2010 AFL premiership season preview with Leigh Colbert: RichmondBy John Clark
foxsports.com.au
March 10, 2010 Foxsports.com.au and Leigh Colbert bring you all you need to know about Richmond, Colby's tip to finish bottom in the 2010 AFL premiership season.New faces: David Astbury (North Ballarat), Andrew Browne (rookie list), Matt Dea (North Ballarat), Mitch Farmer (Port Adelaide), Ben Griffiths (Eastern), Dylan Grimes (Northen), Dustin Martin (Bendigo Pioneers), Robin Nahas (rookie list), Ben Nason (Central District), Troy Taylor (South Alice Springs), Jeromey Webberley (Clarence).
Shown the door: Joel Bowden (retired), Nathan Brown (delisted), Mark Coughlan (delisted), Cleve Hughes (delisted), Kane Johnson (retired), Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls (West Coast), Adam Pattison (St Kilda), Kayne Pettifer (delisted), Graham Polak (rookie list), Dean Putt (delisted), Andrew Raines (Brisbane Lions), Matthew Richardson (retired), Jay Schulz (Port Adelaide).
Last year: Started on the worst possible note - an 83-point hammering by Carlton - and never recovered. Terry Wallace's five-year plan to rebuild the Tigers ended after round 11 with a lot of work still remaining to realise his ambitions. Jade Rawlings stepped in and picked up three wins as interim coach bit missed out on the job, the club favouring former Essendon and Port Adelaide hardman Damien Hardwick. Hardwick oversaw a massive cleanout on arrival. Thirteen players have made way at Punt Road, including superstar Matthew Richardson, stalwart Joel Bowden and former skipper Kane Johnson.
Room for improvement: Like many of the sides looking to climb from the depths of the AFL ladder, Richmond have plenty of issues to address. The midfield took steps last year, with Brett Deledio, Daniel Jackson, Richard Tambling, Nathan Foley and Dean Polo steady or improved. The backline will perform with a direct correlation to the on-ball brigade: if the Sherrin comes in at a rate of knots they will feel the pinch. But the attack looks thin. Mitch Morton and Jack Riewoldt don't do it consistently enough and are second or third talls.
Game breaker: Trent Cotchin. Injuries have denied Richmond's most promising teenager from fulfilling his amazing talent in his two seasons at the Tigers. However, we have seen enough to confirm the boy is going to be special. He got out on the park 10 times in a horrible 2009 and was never close to full fitness. With a pre-season under his belt, expect his class to shine through.
Rising star: Tyrone Vickery is going to be offered plenty of chances in the absence of Matthew Richardson in Richmond's forward half. And, on exposed form in the pre-season, he looks capable of providing a contest at least. He has developed over summer and now tops 90kg. There is still a long way to go, but the Brad Ottens clone could be a yellow-and-black pillar for a decade, with good stints in the ruck. With Jayden Post and Alex Rance, the Tigers have an exciting batch of young talls.
Last chance: Jake King and "is he still on the list?" have not been far apart in the off-season. In fact, the former plumber has battled the not good enough tag since he began his 41-game career in the AFL. He is in the final year of his contract - ever an anxious time - but has proved before that he can survive. If King does go down, expect him to do it swinging.
Coach factor: Wherever Damien Hardwick has gone, success has closely followed. He won a flag at Essendon as a player, another at Port Adelaide, and was then integral in Hawthorn's 2008 flag as assistant coach to Alastair Clarkson. This job, though, is something else. The 37-year-old has spoken of bringing a team-first culture to the Tigers, something he must have thought was missing previously.
Key stat: They just didn't get the ball into the forward line last year. The Tigers were 16th in the league for inside 50s - and if your forwards aren't seeing the footy, it's hard for them to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Leigh Colbert says: "New coach, a new-look list, and a new start for the Tigers. It's going to be tough without the great man Matthew Richardson. The players are going to take time to learn what Damien Hardwick wants, and Richmond fans need to be patient. They will get to see some excitement from the young players, but they will also have some bad days."
The Adjudicator says: "The circus has moved on from Punt Road. Ben Cousins's arrival at the joint may have done the membership department a favour, but Terry Wallace had no hope. Increased expectations, shocking run with injuries and an ordinary list meant he was a dead man walking after the opening-night massacre. Hardwick has a blank canvas to work with, but little paint lying around. My tip for the spoon."
Fantasy banker/darkhorse: Best-and-fairest winner Brett Deledio (8.5) shapes as the most reliable midfielder at Richmond, while Daniel Jackson (6.5) often returns some good numbers. Teenager Dustin Martin (1.0) arrives at Tigerland with the size and shape of a 100-gamer. Expect him to find his feet at AFL level in no time.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26820877-23209,00.html
