No simple solution to fix TigersJon Ralph
Herald-Sun
23 April 2016 7:00pmDAMIEN Hardwick’s dramatic description of his side on Thursday evoked the image of a flapping fish out of water, struggling for air.
In some ways that description is apt given the forward presses of Adelaide and West Coast have in successive weeks strangled the life out of Richmond.
That image of a flailing, hapless Brandon Ellis spinning around and around in circles looking for a teammate last Friday might have summed up a calamitous 1-3 start.
Hardwick says he is supremely confident the Tigers will kickstart their season as they did in Round 7 against Collingwood last year.
As Hardwick said this week: “In that Collingwood game we were 2-4 and under the pump at quarter-time and something clicked. We won 13 of the next 16 games.”
So what are Richmond’s issues and how can it turn from a oxygen-starved guppy into a relentless barracuda once more?
Reece Conca trying to come to grips with his latest injury setback. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
INJURIES TO KEY PLAYERSHAWTHORN can win without its stars. But Richmond sure ain’t Hawthorn yet.
The club’s injuries have been to the critical players who fill roles only they can in a list not yet good enough to paper over cracks.
No player is more important to his side than Brett Deledio, with the Tigers losing 10 of 13 games he has missed in the past three years.
The pre-season trial of Reece Conca as a small defender was inspired given he is hard, good in the contest, good in the air and kicks the ball well.
Just as Hardwick was celebrating a pre-season positional experiment he ripped his hamstring against Port Adelaide.
Again.
Dylan Grimes is unfashionable but generally puts defenders to sleep.
When Alex Fasolo ran rampant in Round 2 Hardwick couldn’t call on his “cooler”, Grimes already on the bench with a hamstring-related issue.
Champion Data rated Shane Edwards the No. 1 mid/forward in the comp entering the year yet he broke his hand and has been a shadow of that player upon return.
And don’t get us started on Chris Yarran.
The Tigers could overcome the loss of one of those players early on, but not all of them for sustained periods.
Brett Deledio testing his troublesome quad with shots at goal. Picture: Getty
THE EARLY PICKS HAVE STAGNATEDRICHMOND’S A-Graders in Alex Rance, Dustin Martin, Brett Deledio and Jack Riewoldt all made the All-Australian 40 last year, with Trent Cotchin still putting together a 540-possession season despite his critics.
To take the next step the club’s most recent first and second-round picks needed to join the party.
Instead almost without exception they have failed to do so.
Nick Vlaustin looked to be developing into Corey Enright “Lite”, but his panicky handball in the last minute cost them dearly against Colllngwood.
Brandon Ellis stats look good but his impact has been minimal, Tyrone Vickery (another offender in the Pies loss) just so-so, Ben Griffiths poor then injured and Ben Lennon relatively quiet in his two matches.
Daniel Rioli, who Hardwick dubbed an “excitement machine” this week, improves by the week, Connor Menadue brings pace and outside run and the classy Corey Ellis had 20 possessions on Mark LeCras last week.
LACK OF SPEED KILLSCHAMPION Data says Richmond’s real problem is protecting turnovers, the club on average coughing up 40 points per game this season from the AFL’s kryptonite stat.
This is where it gets difficult to explain the malaise.
Richmond looks like it dithers and over-handballs and chips backwards and makes terrible decisions and doesn’t try to score.
And it does go sideways and backwards a lot.
It gains 25m per kick on average (ranked 16th), goes short with 58 per cent of its kicks, and goes lateral with kicks the third-most of any side.
But it is attempting to move the ball aggressively, despite the persistent criticism it isn’t attacking enough with its game style.
Hardwick is trying to attack like others have in 2016, his pre-season determination to kick two more goals per game.
Does that sound familiar?
Perhaps like Ross Lyon’s Fremantle in 2014, it just can’t pull off a game-plan with riskier kicking and fastball movement.
It just turns the ball over in horrific spots by hand and foot, Bachar Houli coughing up 24 turnovers and Trent Cotchin 20 in just four games.
Instead of taking ground against West Coast the club’s stars put teammates under pressure.
Martin (one kick, eight handballs), Cotchin (one and five) and Shane Edwards (one and five) were the chief offenders in a first term with 32 kicks and 38 handballs.
So Richmond’s personnel issues combines with turnovers, which combines with players out of form, and it turns into a recipe for disaster.
The ultimate example of Richmond’s lack of room to move — it has had just 15 running bounces for the year.
GWS has had 72, with Heath Shaw having 11 himself.
Richmond either goes backwards and plays into rival zone defences or turns it over in dangerous spots when it tries to rush.
It is damned either way.
IS THE LIST GOOD ENOUGH?A CLUB once mocked for its litany of first-round draft disaster stories hasn’t had a true early-selection bust for a while.
But neither has it had a true lick of the ice cream with its past five first-round picks — Daniel Rioli (15), Corey Ellis (12), Ben Lennon (12), Nick Vlaustin (nine) and Brandon Ellis (15).
The only time it got within the first six picks (Reece Conca, pick six in the 2010 national draft) it overlooked Dyson Heppell and Dion Prestia for a player ravaged by hamstring issues.
The list of second and third-round success stories is very much a mixed bag, which has seen the club toying with its Moneyball approach.
In the 2011 draft it was Todd Elton (pick 26) and Matthew Arnot (55), in 2012 it was Kamdyn McIntosh (a win at pick 31), Liam McBean (33), and Matt McDonough (42).
In 2013 it was Nathan Gordon (50) and goalsneak Sam Lloyd (66), in 2014 it was Connor Menadue (33) and Nathan Drummond (52).
McBean sums up the recruiting conundrum — a talented forward, he kicked five goals in the VFL last week but never quite seems to be ready.
Such recruiting has enabled Richmond to be good, but not yet anywhere near great.
THE SOLUTIONHARDWICK’S description of improving opponent Melbourne this week was the perfect portrait of what Richmond needs to find.
“They have brought midfielders into the midfield, (Jack) Watts is in as good form as I have seen him, they have kids off half-back who we liked the look of,” Hardwick said.
“They have some really talented players playing good football.”
Richmond must start asserting control in close, needs fellow eight-year forward Vickery to mimic Watts’ breakout year and needs to stop its clangers off half-back.
It doesn’t need to start doing one single thing right, it has a whole heap of interconnected issues that if remedied will each tap into improvement across the field.
“We are still incredibly confident we can play some good footy, incredibly confident,’’ Hardwick says.
No one is writing off Richmond just yet.
They are just sharpening their pencils, wondering if Richmond can extricate itself from a jam for the fourth year running.
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