Can Richmond challenge again in 2022? [merged]

[Owl]

Personally, I think we made some cuts to the team that started to hurt morale and cohesion despite people thinking they were expendables.  We had a tough fast unit and now we look like a bucket of poo that gets out Tigered by , well almost everyone this year.  Personally I don't see us having another crack next year, the oldies are slowing down big time and Melbourne look ridiculously OP. If they maintain their run next year, they will come in at a canter without breaking a sweat.  We are up to our necks in salary cap pressure with poachers sniffing around.  Our problem is a lot of our players were well trained for roles and not super stars where teams like Melbourne and GWS have been plundering top draft picks for years.  Fortunately, they mostly couldn't organise a chook raffle until recently.
I hope I am dead set wrong.  Ill eat humble pie with glee, done it before.

[Tiger Khosh]

Personally, I think we made some cuts to the team that started to hurt morale and cohesion despite people thinking they were expendables.  We had a tough fast unit and now we look like a bucket of poo that gets out Tigered by , well almost everyone this year.  Personally I don't see us having another crack next year, the oldies are slowing down big time and Melbourne look ridiculously OP. If they maintain their run next year, they will come in at a canter without breaking a sweat.  We are up to our necks in salary cap pressure with poachers sniffing around.  Our problem is a lot of our players were well trained for roles and not super stars where teams like Melbourne and GWS have been plundering top draft picks for years.  Fortunately, they mostly couldn't organise a chook raffle until recently.
I hope I am dead set wrong.  Ill eat humble pie with glee, done it before.

At the end of every season, there’s always the notion that the premier is set for an era of dominance but that is very rarely the case. Since the formation of the AFL in 1990, across 32 seasons, only 4 teams (Adelaide 97-98, Brisbane 01-03, Hawthorn 13-15 & Richmond 19-20) have managed to defend their premiership the following year. Sure Melbourne look strong and they’ll rightly start flag favourites but history suggests it’s very unlikely that they’ll repeat.

[georgies31]

Personally, I think we made some cuts to the team that started to hurt morale and cohesion despite people thinking they were expendables.  We had a tough fast unit and now we look like a bucket of poo that gets out Tigered by , well almost everyone this year.  Personally I don't see us having another crack next year, the oldies are slowing down big time and Melbourne look ridiculously OP. If they maintain their run next year, they will come in at a canter without breaking a sweat.  We are up to our necks in salary cap pressure with poachers sniffing around.  Our problem is a lot of our players were well trained for roles and not super stars where teams like Melbourne and GWS have been plundering top draft picks for years.  Fortunately, they mostly couldn't organise a chook raffle until recently.
I hope I am dead set wrong.  Ill eat humble pie with glee, done it before.

You may be right or you never know. Like I say to other people we took our chance with 2 hands 3 flags and back to back now we need to rejuvenate and draft some kids no big deal.

[Andyy]

At the end of every season, there’s always the notion that the premier is set for an era of dominance but that is very rarely the case. Since the formation of the AFL in 1990, across 32 seasons, only 4 teams (Adelaide 97-98, Brisbane 01-03, Hawthorn 13-15 & Richmond 19-20) have managed to defend their premiership the following year. Sure Melbourne look strong and they’ll rightly start flag favourites but history suggests it’s very unlikely that they’ll repeat.

Very true. A lot has to go right.

Dees list hasn't changed massively between 2020-21, so most of their improvement came from within.

A harder draw in 2022, throw in an injury here and there, and they won't find it so easy being 'the hunted'.

[Rampsation]

I think Tarrant is better than Astbury and we will improve in defence with him. Balta will come back, we need kids like Riley Collier Dawkins, Hugo Ralphsmith to develop further and add depth to midfield, Maurice Rioli to continue his development as well and we need at least our 2 first round draft picks this year to play games and and play to a high level. We need some luck. As long as Dusty comes back and is ok we are always a chance during finals. We are not out of it.

[Andyy]

Do we think there's another flag in the list with the likes of Cotch, Grimes, Dusty and Jack getting older?

Would Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara add the sort of midfield depth we need to have a crack? Clear weak spot for me. Depth here means guys like Dusty and Bolton stay forward more.

I'm not suggesting this but just putting it out there...

7 + 15 for Mitchell and JOM, with Hawks to pay half their salaries.

Swap our 38 + 40 to Pies for 27. Draft with 26 + 27 + 28. See if we could get guys like Freeman and Schlensog with late picks.

Grimes Tarrant Vlastuin
Broad Balta Rioli
Short Lambert KMac
Stack Lynch Bolton
Dusty Jack Baker

Fol Nank, Cotch, Prestia

IC Mitchell, O'Meara, Graham, Soldo

[MintOnLamb]

Do we think there's another flag in the list with the likes of Cotch, Grimes, Dusty and Jack getting older?

Would Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara add the sort of midfield depth we need to have a crack? Clear weak spot for me. Depth here means guys like Dusty and Bolton stay forward more.

I'm not suggesting this but just putting it out there...

7 + 15 for Mitchell and JOM, with Hawks to pay half their salaries.

Swap our 38 + 40 to Pies for 27. Draft with 26 + 27 + 28. See if we could get guys like Freeman and Schlensog with late picks.

Grimes Tarrant Vlastuin
Broad Balta Rioli
Short Lambert KMac
Stack Lynch Bolton
Dusty Jack Baker

Fol Nank, Cotch, Prestia

IC Mitchell, O'Meara, Graham, Soldo

Sounds good, but where do Ross M Rioli and RCD fit into the plan, very frustrating for them to see that scenario, then they leave. I think that while a flag is the ultimate goal we need to see our internal players given games or else they will walk like CCJ

[Rampsation]

Keep the picks people. Its the future of our club here. Trust in Clark to do a good job. His finally got a good draft hand to work with. Go the draft 100% committed.

[one-eyed]

Have the Tigers had their last dance or is there another flag tilt awaiting?

Richmond has a strong draft hand, is it time to focus on the kids or go for one last premiership?

By Jake Benoiton
zerohanger.com
October 10, 2021

The Tigers fell from premiers to the middle of the road and out of the finals picture in 2021. It was a dramatic drop for the reigning champions who had become so reliable in the last five years.

Now in the off-season, they have lost a pair of young highly talented stalls and recruited a veteran defender. Callum Coleman-Jones and Mabior Chol departed the club for North Melbourne and Gold Coast respectively. While Kangaroo defender Robbie Tarrant has come across on a two-year deal.

The Tigers have a stacked draft hand as things stand, currently holding picks 7, 15, 26, 28, 38, 42, 47 and 83. It's the strongest draft hand- points-wise- in the competition.

So where to now for the Tigers? Have they had their last of the glory days at Tigerland or was 2021 the anomaly to a continuing dynasty of success.

Richmond CEO Brendan Gale boldly said in 2010 that the club wanted to win three premierships by 2020. They have fulfilled those desires.

Is that where the story ends? Has Richmond achieved all they can and do they now cast an eye to the future? The likes of Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt aren't getting any younger.

Martin is 30, Cotchin will turn 32 early next season and Riewoldt will be 33 by the start of the season.

Bachar Houli retired at the end of this season, could he be the first of many premiership heroes a bid Punt Road farewell? Could he be the first cab off the rank in a big wave of change in coming seasons?

There is a definite argument that could be made for the fact that the Tigers just weren't as good as the best teams in 2021 and haven't done anything in the off-season thus far to make up that ground.

But to be fair on the Tigers, they did have a lot of injury trouble throughout 2021 and no one wins flags with injury trouble.

Dustin Martin missed the rest of the season after a nasty injury in Round 18 that all-but ruled Richmond out of the finals race despite a win that night. Trent Cotchin battled niggles and form throughout the season and star forward Tom Lynch was another who didn't meet his usually lofty standards.

Add in injuries to the likes of Dion Prestia, Ivan Soldo, Noah Balta and Kane Lambert, and there is plenty of upside for the Tigers if their list can stay even slightly healthier than this season.

But with such a strong draft hand, the Tigers could be tempted to hit the draft hard and invest in youth. Especially having lost two key position players this off-season, there are clear holes that need filling.

But the recruitment of Tarrant doesn't imply a massive focus on youth just yet from Damien Hardwick and his team. Could Richmond use that plethora of picks and look to bring in a big fish of sorts.

They have been linked almost all season with Hawthorn ball magnet Tom Mitchell and the Hawks are reportedly keen to gain a stronger draft hand. Could Richmond send over three of their five picks inside the top 40 for Mitchell? Would picks 15, 26 and 38 be enough?

To put a line through the Tigers based on 2021 would be done at one's own peril. If you're willing to use past evidence as a guideline for what to expect from this champion Richmond team, you need to use their longer body of work.

When fully fit, they have been the cream of the crop and head and shoulders above the rest. While they'll almost certainly not be as far above their competitors as a previous time, there is no doubt they can go again. One more time.

The losses of Coleman-Jones and Chol, while unfortunate, look more like a future problem for Richmond to deal with as opposed to one that will impact their 2022 premiership aspirations.

https://www.zerohanger.com/have-the-tigers-had-their-last-dance-or-is-there-another-flag-tilt-awaiting-92303/

[torch]

I think our game plan needs changing first.

Who said our Pick 7 & Pick 15 can't be in best 22 and in a Premiership team?

Hit the draft!

[georgies31]

100% our game plan needs fine tuning bigtime.

[Willy]

Yep. Im sure Dimma and co can see that.

I'll trust that they'll be working on it this summer.

[Owl]

They can't seriously hold on to the netball stand rule, it is a pox on the game and makes me sick

[Tigeritis™©®]

They can't seriously hold on to the netball stand rule, it is a pox on the game and makes me sick

Agree. 

[lamington]

They introduced it to aflw for 2022 right? So I guess it’s here to stay because it knocked us out if the 8 and that’s how AFL hq rolls