It is hard to know who should feel the most disappointed with their preliminary final performance: Richmond or Melbourne.
Neither team covered themselves with glory. Richmond because they were soundly beaten by the underdog Magpies and Melbourne because their first half performance was insipid.
This review is about Richmond who – by any measure – were the outstanding team during the home and away series and into the first week of finals.
During the home and away season, Richmond lost only four games and none at the MCG. They were favoured by a low rate of injury amongst their best 22 and had developed a game plan that pressured the opposition into errors and enabled the Tigers to gather the spillages and play havoc with them.
Alas, it all come to nought when they encountered a disciplined and skilful Collingwood who basically played the Richmond game, only better.
Held to two goals in the first half (still better than Melbourne), the Tigers showed some system in the second half and – through the efforts of Jack Riewoldt – gave themselves some small hope early in the last quarter. It was too little, too late and the Tigers brains trust will have six long months to work on a cure.
Jack Riewoldt of the Tigers (Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Media/Getty Images)
The question is, how radical does their plan have to be to elevate them back to favouritism for the 2019 flag? They appear certain to pick up Tom Lynch who in any other team would be a major asset.
Richmond, however have one of the best full forwards of all time and work a forward line around him so unless there is a major change in the club’s forward set up Lynch will not be a successful addition.
Do they put their performance down to a one-off bad day (which they were due to have) where over confidence, injured players (Dustin Martin), ill players (David Astbury), fumbling and poor kicking all took their toll, or do they change their game plan and start to rebuild?
There is nothing wrong with the club’s current list of players. They only blooded three this year and one of those, Jack Higgins, has already proved his worth being one of Richmond’s better contributors in the prelim.
The low injury list, the number of quality fringe players that took them well into the last weeks of the VFL finals series and the fact that the two oldest players on the list are only 30 (Bachar Houli and Shaun Grigg) tends to suggest that their window is still open. A slight ‘tweak’ of the list, combined with a stinging desire to atone for their humbling exit from the 2018 final series should be sufficient for the Tigers to again be there at the pointy end of 2019.
The one plus to take out of the club’s final game for the year was Jack Riewoldt’s performance. His five goals took him to level with Michael Roach on both the Richmond (equal fourth) and the AFL (equal 30th) all-time goal scorers list.
Stephen Shortis
Roar Guru
Jack Riewoldt is already a Top 30 goal kicker, and still has two years of his contract to run. He could still play on after that. His aerial ability means that if he doesn't mark it, the crumbers (Caddy, etc.) will do well. He showed in the prelim he could kick straight under pressure. I reckon he will finish his career in the Top 15.
dan in devon
Guest
I never felt Lynch was an option for the Pies unless they were going to play him as a tall back. Mihocek has been a revelation and his mobility suits the Pies gameplan. The Tigers and Lynch will be a good fit. They need a tall forward to push up the ground and to provide another option. I think something like 80% of the Tigers forward entries targeted Jack Reiwoldt and this enabled Collingwood to defend predictably and to get away with playing a short backline - and to nullify the Tigers forward pressure. With Lynch, I think the Tigers can improve their forward structure. For the Pies, they need to decide between loyalty and pragmatism when selecting their GF team. The Eagles tall forwards pose a problem and one feels they may be one tall defender short.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Tigers are quality. Just wonder if Lynch left his decision to after the finals if he would choose the Hawks? He seems to mostly fill a hole there, not with Tigers or Pies.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
as quoted above - ''Do they put their performance down to a one-off bad day (which they were due to have) where over confidence, injured players (Dustin Martin), ill players (David Astbury), fumbling and poor kicking all took their toll, or do they change their game plan and start to rebuild?'' Yeah, over confidence + one-off bad day = blown away with pressure. Injured players, did they have 2 players that could have come into the side and made a matching winning difference to the result? I think not. They finished top of the table and may add a forward in Tom Lynch, who will kick goals every game next year if he stays fit and against the weaker teams will kick bags of goals. Richmond's window is so wide open its not funny, they will have players lining up to join them in the next 5 years and I think they could become the next to join Hawthorn and Geelong as clubs players want to come and play for happy to take less money in a trade for success.
dan in devon
Guest
One of the best full-forwards of all time? He is a good player but he would not even figure in a discussion about the top ten.