Mountains to climbThe Age
May 17, 2012Richmond is building from the back to be a finals side.'IF WE'RE talking about climbing Mount Everest,'' Justin Leppitsch says, ''we might be at base camp.'' In fact, he is talking about building Richmond's defence, which at times in the decade since the Tigers last played a final has seemed like trying to scale the world's tallest mountain.
''There might be a small amount of relief that we actually have the personnel that will take us there but there's still a way to go, a few more ups and downs and a few more lessons learned that the boys will have to go through,'' Leppitsch says.
''The pleasing part for Richmond supporters is that the core is there, the names are there, to be able to build it, and they are young enough to be there for the next 10 years.''
If top-eight teams are built from the back, Richmond is starting to look more like one. Many a pre-season has been spent teaching young defenders to put their bodies in the right places, and sending them to the gym so those bodies cannot be so easily shoved around.
But some things can't be taught and some bodies can only get so big, which is why Leppitsch - the three-time Brisbane Lions premiership defender - is quietly pleased with how the jigsaw puzzle that is the Tiger defence is coming together. Take, for instance, Dylan Grimes. Leppitsch, who has groomed the Richmond backs since Damien Hardwick arrived as coach, was far from convinced by his first glimpse of Grimes, taken in the pre-season draft of 2010.
''He's got a real dogged attitude,'' Leppitsch says. ''That tends to happen with players who are trying to prove themselves constantly.
''When I saw him at training for the first time, I thought, 'I'm not sure about this kid, he's a bit gangly looking and skinny'. He didn't have the natural movements, but his competitiveness has got him to where he is.
''He makes pretty sound decisions with the ball even though he doesn't have great skill. His timing in the air is very good, and his follow-up ability is his strength, he's never out of the contest. That is born out of desire, it's not coached.''
Grimes, on earning a Rising Star nomination for his round-three effort on Melbourne's Mitch Clark, described himself as ''a bit of a scrubber'' in comparison with his Demon brother Jack. That he has risen above his limitations to be one of the AFL's most improved players, along with Alex Rance, says much about the progress of Richmond's back line.
So, too, does a measurable rise in competitiveness in the Tigers' defensive 50 and the fact they are conceding, on average, 25 points fewer per game than last year.
Last pre-season, winning the contested ball in defence was identified as ''the big focus''. Steven Morris, the mature, strong defender from West Adelaide, was recruited with that in mind.
''We needed to win the ball back in the defensive 50,'' Leppitsch says. ''We're in the top half in the competition in that area, whereas last season we were dead last.''
A recent emphasis on injecting players with elite kicking skills into the Richmond defence - to complement the penetrating left foot of captain Chris Newman - helped in the recruitment at the end of 2010 of the creative Bachar Houli from Essendon, and last year's first-round draft pick, Brandon Ellis. Hardwick's former Hawthorn colleague Ross Smith was brought in to improve the Tigers' defensive play all over the ground. It appears to have eased the pressure on the young defenders. ''The ball has come in [to the defensive 50] six or seven times less a game,'' says Leppitsch, ''so that helps.''
There is still one piece missing from the puzzle, in the shape of a big, monster of a defender who can play on the power forwards.
Even then, the Tigers believe they already have the makings of such a man. Ben Griffiths, at 200 centimetres and 100 kilos, has been trained for a move from key forward to back, but has been beset by injury. Jayden Post is on the fringe and rookie Piva Wright is a ''Mal Michael-sized kid who might be more of a long-termer''. ''That's the last spot,'' says Leppitsch. ''There's three in the wings, but nothing going at the minute. It's definitely a spot we're looking at.''
High hopes are held, too, for David Astbury, who came back from a long-term injury in the VFL last weekend.
Former Richmond coach and St Kilda skipper Danny Frawley believes the defenders could carry the Tigers all the way to the finals, though in-form Essendon will present another stern challenge on Saturday night.
''At the start of the year I thought it [defence] might be an Achilles heel but Rance is getting a big body on him and Grimes is a beauty,'' Frawley said, noting finals teams concede about 83 points a game. (The Tigers are eighth with 83.1.)
''Ideally, in a premiership team Rance would probably be your second [defender] and Grimes could be that versatile defender. A solid defence is a great platform to build off, because when it's the foundation of your style you don't always have to play that well to win.''
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