Will love see the Tigers go back to back?Jennifer Phelan
afl.com.au
Jun 21, 2018 EX-RICHMOND big man Ben Griffiths has declared the Tigers are primed to win back-to-back premierships.
The retired ruckman, who is working on becoming an NFL punter, says his former team is in the box seat to win a second straight flag because of their close-knit group.
"I certainly believe they can do it again," Griffiths said on Wednesday at the AFLPA's launch of its yoga and mindfulness partnership with athletic brand Lululemon.
"I just know the connection and love they've got for each other down there and that goes a long way.
"The only thing that will hold them back is injuries, but they're going alright at the moment."
Griffiths said it had been tough to leave the Tigers after nine years and readjust to life away from a professional sporting world, having been drafted straight out of high school.
"I certainly miss the team environment," he said.
"At the moment, because I'm just training all the time, it's hard not being able to go out there on the weekend and actually compete for something.
"I struggle a little bit with that, not seeing all the boys and my close mates every day like I used to, and that's certainly one of the harsh realities of leaving the system."
Griffiths walked away from the game in January after accepting a four-year scholarship with the University of Southern California, where he's set to combine primary school teaching studies with American football training.
He is spending this year in Melbourne working with Prokick Australia coach Nathan Chapman to perfect his punting skills before relocating to the US in January.
He is also working at a factory in Thornbury while he waits to make the big full-time move.
"We kick three times a week and then pretty much go to the gym every other day, and then I've had full-time uni and then working," he said.
"The training stuff, it's just been a lot of kicking and learning the craft, and I've been trying to put on a bit of weight in the gym."
Griffiths said he had already noticed an improvement in his punting, having achieved a few "five second-plus hang-time" kicks with an average length of 75 yards (68.5m).
In his last season at Punt Road, he battled dual concussions that saw him play one game in 14 weeks before he returned wearing a helmet.
Still, he said that wasn't the main reason behind why he walked away and had been prepared to play on had the scholarship not eventuated.
"The concussion side of stuff wasn't really a factor in the decision in the end, because I was cleared to play at the end of last year and came back and finished off the year," he said.
"For mum, it was a bit more settling, knowing I wasn't going to be getting hit any more.
"For me, it was more just the appeal of getting a university degree."
Griffiths said his symptoms had cleared up since he removed the contact side of the game from his life.
"I haven't had a migraine in over a year now," he said.
"I was fortunate enough that we found some underlying symptoms that were very fixable, and we worked really hard.
"It was very frustrating, but I was able to recover and come back to football, which was what I wanted to do, and I was very fortunate to be in a place where Richmond got me the best medical advice and helped me recover."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-20/will-love-see-the-tigers-go-back-to-back
