Key calls Richmond and Geelong have made since 2020 Grand Final examinedVanquished in the 2020 Grand Final, Geelong’s revenge on Richmond has been swift. We go inside two list rebuilds and examine how the Cats have avoided the Tigers’ slide.
Rebecca Williams
HeraldSun
May 11, 2023 - 3:32PMWhen it comes to football lists ageing gracefully, one team in Friday night’s feline battle at the MCG has clearly come out on top.
After claiming last year’s premiership with the oldest VFL/AFL list in history, Geelong’s old guard have proven themselves to be like the proverbial bottle of fine wine.
Premiership coach Mick Malthouse argues it has been a much different story for Richmond this season.
Having entered 2023 as top-four aspirants after recruiting aggressively Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper in the off-season, the Tigers sit 15th on the ladder after round eight with last week’s win over a lowly West Coast delivering just their second victory for the year.
In contrast, reigning premier Geelong looks set to be a contender again, sitting a game outside of a tight top-four.
The big difference between the sides, according to Malthouse, has been how the groups have aged with Geelong getting more out of their experienced guard.
After Richmond defeated Geelong in the 2020 grand final to claim its third flag in four years, the West Coast and Collingwood premiership coach said it was natural “evolution” that there was going to be a “fall off” for the Tigers.
But Malthouse said the Tigers’ experienced core had not “held up” as well as the Cats.
“You have got to take the age demographics into it,” Malthouse said.
“I think with Richmond the older players have either aged, retired or just haven’t been able to maintain the same level as a lot of the Geelong senior players.
“We know (the Cats) are the oldest side in the competition and have been for a few years …. but all their players have held up. Sometimes that’s luck, sometimes that’s management.
“Their older players are natural leaders. When you look at players like (Tom) Stewart, (Patrick) Dangerfield, (Tom) Hawkins, (Mitch) Duncan off a halfback (line) and (Cam) Guthrie – they have all got that leadership about them.
“Those players haven’t lost a lot, whereas I think Richmond’s players have become more human, they have just dropped back a bit.”
Since Richmond’s 2020 premiership win, Malthouse said the retirement of former barometer Shane Edwards had been a significant loss for the Tigers.
And this season, the absence of spearhead Tom Lynch had stung, but others had no longer had the “same impact”.
“Lynch has been in and out of the side injured, he had a massive impact in those premiership years,” Malthouse said.
“(Jack) Riewoldt is good, but not the Jack of four years ago, (Trent) Cotchin (age) has caught up with him and (Toby) Nankervis is in and out with injuries.
“They lost a couple of key players like Edwards and I think Edwards was a bit of the glue and he’s gone. Perhaps when I look at (Dylan) Grimes, they are not the players they were. They are good enough to play but they are not the greatest players now.
“Dusty …. I can’t see anyone playing off in three Grand Finals and winning three Norm Smith medals (again). Dusty will still have his moments but he is …. probably more at 85 to 90 per cent of where he was and that’s good but it’s not great.
“(Dion) Prestia had a day out in the forward line (last week), but he was there for a reason in the forward line because he was not contributing in the midfield. And (Shai) Bolton … he is brilliant, but he really is patchy.”
Dual North Melbourne premiership player David King agreed the Tigers had been “craving” for their senior stars to tear a game apart, while the Cats’ experienced core continued to deliver.
“The simple answer is senior core players performing,” King said.
“It sounds really basic and almost obvious to say but when your top four or five players are playing nine out of 10 and 10 out of 10 footy like Hawkins, (Jeremy) Cameron, Dangerfield, Stewart …. they haven’t missed a beat.
“Whereas at Richmond they have been craving for Dusty to rip a game apart, they have been craving for Shai Bolton to rip a game apart, they were both good last week but they have needed them for two months.
“Tommy Lynch is injured so he can’t do it, but you have got a whole host of young kids trying to elevate their games so I think that’s the simple answer is that you are not getting that leadership guidance and the leadership influence.”
GAME EVOLUTIONA frenetic game plan was at the cornerstone of Richmond’s premiership run, but Malthouse suggested the game style had “caught up” with the Tigers.
“When you look at Richmond, their game structure really has, I reckon, caught up with them,” Malthouse said.
“Before, any ball that came loose you would almost say Richmond would win it, but now it’s a ball that’s really in question whether they actually win that ball.
“It is not as fluid. They used to have this perpetual motion from the halfback line right through and it just bullied, knocked on, hand passed over the top, kicked on and really caught sides, it put pressure on sides all the time. Now it doesn’t.
“Maybe the emphasis on their game style took a lot more out of them. It was pretty brutal in the workload required.
“It is an evolution that once you have won three out of three out of four, there is going to be a fall off. It is very hard to maintain that.”
He said Geelong, in contrast, had evolved their game.
“Geelong has definitely changed their style,” Malthouse said.
“It was (about) getting their big forwards a chance to get into the action as much as they should and you look at them now, they’re quick with their ball movement.
“Cameron and Hawkins have been really brilliant that they work together, but away from one another and that’s vital – good forwards do that.”
LIST MOVESSince the 2020 grand final, Geelong has been shrewd with its acquisition of senior players – Cameron, Isaac Smith and Tyson Stengle, in particular.
The Cats have so far extracted 56 games and a Norm Smith medal from Smith; 47 matches from Cameron, who was the club’s best and fairest last year and lead’s the Coleman Medal race this season, and 30 games from All-Australian Stengle.
“They have added quality, but they have had their chances through the (Tim) Kelly trade,” Malthouse said.
“There are reasons why Geelong has been fortunate in their selection of players and, let’s face it, they have selected well.
“I don’t think Richmond’s recruitment has been poor, I just don’t think they had a Kelly to trade off to get four picks.”
Richmond followed suit in last year’s trade period with its recruitment of Greater Western Sydney pair Taranto and Hopper to bolster its midfield in a bid to keep itself in the premiership frame, which has attracted plenty of debate since.
“The Richmond recruiting model – a lot is made of the Taranto picks, but at picks 12 and 19, they are absolute steals,” King said.
“We haven’t seen how much those draft picks hurt them, yet the Taranto one is the uncomfortable one for everyone yet I don’t have the same negativity about Richmond as some.
“I think they have invested in the draft whilst still acquiring talent.”
Malthouse remained less convinced on the length of the contracts for the pair.
“I wouldn’t sign anyone on a seven-year contract,” Malthouse said.
“I don’t care who it was. I think you are playing with fire with that.
“They will certainly be good players over the next two or three years, maybe four or five years. They are young enough to be good players over that period.
“But we have seen even the greatest player like (Lance) Franklin, who got a 10-year deal, and I reckon the last three years have been ordinary.”
While the Tigers remain bullish they can turn their fortunes around this season, Malthouse could not see them being a threat for the finals.
“I don’t think Richmond have got any hope of making the eight, I don’t think they are good enough,” Malthouse said.
“I can’t see how Richmond can make the eight at all.”
But King had a more optimistic outlook about the Tigers’ prospects this year.
“Maybe I am a bit like (coach) Damien (Hardwick), a bit too optimistic and a bit too positive with them, but I can see them getting on a bit of a run,” King said.
“They have got an opportunity against Geelong that hasn’t got (injured Patrick) Dangerfield in there and there is a little bit of an opportunity for them.
“Then they have got the Bombers, who most people will say the Bombers will enter that game as favourite, but I would say they would back themselves in that as a 50-50 contest.
“Then Port Adelaide at the MCG, you would say they would go OK there and then they have got the GWS Giants after that.
“So they can easily get things back on track. They are far from throwing the white towel in.
“I don’t subscribe that they will be down for too long because I just think they are such a strong footy club that make the right decisions.”
As much as the Cats look comfortable as top-four contenders, Malthouse argued Geelong needed to win another flag with this group to justify “not moving players on”.
“They have been in contention (a lot), but they have only won the one,” Malthouse said.
“They need to win this year for me to justify them not moving players on. That’s the way I am looking at it.
“Because no one remembers who comes second, 10 years down the track they will only remember premiers and it will be, ‘Did Geelong win 2022, ‘23 and ‘25’?
“The answer will probably be ‘25, no, because half that side would have retired by then and they have replaced them. You won’t know until you know what comes through, particularly with Tasmania now.
“So if we talk now, Geelong are not in the top four, but I think they are in the top four sides and anyone in the top four has got a chance of winning it.”
GEELONG, RICHMOND'S CHANGES SINCE 2020 GRAND FINAL 🏆RICHMOND 2021Arrivals: Mate Colina (Category B rookie), Maurice Rioli (AFL draft father-son, No.51), Samson Ryan (AFL draft, pick No.40).
Departures: Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (delisted rookie), Luke English (delisted), Jack Higgins (traded to St Kilda), Oleg Markov (traded to Gold Coast), Alex Rance (retired), Fraser Turner (delisted).
2022Arrivals: Sam Banks (AFL draft, pick No.29), Tom Brown (AFL draft, No.17), Judson Clarke (AFL draft, pick No.30), Josh Gibcus (AFL draft, pick No.9), Rhyan Mansell (promoted rookie), Tyler Sonsie (AFL draft, pick No.28), Robbie Tarrant (traded from North Melbourne).
Departures: David Astbury (retired), Mabior Chol (free agency), Callum Coleman-Jones (traded to North Melbourne), Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (delisted rookie), Ryan Garthwaite (delisted), Bachar Houli (retired), Patrick Naish (delisted), Bigoa Nyoun* (delisted)
*Redrafted in rookie draft2023Arrivals: Seth Campbell (rookie draft), Steely Green (AFL draft, pick No. 55), Jacob Hopper (traded from GWS Giants), Kaleb Smith (AFL draft, pick No.49), Tim Taranto (traded from GWS Giants), Tylar Young (rookie draft)
Departures: Jake Aarts (delisted rookie), Josh Caddy (retired), Riley Collier-Dawkins (delisted), Shane Edwards (retired), Kane Lambert (retired), Will Martyn (deslited), Matthew Parker (delisted rookie) Sydney Stack (delisted rookie).
GEELONG2021Arrivals: Jeremy Cameron (traded from GWS Giants), Shaun Higgins (traded from North Melbourne), Max Holmes (AFL draft, pick No.20), Shannon Neale (AFL draft, pick No.33), Isaac Smith (unrestricted free agent), Nick Stevens (AFL draft, pick No.47), Paul Tsapatolis (category B rookie).
Departures: Gary Ablett (retired), Nakia Cockatoo (traded to Brisbane Lions), Lachie Fogarty (traded to Carlton), Jacob Kennerley (delisted), James Parsons (delisted), Blake Schlensog (delisted rookie), Jack Steven (retired), Jake Tarca (delisted), Harry Taylor (retired).
2022Arrivals: Jonathan Ceglar (traded from Hawthorn), Toby Conway (AFL draft, pick No.24), Oliver Dempsey (rookie draft), Mitch Knevitt (AFL draft, pick No.25), Flynn Kroeger (AFL draft, pick No.48), Tyson Stengle (delisted free agent), Cooper Whyte (AFL draft, pick No. 64), James Willis (AFL draft, pick No.32).
Departures: Oscar Brownless (delisted rookie), Jordan Clark (traded to Fremantle), Charlie Constable (delisted), Darcy Fort (traded to Brisbane), Lachie Henderson (retired), Ben Jarvis (delisted), Josh Jenkins (retired), Nathan Kreuger (traded to Collingwood), Stefan Okunbor (delisted rookie), Cameron Taheny (delisted).
2023Arrivals: Jack Bowes (traded from Gold Coast), Tanner Bruhn (traded from GWS Giants), Jhye Clark (AFL draft, pick No.
, Ted Clohesy (category B rookie), Phoenix Foster (AFL draft, pick No.52), Ollie Henry (traded from Collingwood), Oisin Mullin (category B rookie), Oscar Murdoch (rookie draft), Osca Riccardi (rookie draft, father-son).
Departures: Luke Dahlhaus (retired), Francis Evans (delisted), Shaun Higgins (retired), Quinton Narkle (delisted), Joel Selwood (retired), Cooper Stephens (traded to Hawthorn), Nick Stevens (delisted), Paul Tsapatolis (delisted rookie), Zane Williams (delisted rookie).
https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/afl-dion-prestia-urges-richmond-supporters-not-to-boo-tom-stewart/news-story/5ee9832bf9bb0ace2d1fddc66576147e
