Tigers still cubs in big time Rohan Connolly
The Age
May 27, 2013 How you view Richmond's loss to Essendon on Saturday night really depends on where you see the Tigers in a bigger-picture sense. And there are few questions in AFL football that seem to spark as much vigorous debate as that one.
Are they a side with enough talent, experience and development under their belt that their time should be now? Or one still with some way to travel before they can realistically mix it with the big boys?
I tend to lean to the latter argument, a reason I couldn't justify putting Richmond any higher than ninth on my pre-season ladder.
That's exactly where they sat after Saturday evening with a 5-4 record - the victories, with the exception of that over Carlton, against teams you might have expected them to beat; the losses, to Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong and the Bombers hardly shocks, either.
For those long-suffering Tiger hordes now talking of false dawns and questioning the capabilities of coach Damien Hardwick, the retort might not be satisfactory, but in essence, it is about not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
That doesn't mean for a second there are not issues that need addressing. But for emerging sides still with some coming of age to do, just a few absences of personnel and flaws in the make-up can make the differences between them and the top dogs seem larger than perhaps they are.
Where, exactly, are the Tigers then? Ball-winning is not an issue, but there's enough stats to indicate the Tigers are classic front-runners, ranking high for uncontested possession but low for the hard ball, and absolute last in the competition for tackles, their tally of just 49 on Saturday night lower than its season average. Richmond's leading tackler is Daniel Jackson, while skipper Trent Cotchin can be an inspiration but tends to do his best work around the contests rather than cause damage in space. One Tiger who does just that, Brett Deledio, is too easily taken out of proceedings by close checking.
That trio, obviously, has the skills. But as seen again on Saturday night, too many teammates still don't, particularly under pressure. Against the Bombers, the Tigers turned the ball over 26 times in their defensive half.
Jackson is a serial offender when it comes to sloppy disposal. Shaun Grigg, Shane Edwards and Bachar Houli turn it over too often. Even key defender Troy Chaplin is occasionally guilty on that score.
When Richmond is denied time and space, its lack of skill across the board means what passes for plan B - maintaining possession and slowing the game down - too regularly comes unstuck. And in the AFL, that is almost comical.
An emerging side also needs more players continuing to improve. Richmond clearly has that in gun youngster Nick Vlastuin. It also has that capability with Brandon Ellis, Reece Conca and Dylan Grimes, all absent against Essendon. But the Tigers don't yet have the sort of depth that can see that many of the support cast missing without leaving too much in the hands of the stars. And that's not counting Chris Knights, who had shown in four games he could offer badly needed support for Riewoldt on the goalkicking front before he, too, was lost for the season. Nor ruckman Ivan Maric, clearly still labouring.
You can question whether Richmond has improved enough this year. But it is at least 5-4 compared with 4-5 at the same stage last season. Scan its remaining draw and it is still in the hunt.
Importantly, its potential for further improvement remains largely in the hands of those who are still, in football terms, relatively youthful.
Good teams don't emerge overnight, although cynics would argue Richmond's night has lasted several moons already. But the perennial offenders on the skills front will continue to gradually fall by the wayside, replaced over the draft cycles by more Vlastuins. That will leave the Cotchins, Deledios and Martins with less on their plate. Richmond could still one day be a great side. It's just not quite ready to become one.
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