RICHARDSON NOT CONCERNED IF RICHMOND MISS FINALS THIS YEARBy Nic Negrepontis
SEN
15 July 2021Richmond great Matthew Richardson is confident the Tigers will bounce back next year even if they miss finals in 2021.
His old side sits 12th on the ladder having not won a game since Round 12 and have a tough fortnight coming up against Brisbane and Geelong.
While he feels Richmond’s chances of making finals are slipping, Richardson isn’t particularly fazed and feels they can bounce back next year.
“They’ve been up for a while the Tigers, they’ve got big injuries at the moment, they’ve had a loss of form, they’ve had young players come in who may or may not be ready and then you’ve got other players around the periphery who have been asked to step up and it’s just not within their capability,” Richardson told Sportsday.
“So you throw that all together and they’re in a form slump, there’s no doubt about that.
“But I think other people around the competition are probably more worried about it than Richmond supporters.
“It’s going to be tough for them to play finals this year. If they lose this week to a very good team in Brisbane it looks probably a little bit hard from there, but I’ve got no doubt they can get away, have a rest and bounce back and be a finals contender next year.
“They’ve won three premierships in four years. You can’t be up there forever and they’re having a bit of a slump.”
Captain Trent Cotchin has come under criticism for his form in recent weeks, with coach Damien Hardwick suggesting the skipper could benefit from a rest.
Richardson feels the club’s midfield injuries have left the club in a difficult spot, needing to play Cotchin to support the younger types.
“They probably need him out there at the moment. They’ve got so many midfielders out,” he said.
“Clearly he’s not at his best and you can’t be every week. I’m not aware of him carrying an injury, but the cattle just aren’t out there in the midfield at the moment and that’s the problem.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/07/14/richardson-not-concerned-if-richmond-miss-finals-this-year/
