Richmond's Troy Taylor has told a court he will defend charges.

Richmond rookie Troy Taylor has told a court he will defend charges he gate crashed an Alice Springs party and assaulted three men.

Taylor who was told last time he was in court via video link that he would have to appear in person this time, so today he travelled to Alice Spring today to appear in court.

Taylor's lawyer Paul Horbath told the court his client would plead not guilty to all five charges and would return in August for a hearing.

Troy Taylor must reappear in court on August 9th which is the day after Richmond play Melbourne at the MCG.

Taylor is yet to make his debut for the Tigers but many people are saying he is not far away from getting a call up to the starting 22. Richmond I am guessing will make no comment on today’s proceedings as it is an active case.

Four New Tigers to hit the MCG tonight against Calton

One year ago Richmond took to the MCG to play Carlton in the first game of 2009 with much hype. It was all over around 45min later, this season the Tigers could not look much different.

Four new Tigers will run out in the Yellow and Black tonight in Dustin Martin, Mitch Farmer, Ben Nason and Relton Roberts.

All four of these players have had good pre-seasons which have opened up an opportunity in the new look Richmond outfit.

But there is more to it than just the new players, there are more than 10 player changes from the first game of the year last season when Carlton crushed our hopes and dreams a year ago.

It is a brand new year for the Tigers, who know what we will get....

Dont forget to get to the ground early tonight to give Richo the sendoff we did not get to give him last season, I really do believe he will go down as one of the greatest ever Tigers.

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale to be on Footy Classified.

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale will be the first guest of the year on Footy Classified tonight.

Tune into channel 9 tonight at 10:30pm for Footy Classified with Garry Lyon, Caroline Wilson, Craig Hutchinson and that failed St Kilda coach.

I hope that Gale will challenge Caroline Wilson on her article about Ben Cousins in last week's The Age newspaper, Richmond come out strong to denounce Wilson's article it would be good to see him follow that up.

I am guessing the theme of the interview will be along the line of the 3-0-75,000 plan and all the new faces at Tiger Land.

News out of Richmond's 2010 Season Launch

A Number of things have come out of the 2010 season launch today.

New coach Damien Hardwick labelled 2010 the "start of the resurgence" of the Tigers and a year dedicated to "transformation". Hardwick also plans to hand AFL debuts to at least three Tigers in next Thursday night's MCG season-opener against Carlton.

Richmond now have the youngest list in the AFL and I think Hardwick still thinks there is some dead weight on the list that he was unable to cut lose.

Recently-retired Richmond champion Matthew Richardson provided an inspiring 2010 season toast according to the clubs web site.

Here are some highlights of the ‘Richo’ speech thanks to http://www.richmondfc.com.au/:

“To me, wearing the jumper means you get to represent a proud Club, with a very successful last 100 years.

Regardless of what people want to say, and we know the last 30 years haven’t been great, but this Club has won 10 premierships.

We also get to represent our supporters, and there is no more passionate and emotional supporter base than the Richmond members.

When you run out in the jumper you’re not just representing yourself and the Club, you’re representing all those supporters and members that turn up every week, and that’s something I always remembered as a player.

You’re also representing all the greats that have gone before you, and our Club has some of the greatest players in AFL history.

These are all great players who have done great things for our Club, and when you run out there, you’re representing those guys.

But that’s all in the past, which is great, and we have to embrace that, but I feel like it’s time to embrace the new history of our Club.

It’s a fresh start. ‘Newy’ (Chris Newman) has an exciting team under him and a young leadership group.

You’re all starting at the same time, and that’s really important if you want to build a good club.

There would be no better way to start the season than by beating Carlton this week.”

Richo will have his fairwell at the MCG this Thursday at the season opener.

Richmond also inducted four more Club greats into its Hall of Fame.

Ian Wilson, Neil Balme, Mark Lee and Ray Martin joined fellow Richmond greats including Neville Crowe, Kevin Bartlett, Francis Bourke, Jack Dyer, Royce Hart and Dale Weightman.

Cousins readmitted to hospital due to alcohol abuse claims Caroline Wilson

Over the weekend Ben Cousins was readmitted to the Epworth Hospital for further tests after his stomach problems flaired up again.

In The Age newspaper this morning chief AFL writer Caroline Wilson has claimed it is due to a result of binge drinking.

Caroline Wilson also claims that senior Richmond personnel raised the drinking issue with Cousins several times last year. Yet she also said that club president Gary March said he was unaware alcohol had become an issue for Cousins.

Wilson later in the artical said that Cousins former manager Ricky Nixon has told friends in recent weeks that he has been concerned about Cousins' lifestyle and mentioned alcohol abuse.

This story was also reported on SEN in thier news this morning but now SEN have dropped the story after contacting Richmond who have claim that the story is false. SEN confirmed during Kevin Bartlett's show that Richmond has claimed the Caroline Wilson story was false.

Ben Cousins out for the final NAB Challenge game vs Essendon

Thanks to http://www.richmdondfc.com.au/ for this inforamtion

Ben Cousins was discharged from The Epworth Hospital late this afternoon.

He was admitted yesterday after suffering abdominal pain and cramping.

As a precaution tests were carried out during the course of the day.

“Ben was found to be suffering from a slight gastric inflammation,” Richmond General Manager of Football Craig Cameron said.

“He will rest up over the weekend and he will be back at training on Monday,” Cameron said.

Richmond will now take on Essendon in Morwell without Cousins, this also means that Cousins only had one practice match before the start of the season againt Carlton. Not the perfect pre-season but we will wait and see how Ben goes.

Full strengh Richmond side to take on Essendon in Morwell on Saturday

Richmond has named a close to full strength side to take on the Bombers on Saturday at the Morwell Football Ground.

If you feel like heading down to Morwell on Saturday here is the ticketing information for the final NAB Challenge match of 2010

• Adults - $15
• Concession - $10
• Children - $5
• Family - $30

AFL Members and competing Club members can present their 2010 membership at the gate for free admission, subject to capacity.

Brett Deledio, Troy Simmonds, Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin, Chris Newman, Daniel Jackson, Richard Tambling and Ben Cousins have all been named along with 1st round draft pick Dustin Martin.

The only player who we have still not seen during the NAB Challenge this year is Nathan Foley who is still rehabilitating from an ankle injury. At the same time the club did not expect Foley to play during the pre-season, we will have to wait and see if he will be good to go for the season proper.

Jake King will fight striking charge

News just to hand Jake King will fight the striking charge.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/90383/default.aspx

The tribunal will hear the case next Tuesday.

Jake King is facing two-match ban

AFL’s match review panel has charged Jake King with striking Travis Cloke in Fridays match against Collingwood despite the fact no umpire reported him on the day and no video footage clearly showing the incident.

This will all come down to what Travis Cloke tells the investigator what happened, if Cloke keeps the players code of silence I think King will get off but Cloke could tell all and we will see King get rubbed out.

The problem is that Cloke ran off the the upmire to tell on King like a school girl who just had her hair pulled by one of the tough girls. Cloke was interviewed again over the weekend and refused to back down on the allegations.

A source who talked to the Herald Sun last night said of Cloke: "He sang like a bird."

I think what has driven supporters nuts is that King wasn’t reported during Friday’s clash and there was insufficient video footage for the Match Review Panel to lay a report but then newspaper photos on Saturday showed the pair grappling on the ground and King gets reported.

Surely this is not the process we go through, letting a cry baby like Cloke running off to his mummy and daddy to tell on the big bad bully Jake King.

For gods sake Travis you are 18cm taller and 23kg heavier than Jake punch him back you big girl!

Richmond Tigers vs Essendon Bombers in Morwell

Richmond will take on the Bombers in Morwell in the final NAB Challenge game Saturday March 13, the game will start at 3.30pm at Morwell Football Ground.

As far as I can tell ticketing information has not been released at this stage.
 
One thing I do know is that this is the ground that claimed David Rodan's knee back in the pre-season of 2005.

Under strenght Tigers go down to an under strenght Magpies.

Both Richmond and Collingwood sent out teams that resembled VFL teams.

The Tigers went down by 28 points at Visy park but it could have been much much worse when the Magpies wasted 13 oportunities in frount of goal and only kicked behinds in the third quarter.

Richmdon have one game left in the NAB Challenge series, as soon as I know where it is you will find it here.

Richmond Tigers vs Collingwood Magpies at Visy Park Friday 4:00pm

Richmond has done what Damian Hardwick hinted at after the Geelong game that is to rest many of Richmond's best 22.

The Tigers have left out Chris Newman, Brett Deledio, Jack Riewoldt, Ben Cousins, Trent Cotchin, Richard Tambling, Kelvin Moore and Dustin Martin.

Tigerland's selection committee has instead added many of the draftees and rookie listed players in an attempt to see what Richmond has waiting in its wings.

Richmond vs Collingwood NAB Challenge match details below:

Date: Friday 5 March
Time: 4pm
Venue: Visy Park, Carlton
Cost: Adult $10.00, Concession $5.00

AFL Members and competing Club members can present their 2010 membership at the gate for free admission, subject to capacity.

Brendon Gale's five year master plan for the Tigers is Finals, Members and no Debt

Brendon Gale is planning on waking the sleeping giant that is the Richmond Football Club.

Gale has penned a five year plan which includes the following targets:

• Playing finals three times
• Having zero debt
• 75,000 members

All that in five years I hear you say! I have to agree with you, Gale has set some very high targets for himself and for the club.

Brendon Gale presented the plan to all players, coaches, administration and other staff members on Tuesday night and believes Richmond now has the right people in place to make this plan a reality.

Almost everyone in the football community agrees that Richmond has a massive supporter base which has drifted from the club after 20 years of poor performances on the field and it really is only a matter of on field success that will bring them back to the club.

Richmond had over 37,000 members last year on the back of recruit Ben Cousins and really nothing else, with some finals football and god forbid a premiership I see no reason why Gale and the Tigers can’t hit the membership target.

If the membership target is made the debt will take care of itself. Gale last night declined to comment on the strategic plan, saying he wanted to send the information to members first.

See Tiger fan it is simple win more games, why have we not thought of this before?

Tigers re-sign star Trent Cotchin until the end of 2013

Trent Cotchin has signed a new, three-year extension deal with the Club that will bind him to Tigerland at least until the end of 2013.

Cotchin was taken by the Tigers as the second selection overall in the 2007 National Draft but has been hampered by an Achilles injury throughout his first couple of seasons in the AFL and has only played 25 games.

Most Richmond supporters would say this is money well spent and also protects the Tigers from losing Cotchin to the Gold Coast or Greater Western Sydney who will have the cash to throw around.

On Cotchin's fitness he said
"The conditioning staff has been terrific in managing my program and making sure that I got through the pre-season unscathed,”
and
 “I’ve been running pretty well and I’m feeling pretty fit. So, I’m just looking forward to getting the next couple of games under my belt and then, hopefully, hitting Round 1 full of steam with the side and, hopefully, we can have some wins.”

Monday Morning Review of Richard vs Geelong in Yea

"Well there you go" is what I said to my friend after Richmond finished off Geelong to the tune of 51 points.

Yes I am well aware that it was only a practice match in Yea of all places and Geelong had about half of their premiership side out but a win over the reigning premiers is still a win.

I attended the game at Yea so I will give my view on the game.

First I would like to say I have not been a huge fan of Troy Taylor because of the bad press and baggage that he has brought to the club but I now see what the Tigers had seen in him. He looks like a natural footballer with a large skill set, that being said he need to work harder on getting his own ball and his defensive pressure.

The best players in the ground were Richard Tambling, Brett Deledio and Trent Cotchin all working in the mid field. This I can report we were all happy to see, if we can get Ben Cousins more involved, Nathan Foley back from injury and introduce rookie Dustin Martin (pictured below) to the fold it really looks like a midfield for the future.

Up forward Nick Riewoldt was the target most of the time and he kicked 4 goals with support from Mitch Morton who kicked 3 and young Nahas who kicked 2. This looks to be the setup for the 2010 season, not sure how it will shape up without big Richo down there, guess we will have to wait and see.

Hardwick was happy with the turnaround from the first week saying “From where we came from two weeks ago, we needed to show a bit more, and it was really pleasing that the team in general played pretty well.” He went onto say “We’ll take some good things out of the game, move on and look forward to NAB Challenge Three.”

Richmond will now take on Collingwood this Friday in a NAB Challenge match at Visy Park at 4pm.

You can see highlights of the Richmond vs Geelong game from Yea at the below link.
http://bigpondvideo.com/AFL/246625