So, as a relatively new fan I was thinking the other night about RFC. How far do you guys things we are from finals footy? I know there are some issues we need to work out (forwards, Jacko, Edwards) and that our team is still young but would you say in a year or two we should be there? How talented is the team now compared to teams since Richmond's drought started? Sorry for all the newbie questions guys but I'm just really wanting to learn as much as I can about the club.
To answer you IMHO, we are an average talent team that is youngish and we might (prob 50% chance this year) make the finals this year or next (maybe 60% chance) or maybe neither depending on how players develop. While we may make the finals this year or next I'm not too worried as it took Bomber Thompson 3-5 years to seriously improve Geelong, which basically put 110 games into their backline. And our backline is a real work in progress, we still don't have a centre half back to speak of.
But most importantly the administration is on the right path. Its about members and money and directing the spend.
1. The recruiting spend has improved.
2. The development coach spend has increased.
3. The membership has increased.
4. I wouldn't be surprised if our total turnover has grown significantly.
5. I bet our sport science spend has increased too.
6. Our facilities have improved.
Eventually we need to increase our medical spend too.
I really feel for the first time in years we are on the right path to ongoing improvement. While the same old lines were said under Frawley and Wallace, this time the focus is on becoming an off field success which will translate to on field.
Also the coaching and recruiting team have proved they aren't idiots by
1. Identifying our list holes and plugging them with the best option we could find.
i.e. Recruiting for the backline Batchelor, The ruck Maric
2. Identifying the current collision nature of footy and recruiting heavier bodies accordingly. Griggs
3. Improving and developing younger players like Rance, Cotchin
4. Offloading players who couldn't make it, there are many here.
5. Recruiting a pile of average potentials and then culling if they don't make it. Nason,
We probably will cull a few young one this year if they don't improve.
Now that's the normal process, or should be but I reckon its the first time we have done it at Richmond. Under Frawley we had top up drafts and under Wallace we had a badly under staffed recruiting department.
If Hardwick has done any errors it probably was to not immediately swap out the backline players who won't make it like Thursfield or McGuane. We still don't have a fully settled backline and once we do, we need to put games into them and time might run out on Hardwick to do so.
I think our list has less holes in it than under Wallace and our skill level is much better than under Frawley. I don't think our list is as talented as 95 but our admin is much better so we are less likely to self destruct and might genuinely build.
