The Rover's 2018 AFL predictions: Richmond The Rover
sportingnews.com
31 December 2017
Which way are they heading: Is it fair to say the only way is down for the Tigers? Was the premiership a fluke or foreseeable after four finals campaigns in five years? Either way they won’t be starting flag favourites and will probably sit in the bottom half of the eight.
The key to success is: Not getting carried away with themselves, which may prove difficult to do when you’ve got more passionate supporters than Geez at Christmas. The flag-winning side is young and has a lot of upside, but all of that will amount to nothing if they think they’re going to get it easy in 2018.
Time to step up to the plate: Daniel Rioli. He’s got the name, he’s got the moves, but as yet he hasn’t got the consistency. There’s no shortage of small forwards at Tigerland so ultimately they would like Rioli to move into the middle and there’s no better time than now.
The one to watch is: Jack Higgins. Yet another small forward in a team stacked full of them it would seem Higgins is well down the pecking order, but expect him to leapfrog the rest very quickly. He’s a gun and will only crank up the craziness in Richmond’s front half.
It’s now or never for: Ben Griffiths. The Tigers’ recruiting would suggest they’ve still got faith in the often-concussed key forward, but even when his head’s clear Griffiths is no certain starter. The spot’s his for the taking, but if he hasn’t grabbed it by July it could be bye-bye.
The headline they want: Yellow and Back to Back
And the one they don’t: Normality Returns as the Tigers Finish Ninth
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