2020 Richmond season reviews

[one-eyed]

WHAT WENT RIGHT AND WHAT WENT WRONG IN 2020: RICHMOND

BY ROB HARDING
SEN
26 October 2020

1st: Richmond (3rd after H+A, 12W-1D-4L, 129.9%)

What Worked

Richmond continued to play their strong sustainable forward half game, finishing the home and away season ranked #1 for Time in Forward Half, and #2 for both Forward Half Intercepts and Points from Forward Half Intercepts.

In Round 13 the Tigers recorded a remarkable 48 more inside 50s than Essendon in the Dreamtime game, while in the Grand Final they scored 76 points (out of 81) from Turnover, with 64 points coming from Forward Half Turnovers, both season highs.

While the Tigers scoring had flat patches through the season, their team defence, the backbone of their Premiership success, held firm.

Richmond conceded 51.4 points a game in the home and away season, only 0.3 points behind Port Adelaide to be the #2 ranked Defence in the game.

The versatile and athletic Noah Balta solidified his position as Alex Rance’s replacement, though he was deployed in Forward and Ruck roles late in the season to good effect.

Pleasingly for the Tigers future, Jayden Short and Shai Bolton took steps forward, now both dual Premiership players. Short led the Tigers for Metres Gained and Rebound 50s, while Bolton ranked top 3 for both Clearances and Inside 50s, as he found a great balance of inside and outside ball.

While Clearances haven’t been a strong suit of this Richmond team, their midfield was outstanding in the Finals, especially from Centre Bounce. After finishing the season ranked 16th for Centre Bounce Clearances, the Tigers midfield reeled off +7, +10, +7 and +6 in their four finals.

Finally it goes without saying that a big part of what worked for Richmond in 2020 was Dustin Martin.

Martin has had a great balance of Midfield and Forward time to maximise his strengths in recent years, but no better evidenced than how he was used in the Finals.

While traditionally playing either deep forward or as a midfielder, Martin played as a higher Half Forward against Port Adelaide in the Preliminary Final. This generated a match up with Darcy Byrne-Jones rather than Tom Jonas after the stoppage, which Martin was then able to exploit.

After a similar tactic failed in the first half of the Grand Final, Martin’s role changed, mostly playing deeper forward, where he was able to kick 3 second half goals, and his 9 score involvements were the most on the ground.

With 244 games, three Premierships, three Norm Smith Medals, a Brownlow, and numerous Best and Fairest and All Australian awards, we are simply witnessing one of the greatest to ever play the game.

What Didn’t Work

On the field it was a slow start to the resumption of footy for the Tigers, kicking only 36 and 39 points in a draw to Collingwood and a loss to Hawthorn in Rounds 2 and 3. Three weeks later the Tigers defeated Sydney 34-26 in a dour affair.

While the Tigers scoring improved in the second half of the season, early on there was clear frustration with opposition teams getting numbers back and preventing the Tigers fast break style of attack.

Damien Hardwick has openly spoken about the difficulties he and his club found prior to the hubs, and their frustration spilt over into a number of on-field indiscretions.

Key forward Tom Lynch was fined for four separate incidents and cleared of one other, as the Tigers flirted with the edge of aggressive and self-destructive football. Over the 2020 season, Richmond were fined more for on-field incidents than any other club.

Only those on the inside at Richmond will know, but the suspensions to Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones for breaching the AFL’s COVID protocols appeared to be a turning point in their season.

After being lauded in previous years, the Richmond culture was in question after the duo’s Gold Coast breach, which included a $100,000 fine to be deducted from next year’s football department soft cap, a move likely to cost the job of a staff member.

From the Stack/Coleman-Jones suspension onwards, the Tigers appeared to sharpen their focus, losing only one more game on the way to their 13th Premiership.

Pre-Season Focus

Three Premierships in four seasons is a remarkable achievement. Damien Hardwick, a coach renowned for finding themes for his players to tap into, will have to find the right motivation to push his players to repeat their success again.

Many Tigers players could retire tomorrow with a fulfilled career, and sporting history says that over time, defending the title constantly eventually wears a champion down.

On the field the Tigers are well placed, with only five players over the age of 30 as of Round 1, 2021.

Key position depth would be one area to look at, especially in defence, as Balta may ultimately end up as a forward, and Astbury and Grimes will be 30 and 29 respectively going in to 2021.

Opposition teams will target the Tigers’ younger players with the lure of more opportunities, and the Richmond list management team will have to work hard to ensure they keep all their required players.

Way Too Early 2021 Forecast

1st-4th

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/10/26/what-went-right-and-what-went-wrong-in-2020-geelong-and-richmond/

[one-eyed]

Tigers' 2020 report card: MVP, high point, trade plans, grade, more

Three out of four means ticks all round for the Tigers

By Sarah Black
afl.com.au
28 October 2020

TWO OUT of three ain't bad, but three out of four is even better. Richmond's rollercoaster season was capped off with its third flag in recent years, marking a 'Dimmasty', as some fans are terming it. The Tigers did it the hard way – some of it their own making – overcoming two disruptive hub breaches, a groping incident during the club song, numerous injuries to key players, and losing the qualifying final.

What worked
Once again, Richmond managed to uncover decent players in the midst of injuries and unavailability. Forward Jake Aarts got his chance in his second AFL season, Oleg Markov showed great promise in defence when called upon and Shai Bolton starred when moved to the midfield. After an apprenticeship in various positions, Noah Balta has now locked down a long-term role at fullback, and can also provide relief in the ruck.

What failed
It's nit-picking in a premiership year, but the slow start to the season made qualifying for finals more difficult than it needed to be. The Tigers looked lethargic and sloppy after the long break between rounds one and two, and struggled against sides like Collingwood and Hawthorn who employed a "keepings off" kick-mark game. David Astbury battled hard as a second ruck after Ivan Soldo's season-ending injury, but looks much more comfortable in his usual defensive post.

MVP
In a resounding endorsement of Richmond's rookie selections, Jayden Short took out the club's best and fairest in a premiership year. While benefiting from a full season, Short was the model of consistency off half-back. Had a season-high 26 disposals against Sydney in a torrid game in round six, but saved his best till last, finishing second in the Norm Smith count.

Get excited
While Noah Balta grabbed the headlines with Alex Rance comparisons, Shai Bolton starred when moved to the midfield in Shane Edwards' absence. The lightly framed 21-year-old handled the rigours of stoppages well, creating his own space and using the footy effectively. Bolton rose to another level in the Dreamtime game at Darwin, winning the Yiooken Award after 29 touches, five marks, five clearances and a goal.

Disappointment
Josh Caddy struggled to hold his spot in Richmond's best 22, playing just eight games for the season. While sidelined for a few weeks with calf and hamstring complaints, he seems to be somewhat lost about his position within the team. Marlion Pickett and Kamdyn McIntosh are preferred on the wing, and there's an excess of mid-sized and small forwards.

Best moment
The 26-point win over Geelong in round 17 was a highlight, Kane Lambert's two final-quarter goals in the preliminary final was also up there, but could it be anything other than 'Dusty'? Superstar Dustin Martin booted four goals in the Grand Final win to be awarded a historic third Norm Smith Medal.

Low point
Forget just 2020, 'kebab-gate' was the club's lowest point in years. Callum Coleman-Jones and Sydney Stack were hit with 10-match suspensions (and the club with a $100,000 fine) after taking an Uber to a non-approved Gold Coast venue, being involved in a fight and in the case of Stack, being briefly detained by police.

How should they approach list management?
It's going to be a fairly quiet trade period for the Tigers, who were briefly linked to Brad Crouch. Retention is the main focus, but there will be a struggle to keep players who are looking for more senior opportunities. Nathan Broad and Oleg Markov have both been linked to the Suns, but Broad did re-establish himself back in the best 22 by finals, while Jack Higgins' name has also been raised. Looking down the track, the club's key forward depth isn't great, depending on where Coleman-Jones and Ben Miller are best suited.

Early call for 2021
With the club's senior core – Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards (32 years old), Jack Riewoldt (31), Trent Cotchin (30) and David Astbury, Dustin Martin and Dylan Grimes (29) – entering the latter part of their careers, it's time to push for the three-peat.

Overall rating
Third flag in four years equals an instant A+ (a sentence which would have sounded ludicrous in 2016).

https://www.afl.com.au/news/523144/tigers-2020-report-card-mvp-high-point-trade-plans-grade-more