Why Tigers have 'that edge', star set for new roleThe Tigers are looking to get back on track this year after injuries ruined their 2023 season
By Sarah Black
afl.com.au
13 August 2024
SETTING The Scene is a pre-season series ahead of the 2024 NAB AFLW season, which starts on August 30. Picking up on storylines from last year's season, which ended in a second premiership for Brisbane, the series will also take a more holistic look at what is involved in a pre-season.
After finishing the home and away portion of season seven in fourth spot, Richmond featured in a maiden finals series. The Tigers then crashed out of the top eight last year on the back of a lengthy injury list. What can you take out of an injury-decimated season?THERE were moments last season where Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson and his match committee were seriously struggling to pull together a team of 21 players.
There was no clear pattern to the injuries, which were coming thick and fast. Bone breaks, impact injuries during games, concussions, soft-tissue tears, even a case of glandular fever.
If clubs dip below 23 available players (a team of 21 and two emergencies), they can select from their "top-up players", a group of 10 state leaguers who train alongside the main group once a week.
Shannon Danckert and Lauren Caruso were named in the side or as emergencies on a collective six occasions.
With no consistency in their 21, the Tigers slid down the ladder, missing finals.
"We got a lot out of it, a lot of learning, a lot of growth. I honestly feel like our game has significantly improved, but obviously we weren't able to play it consistently enough," coach Ryan Ferguson told AFL.com.au.
"We found a lot from positional adjustments and flexibility. Gab Seymour gets to play as a key defender. Jem Woods plays a chunk of games and plays multiple positions and (Charli) Wicksteed plays a chunk of games, plays forward as well.
"More significantly, we didn't get what we wanted. So the players have that edge about them. Well, we rose to the challenge in many ways, but the fact is, doesn't matter what the challenges were, we didn't get what we wanted, so how do we go about making sure that we do rectify that this season?
"I think many teams are going to going to be faced with that outlook this season, where it's going to be a challenging season (with mid-week footy), and you've got to make sure that you're flexible, you're able to adapt to what you got, you use your whole list, it is going to take a whole list.
"We've got practice in that, we know what that looks like. We think we could have been better. Although there were many times where we rose to the occasion, there were times where we weren't good enough across quarters or games."
Richmond saved its best footy last year for a final-round rout of Collingwood, highlighted by a starring role by All-Australian defender Eilish Sheerin through the midfield.
It's an experiment that's likely to be repeated in the upcoming season, with Sheerin set to line up alongside reigning AFLW best and fairest Monique Conti, returning No.1 draftee Ellie McKenzie, Sarah Hosking, Grace Egan and recruit Ally Dallaway.
"She's been training there a bit all season, and we're excited by that. In an ideal world, I think we can add some real power to our midfield and add a layer that will complement the other mids, and will be tough for other teams to come up against.
"We always felt a bit hamstrung, especially around availability. Nearly every match committee we talked about it, but the hole it was going to leave in our defence and the rebound, we just didn't feel like we had the players to cover it. Whereas with time to train up, we feel like hopefully that'll work for us this season."
Speaking to Ferguson before star recruit Montana McKinnon ruptured her ACL, the Tigers coach was buzzing about the impact of his new players, including Giants pair Dallaway and Jodie Hicks.
"The exciting thing about those three is that their characters have already added to the group, their workrate, how well they bounce off their teammates," he said.
"They haven't played a game, but we're better for having them. But obviously the excitement around what they can do on game day – Hicksy's ability to see the game, competitiveness, to fight, defend well and rebound fast, Dallaway's work and shape around the ball and the ability to make others better around her as well."
In terms of climbing back into the top eight, it's all about that midfield-forward connection for Richmond, which was shaky last year after the retirement of marking target Courtney Wakefield.
"We need to play our game more consistently. Specifically, I think we were a bit leaky in terms of our front-half game, the year before we were quite strong. Whereas we had trouble getting it forward, keeping the pressure on, and creating re-entries and creating scores from pressure," Ferguson said.
"So we need to make sure that we're done a lot of work on getting ascendancy in the game, getting a number of inside 50s and repeat entries and forward half territories. That's important.
"We saw a bit of play in the Collingwood game, in the second half of the Hawthorn game – being able to create and explode in attack and advance our methods. We've got it all, but just understand our methods of attack a little bit.
"I know the players are really pumped about advancing our game with our attacking side, but off the back of a really strong defensive mindset, strong contest and balance and contest game, so we've got a really good balance across the three lines."
https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1195295/why-richmond-tigers-have-that-edge-star-eilish-sheerin-set-for-new-role
