longer to develop and come with a higher bust risk than their midfield peers, but also how crucial they are, which was why they drafted so many, so early in this process. They are hopeful the next Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt are lurking within this crop, while Richmond are planning for life after Toby Nankervis, with Samson Ryan, Mate Colina and Oliver Hayes-Brown jostling to be his ruck successor. Beyond the wins, competitive defeats and first-year draftees, another positive is that some other emerging Tigers have put their hand up to suggest they could be meaningful parts of a successful future, too. Tom Brown, Seth Campbell, Sam Banks, Steely Green, James Trezise and Kane McAuliffe are chief among those – and that is as important as any other development. Loading Noah Balta, Jack Ross, Ben Miller, Rhyan Mansell and Thomson Dow headline a modest mid-20s group that needs to get stronger but offers a decent-enough plank for now between the kids and veterans. Speaking on Fox Footy, Riewoldt, like Yze, was concerned with Saturday's effort, saying too many of these types of losses can be 'soul-destroying'. The coach himself mentioned there would be pain along the journey, yet the underlying evidence is that Richmond are ahead of schedule. Frittering away chance Melbourne were looking more like the side many expected before their latest Alice Springs horror show against St Kilda, so it was not particularly surprising that they ran Collingwood close. The problem for Simon Goodwin's Demons is they started the season 0-5 and have a sub-90 percentage, so finals remain a longshot for a club that gave away its first-round pick this year to Essendon (a strategy that has consistently worked for them). Bayley Fritsch has kicked 207 goals in 100 games since the start of 2021, but he's had a challenging season and even at his best was criticised – including by Matthew Lloyd – for being selfish at times. Fritsch is back in form after being dropped ahead of round six, and kicked two of his three goals in the final quarter to give Melbourne a shot at upsetting the ladder-leading Pies. However, there was a brain-fade moment, with scores tied in the last term, when Fritsch marked 25 metres out, and instantly played on while not realising Isaac Quaynor was in front of him. That was bad enough without factoring in that teammate Tom Sparrow was on his own running towards the goal square. Goodwin probably takes the good with the bad from Fritsch, but it was certainly costly. What the 2021 premiership coach would be thrilled with was the Demons' disciplined team job on Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos, from Ed Langdon to Clayton Oliver and Judd McVee. Langdon did the lion's share of the lifting in a sacrificial role, but the overall willingness to stick at it was one of the most positive takeaways. Daicos finished with a modest 19 disposals, one goal and only four score involvements. Mission accomplished. All-Australian ruck race We are amid one of the most competitive races to be the starting ruckman in the All-Australian side. Selectors might need to consider picking two of seven-time All-Australian Max Gawn, Tristan Xerri and Tom De Koning, given how good they have been. Neither Xerri nor De Koning has ever made the final cut, although the Kangaroo made the extended squad last year. The last time two ruckmen made the team was in 2021, when Gawn (starting) and Nic Naitanui (bench) were selected. Xerri, De Koning and Gawn were excellent again in round 13, and offer different qualities. Xerri leads all ruckmen in clearances and hitouts-to-advantage; Gawn averages more marks, disposals and contested possessions than all his ruck peers; and the uber-athletic De Koning performs strongly in almost every relevant category. None of their teams are in the top eight, which continues an unhealthy narrative about ruckmen's worth, but that should not take away from how great each of them has been. Of note is that Xerri towelled Gawn in round two, while De Koning received coaches' votes against Xerri in round six (Xerri won the hitouts and was a tackling machine but De Koning kicked a goal and had more clearances in a big Carlton win). Gawn and De Koning are due to do battle in round 19. Where do Blues fit? Carlton's unconvincing victory over Essendon on Sunday night provided little evidence that they have turned the corner and are set to challenge for a finals berth. Coach Michael Voss performed his best spin-doctor impression after their 38-point first-half lead disintegrated to only six with almost four-and-a-half minutes left, against a Bombers side missing Mason Redman, Sam Draper, Nick Bryan, Kyle Langford, Ben McKay, Zach Reid and Jordan Ridley. Voss said they addressed their constant second-half fadeouts during the bye a week earlier and that the worrying trend would not be instantly solved. Loading 'It's a good problem to have, if you're in front by that much, and you're getting that many opportunities,' he said. 'The harder one to solve is you're behind all the time, you get no opportunities, and you're trying to win your game from a completely negative base.' The Blues could take heart from Jack Silvagni's job on Nate Caddy in his first game back, Zac Williams' reintegration as a forward, and tagger Alex Cincotta's effort on Zach Merrett. First-gamer Hudson O'Keeffe also showed promise. Voss revealed afterwards that the 202-centimetre ruckman made significant strides as a forward in the past month to earn his shot.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sub-standard Tigers feel the pain, but one loss shouldn't overshadow their progress
And don't forget 196-centimetre interceptor Josh Gibcus, who has endured a horror injury run since an eye-catching debut season in 2022 – after being the No.9 pick – and is yet to appear this season. As a result of the departures, Richmond made seven top-30 selections in 2024, but also snared a probable top-four choice from the Kangaroos in this year's edition, for the No.27 pick last year and their 2025 second-rounder. Something the Tigers need are more blue-chip midfielders to complement and eventually take over from Tim Taranto, 27, and Jacob Hopper, 28. They are set to pick two of the best few teenage talents in November, even with top-liners Zeke Uwland (Gold Coast) and Daniel Annable (Brisbane Lions) tied to northern academies. Loading Richmond recruiters will be ogling potential top-five selections Dyson Sharp, Willem Duursma – brother of Xavier, Zane and Yasmin – Sam Grlj and Oliver Greeves, while ruck-forward Cooper Duff-Tytler, a No.1 pick candidate, is another option. They have onballers Josh Smillie and Taj Hotton, both selected in the top 12 last year, waiting in the wings, too, so Blair Hartley and co. have identified their list building blocks. It makes you think of ex-Tigers coach Damien Hardwick's bold statement on joining Gold Coast, where he said he believed he already had 80 per cent of the Suns' inaugural premiership side. There is less evidence at Punt Road for Yze to make such a call about Richmond, but they should be pleased with the early signs. The Tigers know key-position players take longer to develop and come with a higher bust risk than their midfield peers, but also how crucial they are, which was why they drafted so many, so early in this process. They are hopeful the next Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt are lurking within this crop, while Richmond are planning for life after Toby Nankervis, with Samson Ryan, Mate Colina and Oliver Hayes-Brown jostling to be his ruck successor. Beyond the wins, competitive defeats and first-year draftees, another positive is that some other emerging Tigers have put their hand up to suggest they could be meaningful parts of a successful future, too. Tom Brown, Seth Campbell, Sam Banks, Steely Green, James Trezise and Kane McAuliffe are chief among those – and that is as important as any other development. Loading Noah Balta, Jack Ross, Ben Miller, Rhyan Mansell and Thomson Dow headline a modest mid-20s group that needs to get stronger but offers a decent-enough plank for now between the kids and veterans. Speaking on Fox Footy, Riewoldt, like Yze, was concerned with Saturday's effort, saying too many of these types of losses can be 'soul-destroying'. The coach himself mentioned there would be pain along the journey, yet the underlying evidence is that Richmond are ahead of schedule. Frittering away chance Melbourne were looking more like the side many expected before their latest Alice Springs horror show against St Kilda, so it was not particularly surprising that they ran Collingwood close. The problem for Simon Goodwin's Demons is they started the season 0-5 and have a sub-90 percentage, so finals remain a longshot for a club that gave away its first-round pick this year to Essendon (a strategy that has consistently worked for them). Bayley Fritsch has kicked 207 goals in 100 games since the start of 2021, but he's had a challenging season and even at his best was criticised – including by Matthew Lloyd – for being selfish at times. Fritsch is back in form after being dropped ahead of round six, and kicked two of his three goals in the final quarter to give Melbourne a shot at upsetting the ladder-leading Pies. However, there was a brain-fade moment, with scores tied in the last term, when Fritsch marked 25 metres out, and instantly played on while not realising Isaac Quaynor was in front of him. That was bad enough without factoring in that teammate Tom Sparrow was on his own running towards the goal square. Goodwin probably takes the good with the bad from Fritsch, but it was certainly costly. What the 2021 premiership coach would be thrilled with was the Demons' disciplined team job on Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos, from Ed Langdon to Clayton Oliver and Judd McVee. Langdon did the lion's share of the lifting in a sacrificial role, but the overall willingness to stick at it was one of the most positive takeaways. Daicos finished with a modest 19 disposals, one goal and only four score involvements. Mission accomplished. All-Australian ruck race We are amid one of the most competitive races to be the starting ruckman in the All-Australian side. Selectors might need to consider picking two of seven-time All-Australian Max Gawn, Tristan Xerri and Tom De Koning, given how good they have been. Neither Xerri nor De Koning has ever made the final cut, although the Kangaroo made the extended squad last year. The last time two ruckmen made the team was in 2021, when Gawn (starting) and Nic Naitanui (bench) were selected. Xerri, De Koning and Gawn were excellent again in round 13, and offer different qualities. Xerri leads all ruckmen in clearances and hitouts-to-advantage; Gawn averages more marks, disposals and contested possessions than all his ruck peers; and the uber-athletic De Koning performs strongly in almost every relevant category. None of their teams are in the top eight, which continues an unhealthy narrative about ruckmen's worth, but that should not take away from how great each of them has been. Of note is that Xerri towelled Gawn in round two, while De Koning received coaches' votes against Xerri in round six (Xerri won the hitouts and was a tackling machine but De Koning kicked a goal and had more clearances in a big Carlton win). Gawn and De Koning are due to do battle in round 19. Where do Blues fit? Carlton's unconvincing victory over Essendon on Sunday night provided little evidence that they have turned the corner and are set to challenge for a finals berth. Coach Michael Voss performed his best spin-doctor impression after their 38-point first-half lead disintegrated to only six with almost four-and-a-half minutes left, against a Bombers side missing Mason Redman, Sam Draper, Nick Bryan, Kyle Langford, Ben McKay, Zach Reid and Jordan Ridley. Voss said they addressed their constant second-half fadeouts during the bye a week earlier and that the worrying trend would not be instantly solved. Loading 'It's a good problem to have, if you're in front by that much, and you're getting that many opportunities,' he said. 'The harder one to solve is you're behind all the time, you get no opportunities, and you're trying to win your game from a completely negative base.' The Blues could take heart from Jack Silvagni's job on Nate Caddy in his first game back, Zac Williams' reintegration as a forward, and tagger Alex Cincotta's effort on Zach Merrett. First-gamer Hudson O'Keeffe also showed promise. Voss revealed afterwards that the 202-centimetre ruckman made significant strides as a forward in the past month to earn his shot.
