WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO RICHMOND NEXT YEAR?By Andrew Slevison
SEN
17 August 2021The Richmond Football Club will not complete a three-peat of premierships this year.
After back-to-back flags, and three in four seasons, the Tigers have fallen out of contention in 2021.
Barring a miracle in Round 23, in that they need to comfortably beat Hawthorn and hope Essendon, West Coast and Fremantle all lose, they will not be playing finals for the first time since 2016.
It brings to end - and for Tigers fans hopefully only temporarily - a savagely successful era under Damien Hardwick.
The way the AFL landscape works, generally, is that dynasty teams eventually diminish due to a number of factors including the physical and mental toll constantly playing and winning takes, among other things.
History is also a pesky thorn in the side of successful teams.
In recent times, we’ve seen the Brisbane Lions, Hawthorn and to a lesser extent Geelong all endure some down seasons after premiership-laden eras.
The same thing is occurring at the Tigers. It was always going to happen.
But why so quickly just 12 months after a courageous Grand Final win over the Cats at the Gabba?
Melbourne great Garry Lyon attempted to shed some light on the situation the Tigers find themselves in.
“History is your greatest teacher in all of this,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“The last time a team won four premierships in five years, you’ve got to go back to the ‘50s. (Hawthorn won four in six between 1986 and 1991).
“To win another premiership this year they would have had to defy history, so this is not an indictment on them.
“Hand high in the air, I never thought they were going to get to the heights that they did.
“I think they’re one of the greatest teams that ever played.
“Brisbane dropped off the map, Hawthorn eventually dropped off, Geelong did it differently. They went premiership, year off, premiership, year off, premiership, but they got three and three seemed to be the limit.”
So what will happen to Richmond next year?
It’s far too hard to predict, as are most things in footy, but it can certainly be discussed.
As is normally the case with these conversations, personnel comes into the equation. Ultimately, it is the people who make this sort of success possible.
Nothing can be achieved without the playing group in particular, but the inevitability is that players age, deal with injuries or just burn out.
Richmond has already experienced that this week with the retirement of triple premiership defender David Astbury. There is uncertainty surrounding Bachar Houli, while the form of captain Trent Cotchin and forward Jack Riewoldt has been questioned, and the durability of the likes of Dion Prestia, Kane Lambert and Shane Edwards has been tested.
Dustin Martin is not getting any younger, either.
Throw in a glut of injuries and it has been a tricky path to navigate in 2021.
Former Essendon captain Tim Watson pondered what the playing group at Tigerland could be going through from a mindset point of view.
He asked: “Do you think it’s more about personnel or more about getting their fill of success and maybe they’re not prepared to go back and do what they did to get that success?
“Losing a couple of their senior players, will that have a major impact on them?”
That prompted plenty of further thought and discussion points from Lyon who suggests a broader extension of personnel in the form of coach Hardwick will sit so centrally to what is next achievable.
“All of these things go into the melting pot,” Lyon said.
“Age demographic, style of play. Dimma’s style was peerless for three years, it’s been a bit worked out, so he has to go back now as a coach and ask what works for us and what doesn’t.
“Coach messaging, motivation levels, leadership of that group which has been critical.
“I initially thought they’ll bounce (back) next year, and then I went back and had a look and thought, ‘Oh gee, it’s going to be challenging’.”
The hallmark of Richmond’s game over the past four years has been controlled chaos, a brand of footy that many have been unable to replicate. Tempering that and bringing in new elements will be paramount to recapturing their best in the coming years.
“Retooling” the team and arming them with a game plan slightly different to the one that has spawned success would be a clever place to start.
Watson asked: “Does Hardwick need to retool this team in the way they play?
“There are modes of football and styles of football that has been successful over a period of time. Then it morphs into something else and somebody else comes along with a new, better model and style of play, then that’s successful for a period of time.
“Everybody has worked out the way they play and has found a way of stopping them.
“Do they need to come up with a new game plan a lot different from the way they’re currently playing?”
Lyon believes it is a must, for the game is ever changing and rapidly moving. It will leave behind those who don’t grow with it.
“The game changes, things evolve, other clubs go to work on what you are,” he said.
“Richmond want heat and tempo and fast movement on the footy. This is why Damien Hardwick starts to complain about uncontested marks because that takes away heat and speed and pace and chaos and all that.
“I’m not saying they won’t bounce, but I don’t think it’s just a matter of course that they’ll have year off and bounce back into the top four.
“Finals are absolutely on the agenda, I’m talking about whether they can bounce back and contend for a flag.”
Richmond still has a lot going for it. You just don’t lose your ability overnight and they have a list capable of challenging again.
Take into account the fact they will have the services of a number of important players who missed large portions of 2021 through injury, a much needed break over the off-season and with a renewed freshness and reinvigoration for 2022, they could see September action again swiftly.
“All of what they were isn’t quite what they necessarily will be next year,” Lyon concluded.
“I think it’s going to be a really interesting watch.
“They’ve been up for a long time, they’ve been going deep for a long time, the break is going to be great for them. Just really clear the deck and then have a look at what they’ve got and who they’re going to play.
“Richmond have been THE side of the most recent modern era, they’re not playing finals and it is a big story.”
The Tigers finish up a tough year on Saturday at the MCG against Alastair Clarkson’s Hawthorn, which presents as another challenge in itself.
The beast will then repose over summer, placed into essential hibernation, before setting their sights on the prize once again.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/08/17/what-will-happen-to-richmond-next-year/
