Who Would Win: Richmond of Today Versus Richmond of 1991
aflinsider.net
April 27th 2007
Ever since they filled their Save Our Skins tins the Tigers have been on a youth movement, "wait till next year" or talking about 2011 has been the norm. The 2007 Richmond team has started the season like the 1991 team did. The 1991 team would grow to be a force in 1995, so the 2007 team really might be great in 2011. It must be remembered that old Dear and young Richardson were just some of the players added during the early 1990s.
1991 FB T Free, S Turner, B Bower
2007 FF R Tambling, M Richardson, G Polak
1991 HB B Young, A Goodwin, A Banik
2007 HF K Pettifer, J Schulz, A Krakouer
1991 C W Campbell, C Lambert, T Powell
2007 C G Tivendale, K Johnson, C Hyde
1991 HF T Nichols, B Gale, M Pickering
2007 HB A Raines, J Bowden, B Deledio
1991 FF C Naish, J Hogg, T Keays
2007 FB C Newman, D Gaspar, L McGuane
1991 Foll D Cloke, M Knights, D Weightman
2007 Foll T Simmonds, S Tuck, N Foley
1991 bench C Smith, T Esler, M McQueen, D Ryan
2007 bench C Hughes, D Jackson, J King, S Edwards
1991 emergency S Ryan, S Bowden, N Bower
2007 emergency J Oakley-Nicholls, M White, A Pattison
This would be a game of the yellow versus the black. Turner versus Richardson at one end and Gaspar versus Hogg at the other. It looks like it would be an even contest.
Cloke, Gale and maybe Hogg could all rotate through the key forward spots and the ruck. Simmonds, and his backup Polak, would have a mobility advantage over them, but would not be able to match them physically, so the ruck spot could be a draw. It is also hard to split the smalls around the contest too, maybe Knights would give the 1991 team the advantage.
Richardson would be the best forward on the ground, so the current team might be able to outscore the 1991 team if they got the same amount of supply into their forward line. But the 1991 team could rely on Naish to kick a few goals too.
Neither team had, or has, a very good back line. The current one would use the ball better as J Bowden, Raines and Deledio are all skilful players. This run from the back half might be enough to overcome any disadvantage in the middle for the 2007 team. So the 2007 team might win a close game.
The 1991 team would have players like Daffy, Rogers, Prescott, Maxfield, D Kellaway, G Dear and Richardson added to it to make it a contender in 1995. While the 2007 team might be ahead of the 1991 team, they will need to find some more help if 2011 is going to be a big year.
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