Passion at the heart of the Richmond revivalDaisy Pearce
The Age
28 July 2017Modern football has become a game of numbers, systems and structures. A team wins and we are told that it is because they won contested possession or their defensive system was sound. A team loses and it is because their kicking efficiency was terrible or their forward structure is no good.
I suppose it is human nature to seek reasoning that we can see and measure. The human brain craves control. We are constantly trying to find and apply formulas that will guarantee an outcome. "A team can't win a grand final without previous finals experience." Or, "for a side to be successful it needs two quality key position forwards". We have made the game a science. But as with all sciences, mysteries remain and there are anomalies that defy the accepted formulas.
The premiership-winning Western Bulldogs defied a swag of them in 2016. Depleted by injuries, missing their captain, with no recognised key forward, they finished outside the top four, endured late back-to-back trips to Perth and somehow won the flag. All the while being led by a rookie coach.
While it is human nature to want control, the thing most of us love about football is that it takes it away. Which is why we all love an underdog, why everyone except Sydney supporters wanted the Dogs to win last year.
It's also the reason I find myself attracted to Richmond this year.
The raw numbers don't really substantiate their ladder position, and their unique structure and game style contradicts previously accepted formulas.
Their unconventional small forward line makes us reluctant to accept them as genuine contenders, yet they sit a game clear inside the top four. They have climbed to fourth without Bachar Houli, who behind Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt, is probably their next most damaging player. He returns on Saturday night, fit and hungry for redemption, after a four-match suspension for an incident he would undoubtedly regret.
Statistically the Tigers don't jump off the page, either. They are second-last in the competition for disposals, and kick more clangers than any other team. Only three teams have kicked fewer goals.
They're middle of the pack for contested possessions (9th) and tackles (11th) and give away more free kicks than any other side. Ruckman Toby Nankervis, who was plucked from the back of a long line of big men at Sydney at the end of last year has shouldered the majority of the ruck work and been very serviceable but the Tigers sit last for hit-outs and are 13th in clearances.
Keep in mind also that this is a team who in round 23 last year lost by 113 points. They finished 13th, with an average losing margin of 45 points and there were calls for coach Damien Hardwick to be sacked.
So, what has changed?
The list was bolstered in the off season; Nankervis has been good, Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy add midfield depth. Martin has gone from potential game breaker to a reliable superstar and Hardwick has developed a game style that allows the list to play to their strengths. But none of that, on face value, would have convinced me that the Tigers could go from a team that languished outside the eight last season, to a top-four contender in less than 12 months.
It seems that the single most significant change at Richmond has been an emotional one. Hardwick has spoken openly about the soul-searching he did at the end of last year and the valuable lessons he learnt from his "darkest places". His players now describe a coach who is enjoying himself more, more open, more connected.
Captain Trent Cotchin credits his move to stand up in front of his teammates during the off season to share his vulnerabilities as a defining moment in his life and career. He has spoken of how he now feels he can be himself. "I am not scared of sharing tears or pain in front of my teammates ... It's incredible when you start to open up doors and show that things hurt, that anxiety, that shame, that emotion. The more you talk about it, the less it has power over you … I feel free in 2017…" Cotchin is playing freely, too, and he, like Martin, is having his best, most consistent season yet.
I have noticed throughout the year when listening to Richmond's leaders, that unlike much of the football world they don't default to jargon about ball movement, structures or statistics. They talk about heart, enjoyment, pride and emotional connection.
For Hardwick to have thought-up Richmond's markedly different game plan for this season is one thing. To have a playing group who has bought in and willing to play it is another, particularly when it is a game style that relies heavily upon trust. Defend aggressively by trusting your teammates will apply pressure on the kicker up-field. Kick long and direct; trust that your teammates will work hard to get there and compete. Don't try to do too much, bring the ball to ground, trusting that the small forwards will be there to win it at ground level.
Trust is built through emotional connection and speaking post-match after beating the Giants last week Alex Rance hinted at the fact that it has been Richmond's biggest focus this year, "This year is all about connection, creating personal connections that transfer to on-field," he said.
So while their statistical profile and team structure doesn't add up using conventional premiership formulas, Hardwick has nurtured a very passionate and emotionally invested group. Maybe they are a chance this year because at no stage in football is emotion and passion in higher demand than during the finals.
Wherever they finish, I have loved watching the Tigers this year because they are proof that even in this scientific era of football, passion and emotion still trumps numbers and systems.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/passion-at-the-heart-of-the-richmond-revival-20170727-gxjuyh.html
