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Richmond used to be a laughing stock for finishing ninth all the time. Now they’re a laughing stock for losing elimination finals each year. Progress can be slow and unrewarding.
For the second time in three years the Tigers finished fifth on the ladder with 15 wins, but couldn’t go on with it in September. Of the four teams above them, they beat Hawthorn, Fremantle in Perth and Sydney at the SCG, which gives us an indication of their quality.
Their fragility was shown up earlier in the season with a now customary sluggish start, leaving them 2-4, including a loss to lowly Melbourne for the second consecutive year.
Read the rest of Cam’s AFL season previews here.
Let’s have a look at the squad that will try and take them back to the September well once more.
| B: | Dylan Grimes | Alex Rance | Jake Batchelor | |
| HB: | Nick Vlastuin | Troy Chaplin | Bachar Houli | |
| C: | Chris Yarran | Dustin Martin | Brandon Ellis | |
| HF: | Shane Edwards | Jack Riewoldt | Connor Menadue | |
| F: | Brett Deledio | Ty Vickery | Ben Lennon | |
| Foll: | Ivan Maric | Trent Cotchin | A.Miles | |
| Int: | Reece Conca | Shaun Grigg | Ben Griffiths | Jacob Townsend |
| Em: | David Astbury | Kamdyn McIntosh | Corey Ellis |
The five best defensive sides of 2015 filled the top five spots on the ladder, and only 30 points separated the lot of them in the points against column. Richmond were a part of this group.
Alex Rance is the premier backman in the competition, which is always a solid foundation on which to build. No-one is tougher to beat one-on-one, and few attack with as much gusto when it’s time to go. He made our top ten players in the competition earlier in the week.
Troy Chaplin has been a mainstay of the Tiger defence for three years, since crossing over from Port. Ever-consistent, he’s been a solid defender and interceptor, but his position appears to be under threat from David Astbury if the NAB Challenge games are any indication.
Chaplin has been tried forward in that competition, with some noises being made about the move transitioning into the season proper. If it’s a case of rewarding Astbury for his loyalty and the struggles he’s overcome, at the expense of team structure, then the move indicates a weak coaching panel.
If Astbury has passed Chaplin, which is what you want from your understudies, then the latter should be playing in the reserves to force his way back.
Richmond don’t have a natural back pocket other than Steven Morris who offers less than nothing offensively, so Nick Vlastuin has found himself back there, where his judgement, calmness and poise has been used to good effect.
Vlastuin has only missed four matches since debuting, but entering his fourth season and with 61 games under his belt, he needs to offer more drive from this point on.
Dylan Grimes and Jake Batchelor, at 193cm and 188cm respectively, can both play tall or small, which means the Tiger backline is one of the more versatile in the league. Rarely is there a mix of forwards they can’t adequately cover, although North Melbourne fans may be surprised at this statement.
Rebound from defence has been a weapon under Hardwick, and they should be more dangerous than ever with the addition of Chris Yarran to provide his patented mix of grace and speed.
Bachar Houli has been the most consistent half-back in the competition for a number of years, and can consider himself unlucky not to have been named in the All-Australian 40 last year.
The Richmond midfield has a lot of very good footballers to call upon, and the mix is complementary.
Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin are the guns of this group. Martin is the most damaging with his penetrating boot, natural link-work and regular goal-kicking. He straightens the side up in a way that Cotchin doesn’t, given the latter can be addicted chipping 15m chip passes.
Cotchin kicked 12 goals last season, but only two against top eight sides. He crossed 30 disposals a lowly five times, but only once against a fellow finalist. The Tigers need him tearing apart quality sides if they’re going to go deep into September. He’s capable of it.
Anthony Miles is one of the best clearance players in the competition, and the amount of free kicks he gets is a good indication of how often he puts himself in the danger zone. Brandon Ellis is the ying to Miles’ yang, a purely outside player.
Ellis failed to finish in the top ten in the Tigers best and fairest, which would surprise stats-watchers. But it was the right call, as he failed to impact games in the way he had done previously. His challenge is to be incisive with his foot skills, and give opposition coaches a reason to man him more tightly.
Shaun Grigg had his most rounded season in 2015, and was most important to Richmond’s cause. Reece Conca can’t get continuity into his football and is yet to prove himself more than a depth midfielder. He’s injured again, so his story will continue as a familiar one.
Jacob Townsend has been procured from GWS and looks likely to play as a bullocking inside mid with his fierce tackling and willingness to use his body as a battering ram. The danger is having too many one-paced players in the same area.
Ivan Maric is frequently seen as a barometer for the Tiges, and has a presence that belies his stats. He is starting to struggle against the bigger and more athletic ruckman though, and there will come a time where heart isn’t enough.
Kamdyn McIntosh made his debut in Rd 1 last year and didn’t miss a game for the season playing off a wing. His work rate was a feature, but his skills need improvement, and his spot has come under pressure from Connor Menadue, who has extreme pace.
Eight teams scored more than Richmond over the course of 2015, so the forward-line is a weakness that often struggles to kick easy goals that other top sides do. It is still somewhat dysfunctional.
Dual Coleman medallist and All-Australian Jack Riewoldt is the key man. You’ll read and hear a lot of nonsense about Riewoldt from the media and Joe Public, but it’s mainly false or years behind in its relevancy.
His work ethic and team ethos has been of the highest standard for many years, and being top ten in the AFL for goal assists speaks of his ability to bring others into the game. His creativity as a key position player in the forward-half is a feature skill.
The tall support for Riewoldt is still a weakness.
Tyrone Vickery has become more consistent, and might be about to make his mark as a 40-50 goal forward after a strong finish to 2015. He’s only been goalless once in his last 21 matches, and that was when subbed off early with injury.
Ben Griffiths is still a nothing player who can show glimpses of talent, but doesn’t possess enough vigour, presence or a high football IQ. He needs to assert himself as an aggressive support ruckman and third tall forward if he’s to cement a spot and have a career.
Brett Deledio is one of the top three most important players in the Richmond set-up, and has a crucial role to play as a more permanent forward, where his cleanliness, surety and skill can kick goals and set them up.
Shane Edwards is also critical, and offers the Tigers something different with his ability to create angles in traffic and extract the ball where others can’t. When he gets involved, good things happen for the team.
Ben Lennon started to have an impact in the latter third of last season, and there is a role for his type of lead-up player in the forward-half. He doesn’t play hungry enough though, which is going to hold him back.
Corey Ellis has the silk and will be required to step up. Daniel Rioli has been given chances in the pre-season and the coaches will be keen to see him at AFL level.
Richmond has a lot of top end quality, and their depth is still building. They’ve got more reserves to call on, that can hold their own at AFL level, than many teams.
Damien Hardwick had his best season by a long way in the coaches box in 2015, particularly shown with the defeats of Fremantle and Hawthorn owing to a very disciplined and definite style of play tailored for those matches.
His effort against North in the elimination final was appalling, given he had seen Brad Scott’s intentions with a lesser side the week before.
Hardwick still seems to have immature outbursts over one or two issues a year, as we saw last week with his petulant display, playing with only 15 men and trying to get a game cancelled.
The team still has an immaturity about it in pressure situations too, with their slow starts to the year and an inability to put away finals from a position of strength speaking to a mental weakness.
Richmond are a very good defensive team, have a strong midfield, an adequate forward-line and possess quality top end players across the ground.
They’re unlikely to challenge for the flag until they can fix their issues, fill some holes and start the season fast. But they should be somewhere at the next level down.
Predicted ladder spread: fourth – eighth
Predicted finish: sixth
Best and fairest: Dustin Martin
Leading goalkicker: Jack Riewoldt
All-Australian potential: Alex Rance, Bachar Houli, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Brett Deledio
Rising Star candidates: Corey Ellis, Connor Menadue, Daniel Rioli
Current ladder
6. Richmond
7. Sydney
8. GWS
9. Collingwood
10. Adelaide
11. North Melbourne
12. Melbourne
13. Gold Coast
14. Port Adelaide
15. St Kilda
16. Brisbane
17. Carlton
18. Essendon