Haven't got the time to get a concrete figure down for this discussion but bare with me.
How many best 22 players since 1996 have left RFC for another club?
With the lack of success at Richmond, you'd expect it to be quite high? Why play for a club who doesn't make finals? Every player, plays to win a flag, Richmond have made 2 finals appearances since 96, 1 of them last year? Surely there would be a long list of 'jump ships' to successful clubs?
With so many highly rated players going from club to club over the last 20 odd years. Recent players like Goddard, Chapman, Mitch Clark, C.Judd, H.Shaw, T.Scully, S.Mumford, L.Franklin, N.Stevens, E.Betts all big name players from other clubs off the top of my head, with many many more. We were about to attract a few Simmonds, Brown, Johnson.. but not many come to mind that have come into Richmond by any means and then sort a move away from the club to another club.
Brad Ottens, and Matthew White are the only ones I can think of? Surely there are more. Stu Maxfield left after 1995 (call me if I'm wrong) and he was the only player I've ever been sad about leaving. There was Jason Torney, but was he in our best 22?
It brings up an interesting discussion as to why there are so few?
Is it because we don't breed good enough players that other clubs want? - Says something.
Is it because that playing for Richmond in front of the Yellow and Black army every week is a pretty damn good job and players are happy to sacrifice a once off chance of success to play for our great club? Possibly, but also says a fair bit of the lack of success motivation and satisfied laziness that has been prominent at our club for a long time.
Is it because we over pay average players and fail to create a list where we can't afford decent best 22 type AFL players. We over pay average players who know they can't get better deals elsewhere and thus stay put clogging up the list?
Is it because that any player that comes to Richmond fails to develop anything of there game and diminishes any sort of market value and is forced to stay or retire?
Is it because we are so weak at the trade table that we never risk taking a step backwards to take two steps forward? Should have traded Jay Schultz years ago. Could have traded Martin pick 3 for two top 10 picks from Sydney which were Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta. Would look like a bad trade now but its an example of the steps backwards the club has never took to take 2 steps forward.
Just an interesting discussion why hasn't there been players that have wanted out of Richmond and gone to other clubs when we have been so poor on and off the field until recently (Not including this year).
