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The AFL has certainly got some things right this year.
An even competition, in which 14 teams are still mathematically in the hunt for a finals berth and a crunch game every Friday night that can truly be regarded as a blockbuster.
So it is this week, with the Tigers building momentum and strength with the return of injured players to guide them to a high ladder position to commence their assault on a second premiership in three years.
Their opponents this week are Collingwood, the club that unexpectedly bundled them out of last year’s race for the flag when they defeated them by 39 points in the 2018 preliminary final, and repeating the dose beating them by 44 points in a Thursday night encounter in Round 2 this year.
The Tigers had won their previous four encounters and no doubt will be keen to avenge their surprise loss in last year’s finals.
Richmond suffered a big loss when their main defender Alex Rance went down early in the season but currently don’t have a big injury list and certainly no other A graders out. On the other hand, the Magpies may be missing as many as five players from their top 22.
Although the two clubs are currently fourth and fifth on the ladder, their current form could not be more of a contrast with Richmond taking all before them, winning their past four games in form reminiscent of their 2017 premiership year while Collingwood – apart from one great win against the Eagles in Perth – have looked a long way from being a finals contender, having lost three of their past four games.
Interestingly, the two coaches appear evenly matched with both having won 54 per cent of the games they have coached, although Damien Hardwick has two more years experience and by the end of the 2020 season will have become the most experienced Richmond coach ever, passing the current incumbent Tom Hafey.
Speaking of legendary coaches, Mick Malthouse’s position on the list of top 100 game players at the Tigers is under threat. Currently sitting in 99th position with ex-Ballarat dual premiership player Maurie Sheahan, Malthouse last week was joined on 121 games by David Astbury who became the 11th player who has played for the Tigers this season to be a member of the elite top 100 game players – a remarkable feat for a club which has been in existence for 111 years and has used 1,165 players in that time.
One of those elite is Bachar Houli, who will play his 200th game of AFL Football. Houli started at Richmond in 2011 after four seasons and 26 games at Essendon. Houli, the first Muslim to win an AFL premiership, will play his 174th game for the Tigers and pass Shane Tuck’s total.
It will also put him one game only behind the legendary captain, coach and dual best and fairest winner Des Rowe who started at the club in 1946 and retired after the 1957 season.
Collingwood have only three elite players who have represented the club this season, and only two of these will play on Friday night.
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