The old adage that a champion team will always beat a team of champions has never rung truer than in the aftermath of Richmond’s 2017 AFL premiership.
At no stage through the season were the Tigers ever really seen as a genuine top four side, let alone a legitimate premiership threat.
Adelaide were generally considered to be the best team across the season. The talent at GWS was never far from the conversation. A number of people had doubts about Geelong, but they were still seen as around the mark for most of the year. Port produced some dominant wins in the first half of season to put themselves in the frame. Across the last 17 weeks of the home and away rounds, Sydney were clearly the standout performer.
All the while, Richmond kept plugging along. The wins kept coming, mostly seen to be off the back of a friendly draw thanks to a 13th-placed finish last season.
There were some losses too. Thumped by the Crows in Adelaide. Deplorable against Fremantle at the ‘G. Stupendously awful against St Kilda at Etihad.
Then there were the chokes. Six goals up against each of Western Bulldogs, Sydney and GWS, but couldn’t win a one of them.
Three very bad performances. Three games they should have won easily. Looking back now, we can see that in those humiliations was born a steely resolve.
Richmond won four in a row after losing to St Kilda in Round 16, with the best being the last of them, against a Hawthorn side in very good form and holding onto finals hopes.
Going down at Simonds Stadium in Round 21 was the loss they had to have. The Tigers started favourites in that game due to the Cats being without Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan and Tom Hawkins, and it was the last reminder they needed to take nothing for granted and only their best would do come September.
In their last five matches of the season, Richmond averaged 116 points per game, while keeping their opposition to an average of 60. That’s an average winning margin of 56 points, including matches against the sides that finished first, second and fourth on the ladder.
As someone on Twitter put it, the Tigers bludgeoned their way to a flag, being lower, harder and stronger for longer against all their opposition through September.
Richmond led by nine points at halftime against Geelong, one point at halftime against GWS, and nine at halftime against Adelaide. They won those games by 51, 36 and 48 points respectively, outscoring their opposition by a total of 116 points in second halves as their relentless pressure took its toll.
This was a premiership for the team above all else, a flag for the no-frills, no-name, role players that populate the Tiger line-up, which complement the big four of Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt.
Jack Graham polled a Norm Smith vote as a 19-year-old in only his fifth game. The youngest player on the field was sent to quell the first quarter’s best player, competition gun Rory Sloane. Graham is a footballer’s footballer, sure of hand, composed in his decision-making, and possessed with a good footy brain.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Nathan Broad was a mature-age recruit and now has an AFL premiership after 12 games as a 24-year-old. He kept the important Tom T Lynch to finals series lows for all the key stats, and was always there to lay an important tackle or put the ball into the hands of a teammate in a better position, one of only four players on the day to not record a clanger.
Many clubs have a back pocket stopper that is under-appreciated outside their own club, courageous, hard, never beaten. Dale Morris is a legend of this sort of position, and Dylan Grimes is in the same mould – quick, nimble, smart, able to play tall or small. Grimes kept Eddie Betts to seven disposals, which is an equal low for his time at Adelaide.
Staying down back, David Astbury produced All Australian football at full-back in 2017, but without the All Australian name. It takes observers a long time to catch up on defenders. Astbury played 24 games in five seasons between 2011-15, but has now established himself as second-in-command behind Alex Rance in the key defensive post at Richmond.
Kamdyn McIntosh is the country boy with the incredible work and life ethic, growing up putting family members before himself, and now plays footy in the same spirit. He played the members wing all day against a series of opponents, and never let up with a physical and verbal barrage against any that came near him. His stats weren’t big, but his presence was large, and he was leader in creating a hostile and unwelcoming environment for the Crows.
Jacob Townsend is the archetypal football battler, never good enough to play more than 11 games in a season in six years on AFL lists at GWS and Richmond. Before breaking into the Tiger line-up in Round 22, he had played five of a possible 69 matches at AFL level.
Yet Townsend, like his teammates, embodied the Richmond spirit across the last five weeks – do your job, trust your teammates to do theirs, help them out when you can, hit hard, hit often, kick truly when the chance arrives. Townsend’s role was to quell the influence of the opposition’s most dangerous intercept backman, something he did to all of Lachie Henderson, Nick Haynes and Jake Lever across the finals.
A mature age rookie that forced his way onto the senior list, Kane Lambert was arguably Richmond’s most consistent player across the 12 quarters of finals football the club played. He ran harder and longer than any teammate or opponent he came across in September, winning inside and outside ball, clearances, laying tackles, applying pressure, kicking goals and setting them up.
Toby Nankervis was fourth banana in the ruck position at Sydney in 2016, and finishes 2017 as the premiership ruckman. He’s not the tallest, strongest or most mobile out there, but he is the fiercest competitor, which was the foremost focus of Richmond’s surge to glory. Whether on the ground following up at a stoppage, repelling opposition attacks in the air, Nankervis was another to epitomize the unstoppable work ethic that flowed through his team.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Last but not least of the no-name brigade were the Tiger small forwards, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna, players of little height but that grew in stature the longer the season went. It’s impossible to separate what they brought to the team in 2017 after having played five games between them heading into this season.
Speed and pressure were their two fundamentals throughout the year, and were another example of the narrow focus that the Richmond coaches asked of their players, trusting their natural abilities to take care of the rest. Butler and Castagna incited panic in the opposition when looking to tackle, but also when they had the ball, bursting forward and leaving defenders flat-footed.
Richmond may not have had the most talented players to take the field across September, but they were the best team, in the true sense of the word. It was led from the top down. It was delivered from the bottom up.
A lot of people were disappointed by a finals series that didn’t deliver enough close games. The Tigers weren’t involved in any, because they didn’t allow their opposition to play anywhere near their best.
In the grand final, it was impossible for both teams to play well.
If Adelaide played well, it meant Richmond hadn’t. If Richmond played well, it meant Adelaide couldn’t. As we know, Richmond played well.
The big name Tigers certainly did their bit. The unheralded Tigers more than delivered. Together, they made Richmond a champion team.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Great comment Perry.
Philby
Guest
Haha. Don't put words in my mouth, Cat. Never said we should have our own signage, simply said your signage was smug, and along with your playing of past Geelong wins over the Tigers pre-game, provided a nice little incentive for the Tiger army (and perhaps the players too) to get stuck in. And get stuck in, we did - what a night!
Lroy
Guest
you forgot to mention the MRP. Cotchin and Ellis should never have played. Honorable mention to the umpires.
Perry Bridge
Guest
This is a slight distortion - in that Hawthorn were just very good (although granted only just slipped through a few of those prelim finals). The simplification misses the back half of the year performance of Richmond. Consider both Adelaide and Richmond before Round 14. 13 played by each. Crows were 9-3 with 141.8% Rich were 7-5 with 109.7% Richmond had lost to the Crows (over there), Doggies (by 5pts), Freo (at the 'G by 2 pts) and the Giants by 3 pts and first back after the bye to the Swans by 5 pts. So - as lucky as the Giants were with the number of narrow wins - the Tigers had been unlucky with 4 losses there by a sum total of 15 pts as well as their only really 'mare of a week - the 76 pt smashing by the Crows (the next week the Crows got done by North by 10 goals in Hobart - so, perhaps forgive both losses??). In the run home - Rounds 14 to 23 inclusive. Crows 6-1-3 at 128.4% Rich 8-2 at 129.6% Richmond were the form team of the comp. And importantly - they were learning. This is Terry Wallace's point. The rematches where they occurred against teams that beat them in the first meetings. Rich learnt and beat GWS by 19 pts in Rnd 18 and again towelled them up in the prelim by 6 goals. They took down Fremantle by 104 pts over there. StKilda got them with a big 1st qtr in Rnd 16 - but in Rnd 23 Richmond got them by 41 pts. And Geelong got them in Rnd 21 at Geelong - and again, first week of Finals and Richmond took down Geelong there. It's pretty clear that Richmond were trending in the right direction. The Crows had peaked - unlucky to lose to the Swans in Rnd 22 (but, at home, accuracy let them down) and I guess losing the dead rubber to let the Eagles into the finals in Rnd 23. Certainly they stepped back up in the finals - however - perhaps it can be said that footy karma gets you - the Crows flirted with form in Rnd 23 and history tells us you shouldn't flirt with form heading into the finals.
Leonard
Guest
With no intent to diss anyone nor flaunt (some basic) knowledge of grammar, what's meant here are 'adjectives' (aka describing words) rather than prefixes' (which are tack-ons in front of or after basic words). My squeeze got hassled by some "annoying, ugly, aggro and arrogant" Tigers fans about 30 years ago, and still reckons they're just the same! 'Same old', as Dons fans said 100 or so years ago.
Gecko
Guest
35 years ago they had prefixes that started with vowels, like annoying, ugly, aggro and arrogant.
Anthony
Roar Pro
Being a Lions (and Hawks) fan, obviously the guru I love to listen to is Leigh Matthews. On the weekend broadcast he rated Trent Cotchin in the same class as Michael Voss. That says something! The Tigers just have to make the top four next year (equivalent to Minor Premiership for MCG tenants) and they can do it all again... Recent history shows that whoever is the best MCG tenant, they are more than likely to make or win the GF! 2008 – Hawks (Premiers) 2009 2010 – Collingwood GF (Premiers) 2011 – Collingwood GF (runners up) 2012 – Hawks (runners up) 2013 – Hawks (Premiers) 2014 – Hawks (Premiers) 2015 – Hawks (Premiers) 2016 – 2017 – Richmond (Premiers)
Leonard
Guest
Sorry I missed that one, because that was one of the characteristics which was highlighted in the 'Oz' story.
Raimond
Roar Guru
For all the hard work and preparation, you still need an element of luck. If Langford's scrubber had bounced into Heath Shaw's lap, instead of veering vertically over his head, then the Tigers finish fourth. Would the Tigers have beaten the Crows in Adelaide? We'll never know, but I'd say: probably not.
stevedeanski
Roar Pro
Congratulations to you and your team but your assertions about Adelaide Football Club are unfair. All throughout the week Adelaide was giving Richmond the credit it deserved from Adelaide: (generalising) "Richmond are more than just dusty and we have to watch all of their players (they got asked this question a lot), we will have to be at our best to beat Richmond, you don't make the grand final unless you're a very good football team, etc". Maybe it felt like the Adelaide Football Club were more hollow and shattered than a normal grand final loser because it was your team that inflicted it upon them? Something to consider? Also, of course one expresses confidence as they enter a Grand Final. I remember Andrew Mackie being interviewed before the prelim on 5aa and they asked him about 'what if' he loses and it's his last game? He said 'he hadn't even considered losing'. This is a normal thing to say, i think one has to expect to win going into finals, any finals. I'm not sure about the premiership cup plane seat one (sounds a bit far-fetched to me), but anyway, the implication that the Adelaide Crows thought the 2017 Premiership was a lay down misere is false. Again, congratulations on your win just be careful not to cast aspersions about the vanquished. Cheers.
MG
Roar Rookie
She was on On The Couch last week and came across as a good team builder and highly likeable person.
Paul Martin
Guest
Tigers wins for year - 18 Crows wins for year - 17 (& 1 draw)
fairsuckofthesav
Guest
Ok so don't book a seat and put the cup in the aisle? Crows were favourites and had previously smashed Tigers by over 10 goals. So you are proposing: a player should go into a GF thinking: We never considered winning? I am tiring of this Melbourne centric flawed narrative: cocky Crows humble Tigers, etc. How about contrite crows and terrific tigers?
Cat
Roar Guru
Bad enough you got home games you didn't deserve, now you want your signage up at an away game too? Talk about arrogant ...
Joe
Guest
I'm interested to hear your reasons for thinking Geelong didn't have respect for Richmond? They went ultra defensive (same as Richmond) and didn't risk opening up until the fourth quarter when they fell behind and had to take risks... and were subsequently smashed. A team without respect would have been open from the start, assuming they would go through Richmond with ease.
Joe
Guest
Whaaaaat, the Cats used their 2017 slogan at a home game?! How arrogant!!!11 We must all judge every club via their random marketing slogans!
Leonard
Guest
This arrangement is used in the Hiberno-Australian 'International Rules' two-game series. Main practical difficulty would be doing all the boring old practicalities - the sort of stuff which 'look-at-me' headline hunters just can't cope with or are effin' useless at - at short one / two weeks notice that which now has about eleven month's leeway. This is why comparisons with the NFL are apples v oranges ones: most NFL venues are at least 70000+ in capacity, so forward two or three year rostering is not a difficulty. Disregarding current contractual obligations (which can always be renegotiated if all parties feel a win-win coming on), something like this has a chance of working: ~ if both GF clubs are in the same crosstown derby, their (major?) venue gets the game: ~ if two Victorian clubs are in the GF, it's at the MCG; ~ if H&A 1st and 2nd are in the GF, the higher gets their venue; ~ if H&A 1st or 2nd (but not both) are in the GF, whichever of them gets their venue; (can't be bothered doing any more scenarios). But - and this 'but' deserves caps: BUT - surely and NFL-style pre-GF bye would be needed? If the Adelaide Oval and the SCG reach a 60000+ capacity, their cases would be strengthened; note: both have the space for this, and the NSW government would have to lift its absurd 48000 SCG cap (which it could do if Homebush is rectangularised at 75000). ~
Perry Bridge
Guest
I thought for Richmond the emergence so late in the season of Broad, Townsend (re-emergence) and Graham in particular was massive. The Crows - they were a known entity. Richmond had new blood that were a breath of fresh air internally (it's amazing how it helps lift the enthusiasm) and a slight unknown to the opposition. The Crows best 25 at the end of the season was pretty well the best 25 at the start of the season. Consider the outs from Rich Rnd 1 - Conca, Griffiths, Hunt, and Lloyd. In came Broad, Graham, Lambert returned and Townsend re-invented. For the Crows - Hampton, Menzel, Milera - and the loss of Smith and McGovern via injury. In came Greenwood, Lever and Jenkins returned, Seedsman for Smith - so only Greenwood was a new blood.
phil.osopher
Guest
Well, Riewoldt and Cotchin certainly wouldn't swap their premiership medals for 2017 All-Australian blazers.
Birdman
Guest
AA selection is a pointless exercise that good clubs don't buy into as flags are the only thing that matters