Richmond won a storied premiership in 2017, surging, both on the field and through September.
After finishing well clear on the top of the ladder in 2018, the Tigers faltered in the preliminary final against Collingwood despite being a heavy favourite.
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After an off-season that saw them land Tom Lynch as the big free agency fish, and sparked by a flag possibly gone begging, they were a popular pre-season tip to get another trophy in the cabinet come year end.
But less than a month into the season, and it had all gone tits up.
Alex Rance did an ACL in Round 1 and Bachar Houli a hamstring. Jack Riewoldt injured both his knee and wrist in Round 2. Trent Cotchin had also done a hammy.
Dylan Grimes and Dustin Martin were suspended, Josh Caddy had yet to appear after an interrupted pre-season, Jayden Short broke an elbow.
Jack Graham and Toby Nankervis were soon to miss long stretches.
In less than a month, the Tigers had suffered more misfortune than most teams in a year. The detractors nodded knowingly, saying they had been blessed with no injuries in the previous two seasons, and were sure to be found out.
“RANCE IS THE SYSTEM” thundered David King at one point on AFL360, saying Richmond were no longer a premiership threat. Many agreed, and intimated that finals may well be out of reach now.
Alex Rance won’t play again in 2019. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
By the end of Round 3, such predictions looked on the money. The Tigers had been thumped by Collingwood and GWS respectively, sitting 14th with a percentage of 79.
They responded as good teams do under duress, winning six of their next seven in a series of gritty and well structured performances. Lynch kicked a bag. Grimes and Nick Vlastuin became impenetrable.
Dion Prestia and Shane Edwards produced career best football. Brandon Ellis stepped up. Sydney Stack was discovered. Ivan Soldo grew into himself.
Richmond were more than just a gun player or players. They were greater than the sum of their parts, as all teams strive to be.
With three weeks to the mid-season bye, the Tigers had clawed and scrapped their way into the top four. The effort took its toll, and they lost their next three to some moderate sides by a combined 137 points.
Come Round 15, Richmond were out of the eight, but confident. A host of players were to be welcomed back, the tired players were well rested, and two soft post-bye games were to be followed by seven matches at the MCG.
Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt celebrates. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos)
The Tigers won all of them. In fact, they haven’t lost since the 13th of June, some 108 days ago.
Among the scalps in the back half of the season were their grand final opponents, GWS, reversing their Round 3 result. Admittedly, the Giants have a much stronger team in this time around.
While GWS have won three cut-throat finals in varying fashion to be primed for the big dance, Richmond have sharpened up with four wins against high-quality opposition, also in a variety of circumstances.
In Round 22, the Tigers ran down West Coast after conceding a seven-goal first term and a 29-point deficit. Round 23 saw them blitz Brisbane early and withstand a spirited Lions comeback. That set up a trip to the Gabba to face the same team again, and despite being on the back foot for the first term, peeled off nine goals in a row.
Geelong controlled them in the first half of their preliminary final match-up, before another burst of high quality football saw them take control with five unanswered goals.
It’s the devastating bursts of unstoppable football that sees Richmond enter the grand final as hot favourite. When they get their game going, there is a sense of inevitability about the result.
They usually start by intercepting the ball at halfback through Grimes, Vlastuin, Astbury and Houli, then run-and-gunning through the middle by hand, or sometimes through the feet of Short. They tap and knock on better than any team we’ve seen, creating irresistible momentum.
When the time does come to kick it forward, Lynch is in super marking form, and a three-time Coleman medallist in Riewoldt is happy to play second fiddle, often getting the third best defender if Martin is resting forward. What a luxury.
Dustin Martin and the Tigers are in the box seat. (Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
The Tigers won’t have it all their own way though. Even with no Stephen Coniglio and Callan Ward, the midfield of Josh Kelly, Lachie Whitfield, Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper and Zac Williams has been running hot. Toby Greene has been spending time there too.
Matt de Boer has been claiming scalps in his tagging roles, and will likely spend time on Martin, Prestia and Edwards depending on who is running the hottest at various stages.
Jeremy Cameron has enjoyed playing Richmond this year, having 49 touches, 15 marks and kicking 10.9 in their two meetings. Jeremy Finlayson and Harry Himmelberg will look to separate and isolate Cameron on his likely match-ups of Astbury and Nathan Broad.
In defence, Phil Davis will take Tom Lynch and Sam Taylor will have Jack Riewoldt. That will leave Nick Haynes to play his intercept role as he does so well. If he gets up and running, it will be tough for the Tiger forwards to penetrate.
Richmond have proven they can win against a variety of game styles, against all manner of opponents and in a variety of conditions. They’ve done it with fast starts, strong finishes or all day arm-wrestles.
They’ve had an extra week’s rest compared to their GWS counterparts who have slogged their way to two last gasp wins in their last two finals.
It’s easy to suspect the Giants may have run out of petrol tickets, and winning a grand final against a team that owns the MCG will prove a bridge too far.
The Tigers are due to put together four quarters too, and if they do it could well get ugly.
Richmond has the form, the history and the hunger. It’s going to be Tiger Time again.
Raimond
Roar Guru
famous last words :laughing:
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Richmond's? I wouldn't go that far. If you mean Freo, you are exactly correct. Freo sacked the wrong people. They can do much better there.
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Awesome without ego so no worries there.
Raimond
Roar Guru
My “worry” with the Tigers is that they were softened up in the past two months by playing either interstate teams, or dreadful Vic teams, at the MCG. Despite that, they kept scoring solid wins but no thrashings. I’m not convinced by the Pickett selection, either.
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
Yeah. I've heard that somewhere! Don't grow into a Disnick . . . I smacked him in the footy tipping, too.
Neil from Warrandyte
Roar Rookie
Agree Don, the competition’s worst strength and conditioning department in the games history!!!
anon
Roar Pro
GWS won 13 games in the H&A for a reason. If this were a home and away game no-one would tip GWS on the road for a third straight week, having less rest than their opponent, Tigers in better form, on the MCG. Everyone making these hero picks. Watch them slink away and not own up to their tips when Richmond win. I'm not even sure Davis can see out the game.
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
I put my money on them start of the year, always thought it was going to be Richmond or wce vs gws for this year's grandy, basically I'm pretty awesome man
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
The ground swell of support for the Giants from so many Roarers is hilarious considering so few of them gave GWS a rat's chance in hell until, well . . . very recently. Don't expect many here to agree with your assessment. It seems we are the villains and the underdogs! Bring it on!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
If anything, the Tiges may have run out of tickets catching up last week. The reality is both sides have had a week to recover. Last week's games will have no impact on today's game. Both will be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Richmond suffered more than most teams suffer within a year? That was for a few weeks only. Freo has had more than that list (8 to 12 first picked players) for each week of the last 4 seasons. Richmond has milked this story big time. Rance is pretty good and is a genuine significant long term injury, but the rest got back in plenty of time and they had one of the healthiest lists for most of the second half of the season.
ChrisH
Roar Rookie
The Dogs in 2016 played a tough finals series, with two games on the road, and a tight and brutal prelim final. They didn't run out of "petrol tickets", in fact finished the grand final still full of running. Don't write off GWS coz you think/hope they'll run out of legs.