Tigers tame for '06
Adelaide Advertiser
By RICHARD EARLE
14mar06
NATHAN BROWN. The beginning, the end. Can one leg mean so much to so many? The answer is yes for Tiger fans.
Richmond's pre-season optimism in 2005 swelled in the afterglow of its goalscoring acquisition. The Tigers' on-field fortunes were dramatically transformed as they won seven of their first nine games.
However coach Terry Wallace's world whizzed on its axis when Brown suffered a cataclysmic break of his right leg in round 10 against Melbourne.
There would be just three more wins for the season. The Tigers were broken psychologically, regressing in part to the bad old ways of 2004.
But unlike the previous 25 seasons, this year there is a plan in place, rather than a forward-gazing gimmick. High times and solid dividends will eventually flow down Punt Road.
The pay-off will be slower until Brown regains peak fitness but it will come. With the benefit of a five-year tenure, Wallace can afford to take cool notes while his young Tigers fend for themselves without their attacking artisan.
Brown finished with two goals, three marks and 12 touches in Richmond's 11-goal thrashing of the Western Bulldogs in stifling heat on March 4.
"It felt good, it was another step up," said Brown of his run-around at Shepparton.
"I still have a little bit of work to do to get back to where I was last year."
Injury or no injury, Brown would have been hard pushed to conjure last season's form. Wallace and Brown are close friends and similar characters, full of charisma. They deal in dreams.
Armed with Brown on the park, Wallace can sell his dream to a squad of willing believers. Without him, reality bites.
Matthew Richardson and Brown share a spiritual bond on the forward line. "Richo" is the consummate confidence player - he lifts around Brown while benefiting from the general mayhem and defensive uncertainty the little genius creates.
Another 65 goals from Richardson are on the cards in cahoots with glamour-boy Brown.
Regardless, Richmond will struggle to make an impact in 2006. The focus is on kids and the future. Richard Tambling, 19, is an explosive commodity whose brilliance will be revealed with a hardened body next season. Conversely, Brett Deledio won the Rising Star accolade last year - he will be a match-winner.
Add Jay Schulz and you have a long-term defensive utility-in-waiting. Schulz, 20, will learn appreciably from club champion and nimble centre half-back Joel Bowden.
Just like any true stock-market correction, the Tigers will come back to the pack. Make no mistake - they will take off in the short-to-medium term.
Eventually, the maturation of draft rookies including Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls will complement class midfielders such as Mark Coughlan, Kane Johnson, Shane Tuck and Chris Newman. This is the light on the hill for the Tiger faithful. Unheralded Tuck was a barometer of the Tigers improvement last year - giant Troy Simmonds must break through this year.
Former Melbourne and Fremantle forward Simmonds, 27, has the size, shape and speed to confound opposition rucks. He must own the centre square and soon.
Likewise, flashy fringe types like David Rodan and Andrew Krakouer must become more consistent.
Richmond faces Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, West Coast and Brisbane in the first month of the season - a challenging proposition.
The Tigers could find themselves immediately at the foot of the ladder as Brown finds his feet and Wallace learns just how much ticker his unit has.
The Tigers are short of the class and depth required to trouble the top eight. Terry will have to be a dreamweaver for another 12 months.
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/footy/story_page/0,8747,18455075%255E25397,00.html
