Player Watch #24: Ben Griffiths - retired effectively immediately

Will he play for the Tigers at AFL level again?

  • Yes

    Votes: 54 32.1%

  • No

    Votes: 114 67.9%
  • Total voters
    168

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Stevi_Tigers said:
absolutely taylor hunt was a great get for the club imo and a good role model for the young blokes at the club trains and plays his guts out to get the most out of himself and lack of talent that desire rubs off on our kids
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Yet, the hypocrisy of this Big Footy board blamred him for every loss during his stint at Punt Road and had posters queuing for a miles to stick the boots into him.
 
Goldust said:
Except if you believe some, 2019-20 and 21 were going to be his years!
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I think his actual football talent/athletic talents were still there, so yeah we mostly hoped he might eventually come good, if he finally got a break.
But footy is just as much between the ears, and it seemed pretty evident that he'd lost the passion, from the outside.
 

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Grrr said:
I think his actual football talent/athletic talents were still there, so yeah we mostly hoped he might eventually come good, if he finally got a break.
But footy is just as much between the ears, and it seemed pretty evident that he'd lost the passion, from the outside.
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I m not convinced he had the talents that some rave about. He was a booming, yet rarely accurate, kick who did little else. His stats do not lie. He was player who rarely got his hands on the pill. As I have said many times, the output never matched the hype and this guy and has been hyped up on here since three weeks before he was drafted. There have been plenty lining up to condemn Ty Vickery - particularly after he left (a lot of it warranted) - but Griff did not come close to even tying up TV's laces. And history will prove that no matter how many people want to continue to hope and hype.
 
Goldust said:
I m not convinced he had the talents that some rave about. He was a booming, yet rarely accurate, kick who did little else. His stats do not lie. He was player who rarely got his hands on the pill. As I have said many times, the output never matched the hype and this guy and has been hyped up on here since three weeks before he was drafted. There have been plenty lining up to condemn Ty Vickery - particularly after he left (a lot of it warranted) - but Griff did not come close to even tying up TV's laces. And history will prove that no matter how many people want to continue to hope and hype.
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Wow you and I have a completely different idea of talent. TV was one of the most frustrating player I can remember at Richmond. He had some footy talent no doubt, but was so one dimensional. His lack of athleticism was one of the main reasons we played one short last year. Griff had more talent and athleticism, but just couldn't for whatever reason get continuity in his game. A bit like Conca, every time they looked like coming good they were injured. I'm wondering how Conca is mentally, because like Griff he wasn't much chop in the finals last year.
 
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Grrr said:
Wow you and I have a completely different idea of talent. TV was one of the most frustrating player I can remember at Richmond. He had some footy talent no doubt, but was so one dimensional. His lack of athleticism was one of the main reasons we played one short last year. Griff had more talent and athleticism, but just couldn't for whatever reason get continuity in his game. A bit like Conca, every time they looked like coming good they were injured. I'm wondering how Conca is manually, because like Griff he wasn't much chop in the finals last year.
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Reality was we were two short last year because neither was any good. Cast your mind back three/four years ago, I was more vocal than most re Vickery needing to be dropped for lack of performance - and at the time - against a groundswell of opinion. Mid-to-late 2016, I and a few others started to get some support and it was more obvious than ever that he should have been dropped and finally in round 20 they made the call. A classic under-achiever, who like many over the years, have continued to dine out on the Tigers for lack of accountability and the coaching panel's unwillingness to make hard calls. In true Tiger fashion, the majority turned on Vickery when he pulled on a Hawks jumper and a lot started seeing what us few saw three-four years ago. That's neither here nor there, but to suggest Griffiths (outside one five goal game against Sydney) ever came close to emulating the meager output of TV is laughable and plain fictitious. Vick has him covered in stats per game, goals per game and every other category that counts. It's no surprise we won a flag with both of them out of the team because neither was good enough. I long argued - and against the groundswell of opinion - that we were better off in 2015 and 16 playing anyone else but Vickery because regardless of whether he was small or tall he wasn't contributing - even if his replacement wasn't a key forward or tall. Yes I was wrong, yet fast forwrad to 2017 we go without a second tall and make do with blokes like Caddy and Townsend and prospered. Yet suggesting thta two yers previously I was wrong?????????
 
Goldust said:
Reality was we were two short last year because neither was any good. Cast your mind back three/four years ago, I was more vocal than most re Vickery needing to be dropped for lack of performance - and at the time - against a groundswell of opinion. Mid-to-late 2016, I and a few others started to get some support and it was more obvious than ever that he should have been dropped and finally in round 20 they made the call. A classic under-achiever, who like many over the years, have continued to dine out on the Tigers for lack of accountability and the coaching panel's unwillingness to make hard calls. In true Tiger fashion, the majority turned on Vickery when he pulled on a Hawks jumper and a lot started seeing what us few saw three-four years ago. That's neither here nor there, but to suggest Griffiths (outside one five goal game against Sydney) ever came close to emulating the meager output of TV is laughable and plain fictitious. Vick has him covered in stats per game, goals per game and every other category that counts. It's no surprise we won a flag with both of them out of the team because neither was good enough. I long argued - and against the groundswell of opinion - that we were better off in 2015 and 16 playing anyone else but Vickery because regardless of whether he was small or tall he wasn't contributing - even if his replacement wasn't a key forward or tall. Yes I was wrong, yet fast forwrad to 2017 we go without a second tall and make do with blokes like Caddy and Townsend and prospered. Yet suggesting thta two yers previously I was wrong?????????
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Whilst i do agree with most of your post about Vickery & Griffiths and i am a huge fan of Caddy and what he brings to the team and see some value in Townsend for the short term. I must say that the implementation of the Caddy/Townsend foward inclusions probably only worked with the support staff of Castagna,Rioli,Butler,Edwards putting in the manic pressure - This may not have been possible 3 years ago
 
Looks like 'My Boy' Ben Lennon got a gig
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I wish both Ben’s luck with their futures.

These are great opportunities for them both.
 
I reckon the game has just evolved away from the 200cm key forward. You have to be quick at ground level to keep it in f50 and generate shots. TV was just too slow, Griffo not as slow but just didn’t get it enough to compensate.
Game plans are built on attack from the backline so rule one is to harass and don’t give easy exits. TV could never help there, Griff the same. Killed Ben Lennon too. Cloke was a monster a few years ago, now dinosaur. You just have to be quick.
 

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Goldust said:
I m not convinced he had the talents that some rave about. He was a booming, yet rarely accurate, kick who did little else. His stats do not lie. He was player who rarely got his hands on the pill. As I have said many times, the output never matched the hype and this guy and has been hyped up on here since three weeks before he was drafted. There have been plenty lining up to condemn Ty Vickery - particularly after he left (a lot of it warranted) - but Griff did not come close to even tying up TV's laces. And history will prove that no matter how many people want to continue to hope and hype.
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I went to the 2016 Tigers Swans game, as a one-off, and what Griffiths did that night was exceptional. 5 goals, clunked marks from everywhere, and what speed for a 200 cm player. There is no doubt that if concussions had not cruelled him, he'd be a premiership player.
I saw his games at Eastern Ranges and talent is the least of his issues.
 
Socrates2 said:
He should of said no to the NFL until next year, instead of leaving the club in the poo.
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That's just dumb, he says no they say no worries and give somebody else a shot, it's a pretty big deal getting a US college scholarship, anybody in his position would do it rather then playing a year in the VFL, hoping to not cop more head blows (which by the way is a lot more serious then has ever been publicly acknowledged) and then get delisted then hope somebody else offers him another one after knocking back the opportunity of a lifetime 12 months earlier it's unlikely to happen.
 
Vdubs said:
I went to the 2016 Tigers Swans game, as a one-off, and what Griffiths did that night was exceptional. 5 goals, clunked marks from everywhere, and what speed for a 200 cm player. There is no doubt that if concussions had not cruelled him, he'd be a premiership player.
I saw his games at Eastern Ranges and talent is the least of his issues.
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Thats his problem.
That game showed what he COULD do/be but thats the only game in his career he would of been counted in the top 5 players on the ground.
For such a tallented guy he never lived up to his potential.
Good luck to him in the US though
 
Vdubs said:
I went to the 2016 Tigers Swans game, as a one-off, and what Griffiths did that night was exceptional. 5 goals, clunked marks from everywhere, and what speed for a 200 cm player. There is no doubt that if concussions had not cruelled him, he'd be a premiership player.
I saw his games at Eastern Ranges and talent is the least of his issues.
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Respectfully disagree. His five goals v Sydney was his Martin McGrath moment ... his Chris Pym moment.
How did Big Ben follow up his breakthrough performance in game 60-odd .... a massive four kicks and three handballs in a loss to a similarly struggling Freo Dockers. Ten touches the following week and then barely sighted in a 70 point loss to Norf the week after ... all this before concussions took hold. Concussions were not a factor in his Sydney game yet the excuse gets rolled out for every subsequent ordinary game he played.
 
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