Mid-season report: Missing link sees Tiger plans derailedMichael Gleeson
The Age
June 5, 2023 IN NUMBERS4/10 - Score
4 - Wins
7 - Losses
1 - Draws
13th - Ladder
This was always to be an all-in year for Richmond. The arrival of two ready-to-go midfield recruits in Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper was designed to complement the older players and hopefully squeeze out another premiership, while bringing on the younger players underneath.
The theory was sound, but it hasn’t worked out in practice.
The reasons are many and varied, but the most significant is personnel – Tom Lynch has played four games, co-captain Toby Nankervis has missed half, while emerging key backman Josh Gibcus hasn’t played at all.
Lynch is arguably the best full-forward in the game, so the structural ripple effect is greater than just the goals lost. Of course all teams have injuries, but for Richmond it felt like everything had to go right – and it didn’t.
Who’s hotNot many for the entirety of the season. Liam Baker and Tim Taranto would be leading the Jack Dyer Medal. Baker has been consistently in the best week in, week out. Despite much of the commentary centring on Jacob Hopper and Taranto, the latter has been particularly impressive and is getting better the longer he plays in Richmond’s system.
Dion Prestia has been good at times if not hot, while Jayden Short, like Baker, just turns up every week and plays well.
Who needs to liftAllowing for age you can’t nominate Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin because they are in the final games of their careers and giving as much as you can expect. Dustin Martin remains the club’s most talented and best player, but he is coming from a way back after serious injury and time away. He was very good in a couple of rounds but he’s had those periods where he’s missed the goals he wouldn’t have in his pomp. Can he regularly find his best again at his age?
Shai Bolton started the season poorly, then picked up and played well before falling away again. He has all the ability but they need more from him. Jacob Hopper started well and has had some good games but needs more consistency.
Coach’s boxCoach’s performance? Which one? Damien Hardwick perhaps judged his own performance by the fact he decided to depart mid-season, saying he felt he was “done, cooked”. He felt he had tried 1000 ways to get his message through and didn’t have the energy for 1001. We will leave judgment to the three-time premiership coach. That said, it was hard to prosecute a game plan when you are missing such a structurally important part as Lynch, and to a lesser extent Gibcus.
Andrew McQualter as caretaker now will not reinvent the Richmond coaching wheel; a different voice with a similar message. This is not an abandonment of the way Richmond plays, but a different voice trying to get them to play that way better. He’ll be pleased to have a win on the board after the narrow victory over GWS in his second game in charge.
The road aheadRound 13 v Fremantle at Optus Stadium
Round 14 v St Kilda at MCG
Round 15 Bye
Round 16 v Brisbane Lions at the Gabba
Round 17 v Sydney at MCG
Round 18 v West Coast at Optus Stadium
Round 19 v Hawthorn at MCG
Round 20 v Melbourne at MCG
Round 21 v Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium
Round 22 v St Kilda at Marvel Stadium
Round 23 v North Melbourne at MCG
Round 24 v Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/mid-season-report-missing-link-sees-tiger-plans-derailed-20230530-p5dcle.html
