Paper TigersBy Paul Daffey
afl.com.au
Tue 11 Sep, 2012
1. Trent Cotchin is arguably the best player in the competitionBig statement? Well, look at the results in the coaches' award, which is the award that has the highest standing among the football cognoscenti. Cotchin polled votes in 20 games. With 107 votes, he finished eight ahead of the second place-getter, Dayne Beams. Richmond coach Damien Hardwick — not typically one for hyperbole —likened Cotchin during the season to Chis Judd for his ability to cut up the opposition as both an inside and outside player. The thing about that statement is that no one batted an eyelid. Cotchin probably needs another two or three seasons of unparalleled excellence to be proclaimed the best, which at 22 seems well within his reach. Or he could just win this year's Brownlow and make a big step towards having the matter settled.
2. Jack Reiwoldt is able to win the Coleman Medal in second gearRiewoldt said towards the end of the home and away rounds that he was disappointed with his season because of his inconsistency. Two weeks later, after a hamstring hobble to Matthew Pavlich, he was proclaimed the Coleman medallist with only 65 goals. Riewoldt spent half the season wrestling with his opponent and the other half leading up the ground to mark the ball. The most effective method was the second one. Imagine what he might do next year if he keeps his eyes straight ahead and finds some consistent form.
3. The Tigers are finding it hard to shake their misbegotten recent historyEveryone at club level will tell you that history means nothing when you've got your head down, just trying to win the next game. Well, the evidence at Richmond suggests otherwise. It stands to reason that the players must have taken in some of the tales of woe that have emanated from Punt Road over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, in 2012, it was in the final moments of close games that the meaning of those stories sank in. Defeat builds its own momentum. In Richmond's case, it's a momentum that's hard to stop. With the current leadership, however, the club has its strongest chance to halt that momentum since the troubles began with defeat in the 1982 Grand Final.
4. The recruiting staff have been doing their workRemember 2004? That was the year that Richmond had five picks in the top 20 in the national draft and four of them were misfires. The only one that worked was Brett Deledio, who went at No.1, so the store manager at Dimmey's could have chosen him. Since then, Richmond's recruiting has been spot on (or as spot on as these things can be). They've had wins in the national draft and the rookie draft as well as at the trade table. The selection of Steven Morris for next to nothing is the best example from the 2012 season. Development staff can also take a bow.
5. Damien Hardwick takes defeat to heartIt was the West Coast match at Etihad Stadium in round five. The previous week Geelong had defeated the Tigers by 10 points at Simonds Stadium. In this match the Eagles inflicted the second 10-point defeat on the Tigers in as many weeks. After the siren had rung, captain Chris Newman threw his mouthguard to the turf so hard that it bounced up and hit the roof, but the enduring image from the aftermath to that defeat is the sight of Hardwick stomping around the boundary on his way to the rooms, head down, trying as hard as he could to hide his despair, trying to keep the steam from spouting out of his ears, but failing dismally. For Richmond fans, it was heartening.
6. Craigieburn is a long way awayWhen the Punt Road Oval was ripped up halfway through the season to enable renovations to begin, the Tigers began a nomadic training itinerary that took them to Victoria Park, Trinity College, the Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham and, last but not least, the Highgate Recreation Reserve in Craigieburn. Where's Craigieburn? Well, don’t ask the media. On the few occasions that a press conference was called before training at the Highgate Reserve, the interest from journalists was so low that the presser was always rescheduled to a more amenable place like, hey, Punt Road. The players were also reluctant to head out to Craigieburn, which is as far from the café belt as you can get. When training resumes at Punt Road Oval in November, it'll be lattes all round.
7. Chris Newman is in danger of becoming a great Tigers hard-luck storyNewman made his debut with Richmond in 2002 and he still hasn't played in a final. He passed his 200-game milestone this season and, while he could see finals over the horizon, it turned out to be a mirage. Newman, now 30, stepped down as captain after the final match in 2012 because he felt it was time to pass on the baton and because he wants to concentrate on playing. That second part is apposite. Newman struggled in the second half of this season. He'll need to regain his mojo in 2013 if he's to give himself the chance of playing beyond the home and away rounds.
8. Shane Tuck is the most popular player at Richmond since RichoAnyone who doubts the veracity of that statement just wasn’t at the best and fairest count the other night when the crowd of 1300 went into raptures whenever Tucky's name was mentioned. When he was named as the winner of the Fred Swift Medal for finishing fourth in the best and fairest, there was an almighty roar. Rank-and-file fans truly identify with the knockabout midfielder who's been playing on one-year contracts throughout his career. Tucky is the battlers' prince. He deserves a yellow and black crown.
9. Daniel Connors has left the buildingThe talented half-forward's misdemeanours of recent seasons caught up with him when the Tigers sacked him mid-season following an incident in which he and Dustin Martin slept in and were late for training. Connors had been warned before the incident that another slip-up would end his career at Punt Road. Martin was given a club suspension of two games. Connors was a man not of his times. He now plays for Shepparton United.
10. A close game is not necessarily a good gameHere are the figures from the Tiger losses: Richmond lost 11 games in 2012. The largest defeat was by 44 points against Carlton in round one. All other games were lost by 22 points or less. Six games were lost by 12 points or less. Five were lost by 10 points or less. The big doozy was losing three games in a row by less than a goal. Yep, from rounds 16 to 18 the Tigers lost to Gold Coast by two points, North Melbourne by four points and Carlton by four points. While Richmond fans despaired, the rest of the footy world laughed their beanies off. Somehow, Richmond defeats are very funny, and close ones especially so. But never mind, Tiger fans. History is littered with examples of clubs that have lost a series of close games in one season and then shot up the ladder the next. But, then, Richmond fans don’t want to know about history, do they?
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