Richmond Tigers calling out for a hero Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
April 05, 2010NEW boundary rider Matthew Richardson was probably ripping the top off a cold one by the time it got ugly for his old team last night.
Richo was working at Etihad Stadium, while across town at the MCG Richmond was slumping to another heavy defeat.
Regardless of the Tigers' form, Richardson always pulled a crowd, but after a match as flat as any in recent memory one question hung in the air.
Who will be the new cult hero for a Richmond side that looks set for another interminable period of rebuilding?
Because after two rounds the template for the club's Groundhog Day has already been set: glimpses of talent from the youngsters, but ultimately heavy defeat and the sobering reality that goes with it.
Kids need heroes, and if last night's crowd of 27,358 is anything to go by, they are in short supply at Tigerland.
The Tigers did all coach Damien Hardwick asked of them for three quarters.They threw themselves into the contest, took the game on, and again played youngsters.
Yet they lost by a considerable margin to a rival that hardly got out of first gear.
First the positives.
A defence pounded repeatedly was excellent: Will Thursfield kept Barry Hall quiet, Kelvin Moore rebounded with intent, and Chris Newman was his normal industrious self.
No. 3 draft pick Dustin Martin's collect, shimmy past Dale Morris and assured goal from 40m shows he has what it takes.
And although the Tigers were thoroughly outclassed, they did not drop their heads.
But Richmond is still way off the pace and, on current form, has no chance of beating the second-worst side in the league, Melbourne, in a fortnight. Unfortunately, most positives come with a caveat.
Jayden Post looks a potential attacking weapon, but he is at least two years from having an impact up forward.
He kicked a nice set-shot goal from long range but the flip side was a litany of errors.
Daniel Connors has a booming left foot that will help set up the Tigers from defence.
But in the space of minutes he recklessly tried to sidestep five Bulldogs and was pinged for holding the ball, then turned the ball over to Robert Murphy for a Daniel Giansiracusa goal.
One veteran journalist made the telling observation that after 97 AFL games, we still don't know if Richard Tambling can play.
At quarter-time, four Tigers had single-figure SuperCoach points, and Troy Simmonds and Post had negative scores.
Things improved with a bright patch of perhaps 10 minutes in the second term, but Jack Riewoldt twice missed set shots.
It is hard not to think Shane Tuck deserves a place in this side. His knockers say he is unaccountable and a turnover merchant, but in Richmond's side he is not Robinson Crusoe on that score.
At least he might win enough centre-square ball to help his younger teammates in what will be a trying year.
After a fortnight to assess the list, Hardwick might starting scrubbing the thick black texta through several names. At the top would be Simmonds, Tom Hislop and Jake King.
Hardwick has no other choice but to keep blooding the youngsters, and the supporters have no other choice but to endure it.
Melbourne turned around its season with a fighting performance on Saturday, but that breakthrough still seems months away for the Tigers.
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