Richmond 2015 report card: Do the Tigers get a pass or fail?Adam Smith
Herald-Sun
September 25, 2015HOW do you rate a very promising season that ended with another finals disaster?
Can Damien Hardwick’s team continue its climb up the ladder and become a genuine contender next year? And who should the Tigers be chasing in trade talk to beat the finals hoodoo?
See our verdict and have your say.
SNAPSHOTWins: 15
Losses: 9
Draws: 0
Ladder position: 7th
%: 120.6
Last year: 3rd (up one spot)
WHAT WENT RIGHTDespite the awful ending (more on that below) the Tigers made some big steps forward in 2015. They won 15 games — three more than last year — and the percentage of 120.6 was the club’s best since 1982. Interstate wins against Fremantle and Sydney were full of merit but the season highlight was a taming of Hawthorn in Round 18.
Alex Rance established himself as the competition’s No.1 defender, leading a back six that was one of the stingiest in the league. His re-signing was another high point, as was improvement in depth on the list — Kamdyn McIntosh and Ben Lennon won Rising Star nominations, Kane Lambert was a great rookie find and youngsters Connor Menadue, Liam McBean and Nathan Drummond got a taste of AFL action.
WHAT WENT WRONGSunday September 13. After setting up a serious September campaign, the Tigers blew it at the first hurdle — again. The elimination final will haunt the club for a long time and especially Trent Cotchin, Brandon Ellis, Shane Edwards and Troy Chaplin, who all played their worst games of the year when it mattered most.
Despite all that, Tiger fans will forever wonder what might have been if umpires had not missed an obvious holding the ball free kick against Ben Cunnington in the dying minutes.
Hopefully Choco Williams is passing on the lessons he learned when Port Adelaide choked repeatedly in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, we all have to wait another 12 months to find out.
Losses to Melbourne and Fremantle earlier in the season also weren’t ideal and proved extremely costly as Richmond just missed out on the double chance. Ouch.
BEST-AND-FAIRESTThe Jack Dyer Medal count should be close with All-Australians Alex Rance, Brett Deledio and Jack Riewoldt are all in contention, but they might all be beaten by Dustin Martin. Trent Cotchin always polls well and Shane Edwards had a great first 15 rounds.
SUPERCOACH STUDDustin Martin became a more complete and consistent player in 2015. His SuperCoach average of 106 was a career-high and included three scores of 140-plus. The best Tiger buy was Brett Deledio any time after his return from injury in Round 6 — from Round 7 onwards he averaged 119 SuperCoach points a game, behind only Todd Goldstein, Patrick Dangerfield and Nat Fyfe. Alex Rance was also a great pick in defence and there was good value in rookies Kamdyn McIntosh and Kane Lambert.
SUPERCOACH DUDIvan Maric loomed as a cut-price premium ruckman at the start of the season but his output dropped from last year, averaging 95 points a game. He had a purple patch from Rounds 6-9 but only scored four 100-plus scores for the rest of the year.
THE LISTElite: Brett Deledio, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Dustin Martin
Big improvers: Shane Edwards, Jake Batchelor, Kamdyn McIntosh, Kane Lambert, Taylor Hunt
Gone: Chris Newman (retired), Nathan Foley (retired), Chris Knights (retired), Ricky Petterd (retired), Matt McDonough (delisted), Matt Arnot (delisted)
Going, going: Matt Thomas, Nathan Gordon
Trade bait: David Astbury, Matt Dea
WHAT THEY NEEDPriority one is another game-breaking midfielder. The bottom end of the list improved dramatically this year but to take the next step the Tigers need elite talent that can stand up on the big stage.
Those players don’t grow on trees, which is why the Tigers went hard for Adam Treloar (and reportedly Dan Hannebery and Dylan Shiel before him). With Treloar seemingly headed to Collingwood, will they back themselves to manage Harley Bennell?
Chris Yarran is set to wear Richmond colours next year but the Tigers have (thankfully) rejected suggestions Ben Lennon could be part of a swap.
Also on the wanted list are a quality small forward — Steve Johnson is available, but does he fit Dimma’s ethos? — and a ruckman to support and succeed Ivan Maric; Matthew Kreuzer is still on the radar.
PREMIERSHIP CLOCKAbout 9pm. One saving grace for the Tigers is their best players are all in the 24-29 age bracket, so the flag window won’t slam shut for a few years. The problem is they should have prized it open it a year or two ago and now be enjoying the breeze, instead they are still wrestling with the lock. And younger lists like the Bulldogs and GWS are coming hard. A serious tilt next year including winning at least one final is non-negotiable. Sound familiar?
http://www.themercury.com.au/richmond-2015-report-card-do-the-tigers-get-a-pass-or-fail/story-fnj3twbb-1227543603934
