The decade that was: RichmondJosh Barnstable
theRoar.com.au
28 May 2020After eight consecutive seasons in September wilderness, five of them resulting in bottom-four finishes, Richmond began the decade looking to put perhaps their most unsuccessful period behind them.
With a new coach in former Essendon and Port Adelaide hard man Damien Hardwick, the Tigers were dismal in their start to 2010, losing their opening nine games by an average of 52 points. It drew comparisons to how Fitzroy were performing in their final years, but an improvement in form saw Richmond avoid claiming another wooden spoon.
The Tigers took their late-season form into the 2011 campaign, creeping higher on the ladder. More wins came in 2012, with Richmond among the pack of teams to finish just outside the top eight. With 15 victories in 2013, the Tigers finally broke a 12-year finals drought, taking on fierce rivals Carlton in an elimination final in front of over 94,000 fans at the MCG. Despite leading by five goals in the third term, Richmond were beaten by a resurgent Blues outfit who only qualified for September due to Essendon’s relegation because of their supplements scandal.
The Tigers took the finals loss hard, sitting 15th on the ladder with just three wins heading into Round 15 of the 2014 campaign. However, with a stunning nine-win run, Richmond qualified for the finals for a second consecutive year, this time hitting the road to take on Port Adelaide. With all of their petrol tickets spent, the Tigers were obliterated by the Power, sent packing by 57 points. They enjoyed a more settled season in 2015, reaching yet another finals series. Taking on the eighth-placed North Melbourne, Richmond saw an early lead evaporate as they were overtaken by the fresh legs of the Kangaroos, knocking them out of the opening week of the finals for a third consecutive season.
With pressure continuing to mount on the success-starved Tigers, Hardwick came perilously to losing his job in 2016 as his side struggled to just eight wins for the year. Given the vote of confidence heading into 2017, the Tigers played with more freedom, helped by a breakout season of star midfielder Dustin Martin. Richmond finished in the top four for the first time since 2001, finally breaking their run of failure in September with a win over Geelong in the qualifying final. With a parochial home crowd behind them in the preliminary final, the Tigers cruised to their first grand final in 35 years. Matched up against the minor premiers Adelaide, the Tigers went into the game underdogs, but a dominant second half delivered the long-awaited premiership cup back to Punt Road.
The confidence gained from taking out the flag spurred Richmond on to a brilliant 2018 season, finishing on top of the ladder for the first time since 1982. After winning through to another preliminary final, the Tigers were handed a rude shock in their match-up against the less fancied Collingwood, who caused a major upset to win by 39 points. Richmond’s quest for redemption looked in tatters early in 2019, with champion defender Alex Rance tearing his ACL in the opening round of the season. Further injuries to key players such as captain Trent Cotchin and three-time Coleman Medallist Jack Riewoldt put their premiership aspirations in serious doubt, with the Tigers slipping out of the top eight after Round 14. However, an 11-game unbeaten run saw Richmond storm into another grand final, this time facing the GWS Giants. With over 100,000 packed into the MCG, the Tigers brushed the Giants aside in one of the most one-sided premiership deciders the game has ever seen, with Richmond securing their 12th premiership. With two flags over three years and a membership base in excess of 100,000, the Tigers were a bona fide juggernaut as they finished the decade.
Best winsQualifying final, 2017 – Richmond 13.13.91 beat Geelong 5.10.40 (MCG)Having failed to advance past the first week of the finals in every year between 2013 and 2015, the weight of the world was squarely on the shoulders of all Richmond players and coach Damien Hardwick as they entered the 2017 finals campaign. The pressure was magnified even more so, given they were coming up against a Geelong outfit that the Tigers had not beaten in over 11 years. After kicking the first three goals, the Tigers held a slender nine-point advantage in a low-scoring slog at the main break. A dominant second half, highlighted by a seven-goal final term, delivered Richmond’s first win in a final since 2001, also sending the Tigers through to a home preliminary final.
Grand final, 2017 – Richmond 16.12.108 beat Adelaide 8.12.60 (MCG)After winning their way into their first grand final in 35 years, the Tigers started slight outsiders against the top-of-the-ladder Adelaide Crows. Having fallen behind by 13 points early in the second term, Richmond quickly took control of the match thanks to a seven-goal burst that effectively killed off the contest. Richmond cruised to a 48-point win, their first premiership since 1980, with celebrations on Punt Road continuing for days on end.
Grand final, 2019 – Richmond 17.12.114 beat Greater Western Sydney 3.7.25 (MCG)After the pain of missing out on back-to-back grand final appearances, the Tigers made a swift return back to the big dance, albeit after an incredibly trying season littered with injuries to key personnel. This time, Richmond went into the game warm favourites, taking on a GWS Giants side who won their way through to the grand final from sixth position. Following a slow start to the match, the Tigers took a 35-point lead into halftime. That blew out to over ten goals by the final change, with the Giants having no answer for Richmond’s pressure and skill. With a strong final term, the Tigers claimed their 12th premiership by a whopping 89 points, ensuring they finished the decade as the team to beat going into the 2020s.
Worst lossesRound 16, 2012 – Gold Coast 13.14.92 beat Richmond 13.10.88 (Cazaly’s Stadium)Teetering on the brink of the top eight, Richmond entered their Round 16 clash with the winless Gold Coast Suns expecting to chalk up an important victory. The Suns weren’t playing to script, kicking seven of the first nine goals to lead by 36 points late in the second quarter. The Tigers finally found their spark, eventually taking the lead by three goals approaching time-on in the last term. A goal to Josh Caddy reduced the Richmond lead to ten points, but with ball in hand and just 45 seconds remaining on the clock, it seemed certain that it would be the eighth win for the season for the Tigers. However, a turnover resulted in a goal to Jarrod Harbrow, before the Suns quickly won the ball forward from the resultant centre clearance, ending in the arms of Karmichael Hunt. The rugby league convert calmly slotted the match-winning goal after the siren, with the Tigers snatching defeat from the jaws of victory – a result that all but ended their season.
Elimination final, 2014 – Port Adelaide 20.12.132 beat Richmond 11.9.75 (Adelaide Oval)After a disastrous start to the season that saw Richmond sitting equal last on the AFL ladder after Round 14, the Tigers went on a barnstorming nine-win run to charge into the finals. Matched up against the Power at the Adelaide Oval, the in-form Tigers had a great opportunity to avenge their painful loss to Carlton on the same stage a year earlier. However, having spent all of their petrol tickets getting to the race, they were blown out the water, with Port taking advantage of captain Trent Cotchin’s surprise decision to kick into the wind after winning the coin toss. The Power slammed on 12 of the first 13 goals, leading by as much as 82 points late in the third quarter. Richmond saved some face in the last quarter, but the 57-point defeat was a bitter end to what was a rollercoaster season for the yellow and black army.
Preliminary final, 2018 – Collingwood 15.7.97 beat Richmond 8.10.58 (MCG)After brushing aside Hawthorn to win through to a home preliminary final, the Tigers took on fierce rivals Collingwood, who had failed to beat the Tigers in their two outings that season. However, the Magpies were inspired by American forward Mason Cox, kicking ten goals to two in a stunning first half to lead by 44 points at the main break. The Tigers attempted to fight their way back into the contest, but Collingwood would ultimately steady and win through to the grand final, breaking the hearts of the Richmond faithful.
Moments that shaped the clubWorse than FitzroyAfter a horrific start to Damien Hardwick’s coaching tenure in 2010, Richmond’s plight was compared to that of Fitzroy, who perished after merging with the Brisbane Bears in 1996 in the midst of severe financial complications and declining on-field performance. After a five-win campaign in 2009 that saw Terry Wallace lose his job, Richmond lost their opening nine matches of 2010 by an average of 52 points. With the pressure mounting, the Tigers were able to alleviate some of that with six wins from their next nine matches, including a four-game winning stretch. Richmond eventually came out of the September wilderness in 2013.
Board challengeRichmond’s 2016 campaign was an unmitigated disaster. Having lost three consecutive elimination finals to Carlton, Port Adelaide and North Melbourne, the Tigers entered the season hoping to finally break their September duck, having not enjoyed success in finals since the Danny Frawley years in 2001. Instead, Richmond won just eight matches for the season as they slumped to 13th on the ladder, finishing the year with an 88-point loss and a 113-point thrashing among their final five games of the campaign. This put immense pressure on coach Damien Hardwick, who held a 47.7 per cent winning record after seven seasons. A supporters group named Focus On Footy was formed in the aim of creating a spill on the Richmond board, featuring former premiership Tigers Bruce Monteath and Bryan Wood. The group demanded action, however they didn’t call for Hardwick’s head, instead urging him to come up with a new game plan after a failed season. After calling for the return of Neil Balme to the club, the former premiership player was named the new general manager of football ahead of the 2017 season. Only 16 days after announcing their intention to overthrow the Richmond board, the Focus on Footy group withdrew their challenge.
Premiership successThe decision to give Hardwick one more chance to lead Richmond out of the mire after their disastrous 2016 campaign looked like an inspired one early in 2017, with the Tigers winning their opening five matches of the season for the first time since 1995. With superstar midfielder Dustin Martin taking his game to extraordinary levels, he propelled the Tigers to a top-four finish. After winning through to their first grand final in 35 years, Richmond beat the Adelaide Crows to end a 37-year premiership drought. After a dominant 2018 campaign, the Tigers fell at the final hurdle before the premiership decider, losing to Collingwood in the preliminary final. With the recruitment of Gold Coast captain Tom Lynch in the off-season, the Tigers boasted one of the most potent forward lines heading into 2019. However, after a spate of injuries to key players early in the season, including key defender Alex Rance and three-time Coleman Medallist Jack Riewoldt, hopes of a second premiership in three years seemed fanciful. But a resurgence in form in the second half of the season had the Tigers in the box seat for a 12th flag, and after coming from behind to defeat Geelong in the preliminary final, they would take on the GWS Giants on the last Saturday of September. In one of the most dominant performances by any side in a grand final, Richmond barely broke a sweat as they finished the decade with an exclamation mark.
Are the Tigers placed better or worse going into the new decade compared to ten years ago?No club has undergone a transformation as impressive as the Tigers in the years of the decade. From being an on-field basket case to a mentally fragile side who couldn’t cope with the pressure of finals, Richmond finished the decade as the prevailing juggernaut of the AFL with a membership base in excess of 100,000. It’s a credit to coach Damien Hardwick, who came incredibly close to losing his job halfway through the decade. The decision to stick with him, as well as with gun goal-kicker Jack Riewoldt and superstar midfielder Dustin Martin, will go down as history-changing for the Richmond Football Club, and there is a genuine chance to create a Tigers dynasty heading into 2020 and beyond.
Best 22 of the decadeB: Dylan Grimes David Astbury Nick Vlastuin
HB: Bachar Houli Alex Rance Chris Newman
C: Brandon Ellis Trent Cotchin Shaun Grigg
HF: Brett Deledio Jack Riewoldt Shane Edwards
F: Jason Castagna Ty Vickery Josh Caddy
R: Ivan Maric Dustin Martin Kane lambert
Int: Dion Prestia, Reece Conca, Daniel Jackson, Daniel Rioli
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