Injuries expose Tigers’ talent wellAndrew Faulkner
The Australian
May 31, 2019Ominously for the rest of the competition, Richmond’s heavy injury toll has done the Tigers more good than harm, according to coach Damien Hardwick.
A long casualty list headed by Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt and Alex Rance has forced the Tigers to plumb their depth this season — and they’ve found the talent well runs deep at Punt Rd.
With hindsight, and given fourth-placed Richmond’s burgeoning form, Hardwick said yesterday his club was “absolutely” better for the injuries.
“Through crisis comes opportunity,” he said.
Players such as Noah Balta (aged 19, nine games this season), Shai Bolton (20, six), Liam Baker (21, seven) and Ryan Garthwaite (20, four) have plugged the gaps
“For them to step up and fill the void has been really impressive,” Hardwick said. “We’ve always known that our depth has been good; we just haven’t had the opportunity to see it. The progression of some of those players has really been outstanding.”
Richmond’s riches have been highlighted with Daniel Rioli, Connor Menadue and Callum Coleman-Jones being left out of tonight’s clash with 14th-placed North Melbourne at Docklands.
In come recovered skipper Cotchin, ruckman Ivan Soldo and small forward Dan Butler.
Hardwick said the club’s depth was such that players in good form were being squeezed out by teammates “playing better footy at the lower level”.
Coleman-Jones is a case in point. The teenage ruckman performed well on debut against the Bombers last week, but Soldo comes back in after racking up 35 hit-outs against Hawthorn before being suspended for the Essendon game. The Tigers rate Coleman-Jones so highly they’re confident he will follow in the considerable bootprints of a fellow Sturt alumni, Colingwood’s Brodie Grundy.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/injury-toll-has-proved-a-boon-for-richmond-to-develop-young-talent/news-story/d7c6da82b3b65ddcdf73275d08fd682b
