Compare Richmond v Greater Western Sydney — GWS concessions compared to the Tigers, draft picks, crowds, supportersHerald Sun
21 September 2017COMPARE the pair.
Saturday’s massive preliminary final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney is shaping up as a fight between the battlers and the billionaires.
The Tiger Army has been starved of success for years with the club’s last premiership coming more than three decades ago.
After just five years in the competition, the Giants are looking like a powerhouse, with some footy experts predicting multiple premierships heading to Blacktown.
But just how different are the Tigers and the Giants?
The Giants joined the AFL just five years ago and are playing in their second preliminary final. Last year, they were one good quarter of football away from making a Grand Final and they would have likely gone in as favourites against the Sydney Swans.
The Tigers joined the VFL 109 years ago. The club is playing in just its third preliminary final in 37 years and up until earlier this month, Richmond hadn’t won a final for 16 years.
THE FANS BASESDespite the club’s early success, the Giants haven’t exactly won over a legion of fans. The crowd at their final against West Coast was just 14,865 and at their “home” preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs last year, they were booed by the pro-Dogs crowd.
Despite their lack of success, the Tigers have the third-most members in the AFL, broke the AFL attendance record this year and played in front of a whopping 95,028 people at this month’s qualifying final.
AT THE DRAFTGreater Western Sydney has used a whopping 29 first-round draft picks since joining the competition in 2011. That is enough to fill an entire team with plenty left over and 15 more than any other club.
The Tigers have used six first-round draft picks in that time.
Despite the greater access to top-line talent, both sides had the same number of All-Australians this year, (GWS — Josh Kelly and Dylan Shiel, Richmond — Dustin Martin and Alex Rance).
NO. 1 DRAFT PICKSGreater Western Sydney’s team which will run out on Saturday will feature four No.1 draft picks. Two of those, Jon Patton and Lachie Whitfield, were drafted by the club while Tom Scully joined GWS on a huge deal after just two years at the Demons.
Richmond has no No.1 picks on its list after the club’s last top pick, Brett Deledio, was traded to the Giants in the off-season.
PRIORITY PICKSBefore playing an AFL game GWS was given priority access to the country’s best 17-year-olds and zone selections from NSW, the ACT and the Northern Territory. They used them to recruit a batch of junior stars including Dylan Shiel, Jeremy Cameron, Nathan Wilson and Adam Treloar. The Giants were also given the first eight picks in the 2011 rookie draft.
The next year the Giants received picks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14 in the national draft.The Giants dominated the 2011 AFL draft.
The club was also allowed to recruit one uncontracted player from each of the other 17 clubs over its first two years, delivering stars including Callan Ward, Phil Davis and Scully.
They also had the advantage of a cost of living allowance and more than $1 million extra salary cap space until that was fazed out this year.
The gap between the two teams is illustrated by Jacob Towsend. He was part of the Giants’ original NSW-ACT zone intake and was traded to Richmond two years ago for pick 70, which the Giants didn’t even use. On Saturday he will play a key role in the Tigers’ premiership hopes.
The closest thing the Giants have to a battlers in their team is delisted Docker Matt De Boer.
The Tigers can match him and more with former Williamstown forward Kane Lambert, pre-season draft pick Dylan Grimes, upgraded rookie Jason Castagna and a pair of No.67 draft picks in Nathan Broad and Dan Butler.
THE HEAD-TO-HEADThe two sides met twice during the year, with GWS taking the chocolates in a narrow win in the first battle before the Tiger had their revenge the second time around.
The TAB has Richmond listed as a $1.55 favourite, but should the Tigers be even shorter?
WHY THE TIGER ARMY SHOULD BE CONFIDENT:— Richmond has won 10 of its 12 games at the MCG this year. GWS has won one of its 11 games at the MCG since 2012.
— GWS has received more than 192 pressure points four times this year — and lost each time
— Richmond’s pressure against Geelong two weeks ago was a season-high 209.
— Since it defeated Richmond by three points in Round 9, GWS has beaten Brisbane, Essendon, Fremantle, West Coast (twice) and the Western Bulldogs.
— In that time the Tigers have defeated Essendon, North Melbourne, Carlton, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Brisbane, Fremantle, Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Geelong and the Giants.
— Rain and possible thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday. A ‘down and dirty’ game should suit Richmond.
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