“I’VE GOT ENORMOUS FAITH”: WHY KING EXPECTS RICHMOND TO BE AMONG THE BEST IN 2023By Seb Mottram
SEN
5 September 2022Richmond is out of the finals, but one AFL great insists the club will be back next year.
In what was a brilliant weekend of finals footy, Richmond’s loss to Brisbane was among the best games to the eye, with the clash coming down to the final seconds and filled with controversy as the Lions prevailed by two points.
It caps off an ‘almost’ season for Damien Hardwick’s men, who lost five games by under a goal after Round 10.
After three premierships in the previous five years, the Elimination Final loss could be seen as the end of an era, especially given the list features numerous veterans in the twilight of their careers.
But that’s not how David King sees it, with the dual-premiership Kangaroo naming the stat that highlights the Tigers’ dominance on Thursday night.
“I’m still a massive wrap for Richmond, I still think their system is the best in the competition, the amount of times you see a game look like a Richmond game, I think, is 80 per cent of the time,” King told SEN’s Whateley.
“They still took 17 marks inside 50 on the weekend… (for) 9.4, Lynch took five, Jack (Riewoldt) took four, so that’s a huge number.
“Of their last 13 finals, only the Grand Final smashing against GWS (2019) produced more marks inside 50 than last night.
“So that’s a big number for Richmond in a big game. I’ve got enormous faith in that football club to get things right, regardless if the name tags still read (Trent) Cotchin, (Jack) Riewoldt, (Dustin) Martin, we know (Shane) Edwards and (Kane) Lambert are no longer there (both retired)… but you just don’t lose faith in Richmond.”
With the majority of key stats relatively even in the final, there was one clear difference between the two sides.
Lachie Neale was the clear best player on the ground, with the 2020 best and fairest gathering 39 disposals (13 more than any other player, 15 clearances (six more), nine score involvements (equal game-high) and five inside 50s in a performance that left King stunned.
“It’s just such a strange game, they (Richmond) had opportunities. I don’t know about the goal reviews and a few things went against them, but they just couldn’t get a handle on one guy, it’s as simple as that,” he continued.
“They got Lachie Neale’d. Outside of that, things were pretty good, weren’t they? Lachie Neale was involved in nine score involvements, four of them were centre bounce goals.”
In better news for Richmond, they’ve been linked with a trade for GWS midfielder Tim Taranto and look set to land the 24-year-old in the upcoming trade period.
“We hear Tim Taranto will get the big deal and he’s a great acquisition for them,” King added.
“They’ve had to plan around players like Dion Prestia that have gone down regularly in-game and in-season, so they need some durable midfielders again, guys they know are going to be there for 20 matches a year, if not 23.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/09/05/ive-got-enormous-faith-why-king-expects-richmond-to-be-among-the-best-in/
