Joel Bowden faces axe

[seenitall]

Richmond could this week dump veteran defender Joel Bowden, who is "second-guessing" himself and must regain his ability to read the play in AFL games.

Tigers coach Terry Wallace said Bowden, the club's second-most experienced player with 238 games, had lost his knack of deciding between playing tight and getting the ball which earned him back-to-back best and fairest awards in 2004-05.

Bowden was disappointing in Richmond's 44-point defeat to Collingwood last Sunday and is one of six players who could face the axe before Sunday's game against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.

Wallace admitted Bowden, 29, was playing like he was low on confidence and unsure.

"I don't think there's a player playing (who) hasn't gone through that at some stage, where they start second-guessing themselves about `Do I go for the footy or do I stay with my man?'," he said.

"Joel more than any has been a really natural player, he reads the game as well as most and that's why he's been able to rack up massive possessions in the past.

"If you start second-guessing yourself in that reading game, that's going to have an impact on your footy and that's the case that Joel is at the moment.

"But he's a very professional person on and off the field and I'm sure he'll work his way through that."

The Tigers are aware dropping Bowden could provide the backman with the kick-along he needs, as he was omitted early in the 2004 season but returned after a game in the VFL to win the Jack Dyer Medal.

Wallace said Richmond would consider potential match-ups against Fremantle for Bowden, but admitted the match committee would not focus solely on one player.

"That discussion won't just be about Joel. It will be about half a dozen guys who played in the senior side that we'll have exactly that same discussions about this week," he said.

In better news, young gun Trent Cotchin and 2003 best and fairest Mark Coughlan could both return this weekend and play in the VFL.

Cotchin, the No.2 pick in last year's national draft, is returning from an Achilles injury but is still six weeks away from making his AFL debut given his long lay-off, while Coughlan (knee) could return to the top flight in a fortnight.


© 2008 AAP


Joel Bowden faces AFL axe at Richmond
The Age
April 8, 2008 - 4:43 PM


http://news.realfooty.com.au/joel-bo...0408-24kv.html

[justmike]

I think many people saw this coming...

[hully]

Originally Posted by seenitall

In better news, young gun Trent Cotchin and 2003 best and fairest Mark Coughlan could both return this weekend and play in the VFL.

fingers crossed

[TigerAdam]

Finally, some accountability for our senior core.

[SouthernStand]

Originally Posted by seenitall

In better news, young gun Trent Cotchin and 2003 best and fairest Mark Coughlan could both return this weekend and play in the VFL.

Cotchin, the No.2 pick in last year's national draft, is returning from an Achilles injury but is still six weeks away from making his AFL debut given his long lay-off, while Coughlan (knee) could return to the top flight in a fortnight.

Now that's enough, as Camels would say, to get you MOIST!

I can almost feel then excitement emanating from Thomastown!

[SouthernStand]

RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace has backed veteran Joel Bowden to return to his best form.Bowden has been criticised for his performances in the first few weeks of the season, but Wallace said it was not unusual for the 29-year-old to take a while to hit top gear.

“Joel would be the first to say his form hasn’t been where he’d like it. In recent years he’s been there a few times early in seasons. His form wasn’t great at the start of last season and he worked back into a pretty strong year,” he said. “Once he gets going, he gets going. In track work he takes a while to get kick started in a season. He hasn’t had the start we would have liked him to have but he’s a pretty professional player.”

Wallace said Bowden would be fine as soon as he regained some self-belief. “Joel probably more than any has been a natural player who reads the game as well as most. If you start second guessing yourself in that reading game that’s going to have an impact on your footy,” he said. “I think every player goes through confidence issues. I don’t think there is a player playing that hasn’t gone through that at some stage where they start second-guessing themselves about do I go for the footy or stay with my man? “It will be a match committee decision on which way it goes. We will be backing Joel in 100 per cent.”

Wallace said bad starts had cost his team in the opening weeks and they could not afford to be slow out of the blocks in this week’s match against Fremantle at Subiaco. “We’ll try to trick up our pre-game preparation to see if we might spark something from there. Even on the weekend, the first four or five minutes weren’t so bad but when it opened up it opened up considerably. You can’t go to Perth and be six goals behind at quarter-time because I haven’t seen many sides come back from that sort of scenario playing West Coast or Fremantle,” he said.

Wallace said he would hope his side could carry over its form from the second half of the loss to Collingwood. “The review told us it was a game of two halves. One that was abysmal. It was absolutely awful, probably as difficult a half as I’d have to sit through for a long time. The second half we looked like a different side. The style of play was totally different in the second half,” he said.

Wallace said Mark Coughlan was a chance to return from hamstring tightness, while Trent Cotchin was likely to play a half with the Coburg Tigers in the VFL. Cotchin, the no. 2 draft pick from last year, has been sidelined with an ankle injury since joining the Tigers.


http://richmondfc.com.au/tabid/6301/...x?newsid=57566
Source: for richmondfc.com.au

[WATiger]

I dont think Bowden will be dropped this week, Wallace has too much respect for him and really everyone so should we. Ok so he has played 2 bad games since the 2004 dropping, lets back him in this weekend instead of throwing him on the scrap heap!!

[tigertambling]

wont be dropped just TW's way of trying to fire him up
hasnt been awful just doesnt seem switched on

[hully]

Originally Posted by WATiger

lets back him in this weekend instead of throwing him on the scrap heap!!

"Bowdo, we're throwing you back to the ressies for a week, yes that's right, the scrap heap, there's no coming back from a week on the scrap heap you know, it's all over after that, we're really sorry, best of luck with Coburg, bye"

This site is full of bad drama

[WATiger]

Originally Posted by hully

"Bowdo, we're throwing you back to the ressies for a week, yes that's right, the scrap heap, there's no coming back from a week on the scrap heap you know, it's all over after that, we're really sorry, best of luck with Coburg, bye"

This site is full of bad drama

Crap hully, don't take my comment out of text mate. I was actually refering to the typical idiot supporter of this club and the media that blow everything out of the water. We seem to be imploding since the pre-season, all I have herd is lets get rid of this player and that player and the coach and the coaching staff and the board all after 3 games. Work it out mate!! Now theres some drama for you..:p