AFL 2022 Radar: 'In 2021, they threw in the towel'

Richmond suffered a fall from grace in 2021, dropping from back-to-back premierships, and three flags in four years, all the way down to 12th.

It was a strange old year for the Tigers, only finishing two games out of the finals, but dropping three matches on the run home after building what should have been match-winning leads. They also had games of kicking only two goals against St Kilda, six against Fremantle, and losing to the Gold Coast in Melbourne. These were not good teams that were beating them, and thus Richmond was not a good team either.

But, three flags in four years gives you some grace, particularly given the toll of the pandemic on a playing group that had scaled the mountain so often. The way they played in the second half of last season gave everything indication that they’d had enough, and didn’t have it in them to go all the way again. In short, they threw in the towel.

The big question though – was that the beginning of the end, or was it just a blip on the quest for more success? Time will tell, but it’s easy to forget that even before the flags Richmond had been playing finals and finished as high as fifth on the ladder all the way back to 2013, with essentially the same core group. It’s a long time to stay competitive, and gravity is bearing down.

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

What’s new?
A longer off-season for one, given Richmond had September off and weren’t playing all the way to the pointy end.

Robbie Tarrant has arrived from North Melbourne – in his peak years, he was probably only behind Alex Rance and Jeremy McGovern in the key defensive ranks across the league, and could never quite crack an All Australian guernsey ahead of them.

He’s turning 33 in April though, and has to keep his body together to have a meaningful impact and provide the defensive stability the Tigers are after given the retirement of David Astbury. It’s a gamble that could go either way, but is worth a shot by both parties.

Richmond had five picks inside the top 30 at the draft last year, which is exciting for a team with a recent history of success. If any of them can crack into the side while the Tigers are top four competitive, it will be a great sign. If the slide is on, then at least fans will get to see some fresh blood in the back half of the year.

Star on the rise
Hopefully, it’s Sydney Stack.

Sublimely talented, and capable of things on a football that most aren’t, Stack hasn’t had the smoothest passage in his AFL career so far.

He went great guns in his debut season of 2019, finishing third in the NAB Rising Star behind only Sam Walsh and Connor Rozee, with Bailey Smith, arguably the Bulldogs player of the finals last year, in fourth. It’s rich company, but he deserved his place.

Stack is a beautiful ball handler with great vision, that can also climb on shoulders as well as deliver a bone-crunching bump.

He didn’t back up his debut year during COVID in 2020, and ended the season suspended after breaching AFL hub protocols on the Gold Coast, before finding himself in jail for doing the same with government orders in Perth.

Stack played seven games at the back end of last season, and was among the Tigers best on a couple of occasions. The whisper is that he’s having a very good pre-season training with the forward group, and Richmond will be a much better team if the 21-year-old is able to live up to his potential.

Who’s under the pump?
There’s not many that aren’t when expectations are high after such a flop in performance last year, but we can probably trust the veterans to deliver to a high standard – think Dustin Martin, Dion Prestia, Kane Lambert, Nick Vlastuin, Shane Edwards and Jayden Short, as well as new co-captains Dylan Grimes and Toby Nankervis.

Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin are possibly in their last season, and shouldn’t be relied upon to carry too much burden.

Tom Lynch was brought in a multi-million dollar seven year deal, not just to help deliver success in the present but to ensure the Tigers stayed competitive in the future as well. There’s no doubt he’s played his part in the former as a part of the 2019-20 premierships, but is coming off an indifferent year.

Lynch was poor in front of goal last year, often missing gimme’s, and frequently kicked a few goals after games were already lost. His contested marking has fallen away too, and if Richmond is going to challenge once more, he is going to need to find his best football.

Best-case scenario
The Tigers roar back to their best, and bring their pressure gameplan to challenge Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs for supremacy. Their opening three matches are against Carlton, GWS at the MCG and St Kilda – win all of them and it could well be that they are off to the races once more.

The elder statesman have one more stand in them, the experienced core are fit and healthy after a full pre-season, and the next generation including Jack Ross, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Thompson Dow and the new draftees force their way in due to form rather than through injury. Top four beckons again.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Worst-case scenario
The Richmond era is over, and the traditionally slow starters are out of the finals race by the bye rounds. Early retirements for Riewoldt, Cotchin and Edwards start getting raised in the press, and talk turns to deconstructing the premiership side with trades to invest more in the draft.

When the Tigers have played poorly under Damien Hardwick, especially in 2016 and 2021, it’s as bad as football gets. They have no connection between the midfield and forwards, and find it impossible to kick more than one or two goals a quarter – in the last five rounds last year, they averaged 2.4 goals in first halves.

If they stumble out of the gates playing turgid football once more, and can’t find their former life, a bottom four finish is very much on the cards.

Best 22
B Dylan Grimes Robbie Tarrant Nick Vlastuin
HB Jayden Short Noah Balta Daniel Rioli
C Shane Edwards Dustin Martin Liam Baker
HF Shai Bolton Tom Lynch Kane Lambert
F Jason Castagna Jack Riewoldt Matt Parker
Foll Toby Nankervis Dion Prestia Jack Graham
Int Ivan Soldo Trent Cotchin Sydney Stack Kamdyn McIntosh