One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on September 26, 2019, 01:39:43 PM
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Tales of Tigers tenacity abound with second Richmond fairytale to be written
Kylie Maslen
The Guardian Australia
26 September 2019
The club’s drought-breaking premiership in 2017 could be trumped by a win in Saturday’s AFL grand final
Two years ago Richmond ran out on to the MCG with nothing to lose. The underdogs went on to blow away the heavy favourites, Adelaide, and win their first premiership in 37 years. Two years later the Tigers find themselves on the AFL’s biggest stage once again. It hasn’t been without adversity and some perfect timing, but if successful, this side has some stories that could be spoken about for years to come.
Fuelled by hunger to avenge their 2018 preliminary final loss, the Tigers ran out hot into round one. With the coup of landing Tom Lynch as their second tall forward in the off-season, Richmond seemed unstoppable from the start. That feeling lasted until half-time, then things began to quickly unravel.
Early in the third quarter the Tigers vice captain and star defender, Alex Rance, went down with a ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, ending the five-time All Australian’s season (though he wasn’t officially ruled out until August).
Further injuries have hit Richmond’s leadership group throughout the year. Captain Trent Cotchin has been hampered by repeat hamstring issues and Rance’s fellow vice captain, Jack Riewoldt, tore his posterior cruciate ligament and with complications went on to miss 10 weeks.
Injuries have also struck 2017 premiership players Toby Nankervis, Bachar Houli, Kane Lambert, Josh Caddy, and David Astbury as well as a number of VFL players who would likely have filled these roles in the past.
Going into the bye, Richmond were 7-6 and sitting in ninth place on percentage. Despite the knowledge that many of these key playmakers would return from injury in the second half of the season, things looked well off track. But with a run of 11-straight wins in the back end of the season, the Tigers find themselves in a position many thought impossible throughout the year. And mentally tougher for it.
The team’s adversity has become a platform for demonstrating the strength of Richmond’s recruiting department and development coaches. Young players have come into the senior side and flourished, often holding off senior players to maintain their spot.
Ivan Soldo – picked up by Richmond as a rookie despite never having played Australian rules football – will play in this year’s grand final. The former state-level basketballer dominated the ruck in last weekend’s preliminary final to become one of AFL’s most unlikely success stories.
2019 has also seen the meteoric rise of Sydney Stack, described as potentially “the biggest steal in the history of the draft”. Overlooked in both the national and rookie drafts, Stack went on to finish third in the Rising Star award and has become a firm fan favourite.
The stories this week at Tigerland are varied but full of emotion. Rance has remained at the club throughout the season, despite being urged to take time away, mentoring younger players and providing advice and off-field leadership. And if his reaction to the Richmond VFL side’s premiership last weekend is anything to go by, he will be staying close to the playing group on Saturday afternoon.
The saddest story must be that of Jack Higgins, last year’s rocket and goal of the year winner. The 20-year-old will miss out on Saturday as he remains in recovery from a second surgery to treat a brain injury sustained in July.
And then there is the warrior: 2017’s premiership fairytale hero Jack Graham who, playing his fifth game of AFL, kicked three goals and played a run-with role to shut down Crows key playmaker Rory Sloane. Given he dislocated his left shoulder during the 2018 season but delayed reconstructive surgery until the end of the finals series for the sake of his team, it is a cruel irony that Graham finds himself missing this year’s title decider due to a right shoulder dislocation.
The latest injury occurred early in the first quarter of last weekend’s preliminary final but Graham returned to the field, fiercely tackling and competing despite his shoulder needing to be reset a multiple times before the final siren. Coach Damian Hardwick described the effort as “simply incredible” and said the defensive midfielder would go down in club history, despite having only played 38 games to date.
One of the most remarkable stories is a possible inclusion to replace Graham. Marlon Pickett was picked up by Richmond in the mid-year draft following the retirement of 2017 premiership ruck Shaun Grigg. Pickett is yet to play for the senior side after overcoming a hand injury and spending time in the VFL team. On the verge of selection in the late rounds of the season, it is his Norm Goss medal win for best on ground during the VFL side’s premiership on Sunday that has the 27-year-old facing the chance of debuting in a grand final. Selection would see him become the first player in 67 years to do so.
Since the fairytale premiership two years ago Richmond have had to grow stronger both physically and mentally, but this weekend they find themselves with a chance to cement a place in history. There are so many remarkable stories that make up this team – a win on the biggest stage this Saturday would make them the stuff of sporting legend.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/26/tales-of-tigers-tenacity-abound-with-second-richmond-fairytale-to-be-written