A perennial figure of mediocrity and inconsistency, Tigers fans have not had a lot to cheer about over the past decade as despite three consecutive finals appearances from 2013-2015 the yellow and black faithful have predominantly seen their side dwindle towards the bottom of the AFL ladder.
With signs of promise building prior to the 2016 season, many were surprised as Damien Hardwick’s men endured a dramatic fall from grace as Richmond fans were forced to see yet another promising list of players fail to live up to expectations.
So heading into 2017 many believed that this could be the end for Hardwick with pundits from across Australia quickly predicting the men from Punt Road to dwindle in no man’s land yet again this season with a list that lacks a clear direction.
However, all hope does not appear to be lost for the passionate Tiger faithful as despite everything that has been said about this team they have come out and produced two quality performances in the JLT series and seem to be playing in a way which could catapult them up into top eight contention.
So the question now stands – how far can these Tigers go in 2017?
Led by a potent midfield of Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Dion Prestia, Brandon Ellis and Josh Caddy, Richmond look to be one of the competition’s most dangerous stoppage teams as a good mixture of inside and outside players should allow them to give their forwards the best opportunity to kick a winning score.
Dustin Martin in particular is an interesting prospect this season as he now enters the absolute peak of his prime and serves as a definite barometer for this teams success.
With the ability to take the game away from teams in a matter of minutes, Martin is easily a top five player in the competition with his presence both up forward and in the midfield both crucial to the overall make up of this Richmond side.
However, he can’t do it all by himself, making the roles of his support cast in the middle and up forward all the more important as Trent Cotchin and Brandon Ellis simply must step up this season and draw attention away from their superstar teammate.
Along with these three mainstays, the Tigers have also made some impressive off-season acquisitions in this area with both Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy joining the club over the trade period.
Although somewhat flying under the radar, Richmond were big winners last October as this added midfield depth which should free up Martin more to go down forward and allow Hardwick to build a more solid game plan around contested ball and free-flowing ball movement.
The impact of this added depth can be seen through the statistics of their first two pre-season matches by which the Tigers were +13 in contested ball for each respective match and more than competitive at the stoppage with a clearance differential of +8 against the Crows.
These figures show the renewed focus of the Tigers over the offseason as they seem to be much tougher at the contest and more determined to get the ball moving at a faster pace.
Along with their strength in the middle of the ground, the Tigers also possess two elite key position players in Alex Rance down back and Jack Riewoldt up forward.
Ranked in the top ten for their respective positions both of these players are set to again play a key role for the Tigers this season as their on-field leadership and general presence on the ground often sparks a lift by the team around them.
Riewoldt in particular is an intriguing prospect this season as after an All-Australian calibre season in 2015 and a pair of Coleman Medals in 2010 and 2012, it seemed as if the decline of Richmond’s star forward began in 2016.
If this team is to take the next step his output in 2017 simply must improve as he searches for the form that once made him the competition’s most potent forward.
So, with one of the best core of elite players in the competition, what is holding these Tigers back from making a genuine push for the top eight and beyond in 2017?
Simply, it’s a matter depth. It’s a well-known fact that the best sides in the competition have an extremely strong ‘bottom 6’, these are the so-called worst players in a side’s best 22 and are the difference between an elite team and an average one.
For example the recent success of Hawthorn has been largely due to their depth with their bottom six in particular all making key contributions to the side on the game’s biggest stage.
Richmond on the other hand fall away very quickly towards the bottom end of its best 22 with many young players such as Corey Ellis, David Castagna, David Astbury, Daniel Rioli, Kane Lambert, Connor Menadue and Jayden Short yet to fully prove themselves at AFL level.
Hence, in order for the Tigers to take the next step this season and push for the top eight they will need significant amounts of improvements from these lower-end players, as in previous years they have been way too reliant on their top end players to take them to the promise land.
The height of Richmond’s team is also a major issue going forward as other than Rance and Riewoldt the Tigers lack superstar key position talent.
Players such as David Astbury, Dylan Grimes and Ben Griffiths have shown glimpses in the past, but in order to truly turn the fortunes of this side around they will need to take a large step forward in their development and make consistent contributions to the team.
The ruck situation is also something of a dilemma for Tiger fans as they seem to be turning the corner and trusting new recruit Toby Nankervis with the number one position ahead of incumbents Ivan Maric and Shaun Hampson.
This has been due to his excellent form in the first two pre-season matches by which he clearly outplayed two quality opponents in Sam Jacobs and Patrick Ryder.
However, for a player who has never really had a chance to thrive at AFL level this new role comes with a lot of responsibility as many are already beginning to question whether this is just good pre-season form, or if he is genuinely ready to take the next step.
So, as the 2017 draws closer Richmond continues to confuse AFL pundits everywhere as we simply are not sure whether this is just pre-season hype or whether their off season acquisitions and revised game plan can take them to September and beyond.
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