Why Tigers look like CinderellaMark Duffield
The West Australian
June 4, 2012It seems strange to talk about a team in 10th place on the ladder as a club on the rise but Richmond are well placed to become the Cinderella story of the season if they get things right between now and September.
I know, I know, you have heard this yarn before.
But this time the roar of the Tiger has a ring of quality we haven't seen for more than a decade.
Perhaps more significantly, the Tigers have put the nightmare section of their draw behind them after round 10.
Ahead is the strong possibility of playing in the finals for the first time since 2001.
Of the top nine teams at this stage of the season, the Tigers have played eight.
In the run home they will play just three, although they will face the 11th-placed Dockers twice, including next Saturday at the MCG.
Fremantle, who will also still believe they can get there, have played top-10 teams seven times in the first 10 rounds and face them another six times in the run home.
The Dockers are in the middle of a brutal six weeks of games and they haven't negotiated the first three weeks of that section well.
Richmond have threatened in the past to challenge for the finals only to fall away.
However, this time they hit the middle of the season boasting arguably the best-performed midfield in the AFL.
The Tigers' engine room is not so much a tale of succession as one of higher quality leapfrogging lesser lights.
A few years ago, Nathan Foley may have had claims on being Richmond's best midfielder.
This season, Foley has been solid, going at almost 24 touches a game, but he would probably rank fifth in the Tigers' pecking order.
Brett Deledio's elevation to genuine elite status and the emergence of Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin as brilliant youngsters has completely redefined Richmond's midfield.
Deledio is averaging 28 possessions a game and has nine goals.
Cotchin is going at 26 with 10 goals, Martin 23 per game with 11 goals.
The surprise package has been Shaun Grigg, who was grabbed from Carlton at the end of 2010 and is having his best season, averaging 27 touches with nine goals. As opponents have scrambled for ways to combat Deledio, Cotchin and Martin, Grigg has been the one to get off the leash.
Foley, Shane Tuck and Daniel Jackson have been the ones playing roles to complement the stars.
Jackson often plays an accountable role but has still hit the scoreboard for seven goals.
The midfield stats tell the tale of a group that is well organised in addition to being well performed, with the elite ball users Cotchin, Deledio and Martin tending to kick more than they handball.
The hard-working scatterguns Foley and Tuck have tended to handball more than kick and so aren't turning the ball over as much as they might have in the past.
Jack Riewoldt has come into form to give the Tigers the focal point they need in attack and the emergence of Alex Rance as a quality defender has stiffened their back line.
But one of the untold stories about Richmond has been that a club frequently known for horrendous recruiting has done some really smart horse trading in the past couple of seasons.
Grigg's performance after being lured from Carlton speaks for itself.
Ivan Maric has been a terrific get from Adelaide and has given Richmond the competitive ruck presence that their midfield needs to thrive.
Bachar Houli has been the least heralded of Richmond's recycled players but the former Bomber has been significant.
A club known for its lack of foot skills and its ability to shoot itself in the foot through unforced turnovers now has Houli.
Along with skipper Chris Newman, they're using the ball well off the back and through the middle.
Young tall Tyrone Vickery could, more than any other player, determine what is possible for the Tigers this year.
At his best, Vickery offers a second tall marking target to Riewoldt and a ruck option to support Maric.
But his output has been moderate at best, averaging eight possessions a game for six goals.
He had 16 possessions with a goal against St Kilda on Friday night in a sign his season was turning and Richmond's season may turn upwards with him.
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