Season 2019 - Richmond

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Richmond

Coach – Damien Hardwick

2018 –

Points For – 1st
Points Against – 2nd

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Jack Reiwoldt
  2. Kane Lambert
  3. Dustin Martin
  4. Shane Edwards
  5. Dylan Grimes

2018 Rising Star Noms

Jack Higgins (Rnd 18)

Ins – Tom Lynch, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Jack Ross, Fraser Turner, Luke English, Jake Aarts, Sydney Stack

Outs – Reece Conca, Corey Ellis, Sam Lloyd, Anthony Miles, Tyson Stengle, Nathan Drummond, Ben Griffiths, Shaun Hampson

My Prediction

In my head I look at the Richmond list and I have a mental block over them. They look shallow but somehow Hardwick has them all playing at their absolute potential and everyone on the same page. They have taken the highest scoring team of last year and added in Tom Lynch which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the competition.

The backline is set, they have perennial All Australian and the greatest full back to ever play the game in Alex Rance (not to mention his incredibly sensible haircut). He is well supported by Astbury and Grimes. Broad and Houli are handy around half back and I think Vlastuin became very important last year with his marking and setting up play.

The midfield is top heavy with Cotchin and Martin but last year they got some really good play from Edwards and Lambert. Prestia has also been really important and the spells Caddy gets running through the middle gave them support. It is still nowhere near the most talented midfield in the competition but it is probably the most effective. Everyone knows their role and gets the job done.

The forward line was very good last year and they have added in a gun centre half forward. It will be interesting to see what happens with the chemistry up forward as their high pressure game had been a big part of their success with the whole forward line working so hard to keep the ball in and being so regimented around their game plan. Whilst I think Lynch is not as strong defensively, his skillset improves the team and will see them even more effective this year.

The rucks are a genuine concern. They got found out on preliminary final day last year when Collingwood got a run on and they couldn’t stop them in the middle. Nankervis is a serviceable ruck and they need serious minutes from him. I think Lynch may see some minutes in the ruck this year. The coach can do no wrong at this point in time. He is relaxed and knows what his team his doing every week.

Richmond traded away a lot of depth this year. They always seem to find a player when they need one but a bad run with injuries this year would be an interesting challenge. Outside of that, it is hard to see them finishing anywhere other than the top two and more likely than anywhere else, top spot.

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Have been super fortunate on the injury front (luck + injury prevention/management). Very settled side. I, too, wonder how they would go with a serious injury to one of their main stars (Martin, Rance, Riewoldt, Cotchin). Still a top 2-4 side & in premiership contention.

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Well coached, well drilled and self-motivated player group. They’ll have a burning desire to atone for their off day in the Prelim against the Pies, as up to that point of the season they looked good things to go back-to-back. Lynch is definitely a big off-season acquisition but he does affect what made the Tigers so unique and potent up forward with pretty much just one key forward and the rest of them being smaller mobile targets with an emphasis on pressure and tackling. It might be that if one of those links in the chain is weaker in terms of the defensive effort it could have a negative impact, but you’d back a player of Lynch’s quality to prove himself. The squad is shallow and they lost some fringe guys in Conca, C.Ellis, Lloyd and Miles that in isolation may not look like massive departures but if they do get some injuries then it does expose younger players who may not be up to it. again similar with the ruck, Hampson was no star but he was their Leuenberger who could come in and be solid if Nankervis needed a rest or was injured. If he goes down for any length of time that exposes Soldo to burden that load almost single-handedly.

Having said all that, I expect the Tigers to be up there at the business end again. 1st-3rd for me.

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Mav Weller is another in.

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I they’ll slide wouldn’t surprise me if they finish outside the top 4 very hard to stay at the top every year

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I don’t see how they slide

They finished top of ladder. Had Dusty struggling with injury late in season which he’d be over now and have brought in Lynch which adds to fire power/structure.

Maybe only one area they have weakened and that’s their depth. So many fringe players who came in and competed adequately have left. So if they get injuries then the quality & experience of their depth will be lacking

Lloyd. Conca. Miles. Ellis. Etc

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Dunno about shallow. Well, yes, but also no.

To me they “only” have 5 stars. Martin, Cotchin, Rance, Jack and now Lynch.
And about 20 pretty good guys.

I think it’s unproven what happens if one of their stars misses a big chunk, but they should be pretty well placed. And of course, may never be tested.

There’s a whiff of Geelong 2011 about them heading into this year. Shouldn’t have lost to he Pies. Will be very keen to atone.

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Hmmm we’ll see they have been very lucky with injuries the last 2 seasons also teams around them will improve.

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Apart from the players you mentioned I think the rest of the list average and would take Collingwoods or Melbournes list over theirs.

Collingwood and Melbourne’s lists have way more upside. Tigers are well drilled,coached team and that’s it.

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I dont think losing one star would hurt them too much. They play really, really well as a team across the board. It’s not too much about who is out there for Richmond, its applying the same mentality and pressure each week. Something we could learn from

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Which at some point will be thier undoing becomes very taxing on the body and mind playing at that level every year for 22 rounds

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I’d say they didn’t win 2018 specifically because they were missing one star.

Martin was nearly lame in that PF. He’s that important to them, that they didn’t fire many shots in that game.

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Let’s hope their biggest out is Rutten. Maybe without their defensive brain they may struggle to integrate Lynch into their team defence.

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I think their second tier is pretty underrated.

Houli, Vlaustuin, Edwards, Lambert, Caddy, Nankervis and Prestia are very good players, all capable of impacting a game.

Rioli and Higgins have pretty high ceilings to improve this year.

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Not a big one but he’s a loss.

Rutten was responsible on how Richmond’s back six defended.

If you notice all thier defenders are very good in a 1v1 and seem like they are never out of the contest reckon Rutten will have the same effect with us.

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Question is… their late season form was ordinary and the Pies showed them up for their lack of system and hunger. They were kidding themselves about an opportunity lost. They were nowhere near it since their round 17 loss to GWS. Lynch provides them with a different look up front but is no guarantee of success. I know some argue their depth is still good but I reckon it’s compromised. If they have a good run with injury, top 4’s a possibility but I think they’ll finish somewhere between 5-8

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They won 7 straight after that.

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That’s what I was about to say. Take out Martin and they do slide

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I believe what hurt Richmond’s run to the finals and subsequent failure was all mental with them once they’d sown up top spot with a few weeks of the regular season to go.

The previous season with their manic pressure and riding on a wave of emotion and confidence of what their gameplan was reaping for them, they played on edge every week which carried them to the flag.

Last season after they confirmed top spot early I reckon they just ever so slightly took the foot off the pedal subconciously with a few games leading into the finals against struggling opponents who they were expected to beat easily. That wasn’t the case with a real battle to get over the Doggies and also had to hold off a fast finishing Essendon.

Coupled with two byes either side of an easy win in their first final they had lost their edge by the time they met a well prepared Pies outfit.

With the addition of Lynch, a fit Dusty and a mental break over the summer, the Tiges will be refreshed for a flag assault this year me thinks.

They won’t be the hunted this year either with all the focus on the Eagles and to a lesser extent Collingwood this season too, which will help Richmond fly under the radar a bit too which may suit them.

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I think HAP makes a good point. They really only have those 4/5 stars and then after that, it does drop off somewhat.

Their premiership year (and their form last year) was built not off talent, but off their raw manic pressure that they brought each and every week. My question therefore is, how long can they deliver that for, given that they’ve done it for a solid two seasons straight?

Remember when Freo were up the top for a few years based also on insane levels of pressure? They stayed there for a few years but eventually the players had enough and they fell off the cliff in 2016. I’m not saying that will happen here but it’s possible.

I think they’ll make finals and probably the top 4 but I’m not sure they win it.

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