IS RICHMOND MAKING HAWTHORN’S MISTAKE?The Hawks were the dominant side of the mid-2010s, winning a remarkable three straight premierships.
In a bid to stay in that premiership window, coach Alastair Clarkson opted to try and top-up his squad with the inclusions of Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara, Jarman Impey, Jack Scrimshaw, Tom Scully and Chad Wingard in the following years.
But by 2019, missing the eight with a ninth place finish, the premiership window was firmly shut and left the Hawks with their earliest draft pick at 45 during that busy trade period.
Three successive bottom five finishes ensured the Hawks were firmly in a rebuild stage where Clarkson departed and Sam Mitchell took over as coach.
Richmond now find themselves in the same scenario after winning three premierships in the space of four years.
Hawthorn’s premiership window slammed shut within four years of their last premiership. Should the Tigers follow the same fate - they have just two years left to get back to the top before a full rebuild could be required.
Following on from news veterans Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt will go round again in 2023, the Tigers are already topping up their squad with Giants Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper both selecting Richmond as their preferred trade destination.
But SEN’s Kane Cornes has warned Richmond to learn from Hawthorn’s mistakes.
“It’s not going to be (Tigers’ coach) Damien Hardwick’s problem. It’s going to be very unlikely that he’s going to coach Richmond for 20 years,” Cornes said.
“So, he’s gone, ‘Get me another premiership in the next three years’. He wants another premiership now and if it takes seven years to get them well when Jacob Hopper is 33 in the seventh year of that contract it’s not going to be Hardwick’s problem.
“Similarly with (Alastair) Clarkson at Hawthorn. (He said) ‘Get me Wingard, O’Meara and Mitchell - it’s not going to be my problem, I’m going to be long gone’.
“I’m not sure it’s the most responsible move from Richmond to give players like that seven years.”
West Coast famously “sold the farm” to get Tim Kelly home from Geelong in a bid to keep their premiership window open in 2019.
But that hasn’t worked in the club’s favour with the Eagles failing to finish top four in 2019 and 2020 as they bowed out early in finals, before missing the eight completely in 2021 and then the disaster of a season in 2022.
It has been reported Richmond were prepared to offer seven-year deals for GWS midfielders Taranto and Hopper.
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