Can Richmond challenge again in 2022? [merged]

[one-eyed]

Richmond's attacking weapons are scary

The Tigers may be sitting seventh on the ladder but they're second in the League for scoring overall. Sunday's rout of Hawthorn showcased their forward-line weapons, as they registered a 100-plus score for the third straight week. No side has scored more across the past three rounds than the Tigers. While Tom Lynch got the spotlight with an eight-goal haul, relative newcomers Noah Cumberland and Maurice Rioli jnr had two goals and nine score involvements each. Veteran Shane Edwards added two majors with three goal assists. The scary thing is Jack Riewoldt and Shai Bolton had quiet days and Dustin Martin is due back for the finals. They're going to be tough to stop in September. - Ben Somerford

https://www.afl.com.au/news/817747/nine-things-we-learned-hungry-tigers-will-take-some-stopping

[Tiger Khosh]

Did they forget to update their writing from last week? Lol

[one-eyed]

During their ascendency, Richmond were considered the best third quarter team in the league.

Their last four third quarters:
6 goals to 2
9 to 1
7 to 3
6 to 2

“Premiership quarter” indeed.

https://twitter.com/LastLaughBlog/status/1561233688955871233

[FooffooValve]

Carlton aren't home and hosed yet. They will beat GWS but then have Adelaide away, Brisbane away, Melbourne and Collingwood. Could conceivably lose all 4

Narrator: And so it came to pass.

[Chuck17]

Carlton aren't home and hosed yet. They will beat GWS but then have Adelaide away, Brisbane away, Melbourne and Collingwood. Could conceivably lose all 4

Narrator: And so it came to pass.

One of modern times greatest travesty's

[Francois Jackson]

Now they know how we felt watching Judd destroy us in that elimination final. A real shame.

all we need is for the pies the dirty pricks to get booted out, and us to take the flag from the cats and our decade is complete.

[lamington]

In some dimension/universe there’s a Richmond vs Collingwood grand final where Richmond wins by a kick and it’s the best stuffing premiership in the Dimmasty

[one-eyed]

RICHMOND’S “HUGE ASSET” AHEAD OF FINALS SERIES

By Andrew Slevison
SEN
22 August 2022

Richmond heads in to the 2022 finals series armed with an attacking arsenal that could do some damage, according to David King.

The Tigers enter the finals on the back of four straight wins in which they scored 100 points or more in each.

They finished the home and away season as the highest scoring team with the fourth best percentage, but had to settle for seventh position after dropping some close games.

As the Tigers prepare to take on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in an Elimination Final on Thursday week, King identified their ball movement, scoring power from possession and the possible return of superstar Dustin Martin as their greatest assets.

“The Tiges have mastered ball movement,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.

“I keep saying this - their system is the best system in the comp because it does allow them to score with that rapid, wing-line, brilliant handball game.

“They’ve got spark players forward of centre that are in some serious form. Then they add the youngster in (Noah) Cumberland in there and all of a sudden you go, ‘Wow, we’ve got another threat’.

“Martin coming back, another threat. He doesn’t have to come back in career-best form, he just has to come back and be another soldier forward of centre.

“They’re the number one team in the competition for any time they’ve got their hands on the ball in the last six weeks of footy, being able to turn a possession into a score anywhere on the ground.

“That’s Richmond - number one. That’s a huge asset.”

King outlined the areas in which the Tigers are number one, but did highlight the fact they are beaten without the ball which is not customary for a Damien Hardwick-coached side.

“They’re number one at moving the ball from defensive 50 to forward 50, number one when it goes inside 50 at covering that into a score. It’s a picket fence - one, one, one, one,” he added.

“It’s amazing what they’re doing with the ball, but without the ball you can get them.

“And this is unlike Richmond. We haven’t seen this before under Damien Hardwick. They’re rated bottom five or six in the competition without the footy.

“It’s going to rely a lot on their brilliance this campaign, but they are bloody brilliant.”

In good news for their in-form attack, the Tigers have confirmed the fitness of key forward Tom Lynch, who was subbed out in the final quarter of the weekend’s 66-point win over Essendon with a groin complaint.

Lynch has kicked 60 goals in 18 games this season, including 21 in his past four outings, four of which came against the Lions in a come-from-behind seven-point win in Round 20.

He will be fit to travel to Brisbane to take on the Lions at the Gabba.

It is the third final between the two clubs over the last four years with the head-to-head at 1-1.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/08/22/richmonds-huge-asset-ahead-of-finals-series/

[one-eyed]

The key stat around Richmond’s scoring

Nathan Buckley
SEN
22 August 2022

“Don’t underestimate Richmond.

“There’s one stat that stacks up in regards to their capacity to score from turnover that is going to have a lot of sides worried going into September.

“The numbers that Damien Hardwick is talking about is controlling turnover. So it’s your balance of offence and defence and after Geelong and Sydney, Richmond are the next best team.

“Richmond scored 200 goals from turnover this year, that’s the highest number of goals scored from turnover. They’ve put together an offensive profile that’s going to worry a lot of sides.

“The last time a team kicked 200 goals from turnover was in 2018 and Richmond kicked 210.

“Richmond, the only team that’s kicked 200 (goals) off turnover, and that’s heading north as well in the last period of time.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/08/21/the-buck-stops-here-buckleys-five-takeaways-from-round-23/

[one-eyed]

Power Rankings after H&A season

Max Laughton
Foxsports
23 August 2022

1. Geelong
2. Melbourne
3. Sydney

4. RICHMOND (13-8-1, 121.6%)

Last week’s ranking: 6

There's a difference between being the fourth-best team in it, as we think Richmond are, and being the fourth-most likely to win the flag. We’re fully on board the Tigers bandwagon - as we’ve mentioned, in their last 16 games their combined losing margin is 15 points, which is better than everyone bar Geelong (13 points). But a poor start to the season, those close losses and strong win-loss records for the teams above them mean the Tigers are having to try and win the flag from seventh. We know that can be done - the Bulldogs in 2016 were in a similar situation where their ladder position belied how good they were. But not only will the Tigers need to win four finals, potentially two of them interstate, but the way the finals bracket fell is much harder for them. We think Collingwood, Fremantle and the Bulldogs are the three weakest teams in the final eight - the Tigers can’t play the Dockers or Dogs until a Grand Final, and can’t play the Magpies until the prelim at best. Instead if everything goes as seeded, the Tigers’ path would Brisbane at the Gabba, Sydney at the SCG, Geelong at the MCG and Melbourne at the MCG. That’s so, so tough.

5. Brisbane
6. Collingwood
7. Fremantle
8. Carlton 
9. Western Bulldogs

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2022-power-rankings-after-round-23-end-of-season-analysis-highlights-every-club-ranked-ladder/news-story/e0e1f9dea829524d65b900b084f24d8a

[one-eyed]

To snare a fourth premiership in six years, Richmond will have to take the long way via an elimination final, but triple-premiership player Nankervis was confident the Tigers had the mettle.

"It's different but we've given ourselves a chance," Nankervis said.

"Really grateful to be playing footy at this time of year.

"It's so hard to get to the finals and give yourself a chance and I think any team within the eight is a real show, especially this year, with the evenness of the competition, which is great.

"It's different than being in the top four but we're still as much a chance as anyone."

Source: AFL website.

[one-eyed]

Premier’s H&A ladder position (since 2000 when current finals format began)

1st: 7 (Melbourne 2021, Hawthorn 2013, Collingwood 2010, Geelong 2007, West Coast 2006, Port Adelaide 2004, Essendon 2000)

2nd: 7 (West Coast 2018, Hawthorn 2014, Geelong 2011, Geelong 2009, Hawthorn 2008, Brisbane 2002, Brisbane 2001)

3rd: 7 (Richmond 2020, Richmond 2019, Richmond 2017, Hawthorn 2015, Sydney 2012, Sydney 2005, Brisbane 2003)

4th: 0

5th: 0

6th: 0

7th: 1 (Western Bulldogs 2016)

8th: 0


Also for Geelong - the last 3 clubs to finish top of the ladder two games clear failed to win the flag.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/luck-of-a-black-cat-the-problem-with-finishing-first-and-whos-really-flag-favourite/news-story/630209ddbc84b16db89d110d8843d518

[one-eyed]

If we go all the way then Bachar will be presenting us with the Cup  .

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2022-grand-final-award-presenters-nathan-buckley-norm-smith-medal-bachar-houli-premiership-cup-ambassador-mcg/news-story/3d8073740bbbe88456d7b2a0424e9f8f

[Tiger Khosh]

If we go all the way then Bachar will be presenting us with the Cup  .

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2022-grand-final-award-presenters-nathan-buckley-norm-smith-medal-bachar-houli-premiership-cup-ambassador-mcg/news-story/3d8073740bbbe88456d7b2a0424e9f8f

Think this just means he’s the person who will bring the cup onto the field pre-game. The clubs usually pick the people who will present the cup to the winning captain/coach once the grand finalists have actually been determined. I guess there’d be nothing stopping the club from picking bachar to do that too though should we make it.

[one-eyed]

Flag or bust? Finalists ranked 1-8 on pressure gauge, and their September pass mark

Catherine Healey and Max Laughton
Fox Sports
August 29th, 2022

4. RICHMOND

Pass mark: Make a preliminary final

There’s a big gap between third and fourth in these rankings, but father time forces Richmond above the rest - because is this it?

Coming into this year the hope at Tigerland was they could recover the form they shockingly lost in 2021 and return to contention, before the superstars who led them to three flags hang up the boots or simply depart.

They did just that, but they dropped a few games they shouldn’t have - both at the start of the season, and some tight ones later in the year - and it means the Tigers are going to have to win a flag from seventh.

If any team can do it, it’s them, and the Bulldogs in 2016 proved it’s possible.

But the path will be bloody tough. Brisbane away, despite the Lions-Demons game just over a week ago, is one of the trickiest tasks in footy - and remember Richmond lost their first-week final there in 2020.

Then it’d be either Melbourne or Sydney in a semi-final, potentially on the road at the SCG, and either flag favourites Geelong or team of destiny Collingwood in a massive preliminary final. And then of course the Grand Final itself.

The Tigers are good enough to win each of those games but winning all of them will be very tricky - you’re arguably looking at four straight 50-50s. Try flipping a coin right now to see if you get heads four times in a row.

So while it’s understandable if they don’t make a preliminary final from 7th, they are talented enough to get there - and they may not be this talented again for a while.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-finals-2022-pressure-gauge-teams-under-pump-in-finals-analysis-pass-marks-geelong-must-win-flag-news/news-story/e69e648bfa7b9c1e6d76997bb5bd2332