Richmond 2016 season report card: Tigers season lurched from one disaster to another
IT’S never a good sign when the coach tries to call off a NAB Challenge match early and 2016 went pear-shaped from there for Richmond. HAVE YOUR SAY
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IT’S never a good sign when the coach tries to call off a NAB Challenge match early.
The Tigers scraped past Carlton in the season-opener, had a late meltdown against Collingwood the week after and never recovered. A season that started with top-four aspirations was instead a 23-week car crash.
Injuries exposed a soft underbelly, the recruitment of Chris Yarran was a complete disaster, Trent Cotchin’s captaincy was again heavily criticised, there were board challenge ructions and president Peggy O’Neal and CEO Brendon Gale were repeatedly forced to declare Damien Hardwick safe.
HOW DID RICHMOND FARE IN 2016? VOTE AND HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
The season’s only highlight was Sam Lloyd’s post-siren snag to sink Sydney and the emergence of a couple of kids, but you wouldn’t think Ernst & Young — conducting a review of the football department — would care much for that.
With injuries and the need for experimentation, the Tigers used the most players since Hardwick’s first season as coach in 2010. A stack of players and coaches still remain out of contract and as it stands, Richmond has just one top-40 draft selection because of the Yarran trade.
2016 SNAPSHOT
WINS: 8
LOSSES: 14
DRAWS: 0
LADDER POSITION: 13th
PERCENTAGE: 79.5%
LAST YEAR: 5th (down eight spots)
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Basically nothing. It’s hard to take a glass half-full approach after winning seven fewer games than last year but if we had to find some positives the Tigers played 41 players - more than any other club - so they at least had a look at everyone at their disposal and gave senior exposure to young players who will benefit in years to come. The Tigers didn’t lose to any team below them on the ladder and Dustin Martin graduated to one of the competition’s best midfielders, while Alex Rance enhanced his reputation as the league’s premiere backman.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Where do we start? Things started to unravel in the pre-season when the NAB Challenge game against Port Adelaide ended in farcical scenes and a slate of injuries. Still, the Tigers scrounged a win against Carlton in Round 1 and should have been 2-0, a handy launching pad. Then came the meltdown in the dying minutes against Collingwood, somehow surrendering the lead in “only Richmond” fashion with four seconds left. There was no way back from there. In no particular order other disasters included star recruit Chris Yarran failing to play a game at any level, injuries to key players including Brett Deledio and Bachar Houli, diabolical quarters against West Coast (Q1 44-12), North Melbourne (Q3 40-6) and Port Adelaide (twice, scoring a combined 1.3 in final quarters) when the season was still alive. After not losing a single game by more than 36 points last year, this year the Tigers’ average losing margin was 44.4, the fifth-largest in the comp.
RECRUITING DEPT REVIEW
Draft picks: Daniel Rioli (15), Oleg Markov (50), Nathan Broad (67)
Trade/ free agent acquisitions: Chris Yarran (Carlton), Jacob Townsend (GWS), Andrew Moore (Port Adelaide)
Daniel Rioli gets a big tick, playing 17 games for 13 goals and generating plenty of buzz around the forward line. Oleg Markov was a positive in a generally bleak end to the season but mature-age recruit Nathan Broad doesn’t seem to be more than a depth player. As for the trades, none can be classed a success at this point.
HIGH AND LOW
No competition for the Richmond highlight of 2016. Sam Lloyd’s post-siren goal to defeat Sydney by one point in Round 8 was one of the moments of the season for any club. And the Tigers played some pretty good footy in the rest of that game, with Ben Griffiths booting five goals in what the club hoped was a breakout performance. As for lowlights, there are so many to choose from. Capitulating against North Melbourne in Hobart was crushing, as was losing to the Swans by 113 points in the final round and to the Cats after leading by more than five goals at three-quarter time. And don’t mention the name Brodie Grundy.
THE COACH
How many times would Damien Hardwick have thanked the heavens above that he signed that two-year contract extension back in March? Without it, who knows what would have happened? Holds the unwanted record for the most AFL games ever coached without a finals win and his game plan was lambasted. But Hardwick’s anger and frustration at early-season post-match press conferences soon gave way to resignation. His team wasn’t good enough and the green light was given to play the kids to see what was under the hood.
YOU SAID IT
“We feel in the footy club now as good a list as I think we’ve had at my disposal since I’ve been there.”
- Damien Hardwick after Round 9.
BEST & FAIREST
You’d have to say Dustin Martin, but you wouldn’t begrudge Alex Rance, who’s had another superb campaign in defence.
B&F Count: Thursday, September 8 at Crown Palladium
SUPERCOACH STUD
Dustin Martin is a clear winner in this category, averaging 108 points a game as he became a SuperCoach must-have. He reached the rare plane of being a serious captain option with seven 120-plus games including a season-high 167 against Gold Coast. Unfortunately, it might be the last year we can pick him as a forward.
SUPERCOACH DUD
Brett Deledio sucked in plenty of players then burnt them with more injury problems, but this award goes to Shane Edwards. He appeared to be on the verge of breaking into the elite category after a career year in 2015 but went backwards at a rate of knots, averaging just 76 (down 15 on last year) with just two scores over 100 to finish the year valued at just $330,300.
THE LIST
ELITE: Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin
BIG IMPROVERS: Connor Menadue
GONE: Troy Chaplin (retired), Reece McKenzie (retired), Liam McBean (delisted), Adam Marcon (delisted)
GOING, GOING? Ivan Maric, Todd Elton, Steven Morris, Andrew Moore
TRADE BAIT: Ty Vickery (free agent), Ben Griffiths, Reece Conca, Jake Batchelor
ON THE BLOCK
Rival clubs are circling Ty Vickery, Reece Conca could want out and you’d think Andrew Moore days are numbered.
WHAT THEY NEED
Quality. No more Andrew Moores or Jacob Townsends. The Tigers are overflowing with depth players but after the “big five” there is a massive and unsustainable drop-off. Dion Prestia should help fill that void but he is set to cost pick six - some canny manoeuvring is required to get into a good position in the draft after giving away this year’s second-round selection as part of the Chris Yarran deal. That might involve a compensation pick if Vickery leaves as a free agent and trading away more unfulfilled talent - letting any of the big guns go would be a massive gamble.
PREMIERSHIP CLOCK: 5pm
A talented senior core keeps them within a bull’s roar — just.
STATS
Originally published as Richmond 2016 season report card: Tigers season lurched from one disaster to another
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