Richmond lost Brett Deledio but improved overall with Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy gainsJAY CLARK
Herald Sun
October 21, 2016 RICHMOND’S midfield has some steel, now.
For all the talk last season of half-steps backward and two paces forward, the Tigers’ year from hell finally gathered some momentum in the final two days of the trade period.
Yes, Brett Deledio is a star who Tiger fans will miss.
But its midfield got the boost it desperately needed when it picked up onball mates Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy and Sydney ruckman Toby Nankervis.
Together, the Tigers two new tough nuts will give captain Trent Cotchin a big hand in the guts and help release Dustin Martin to more of a forward role next season.
And the reality is the Tigers haven’t sold the farm for these moves.
Caddy cost them pick No.24, but Richmond actually improved its third-round selection by eight places in the process of this deal. That looks like good business.
The hard-nut Cat plateaued this year but it had as much to do with his specific midfield role as anything else. He left with Geelong’s blessing.
With Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood dominating the Cats’ centre square and Scott Selwood and Sam Menegola potentially leaping ahead of him, Caddy was forced to play more forward than he would have liked this season (averaging 1.2 goals a game).
The truth of this trade was that he craved more time back in the engine room.
At Richmond, that’s exactly what he will get.
The bonus is it will be alongside one of his best mates, Prestia.
The Tigers had to do something with its midfield because it ranked 10th for contested possession differential, 13th for clearance differential, and 18th for tackle differential in 2016.
Not a great set of numbers. Certainly, not the kind of stuff that is going to guarantee you a winning run in September.
Richmond has been a horrible-tackling team for years, but the past two days might have changed all that.
Caddy and Prestia both play hard football. The kind of players you can count on to repeatedly put their head over the Sherrin. Caddy was excellent against
Richmond, funnily enough, in the Cats’ last-gasp win over them this year.
The two recruits both rate above average for contested possession and clearances.
It’s serious grunt, no doubt, and they’re both entering the prime of their careers, aged 24.
Cotchin must be a relieved man. He has been seen to go backwards as a footballer since 2012 when he finished equal second in the Brownlow Medal, but the truth is he needs more support and protection in heavy traffic.
Martin’s role can also be tweaked to give him more freedom and space on the outside. Richmond wanting him breaking lines and kicking goals.
Hardwick’s men are still a long way from being September certainties. The club knows there is lot of work to do for is overhauled coaching group this summer and beyond.
But you feel these moves will help propel them closer to the top eight than wherever they were at a month ago. Prestia and Caddy should have at least six to eight good seasons ahead of them, whereas Deledio was entitled to move straight to a premiership contender, aged 29.
But the main takeaway at Punt Rd is that Richmond should win more ball at the source next year, and that’s a decent start.
There is quality forward of centre, with Jack Riewoldt and Ben Griffiths set to lead the show without Ty Vickery. And young playmakers Daniel Rioli and Corey Ellis have the potential to be elite footballers.
The best of Ellis is his sweet left foot and Rioli showed more than enough this season to know that he is an exciting talent.
They need more gun kids, of course. But after a shocking year, the Tigers are moving forward again.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-lost-brett-deledio-but-improved-overall-with-dion-prestia-josh-caddy-gains/news-story/d3a13e29ae0fdb592913910bfd7a3a90
