Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia says MCG run to finish season provided hope during mid-year run of losses
Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia says the club’s formidable MCG record provided hope during a mid-year run of losses and helped the Tigers remain confident they would be a premiership threat.
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Dion Prestia sensed Richmond was in trouble when the club limped to the mid-year bye on the back of three successive losses.
But one bit of familiarity kept the hardworking Tigers’ midfielder hopeful the wheels could turn on their injury-interrupted season … the last seven games at the MCG.
Prestia thought it might provide a platform from which the Tigers could launch another premiership assault.
“I guess you kind of get to the bye and reassess everything,” Prestia told the Herald Sun this week.
“We’d come off a few losses in a row (to North Melbourne by 37 points, Geelong by 67 points and Adelaide by 33 points) … and you start doubting yourself and the team a bit.
“But I kept looking at those seven games in a row at the MCG … knowing we play that ground so well.
“I thought if we could get back on track, perhaps not hit form straight away, but slowly get ourselves back into some touch. I thought it could set things up for us.”
Richmond hasn’t lost a game since, having won 10 matches in succession, including those much talked-about seven in a row at the MCG leading into the finals.
Heading into Friday night’s preliminary final clash with Geelong at the MCG, the Tigers are clear-cut premiership favourites.
Prestia, 26, has played a significant role in this, not just because he has enjoyed a career-best season, but also due to the growth in his leadership skills.
“I guess I have been able to impact the group and impact games a bit more this year than I have in previous years,” said Prestia, who has played every game this season and had a career-high 636 disposals.
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“I guess that when you are playing as an inside midfielder, you are always going to get high numbers.
“But it was about finding other ways to help the young guns like Jack Ross and Jack Graham coming through as much as possible. We are definitely going to need them at some point. That’s probably been the biggest difference for me and my game this year — thinking about others and how I can help them.
“That time (during the club’s injury run) probably forced me to step up in a way. I was a senior player in there and I think that in a way has helped me.”
The 2017 premiership Tiger helped drive the team in the absence of key players, including skipper Trent Cotchin, and in the process elevated his game and his leadership skills.
But an Achilles issue late in the season had some wondering if he was going to be fit to make an impression the finals series.
“It was pretty sore after the last game (Round 23),” Prestia revealed. “I didn’t do much training that week and let it settle a bit.
“I was always going to play in the first final (against Brisbane). It was a hard deck (at the Gabba) and different weather conditions which may have helped a bit.
“I was able to roll in and do the normal program (last week) and we had a pretty big session (last) Friday.
“Having two weeks off in the past three weeks has definitely helped, especially when you play all the games in a year.
“It’s feeling really good now heading into Friday’s game.”
Prestia’s form and his resilience this year against a wave of injuries to teammates comes in part from the fact he enjoyed his first full pre-season in years.
That saw him primed for 2019 and nominated in the best 40 players as part of the initial All-Australian squad.
He’s excited for teammate Tom Lynch, with whom he initially formed a close relationship at the Gold Coast, in getting the chance to play his first MCG finals match on Friday.
“Tom’s done some amazing things this year,” he said. “To be able to play every game this season without having a pre-season at all is incredible.”
“Jack Riewoldt coming back (from injury) really helped Tom a lot. It’s hard to stop two gun forwards …
“(The Cats’ game) will be an amazing experience for him and a lot of our boys who haven’t played a lot of finals, including myself.”
Incredibly, Prestia has played in three successive preliminary finals since joining the Tigers from the Suns.
But he said the Tigers haven’t put too much of a focus on the Round 12 loss to the Cats, given the huge number of personnel changes since that game.
“We’ve changed a lot structurally and tweaked a lot of things in our game plan and our game system, as I am sure Geelong has done too in that time,” he said.
“Going through their midfield group, they have some amazing players — a Brownlow Medallist (Patrick Dangerfield). Tim Kelly has been amazing and we know Joel Selwood steps up in the big games.
“But we’ve got some amazing players in there as well, so it is going to be a big challenge.”
Originally published as Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia says MCG run to finish season provided hope during mid-year run of losses