Bowden omitted

Posted on April 11, 2008 | Category: Discussions

In an encouraging sign for accountability in the Tigers side, Joel Bowden has been demoted for this week against Freo. Last time Joel was sent to the VFL, he went on to play his best season for the Tiges and stole the best and fairest from Nathan Brown, and it would be wonderful to see him being sparked similarly. His efforts over the last few weeks have been disappointing at best, and he played some terrible games last season without punishment. But creating an environment at Punt Road where players need to genuinely earn their spots is vitally important; and it looks as though Wallace is having a go at doing just that. Bowden will be replaced by Luke McGuane.

Exciting to see Jack Riewoldt coming back in to replace the suspended (and should have been dropped at any rate) Pettifer. If Riewoldt has progressed over the off season at anything like the rate of players like Tambling and Moore then we should be in for a treat. He’s looked good everytime I’ve seen him play in the VFL, but has lacked some of the presence and sense of the tempo required at the top level. Very hopeful that he makes a run at it.

Edwards and Hyde make a good swap for Greg Tivendale and White. Why Greg Tivendale had his contract renewed for season 2008 is beyond me. He lacks anything resembling consistency, is still unable to kick on his right boot under any circumstances, and is too old to be worth investing in developmentally. Wallace’s changes appear to give the Tiges a decent run at the Purple anchors this Sunday.

» Filed Under Discussions

Tags:

• Greg Tivendale
• Jack Riewoldt
• Joel Bowden
• Kane Pettifer
• Luke McGuane

4 Responses to “Bowden omitted”

1. Kick2Kick Says:
   April 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am

   Yeah agree that this is the best thing that has happened to Richmond for years. Now if only other clubs followed suit and dropped their under performing stars.

   You may actually yet finish higher than 9th

2. The Wounded Tiger Says:
   April 24th, 2008 at 11:40 am

   K2K - stay tuned: I’ve got a post coming on why this was such a great idea.

   (btw - don’t hold your breath on the Tiges getting past 9th at this stage. Way too early to count those eggs as chooks)

3. Why Bowden Needed To Be Dropped | The Wounded Tiger Says:
   April 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am

   [...] the Collingwood debacle, we saw Terry Wallace make a very brave move, and drop dual best and fairest winner Joel Bowden from the senior side; and left him out for a second week after the win over Freo. And something suddenly clicked. [...]

4. Kick2Kick Says:
   May 5th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

   Now you’ve slipped to 12th, is it time to bring him back??

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