The top ten Richmond Tigers players of the 21st centuryAre these the best ten names to have called Tigerland home this century?
Zero Hanger
February 20, 2024 Throughout the final years of the 1990s, AFL clubs across the land looked backward rather than forward, with selectors, historians and superstars converging to name their Teams of the 20th Century.
So, as we near the quarter-time mark of the 21st century, what better time to run the rule on which players are likely to feature when the selectors of tomorrow get together in several decades' time?
While every club has an array of deadset legends that can be called on, we here at Zero Hanger have employed the following rules of selection:
* Only statistics recorded and achievements accrued since the start of the 2000 AFL season will be acknowledged.
* All statistics and awards must have been accrued while playing for the club in question.
* Any player selected must have played at least 100 senior games for their respective club since the start of the 2000 AFL season.
Next up, we head to Punt Road to run a rule over the top ten Tigers of the century.
1. Dustin Martin (2010-present)1 x Brownlow Medal (2017)
1 x Leigh Matthews Trophy (2017)
3 x Norm Smith Medal (2017. 2019 and 2020)
2 x best and fairest (2016 and 2017)
4 x All-Australian (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020)
3 x premiership player (2017, 2019 and 2020)
289 games, 24.6 disposals per game, 328 goals, 1.1 goals per game, 212 Brownlow votes, 0.7 votes per gameWho else was it going to be, really?
Not only is 'Dusty' the greatest Tiger of this century, one could make an easily sound argument the hybrid gun with the neck tatts is the best player from any club to have laced a boot since 2000.
2. Jack Riewoldt (2007-2023)3 x Coleman Medal (2010, 2012 and 2018)
12 x leading goalkicker (2010-2018, 2020-21 and 2023)
3 x All-Australian (2010, 2015 and 2018)
3 x premiership player (2017, 2019 and 2020)
347 games, 787 goals, 2.3 goals per gameIf the Coleman Medal is the key forward's equivalent of the Brownlow Medal, then Jack Riewoldt is without doubt one of the greatest spearheads of the century.
With three Colemans and an even dozen club-goalkicking gongs, 'Mr. Brightside' has very little company when it comes to earning a spot in Richmond's top side of the 21st century.
3. Trent Cotchin (2008-2023)1 x Brownlow Medal (2012)
3 x best and fairest (2011, 2012 and 2014)
1 x All-Australian (2012)
3 x premiership player (2017, 2019 and 2020)
306 games, 22.5 disposals per game, 148 Brownlow votes, 0.5 votes per gameIn the storied history of the Richmond Football Club, only four names have captained the Tigers to multiple flags, with only one doing so on three occasions: Trent William Cotchin.
Across the course of 16 seasons at Tigerland, the hard-nosed gun from Reservoir took on all comers and conquered the lot, collecting just about every award on offer.
4. Alex Rance (2009-2019)1 x best and fairest (2015)
5 x All-Australian (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018)
1 x premiership player (2017)
200 games, 5.7 marks per game, 3.2 rebound 50s per game For the better part of a decade, Rance was not only the finest defender on Richmond's roster but, perhaps, the best in the competition.
Although the Western Australian would miss the final two of the Tigers' three flags after hanging up the boots to pursue matters of faith, it is fair to say that Richmond's recent run of September success may have looked more than a little different had Rance never called Punt Road home in the first place.
5. Matthew Richardson (2000-2009)1 x best and fairest (2007)
8 x leading goalkicker (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008)
1 x All-Australian (2008)
163 games, 426 goals, 2.6 goals per game, 87 Brownlow votes, 0.5 votes per gameFor more than a generation, Matthew Richardson was the Richmond Football Club, with members of the Tiger Army rolling through the turnstiles en masse to see what the enigmatic forward had up his sleeve.
While some may have 'Richo' higher on this list, it bears remembering that a sizable portion of the Tasmanian's best work was completed in the 1990s.
Still, few will ever forget Richardson's come-from-the-clouds Brownlow run in 2008 after trading his forward 50 haunt for life on a wing.
6. Brett Deledio (2005-2016)2 x best and fairest (2008 and 2009)
2 x All-Australian (2012 and 2015)
243 games, 182 goals, 22.8 disposals per game, 75 Brownlow votes, 0.3 votes per gameWhile he would depart Tigerland before Richmond's rebuild would pay dividends, Deledio's arrival at Punt Road with the first pick of the 2004 AFL Draft acted as the first shovel in the soil.
A hyper-talented midfielder for seasons on end, it seems a cruel irony that Deledio was made to fall by the wayside and then watch on as Richmond edged his Giants in the 2017 preliminary final before choking them out in the big one two years later.
Few gave more to the Tigers' efforts during the early years of this millennium - a fact that real heads will never forget.
7. Joel Bowden (2000-2009)2 x best and fairest (2004 and 2005)
2 x All-Australian (2005 and 2006)
207 games, 23.5 disposals per game, 4.4 rebound 50s per game A leader from the front despite calling the backline home, Bowden was perhaps the prototype for the modern rebounder, with his thrusts forward often taking a decidedly attacking tinge.
While the second-generation Tiger would never salute in September during his days at Punt Road, Bowden would find successive in public service after being elected to the legislative assembly in his native Northern Territory.
8. Dylan Grimes (2010-present)1 x best and fairest (2021)
1 x All-Australian (2019)
3 x premiership player (2017, 2019 and 2020)
229 games, 3.85 marks per gameWhether flying gracefully, spoiling strongly or simply tangling his opponent up in a mess of limbs, Grimes proved to be an impenetrable force for the vast majority of the Tigers' three-flag run.
Still leading the way at Punt Road, the next generation of Tiger stoppers could do worse than shadow the former skipper for the rest of his days in yellow and black.
9. Shane Edwards (2007-2022)1 x All-Australian (2018)
3 x premiership player (2017, 2019 and 2020)
303 games, 17 disposals per game, 2.6 clearances per game, 2.6 inside 50s per gameWhile rarely gilded himself, Edwards' cog proved integral in the Tigers' recent golden run, with the South Australian directing traffic effortlessly from his post ahead of the ball.
Keen on a goal, setting them up, extracting the ball or a tackle or two, 'Shedda' earned his place in the heart of every Richmond fan for never once giving up, nor giving in.
With his place in the Tigers' coveted 300 Club cemented for forever and a day, Edwards' legacy is set to live on for generations.
10. Dion Prestia (2017-present)1 x best and fairest (2019)
3 x premiership player (2017, 2019 and 2020)
117 games, 23.9 disposals per game, 46 Brownlow votes, 0.4 votes per gameAlthough Prestia would cut his teeth at the Carrara preparatory school, it was at Punt Road that the 'Meatball' would hit his peak.
When fit, the former first-round draftee is prone to firing for the Tigers, with the veteran averaging just shy of 22 touches a week throughout 2023, his 13th season at league level.
https://www.zerohanger.com/the-top-ten-richmond-tigers-players-of-the-21st-century-147639/10/
