Season preview: RichmondRichmond
Played: 22
Won: 11
Lost: 10
Drew: 1
Finished: 9th
Best and Fairest: Brett Deledio
2009 IN BRIEF
Coach: Terry Wallace
Captain: Chris Newman
Coaching staff: Brian Royal (director of coaching), David King, Wayne Campbell (assistants), Jade Rawlings (VFL)
ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
Arrivals
Onfield: Ben Cousins (Port Melbourne), Adam Thomson (Port Adelaide), Tyrone Vickery, Jayden Post, Tom Hislop (Essendon), Robin Nahas (rookie), David Gourdis (rookie), Andrew Browne (rookie), Alroy Gilligan (rookie)
Off-field: Wayne Campbell (midfield coach, from Western Bulldogs)
Departures
Onfield: Greg Tivendale (retired), Chris Hyde (delisted), Danny Meyer (delisted), Travis Casserly (delisted), David Gourdis (delisted), Tristan Cartledge (rookie), Cameron Howat (rookie), Clayton Collard (rookie)
Off-field: -
FIXTURE
Richmond only faces three finalists twice those three clubs being the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and the Sydney Swans.
The Tigers again kick off the new season against Carlton at the MCG, with the start not softened by matches against Geelong and the Bulldogs in the following weeks.
Richmond plays 11 games at the MCG, with seven straight between rounds 15 and 21, which could encourage a run close to the finals.
INJURY LIST
Daniel Connors (broken hand) 2-3 weeks
Kayne Pettifer (knee) 3 weeks
Kane Johnson (knee) 3-4 weeks
Trent Cotchin (Achilles) indefinite
MATT BURGANS PLAYER RATINGS
5 Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley, Matthew Richardson (3 players 115 points)
Deledio took his game to another level in 2008, winning the club's best and fairest. Richardson might be the oldest player in the AFL, but his extraordinary form of 2008 should continue. Foley looks ready to go to another level and showed for Victoria last year he could play in elite company.
4 Joel Bowden, Nathan Brown, Ben Cousins, Daniel Jackson, Jordan McMahon, Kelvin Moore, Mitch Morton, Chris Newman, Andrew Raines, Troy Simmonds, Shane Tuck (11 players 44 points)
Cousins could be elite again, but must be given time. Bowden, Brown, Newman, Simmonds and Tuck have experience and a vital to the Tigers set-up. Raines, after an injury-hit 2008, looks ready to bounce back hard. McMahon is very good, while Moore and Morton stepped up last year. Jackson has had a fine pre-season and looks ready for the next level.
3 Daniel Connors, Trent Cotchin, Mark Coughlan, Shane Edwards, Angus Graham, Tom Hislop, Cleve Hughes, Kane Johnson, Jake King, Luke McGuane, Adam Pattison, Dean Polo, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Jay Schulz, Richard Tambling, Adam Thomson, Will Thursfield, Tyrone Vickery, Matt White, Robin Nahas (rookie) (21 players 663 points)
Connors, Edwards, Graham, Hislop, Hughes, McGuane, Pattison, Polo, Riewoldt, Tambling, Thomson and Thursfield a dozen players aged 21-23 this year are capable of stepping up. The question is who will? Cotchin should be elite sooner than later, but an achilles problem is a worry. Johnson and Coughlan have knee issues. Rance and Vickery will debut and play. White could blossom in 2009. Expect Nahas to get an opportunity.
2 Andrew Collins, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, Kayne Pettifer, Graham Polak, Jayden Post, Andrew Browne (rookie), Jarrod Silvester (rookie) (7 players 14 points)
Oakley-Nicholls is now in his fourth season and will be expected to step-up. Collins is another who will be looking to make strides. Pettifer will still take time due to his knee injury last year and Polak will still be treated cautiously. Draftee Post could also debut and 205cm Browne is a smoky.
1 Dean Putt, Alroy Gilligan (rookie), David Gourdis (rookie) (3 players 3 points)
Gilligan and Gourdis (who was a senior list player last season) are set for the VFL. Putt is another developing ruckman/key forward who could push up during the season, but is likely to spend the season with the Coburg Tigers.
Total team rating 139 (5 of 16, league-wide)
THE YEAR AHEAD
Its very simple for Richmond this year nothing but finals will be good enough, either for the team or for coach Terry Wallace, whose five-year deal expires come October. The Tigers made huge improvements in 2008 to finish ninth, and with a young and exciting list can expect to continue that progression.
To achieve that goal, Matthew Richardson, Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley, Chris Newman, Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Ben Cousins, Nathan Foley, Will Thursfield, Kel Moore and Mitch Morton need to fire.
WHAT THE CLUB SAYS
"Sixteenth to ninth is a lot easier than ninth to eighth. No-one's going to give up their spot in finals for nothing. You only have to see the last part of last year sides that were second and third were losing games, sides that were eighth or seventh wouldn't lose no matter what happened. We were sitting there witnessing it they weren't going to lose to anyone, because no-one wants to give up their chance."
- Richmond coach Terry Wallace
http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=73298