Richmond's pulse beats stronger Mike Sheahan
Herald Sun
June 11, 2010 11:31PM IT WAS universally agreed - Richmond was a basket-case. There was a heartbeat in football's tiger but the long-term prognosis was grim. That was the state of play as at May 2.
Six weeks on, Richmond is favourite with the bookmakers to win at the MCG on Saturday against a West Coast team still littered with premiership players from 2006.
How so? Is it sentimental money? Is it a reflection of Richmond's subtle improvement? Is it indicative of how far West Coast has fallen in less than four years?
Probably a bit of everything.
Certainly, the Tigers have looked better recently ... as you would expect, given they could not have been any worse (0-6, 49.14 per cent).
Each of the past five weeks has given supporters hope at times that the club is on the right track, that there might be a new dawn on the horizon.
ROUND 7: Richmond loses to Adelaide by 50 points, but trails by just five points at three-quarter time.
ROUND 8: Richmond loses to Hawthorn by three points; Trent Cotchin stars.
ROUND 9: Richmond loses to Essendon by 35 points, kicking six goals in the final term; Jack Riewoldt boots six.
ROUND 10: Richmond frolics in the rain in Adelaide, beating Port Adelaide by 47 points; Riewoldt kicks four, Cotchin and Dustin Martin shine in the gloom.
ROUND 11: Richmond loses to St Kilda by 38 points after trailing by just 12 late in the third quarter; Riewoldt again kicks six.
Given the backdrop, that's cause for genuine excitement for the success-starved Richmond faithful.
The win in Adelaide sparked amazing scenes of jubilation, and none of us begrudged them. The growing level of endeavour and persistence suggests morale at the club is healthy and getting stronger.
While some of us remain mystified about how Richmond can start favourite any time this year, it's a fact.
Perhaps it says more about West Coast, but this game is a genuine test of where both clubs sit.
Richmond has the home-ground advantage (minimal), West Coast sits two spots higher on the ladder, and the teams are almost even in terms of age and experience.
Richmond's squad of 25 has an average age of 23.1 and 58 games; the West Coast figures are 23.4 and 63.
The Tigers are younger than even Melbourne (23.3), with the lowest games average.
Youth is a great salve for battered supporters - provided the young blokes can play!
Cotchin, Brett Deledio, Martin and Riewoldt are all high-class players, while Angus Graham is making progress and David Astbury and Ben Nason are two of the first-year players to have made an impression.
I like Nason, pop-star haircut and all. He's a squirt, but has played all 11 games, averaging 12 possessions and three tackles, and has kicked nine goals.
Remembering back to Round 1, he looked like he might be picked up at any time by a seasoned Carlton player and tossed into Melbourne Park.
Yet he has managed to negotiate his way unharmed through the first half of the season and with reasonable returns.
Deledio cops plenty of criticism (occasionally generated from this desk), but he is growing into a mature, reliable front-liner.
When he realises how good he can be with the right attitude and appropriate work ethic, he won't be out of place alongside the best of the No. 1 draft selections.
The recent win against Port is the best thing to happen to Richmond in a long time. That outpouring of emotion after the game would have done wonders to bind Cotchin, Deledio, Martin, Riewoldt and Co. to the other players and the club. As would another win tomorrow.
But I suspect the Eagles will have a slight edge in class. They don't have an imposing record on the road, they did whip Melbourne at the MCG less than a month ago.
A five-goal win against the Demons looked good at the time. It's been downgraded a little, but it's still a solid result.
Another matter points to the Eagles - John Worsfold's coaching tenure. A loss to Richmond will stir up the agitators back in Perth.
They are active and wouldn't be aware of the Tigers' ever so steady improvement.
It makes this a big, big game for the West Coast coach.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/richmonds-pulse-beats-stronger/story-e6frf9ox-1225878668142
