Preview of Richmond 2017
2016 in Review
After three disappointing finals campaigns in succession, 2016 was hoped to finally be the ‘year of the Tiger.’ However, it was clear after winning only 1 of their first 7 matches that it would be another year of disappointment for Richmond. From then, their slide to the bottom of the ladder was somewhat arrested, winning half of their remaining games. But the damage had already been done, finishing 13th. Alex Rance and Dustin Martin had outstanding seasons and it would have been a lot worse for Richmond without those two players. Rance made the All-Australian side for the third time and Dustin Martin finished third in the Brownlow to go with his first appearance in the All-Australian team. Apart from those individuals, there was very little to celebrate for Richmond fans with an attempted board coup, pressure mounting on the coach and captain and the loss of star players in the trade period.
Key Changes to personnel
Brett Deledio was traded to GWS for future first and third round picks. The 29-year-old has been a key member of the Richmond side in the past few years and they have struggled to win without him in the team. It will be very difficult to replace his class and versatility.
Ty Vickery went to Hawthorn via free agency for a second round pick. He has been a frustrating figure and often a scapegoat for Tigers fans over the years, seen as another high draft pick (pick 8) who has failed to live up to his potential at Richmond. If he has a good season at Hawthorn (who are renowned for improving recycled players) he will add to the frustration of Richmond supporters.
Troy Chaplin retired after a few solid seasons in yellow and black, he was never their best player but was a solid contributor over the past 4 seasons.
Chris Yarran departed the club without playing a game. Off-field issues and injury plagued his single year at the club and he was deemed unable to fulfill the remainder of his contract this season. Richmond were unlucky with this trade, but fans will see it as another poor trade in the club’s history, losing a first round pick (David Cunningham) for him.
Dion Prestia arrived at the club from Gold Coast for pick 6 (Jack Scrimshaw) and a swapping of 2nd round picks. Prestia has been one of the Sun’s best players since their inception but only managed 22 games over the last two seasons because of injury. He is only 24, so Richmond will be hoping that he continues to improve and becomes an elite player for them for many years to come.
Another former Gold Coast player arrived at the club in Josh Caddy, who was traded from Geelong for pick 24 and swapping of later picks. The former no. 7 draft pick was highly rated in the early stages of his career, with Geelong giving up first and third round draft picks to secure him from the Gold Coast. He never quite managed to live up to expectations at Geelong, but was a solid contributor in a top-4 side last year — playing 18 games and kicking 21 goals. He is only 24 years old and still has a lot of football in front of him, he will add some class and depth to the Richmond midfield.
Toby Nankervis was traded from Sydney for pick 46. The ruckman was only a bit-player for Sydney, but will likely feature more heavily for Richmond who lacked a quality ruckman in 2016. Nankervis could be a solid ruckman and will make teammates Ivan Maric and Shaun Hampson compete harder for a spot in the 22.
Richmond traded away their first pick in the 2016 draft for Dion Prestia and so only made three selections in the national draft and one rookie draft selection. Their picks were: athletic small forward Shai Bolton (pick 29), tough nut midfielder Jack Graham (53), tall defender Ryan Garthwaite (pick 72) and Tyson Stengle (rookie), a diminutive small forward from South Australia.
Richmond’s Draw
Richmond have one of the easiest draws in the league; they play Carlton, Brisbane, St. Kilda, Fremantle and GWS twice throughout the year. They also only have to fly to Perth once, but travel to Adelaide and Queensland twice.
Looking forward to:
The addition of Caddy and Prestia to the Tigers’ midfield gives them good quality there, despite having lost Deledio. Richmond’s top players are amongst the best in the league and it will continue to be fun to watch their best players play. Dustin Martin is a chance at the Brownlow if he plays like he did last year, Rance will be looking for another All-Australian nod and Jack Riewoldt brings class to the forward line. Cotchin will be hoping to recapture his old form and ease the pressure off his captaincy and the team. Daniel Rioli and Oleg Markov are two young players who impressed last season and it will be interesting to seem them develop further after another preseason under their belts.
Worried about:
Whilst Richmond did bring in some talent in Prestia and Caddy, it is hard to see them improving much on last year, especially as they lost Deledio. The Tigers’ main issue this season will be a lack of depth. Once again, Richmond relies too heavily on too few players. Their top players are elite, but their last-picked players would struggle to make any other AFL team. Furthermore, they traded away their first round draft pick and so they don’t have the benefit of quality youth coming in this year either. The board and coaches are sending mixed messages by recruiting mature players for picks, but losing other senior players in Deledio and Vickery. It could be another tumultuous year for the Tigers with pressure on Hardwick, Cotchin and even the board.
It’s a big season for:
Trent Cotchin: Every time Richmond loses a close game, the finger is always pointed, fairly or unfairly, at Trent Cotchin. This year, more than ever, they need their skipper to not only have a good season of football, but to provide on-field leadership to lift his teammates.
Dion Prestia: Although this is his first year at Richmond, fans will be desperate to see him play well considering the club gave up pick 6 for him. He comes with a lot of hype and promise, and having played for a team that not many Richmond fans will have watched, he remains a bit of an unknown factor. He can either show fans and critics that he is worthy of pick 6 and a genuinely elite player, or if he doesn’t perform, he could join the long list of poor trades made by Richmond in its recent history.
Dustin Martin: He is in his last year of contract and could be the big fish on the market at the end of the year via free agency. He finished third in the Brownlow last year, and his on-field performance has been of the highest quality, but there are still question marks surrounding his off-field behaviour. Another standout year from him will confirm his place as one of the best players in the AFL.
Brandon Ellis, David Astbury, Anthony Miles, Nick Vlastuin, Dylan Grimes, Ben Griffiths, Reece Conca: This middle bracket of players need to step up this year if Richmond are to have any chance at competing for finals places. All have played between 60 and 110 games and are experienced enough in the AFL to be able to take their game to the next level. Over the past few seasons, Richmond have relied too heavily on their top few players, so if these players can improve their output, they will be a much-improved side.
Damien Hardwick: Despite having a contract until the end of 2018, Hardwick is under more pressure than any other coach in the AFL. Hardwick has coached the most games of AFL/VFL without a finals win. He almost delivered finals success for Richmond, but now finds himself in between reaching for immediate reward, or digging in for a rebuild. Recently Richmond have been slow starters to the season and so the pressure will be on him from the outset.
Expectations
Richmond fans have been starved of success — their last finals win was in 2001. Fans are desperate to see the Tigers returned to their former glory of the ’70s and early ’80s, but it appears unlikely this season. Last year Hardwick said the team would have to “take a little half-step back to go two steps forward” so it will be interesting to see whether last year was that half-step back, or if there is still some backwards stepping to do. The list management strategy appears a bit haphazard — trading out a first round pick for Prestia suggests they want immediate success, but losing Deledio, Vickery and their performance last season suggests more of a rebuild. Unfortunately for Richmond fans, it is hard to see them improving on last year and in fact it looks likely they will continue to deteriorate.
Predicted finish: 18th.
