Pass mark for 2026?

[one-eyed]

2026 Expectations - Richmond

Zero Hanger
7 Feb 2026

Richmond fans won’t forget the Round 1 comeback against Carlton in a hurry, which provided optimism that permeated through the entire 2025 season.

Success was never going to come in the form of regular wins last year, given the club’s significant investment in youth. Still, the development and upside that the debutants showed throughout 2025 would have had supporters salivating about what the future could hold. The consistency and firmness of coach Adem Yze’s messaging about the club’s clear direction added to the sense that the club was on the right track, while Ben Miller took a step forward, and Tim Taranto was an important talisman of the midfield group.

It was not all smooth sailing, though, suffering several blowout losses, but those are hard to avoid given the list’s demographic.

Richmond improved from two wins in 2024 to five wins in 2025, and with the young core having shown such promise, they would love to get around the eight-win mark. Perhaps more importantly, though, will be for the Tigers to boost their percentage beyond 66, which reflects them competing for longer periods and will come as their emerging talent becomes more seasoned at AFL level.

The club lost nine games by eight goals or more in 2025, so the priority should be minimising those blowouts as much as possible.

Once they’re in games for longer, the Tigers can start learning about what it takes to win down the stretch and establish a winning culture.

https://www.zerohanger.com/free-your-ultimate-guide-to-the-2026-afl-season-is-available-now-172703/

[one-eyed]

Bottom-six bolter?

There will be a time, some day in the foggy mists, when North Melbourne will find, as St Kilda did at the end of last century, that they have been bad for so long and stockpiled so many good draft picks that they simply have to stop being terrible.

Is that time now? Probably not. They could have been ready to go if among that welter of top draft picks they had collected a key defender or two, but alas they have not. Griffin Logue needs to do more.

Richmond have taken the pain, amassed the draft picks and are building. Unlike North, their recent history provides confidence they will actually get it right.

The Tigers will be better, but this is unlikely to mean they jump this year. Their quality kids are probably still too raw and a year or two away. But they will jump Hawthorn-style soon.

Last year they won five games, which was a good result even if their percentage of 66 also reflected the fact there were big losses thrown in with those wins. Last season their No.1 pick Sam Lalor only played 11 games, while Josh Smillie, the 195cm top-10 midfielder didn’t play at all. Josh Gibcus missed yet another season but is finally ready to return. New arrival Sam Grlj has impressed, too.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/snakes-and-ladders-the-verdict-on-which-teams-will-rise-and-fall-in-2026-20260203-p5nz6e.html