Richmond has been left exposed by its recruiting strategyMICHAEL WARNER
Herald Sun
April 26, 2016RICHMOND’S patchwork team of A-grade stars, kids and mature-age recruits has “stalled in its development”, according to former Hawthorn and St Kilda list boss Chris Pelchen.
The Tigers’ disastrous 1-4 start to 2016 has again turned the spotlight on the club’s list management strategy.
“Richmond is in a state of flux at the moment,” Pelchen said.
“Clubs who have rebuilt significantly with youth such as the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, St Kilda and now Carlton have bought themselves some time ... but Richmond went down a very different path.
“While it wasn’t done exclusively through mature-age players, they certainly put a strong focus on trades and free agents then tried to complement them with some talented juniors — but not to the level that most other clubs in the competition have committed to. That’s what has left them slightly exposed.
“There’s no doubt that Ivan Maric has been a good player for Richmond and a very worthwhile recruit but questions will be asked about the relative merits of players such as Troy Chaplin, Bachar Houli, Chris Knights, Shaun Grigg, Shaun Hampson, Matt Thomas, Ricky Petterd and Taylor Hunt.
“They were all recruited as mature-age players and expected to make an immediate and somewhat sustainable impact ... but with the way Richmond is playing at the moment people will rightfully ask whether they should have been putting more games into younger players.
“I’m a firm believer that if you are going to recruit mature-age players they need to be given an identifiable and significant role within your senior team, not simply used to add depth to the list.”
Pelchen said Hawthorn’s targeting of rival players had been much more specific.
“Hawthorn specifically targeted Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, David Hale, Jack Gunston and Brian Lake, but they were recruited with key roles in mind not as complementary positions such as half-back or half-forward,” Pelchen said.
“Richmond’s strategy is now being questioned. Recruiting mature-age players is justifiable if there is continued progression in your development ... they were able to do that for three or four years but that momentum has stalled.
“Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt — they are all outstanding players but the gap between them and the rest just falls away too significantly.
“They are now needing to look at a greater number of younger players to reignite the club’s progress. The numbers just don’t seem to be there.”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-has-been-left-exposed-by-its-recruiting-strategy/news-story/da84717fdd76f47564a63e6ec842ecf4
