Can Teasing Tigers take the Final Leap?
by Russel Holmesby
Inside Football, Nov 12, 2008.
For two decades we have grown accustomed to Richmond finishing on the verge of the finals and promising much.
The combination of over-hyped expectation, endless instability and inflated self opinion has managed to bring the Tigers undone. So is the 2008 ninth any different from the other five ninth placings of the past 15 seasons?
The more desperate TIger fans will seize on the examples of 1994 and 2000 when ninth placings were the stepping stones to thirds the following years. You need more than numerology to advance in the cut-throat world of AFL football but there are signs that the Tigers could be getting it right at long last.
The core of any side in modern football is a deep midfield and when Richmond started winning games it was the midfield that asserted itself.
While Nathan Foley didn't reach the prodigious heights of 2007, he remained a superb clearance player and he heads a group that is predominantly young and will only get better. Kane Johnson at 30 is the only senior statesman, while Shane Tuck (27) Brett Deledio (21) and the brilliant youngster Trent Cotchin (18) will start next year with plenty of kilometres left in their legs.
While the pyro-technics of Richo and some of the higher profile Tigers took centre stage last year the less fashionable area of defence has quietly been built into an effective long term unit. This is an area where Tiger sides of the modern era have not looked solid.
Kelvin Moore had his best year to date. Luke McGuane continued to progress and Will Thursfield showed the benefit of being able to string games together apart from a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. All three had notable triumphs at various stages of the season. Moore snuffed out Fevola's game in one encounter and also performed valiantly on Buddy Franklin. Thursfield had major games against Nick Riewoldt and Mark Williams, and McGuane held his own against Daniel Bradshaw among others.
They gave Richmond defensive options, and in the latter part of the year there were genuine indicators that the defence was becoming a well-meshed unit.
No critique of Richmond would be complete without a major reference to Matthew Richardson. The fact that he produced such a fine season at 33 was one of the AFL's highlights.
On the question of whether we will see a decline of Richo as he passes his 34th birthday next March it has been impossible to predict anything about his career so who could accurately do so now. A forward line with Richo firing and the smart input of Nathan Brown coupled with the emergence of kids like Jack Riewoldt can be a potent weapon.
Of course there are always intangibles at Richmond and the intrigues of the Terry Wallace coaching contract will no doubt occupy plenty of media attention over the next 12 months.
THE ANALYST - Nathan Burke
Tiger supporters know better than anybody that there are no guarantees in football. Finishing ninth does not give you a free pass into the finals the next year. All it does is raise expectations. To make the leap they have to improve but where will it come from. Can Richo play better? Can Bowden still hold down the defence? Can Nathan Brown get on the park more often? It is clear that players like Foley, Raines, Tambling and even B&F winner Deledio must keep improving.
Stars of '08 - Inside Football Ratings
1. Brett Deledio 144
2. Matthew Richardson 130
3. Nathan Foley 129
3. Shane Tuck 129
5. Chris Newman 126
6. Troy Simmonds 122
7. Kelvin Moore 115
7. Richard Tambling 115
9. Jordan McMahon 114
10. Joel Bowden 104
Best & Fairest - Jack Dyer Medal
1. Brett Deledio 250
2. Shane Tuck 223
3. Matthew Richardson 203
4. Chris Newman 196
5. Kelvin Moore 186
6. Troy Simmonds 184
7. Nathan Foley 182
8. Jordan McMahon 162
9. Nathan Brown 161
10. Kane Johnson 155
