Richmond must play finals this year Jon Ralph
From: Herald Sun
March 14, 2012 THE problem with far-reaching five-year plans is that at some stage they come back to bite you.
Terry Wallace was roundly mocked for his constant references to long-term plans at Richmond, so much so that he still jokes about it now.
But Richmond is an ambitious club, so it has set ambitious plans.
The club declared in 2010 that by 2014 it would have played finals three times (with a top four finish), have attracted 75,000 members, and be clear of debt.
Do the sums and that means Richmond must make finals every year from now to 2014.
No wiggle room, no way of backing out.
It is a bold contrast: Richmond's own plan shouts from the rooftops its definitive plans, ones that have it winning three premierships by 2020.
Yet talk to any coach or player at the club and they go out of their way not to set finals as a goal this year.
As recently as last year, when the Tigers lost eight of nine games mid-year and fell to Port Adelaide and Gold Coast, talk of finals was a pipe dream.
A quick straw poll of the Herald Sun football writers yesterday drew a consensus: Richmond are absolutely no chance to make the finals this year.
''They are kidding themselves,'' was one retort.
''We get this hype about Richmond in March every year,'' was another.
The irony, though, is that Richmond is closer to a premiership than at any time since 1983.
How close? Maybe still 3-5 years from a real crack.
That's not that close, but it's better than the past two decades.
What coach Damien Hardwick and his assistants would have witnessed in the past two weeks would have them quietly giddy with excitement.
Any side with Jack Riewoldt and Tyrone Vickery as key forwards has enough firepower in attack.
Any side with youngsters like Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin and Brett Deledio in the midfield will eventually develop into a side with enough A-grade midfield potential.
The massive holes at Richmond were in the ruck, down back and their inability to win the ball back from opponents.
Richmond looks to have addressed them all over a single pre-season.
Ivan Maric has quickly become a cult favourite at Richmond through his long locks alone.
But the spectacular flowing mullet is only an added bonus.
Richmond was often obliterated at the stoppages last year, partly through the inability of Angus Graham to compete.
Maric has won first possession, buttered up when the ball hits the ground and dropped back in front of the tall marking forwards when the opposition has the ball.
If he could maintain that rage through the home-and-away season, he would be the bargain-basement recruit of the year.
Given the Tigers gave up only pick 37, the price was certainly right at the trade table.
Down back, the addition of Steven Morris, and first-round pick Brandon Ellis, plus the return of tall defender Dylan Grimes significantly improves the defence.
Ellis is hard and tough and uses the ball exceptionally well. Morris is hard and tough and probably doesn't use it exceptionally well.
But with Grimes exhibiting the cool head, closing speed and sound marking in the pre-season that was a feature of his game last year, the defence looks immeasurably better than in 2011.
Not exceptional, but good enough to break even if the ball doesn't come in with lightning speed.
Every side can fill holes over the pre-season, but not every side changes its mindset.
At times last year Richmond let the opposition gain possession deep in defence then waltz it all the way down the field to score.
Against Fremantle early and Geelong all day the Tigers hunted in packs.
They chasing frenetically, gang-tackled repeatedly, and forced turnover after turnover.
Against Fremantle the endeavor ran out after halftime, and against Geelong the Cats had such a lack of intensity it was hard to know just what to think.
All of it is extremely positive, yet once again, it is two games in a sea of historic mediocrity for Richmond.
That type of form and commitment all year would see the Tigers push for finals and get Hardwick a contract extension in quick time.
Yet Richmond has played great football in patches before; bringing it for six months of an AFL season is another thing altogether.
Champion Data says last year Richmond was 15th in contested possessions, 16th in clearances and 17th in centre clearances.
It is hard to marry up this year's stats given that second half against Fremantle, but in the NAB Cup so far Richmond has risen from last year's 15th in tackling to this ninth so far this year.
In centre clearances they are an encouraging eighth, even if they are still 15th in clearances.
What does it all mean?
The five-year plan might be great in theory, but a side which had sunk as low as Richmond before Hardwick cannot hope to live up to those expectations.
Richmond won eight games last year.
It could improve 50 per cent, win 12 games, and yet still miss the finals in a competition with 18 teams.
The hype is building at Richmond like never before.
When that five-year plan was released the football component looked ridiculously optimistic.
Is two exceptional weeks of football enough to change perceptions?
Probably not, but there is no denying the Tigers are finally playing a brand of football that will one day take them far in September.
www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/richmond-must-play-finals-this-year/story-fn6cisdj-1226298526304
