Opening Round Review vs. Richmond 2024 – Early Signs

It ended up being a bit of a rollercoaster in the end but the Suns got the W in opening round. And that’s all we wanted, no need to analyse it too much lets just soak it in.

I really wish I could do that but I’m clearly still typing. The Suns played one of their best first halves in club history then followed it up with an abysmal third quarter just to make sure the Victorians watching didn’t change the channel. If you ignore that quarter, King kicked 5 Rowell had 20 clearances and the defence looked finals-worthy. But we can’t do that can we.

The tempo was definitely up

One of the key things you wanted to see as an identifier of Hardwick’s influence was a genuine effort to run and carry, play fast and catch the defence off guard. And we saw plenty of that in the first half. It helped that our mids were able to come out the front of stoppage so much, but Powell was brave in his kicking choices on the rebound and everyone understood that once they turn the ball over they have to get on their bike and try to capitalise on the lack of structure. The forward line clearly benefited with King, Lukosius and Rosas all getting chances to challenge defenders in more space than we saw most of last year. Of course there were lulls but for the most part the pace was higher and the pressure was more than adequate to force plenty of mistakes from Richmond.

Reliant on Clearance differential

The big shift in the third quarter seemed to happen because the Tigers addressed their stoppage strategy and the clearances were a real contest for the first time in the game and once the Suns lost that dominance their around the ground game showed understandable cracks. They were now reliant on forcing turnovers to defend and generate scores and they couldn’t get it done or slow down Richmond for  about 25 mins. This was the proof that this is a new gameplan that hasn’t bedded in yet bracketed by three-ish quarters of a practice match.

I think in the long run it’s a good thing that the team had that rough patch because everyone saw that things aren’t going to turn around without hiccups and constant effort and concentration. There was a clear sense to me that the players relaxed and were trying things they wouldn’t have if the deficit was 2 goals. Players got caught holding the ball when they had more than enough time to get rid,  Bolton waltzed through a f50 stoppage completely unaccounted for to score. When Richmond’s stars finally got the pill the Suns took a while to figure out how to stop them.

Fortunately it didn’t degenerate further but it’s a useful early warning sign for the players that should serve them well as a lesson to build on.

Defensive organisation was reassuring

The continuity of Ballard, Collins and Powell down back was an obvious benefit. They looked well-positioned when Richmond failed to move it quick and mostly won their matchups. Uwland, Swallow, Budarick and Sexton looked noticeably less comfortable but understandably so. As long as the connection between the two keys and Powell is there the rest will have time to find their feet. Sexton in particularly very much looked like someone who had only been at halfback for one preseason and Uwland looked like the rookie he still pretty much is. But not in ways that don’t leave me optimistic. The smalls will learn to getting into crumbing positions with game time and learn to find their outlets to rebound. They are the sort of skills that have to be developed at game speed with continuity in the 23. I wouldn’t change much squad-wise to give everyone a chance to build chemistry. The use of just two key defenders worked out well in the end although they didn’t have a lot to do for large stretches of that one. The lapses to me seemed like products of the scoreboard which is less likely to be a repeat offence. I feel comfortable saying Hardwick hasn’t ruined our defence and they have a better chance of avoiding beltings this year than I thought going into the game.

Players worth highlighting

We have to start with Matt Rowell having perhaps the ultimate Matt Rowell game to date. 20 clearances barely any uncontested possession and more than a few tacklers beaten. He had his way with Richmond’s mids in that first quarter and they couldn’t keep him quiet for long after that. He looks absolutely buzzing to be back playing after the offseason. The midfield rotation of four still took all the centre bounces and that may have contributed to the third quarter slump, so I hope to see Hardwick mix in Humphrey, Swallow and Rosas or Ainsworth in their occasionally for a more sustainable rotation. Don’t get me wrong Rowelly attending 90% of centre bounces all season might be a great idea but it’s probably not worth the risk every week.

Wil Powell played goalkeeper down back superbly and helped launched plenty of attacks, he showed why he will be massively relied upon in the back half for everything. Without Weller they don’t have another player who can be trusted to find a dangerous target out of defence as far as we know. Powell was up to the challenge this week. Here’s hoping Sexton or Uwland can start copying him soon.

King, Lukosius and Rosas probably got to see more action today than they were expecting and luckily they made the most of it. King got to take marks in a relatively empty forward 50, Rosas positioned himself well for crumbing opportunities and applied pressure well. And Lukosius spent plenty of time up the ground finding the ball in space mixed in with being a dangerous presence around goal too. It was great sample of what could be possible once all the gears are turning smoothly. Although as long as King is keeping the chin beard I’ll be worried about what evil plans he has for those meddling kids.

We can’t really complain too much after a decisive opening round win and I hope it doesn’t come across like I did. All round it was a very positive result for its low points as much as its highs, and thank God our first sell out of the year wasn’t the abject horror the last one was.