Season 2025 - Richmond

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Richmond

Coach – Adem Yze

2024 –

Points For – 18th
Points Against – 17th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

1 – Daniel Rioli
2 – Nick Vlastuin
3 – Toby Nankervis
4 – Nathan Broad
5 – Shai Bolton
5 – Liam Baker

2024 Rising Star Noms

Nil

Ins – Jasper Alger, Harry Armstrong, Jonty Faull, Taj Hotton, Sam Lalor, Thomas Sims, Josh Smillie, Luke Trainor

Outs – Liam Baker, Shai Bolton, Matthew Coulthard, Noash Cumberland, Jack Graham, Dylan Grimes, Dustin Martin, Marlion Pickett, Sam Naismith, Daniel Rioli

My Prediction

Did North end up with a good draft hand in a reportedly great draft year? Yes. This seems to be the primary focus from the AFL media without talking about the fact this is due to the fact they were terrible and on top of that lost several of their best players. We have watched teams stacked with young talent flounder at the bottom of the ladder whilst they wait for the development of kids. I am not sure what makes people think this Richmond team will be any different.

The backline was terrible last year and on paper may be the strongest on field department. If Noah Balta isn’t playing for Pentridge, he is a super talent that threatens to be a good player, Gibcus looked like being something before his ACL betrayed him. Broad, Vlastuin and Short give them good use off the half back line. If nothing else, stack your fantasy team with Richmond rebounding defenders, they will see plenty of the ball this year.

The midfield is going to be a mixture of VFL talent and young kids. Taranto has been solid since coming across with that Hopper bloke who is a further reminder to teams who hadn’t yet learned not to trade for established GWS midfielders. There were times last year when Ralphsmith looked like a player but looks can be deceiving. Prestia is a gun, also he should have retired three years ago, his body hasn’t allowed him to play regular football in a long time. After that fill it up with first round picks from the draft.

The forward line is deplorable, Lynch being able to player more than a handful of games will help, that big kiwi boy did a knee but looked like he was strong and had some potential. Rioli Jnr is quick and tackles like a machine even if he does have the kicking depth of an injured Andy McGrath. I am reliably informed they have a player called Mansell by my Richmond loving mate who will be good up forward this year. He also believes Armstrong will come straight in and make a difference. I doubt it.

The ruck is Nankervis, he is serviceable when his body agrees to let him play. He is much more likely to be holding hands in the rehab group with Prestia than pushing this team onto greatness. The coach is still an unknown known. He seems like a nice bloke who is very encouraging of his players but truth be told, if Clarko and Barassi got together and had a kid who then served his apprenticeship under Sheedy, there would still be bugger all you could do with this list right now.

They finished last year and it is always easy to tip the wooden spooner to go back to back but this one is a monty. They got weaker. They traded away their best player last year as well as two others in the top 6. They have no real forward line and a very weak injury prone midfield being fed the ball by a dinosaur injury prone ruck. They finish last, the coach could well be fired and it will be glorious.

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I am fascinated to see how they go, as their current position is what a lot of our fans have been dreaming of. I can’t think of a more demoralising loss this year than losing to the Tigers at Dreamtime.

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The point was made in the 2024 post. The off-field outs are just as telling. Over the last 24 months, Peggy O’Neill, Brendon Gale, Damien Hardwick, Neil Balme. All 4 gone. That would concern me more than anything if I was a Richmond supporter. If all those were in place, even if Hardwick left as he has but the other 3 were still there, you’d feel more confident even with the player exodus. But I can see this being a rocky period for the Tigers. Yze I don’t think is a great appointment, but he’s now got the biggest alibi for poor performance given the players that have gone and all been replaced by kids.

For me, it’s only them and West Coast for the spoon. And given WCE have for some experience in you’d expect they’ll finish clear of the bottom.

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I look forward to them asking for a priority pick in a year or 2 .

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Balta charged with assault this week.

Not the first time he’s been in this kind of trouble.

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2 wins, if they are lucky

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2025-2027 just needs to be pumping games into kids for Richmond. Wins and losses are a bit irrelevant.

Get Lalor et al to 50 AFL games ASAP.

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will balta be available for selection?

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They’ll have some big losses this year. But I’d be excited if I was a tiger’s fan. Plenty of talented young kids coming through and low expectations of on field results.

They’ll get another great draft hand next year as well.

For 2025 they are a near certain wooden spoon.

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It’s worth remembering that before this year they had sold their first round draft picks. They haven’t had a rising star nom in 2 years. The rebuild is only just starting and they are coming from a long way back. There will be memberships being microwaved before we know it.

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Balta would have to be the worst player in history to get a 7 year deal, actually probably the worst to get over 3 years. So massively overrated for someone that’s hasn’t delivered much

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Apart from beating Essendon once, who else?

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They’ll ■■■■ an upset from somewhere

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They definitely won’t beat Essendon twice, but I reckon once is a near certainty.

Probably the Dreamtime game after Essendon has scored an impressive win over the Bulldogs the week before.

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They should get a win given we had 2 in the saga year.

Maybe a surprise win over north who have a young side as well.

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They’ve taken a risk with their draft selections. After their first two selections they then went four talls hoping one or two will work out which is a risky strategy.

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More details have emerged about that incident in Sorrento and it’s bad news for Prestia.

It’s confirmed that he suffered a soft tissue injury on his way to the bar to buy a round.

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3

Melb
GCS
FC

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Tiges are in for all sorts of pain this season. For me the greatest thing they lack is going to be on field leadership. I am struggling to think who will pull the young team together and say follow me. Not Nankervis, who will struggle to stay on the park, not Balta who will struggle of get out of court and stay on the park, not the youngsters who will struggle to know which direction to kick.

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Wooden spooners