End of season report: Richmond
afl.com.au
By Mic Cullen
4:36 PM Fri 03 October, 2008
Final ladder position: ninth
Club award winners: Jack Dyer medal: Brett Deledio
Second: Shane Tuck
Third: Matthew Richardson
Past players encouragement award:
Francis Bourke Award (Best Clubman Award): Chris Newman
Michael Roach Medal for Leading Goalkicker: Matthew Richardson
Most Improved Player: Matthew White
Best Player at Coburg: Alex Rance
Most Valuable Person: Gordon Casey
Tattersall’s Community Player of the Year: Richard Tambling
Tattersall’s Volunteer of the Year: Sally Dunn
Leading goalkicker: Matthew Richardson (48 goals)
Leading possession getter: Shane Tuck (547 possessions)
Season in a nutshell: A season of two halves – a difficult draw early with a team coming off a dreadful 2007, but the second half of the season was better – admittedly contributed to by as easier draw – and the side was in (faint) finals contention until the penultimate week. It produced plenty for fans to be encouraged by, with a lot of the young players coming along nicely.
Defining moment: A tough choice – the convincing 29-point win against eventual premiers Hawthorn in round 20 is probably the event that will give the team the self-belief needed to sustain it though to next year, but the three-point win against Brisbane in round 17 showed the ability to fight back, a much-needed attribute for this team, and it kept them in the hunt for September.
What went right:• A huge improvement overall – 16th with three-and-a-half wins became ninth with 11-and-a-half.
• Moving Richardson to the wing freed up his game and also allowed the forward-line to develop away from his shadow. Win-win.
• Defence coming together – the three key defenders all have fewer than 50 games each, but the back six is really starting to work well as a unit with the wise head of Chris Newman running the show.
• Beating Hawthorn late in the season. The Tigers controlled the game from the start and never gave the Hawks a sniff. Great for the confidence of a young group to know they have what it takes to beat the premiers.
What went wrong:• Rounds two and three – After beating Carlton round one, consecutive floggings to North Melbourne and Collingwood put the entire club under the pump.
• The horror loss to Adelaide in round 19 that ended the finals hopes. The season was well and truly alive going into the game, but one goal to 10 in the first half killed it quick-smart.
• Injuries – Graham Polak, Mark Coughlan, Andrew Raines, Kane Pettifer. Polak is still rehabbing after being hit by a tram and sustaining a serious brain injury, Coughlan travelled to Germany to have bits of rooster comb injected into his hammy, Raines dislocated a kneecap early on, and Pettifer did a knee playing for Coburg.
The coach: Made the move of the year when he shifted Matthew Richardson from his eternal home in the forward 50 onto a wing. Took the side from 16th last year to the brink of finals action. Endured the usual Richmond speculation about his tenure early in the season, but appears to have done enough to at least see out the final year of his five-year deal. He is bringing a predominantly young group through nicely.
Most Valuable Player: Richo! That the peoples' champion finished third in the Brownlow was a testament to the year the big man had after being released from the forward line to prowl the ground at will. Hampered by a knee injury that cost him a couple of games in the middle of the year, and was suffering at the end, but a stellar year.
Coach's award for one-percenters: Chris Newman. He is the glue that holds the backline together; the brain that organises the run from defence. Tipped by many to be the next captain of the club, Newman combines smarts with toughness in an ideal blend.
Needs a big pre-season: Andrew Raines. A promising player who had a terrific pre-season, but then dislocated his kneecap in round two, which led to a variety of leg issues. With the way the entire squad is developing, he needs to repeat the pre-season part of last year in order to have a proper crack at turning 53 AFL games into a significant career.
Next big thing: Easiest section of the report – Trent Cotchin. Missed the entire preseason with injury, but after making his debut in round eight he didn't miss a game, and finished third in the NAB AFL Rising Star award. Cotchin is a ready-made midfielder who will only improve with a few pre-seasons under his belt.
Trading places: Unlikely to do much after turning over most of the list in the previous three years.
Overall grade: C+
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