Broady on SEN WA:
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RICHMOND DEFENDER EXPECTING BIG THINGS FROM FORGOTTEN TIGER, TIPPING “VERY QUICK” REBOUNDLachlan Geleit
SEN
20 October 2023Three-time premiership Tiger Nathan Broad expects Richmond to bounce back very quickly in 2024.
The Tigers fell to 13th in 2023 after finishing seventh in 2022 and looked a shell of the side that won three premierships between 2017 and 2020.
While plenty of premiership stars still performed well in 2023, many believe the Tigers are simply coming back down the mountain after reaching such extreme heights.
Even though some have that view, Broad still thinks this Richmond group can do big things with injured talls set to return from injury and former Hawk Jacob Koschitzke bolstering the forward line.
“I think (we can bounce back) very quick,” Broad told SEN WA.
“We probably didn't realise what was happening during the year to us with the loss of coach (Damien Hardwick), (Tom) Lynch and (Josh) Gibcus went down.
“It probably took a bit of a toll on us without really knowing.
“We sat down at the end of the season and said, ‘It’s not that bad’, after ‘Mini’ (Andrew McQualter) took over (we were 7-6), I think we were in the eight.
“Everything was going alright, but we're excited now.
“We're coming. We've got (Jacob) Koschitzke coming on board. Big ‘Lynchy’ is going great, his foot is fixed.”
One player that Broad previously mentioned as a missing piece is his defensive teammate Josh Gibcus.
The former top-10 pick burst onto the scene in his first season in 2022 when playing 18 games in the yellow and black, but failed to appear in 2023 due to persistent hamstring issues.
The 20-year-old jetted off to Qatar this off-season to try and rectify his hamstring concerns and Broad thinks the forgotten man can have a great 2024 campaign.
“If we can get Josh Gibcus back, we could play him down back and maybe (Noah) Balta up forward,” Broad said.
“His (Gibcus’) hamstring just kept going. He was a bit forgotten this year.
“But he's been over to Qatar with our physio and met some really smart people and high-level people.
“So fingers crossed for Josh he can have a great season and that the Tigers can bounce back.”
Richmond heads into the 2024 season with a new head coach for the first time since 2010 as Adem Yze takes the reins.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/10/19/richmond-defender-expecting-big-things-from-forgotten-tiger-tipping-very/