29 reasons why Richmond made it to this year's Grand FinalJon Ralph
Herald-Sun
28 September 2017IT’S 35 years since Richmond was last in a Grand Final and 37 years since they last won a flag.
So what is it about this season?
Jon Ralph looks at 29 reason the Tigers are in the Grand Final.
1.Damien Hardwick’s computer melted down. As he and Matthew Knights were chasing the job Kevin Sheedy had been forced out of, his poor reaction to a mulfunctioning Powerpoint presentation was seen to turn the job in Knights’ favour.
Had he taken that Essendon job, he would never have been at Richmond to begin the turnaround in 2010.
2. They never stopped taking their first-round pick in the draft. Even with the misses - Tyrone Vickery, Ben Lennon, Reece’s Conca’s injury history, Corey Ellis’ modest start - they just kept going.
Now as they roar into premiership contention first-round picks Nick Vlastuin, Brandon Ellis, Daniel Rioli, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt are all having career-best years.
3. They nailed their rare early picks. The only top-five picks on their list are their captain (Trent Cotchin, pick 2, 2007 draft) and their best player (Dustin Martin, pick 3, 2009)
4.In 2013 two board members Malcolm Speed and Maurice O’Shannassy were tussling for the presidency. Thrust forward was the most unlikely compromise candidate, an American lawyer and board member who became the surprise president.
Peggy O’Neal has turned into an inspired president who backed in Hardwick at his most vulnerable last year.
5.After Fiora-over-Pavlich and Tambling-over-Franklin they got to the 2007 draft and arrived at pick 18. Terry Wallace told them whatever they did they should take the big bloke over the small. So they took Alex Rance over Scott Selwood (pick 22) and the rest is history.
6. Richmond defended Dustin Martin to the hilt when Chopsticks-gate hit. Even if his father felt the club could have done more, he felt supported enough in his time of crisis to eventually re-sign with the Tigers.
7.Trent Cotchin found himself a personal mentor who urged him to bare his soul and open himself up to the outside word. And began playing like his father-in-law, renowned hard man Rick Kennedy. He redefined his reputation and in the process brought the playing group together.
8.Blake Caracella felt Chris Scott stopped listening to him about the Geelong game plan. They are still close friends - and his wife still works at Geelong - but it paved the way for him to help invigorate Richmond’s ball movement in 2017.
At Geelong he was seen to want quicker ball movement from defence, a tactic he brought to Richmond.
9. Martin Hiscock and his “Focus on Footy” group completely stuffed up their board challenge. They lacked a point of difference and seemed so inept it actually strengthened the position of the incumbents and sucked the oxygen from subsequent board challengers.
10. Collingwood believed Neil Balme was too soft. They wanted an in-your-face mover and shaker in Graeme Allan as their footy boss, not Balme’s quiet and calm brand of leadership.
He had no choice to jump ship where he led the resurgence at Richmond. Above all else, Richmond needed a cuddly bear who affirmed what they were doing right and fixed what they were doing wrong.
11.Justin Leppitsch got sacked by Brisbane. His stellar work on Alex Rance’s footwork and defensive craft in his first stint at Richmond had turned him into a champion. Now he was available and turned into the forward coach who combined with Jack Riewoldt to overhaul the forward line.
12. They got rid of the ridiculously big leadership group that never ended. Instead Cotchin, Riewoldt and Rance are a tight-knit bunch who lead on the field and by example off it. Rance and Riewoldt never got along that well, but now they are thick as thieves.
13. Brett Deledio got sick of Richmond. Not only did Richmond get a first and third-round pick, it meant he wasn’t available to play half forward. It left open a spot for Dan Butler or Jason Castagna. That led to the pressure game that has won them so many games.
14.Richmond learnt from its losses. It was mocked as being mentally weak when it lost to the Dogs, Fremantle and GWS in three weeks. But in the next week’s Dreamtime game its leaders were huge in the final frantic minutes. Cotchin was huge, Rance marshalled the defenders, Riewoldt kicked a big last-term goal. The Tigers had worked it out.
15. Ty Vickery believed he could turn his career around at Hawthorn. He seduced Richmond’s coaches with his potential in 119 games, luring then into playing him most weeks.
Only when he was gone and Ben Griffiths was out concussed did they realise playing one ruck and one key forward could change their entire game style.
16. They began picking on rival clubs. They exploited Sydney’s salary cap issues by dragging required player Toby Nankervis out of Sydney for pick 46.
They sold frustrated expansion club midfielder Dion Prestia on a quick turnaround, even if it cost them pick 14 and mega-bucks.
17.They were so bad in 2016 it handed them a dream draw. They won their first five games against teams which didn’t end up playing finals. Even when they lost four in a row, it gave them a buffer to rebound and make the top four.
18.The played just one team which eventually played finals in the final five home-and-away games. That was Geelong, who beat them at Skilled Stadium. But needing wins to make the top four, they breezed past Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Fremantle and St Kilda to finish third.
19.Mrs Hardwick. She told Damien Hardwick to pull his head in, stating he wasn’t the man he married. How many people could deliver that message in a way that makes you listen, rather than want to sleep on the coach for the next four years?
20. Great injury management and durable players like Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin, who have barely missed a game in the past eight years.
But also freakish good luck with collision injuries. Rance, Cotchin, Martin, Astbury, Dylan Grimes, Shaun Grigg, Daniel Rioli and Brandon Ellis have played every game, Kane Lambert, Kamdyn McIntosh and Nankervis have missed one, Riewoldt and Dan Butler two,
21.They mined the state leagues. Nathan Broad was a mature-ager taken at pick 67 from Swan Districts, Kane Lambert was a VFL star no one believed could make the grade.
Broad might play on Tom Lynch on Saturday, Lambert has had a career-best year.
22. Like his great mate and mentor Alastair Clarkson, he has begun to innovate. No one has ever got through to a Grand Final with a five-man mosquito fleet, let alone a 190cm ruckman named Shaun Grigg. He pushed Brandon Ellis to half back, turned Prestia into a tagger.
23. Damien Hardwick’s players love him and always have loved him. The Tigers lost 10 games by five or more goals last year. Yet they mugged him like a father when they beat Collingwood in Round 20 last year. He hadn’t lost that emotional connection despite Richmond’s horrific year.
24. The Tiger Army. When the Tigers wanted to clear their debt the supporters and benefactors like David Mandie came from everywhere to kick in. It means Richmond has state-of-the-art facilities, $2 million in the bank, $20 million in assets and the cash to fund a stand-alone VFL team which replicates the game style and coaching in the senior side.
25.“Damien’s first wish for recruiting was that they have good kicks and character,” said former Richmond football operations chief Craig Cameron of Hardwick’s demand for players when he arrived at the club.
A team which once butchered the ball like few others has built a game plan on ball retention. Dusty has made his mistakes, but they don’t have too many ratbags or distracting controversies.
26. The footy gods started smiling on Richmond. The Tigers have often played teams this season with their best player out of sore. For instance they took on GWS without Shane Mumford or Jeremy Cameron and with Stevie J in his third game in as many weeks.
27. Jack Riewoldt grew up. The dual Coleman Medallist might not have been receptive five years ago to playing a totally team-oriented game plan where so many of his acts are selfless and not goal-oriented.
28.The footy gods II. When they played GWS early in the year the rain came tumbling down with the Giants all over Richmond. The Tiger flicked a switch and out-grunted the flighty GWS. Wins like that shored up a top-four spot.
29. KB. The man who wore the 29 jumper with such distinction riles Carlton fans, riles rules traditionalists, riles the AFL. But 403-gamer Kevin Bartlett helped save the club’s skin with the 1990 fundraising drive, meaning Richmond still existed to turn into a powerhouse today.
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