2015 AFL preview: Richmond Tigers By Cameron Rose
Columnist
The Roar
17 Mar 2015 In 2014, Richmond proved to the competition one thing that long-suffering fans have always known – the Tigers only exist in extremes. Euphoric highs. Crushing lows. Nothing in moderation.
Richmond looked like a struggling VFL side for the first half of last season, stumbling their way to a 3-10 start, with only percentage keeping them off the bottom of the ladder.
Their ball movement was treacle-slow, the lack of confidence in individual players endemic, the absence of run stifling.
Things famously turned around on the scoreboard from Round 15 on, the Tigers unleashing a winning blitzkrieg that carried them all the way to eighth place and back-to-back finals series for the first time since 1974-75.
The result? A rare kind of humiliation that saw them seven goals down to Port Adelaide before 18 minutes of the first quarter had gone.
So, what will Richmond deliver this year? Let’s have a look at a potential side:
B: A.Rance D.Astbury T.Hunt
HB: B.Houli T.Chaplin B.Lennon
C: S.Grigg D.Martin B.Ellis
HF: B.Deledio T.Vickery B.Griffiths
F: S.Edwards J.Riewoldt S.Morris
Foll: I.Maric T.Cotchin A.Miles
Int: C.Newman N.Vlastuin R.Conca N.Gordon
Em: K.Lambert N.Foley R.Petterd
Alex Rance is coming off a deserved All-Australian season, establishing himself as one of the premier key defenders in the competition with his mixture of grim defence and ball-carrying run off half back.
David Astbury at full back was a shining light in the early-season gloom last year before his injury. Troy Chaplin was sloppy earlier in the season, but improved as the team did throughout the year. He’s a player whose output seems to reflect what’s happening around him.
Bachar Houli has provided ultra-consistent drive and run from half-back in his four seasons at Richmond, only missing two matches in that time. Classy first-round draft pick Ben Lennon has been impressing off half-back in his second pre-season and should get first crack at the other rebounding role.
The ability of the Tiger defence to withstand attacks from the opposition will be largely fought through the midfield.
Trent Cotchin will lead the way off the back of three of his club’s last four best and fairest awards. An All-Australian in 2012, he hasn’t quite reached those heights again, sometimes struggling for influence under the attention of a hard tag. He’ll have been gutted by both his own and his team’s poor performance in that final against Port, and it could drive him to have a career-best year.
Dustin Martin is equally at home linking up with short possessions through the middle, getting the ball forward long and quick, or kicking a match-winning goal. There are few more dangerous one-on-one players in the league.
Anthony Miles was a much-publicised revelation last year, spurned by GWS and elevated off the Richmond rookie list to become a hard-ball and clearance winning machine. His arrival in the senior team coincided with a reversal of their fortunes.
Brandon Ellis racked up some huge numbers on the outside last year, averaging 28 touches a game from Round 6 on. Shaun Grigg tempered his natural ball-winning tendencies to perform some important run-with roles. Nick Vlastuin has natural poise and composure, but entering his third year needs to find more ball.
Ivan Maric is another talisman, and one the most important few players at the club. Apart from his astute ruckwork, he provides the intangible presence that makes teammates walk taller when he’s out there. ‘When he speaks, people listen’ is one of the bigger clichés in football, but it’s true of Maric at Punt Rd.
Reece Conca has shown glimpses but remained a relatively anonymous on-field presence for four injury-interrupted seasons, and is at the crossroads in many eyes. Such is life for a top-10 draft pick. Conca’s year may define Richmond’s season – if he can find another level, so too may the Tigers; if it’s more of the same, then he may be symptomatic of the club.
Dual Coleman medallist Jack Riewoldt will spearhead the attack again, and provide his usual consistent output. Much-maligned for a lack of team play outside Tigerland, it is actually a feature of his game.
Tyrone Vickery and Ben Griffiths present two glaring weaknesses in that second and third tall forward/back-up ruck position.
Vickery is entering his seventh season now, and usually pops up with a few bags of three and four goals, but goes quiet in-between times, and is too much of a confidence player. It’s crunch time for him, and he simply must start crashing more packs and attracting more of the football.
Griffiths can take a pack mark and has arguably the biggest kick in the league, but needs to do more than just deliver a highlight or two every couple of weeks. He showed positive signs last season, but must now convert that to consistency.
If one of Vickery and Griffiths can find another level, Richmond will look a much better side for it. If they don’t, the Tigers are basically a man down when both are on the field.
Brett Deledio will rotate between high half-forward and the middle. He kicked 12 goals from his last six matches in 2014, and will continue to play that role. A 35 or 40-goal season from him makes the Tigers much more formidable.
Shane Edwards is an important depth player through the middle and in the front half of the ground with his inside work, clean hands, pressure skills and deft finishing touches.
Steve Morris made his name as a concrete-hard back pocket, but has been converted to a defensive small forward over this pre-season. I’m not sure it will take.
Richmond’s depth is solid enough in that they have six or eight players that could be considered unlucky to miss out on the final half dozen positions in the best 22.
That will prove important through the season, and should drive the players in that bracket to improve, but if any of the class players go down it will mean trouble.
Damien Hardwick has had five seasons at the helm, and he has built the team from a laughing stock to one that has played finals two years in a row. Yet they’ve been humiliated both times. He has his shortcomings in the coaches box, but gets a chance to deliver again.
The safe pick for the Tiges this year is somewhere around sixth to tenth. History says it will either be much higher or much lower. Either way, it’s going to be entertaining.
Predicted ladder spread: sixth-tenth
Predicted finish: eighth
Rosey’s ladder8th – Richmond
9th – Essendon
10th – Brisbane
11th – Adelaide
12th – Collingwood
13th – Greater Western Sydney
14th – West Coast
15th – Carlton
16th – Melbourne
17th – Western Bulldogs
18th – St Kilda
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