The AFL decade that was: The 10 biggest decisionsJake Niall
The Age
15 December 2019In a tumultuous decade, the game – and those who play it – have had to contend with controversy and drama, as well as revel in the highest of highs.
If it is natural to pick teams and players of the decade, another way to assess the age is to consider the decisions that shaped competition and code, from the season that ended with a drawn grand final and replay, to the grand final that featured a 27-year-old debutant who had overcome a lengthy stint in jail (Richmond's Marlion Pickett).
The biggest decisions of the 2010s were made at AFL headquarters, at clubs and by players. To rank them, the major consideration was the subsequent and potential future impact.
2. The shape of expansion: Gold Coast and GWS... while the Suns became a farm team for the likes of Richmond ...
8. Richmond stick with HardwickRichmond's 2016 was a disaster that put coach Damien Hardwick, who'd just signed a contract extension, on trial. The club's Brendon Gale-led review - assisted by Ernst and Young - essentially saw the Tigers keep faith in Hardwick, change his assistants and hire Neil Balme.
A new, more territory-based game style was devised that fitted the team's strengths (speed and pressure), while the players, particularly Trent Cotchin, forged a more open, "connected" culture.
The Richmond review ended with a premiership in 2017 and was a template for Collingwood's review, coach retention and rise the following year; this year, the Tigers stormed home again. Hardwick's coaching remains underestimated - no team, including Alastair Clarkson's Hawks, is better coached.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-afl-decade-that-was-the-10-biggest-decisions-20191214-p53jz5.html
