AFL GWS v Richmond 2021: What is next for Damien Hardwick’s Tigers?
Damien Hardwick is positive, but after Friday night, where does Richmond really believe its at? A few intriguing list calls will tell us more about what 2022 could hold.
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We’re about to find out where Richmond thinks it’s at – and Bachar Houli shapes as the test case.
The Giants effectively extinguished the Tigers’ torch on Friday night with a scintillating display that moved them within reach of punching their own finals ticket.
Richmond will almost certainly miss the finals, after three flags in an incredible four years that included a dominant preliminary final run that took a Mason Cox special to knock them out.
What comes next is something everyone can’t wait to find out.
Coach Damien Hardwick hasn’t been shy in repeatedly pointing out his side’s injuries as a chief reason for their slide.
Only five clubs – St Kilda, Carlton, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn and Essendon – lost more games to best-22 players than the Tigers entering the penultimate round.
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There’s been obvious comparisons made about Richmond’s demise to that of the Hawks after their famed flag three-peat ended.
Alastair Clarkson has since admitted he felt he owed it to the players and fans alike to push for a fourth-straight premiership, even though he knew the end was nigh after the third of those flags in 2015.
There was some patchwork done to try and keep Hawthorn from plunging, but it hasn’t won a single final since and now has a long road back, with Clarkson gone and Sam Mitchell to take over.
Hardwick faces a similar predicament with his own mighty team. Is there another premiership push in the Tigers?
“I’d hope so … when we have a good pre-season, we’ll be a hell of a lot better,” Hardwick said.
“It’s been a tough road – three out of the last four years have been long, deep into September … (but) I’m not going to lie, this year’s been as hard as it’s ever been.
“Whoever wins it this year is going to have an enormous tick besides their club.
“But if our guys do refresh, regenerate a couple of things (and we) get some young talent in and invest in the talent we’ve already got, I think we’re reasonably placed to have another crack.”
Dylan Grimes, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, David Astbury, Bachar Houli, Kane Lambert and Marlion Pickett will all be 30 or older by the start of next season.
Fellow premiership stars Dion Prestia and Tom Lynch reach that milestone next year.
At 33 and out of contract, Houli is one of the wounded Richmond soldiers, but he went on Triple M pre-match and declared: “I’m 100 per cent sure I want to play on.”
Astbury, a late withdrawal against the Giants with a sore quad that continued his injury-riddled season, is the other player among that older group without a deal for 2022.
Asked about Houli, in particular, Hardwick was non-committal, saying only that there would need to be a discussion to sort it out.
Something the Hawks previously made an art form of was moving on one or two veterans at a time to avoid losing bulk experience in one hit.
Essendon asked about Houli a year ago, but shifted its attention to Nick Hind. Would another club see benefit in recruiting him?
Dan Rioli has revived his career with a move from the forward line to half-back, which could be another factor in the Houli call.
“These are decisions most clubs will make at this time of year,” Hardwick said.
“We’ve already seen that happen and I’m sure it will happen at our club at some stage, whether it’s this year or next year.
“You realise these are delicate matters and … we’ll give them every opportunity to play on where we can, but we’ll certainly make the right decisions for the club moving forward.”
The other piece of the puzzle is the Tigers’ lightly played youth, as well as a strong draft hand with four top-30 picks, including two in the first round.
How ready this crop – the likes of Callum Coleman-Jones, Sydney Stack, Jack Ross, Thomson Dow, Rhyan Mansell, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Maurice Rioli jnr, Will Martyn and Patrick Naish – is to step up is unclear.
But even if they’re not, Hardwick and co. know they must turn to them soon enough.
The Ferrari is purring again – but is it still a Ferrari?
The Giants’ remarkable past fortnight has created a new chapter in what’s been an eventful AFL season.
They’ve been front and centre in the drama.
From an 0-3 start, to a bevy of injuries headlined by captain Stephen Coniglio, to being sent on the road because of Sydney’s Covid crisis, a draw with likely wooden-spooner North Melbourne and another Toby Greene tribunal date.
Last week’s ‘Miracle on Ice’-inspired victory over Geelong despite eight forced changes breathed life into a season that was on life support.
Then the slashing victory against the Tigers – without Greene, Coniglio and others – hinted that GWS might actually be a finals threat (assuming it beats Carlton next week).
There’s a possibility the Giants could finish as high as seventh and earn what would be an intriguing elimination final clash with the Swans, the other club that’s spent an extended period on the road.
Million-dollar man Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper, Jesse Hogan, Shane Mumford, Adam Kennedy and Daniel Lloyd were the inclusions this week.
The talent at Leon Cameron’s disposal remains very good, even with the players who walked out last year.
But what Cameron’s sides have always done well is successfully integrate role players.
Lloyd, Kennedy and Matt de Boer are perfect examples, but Friday night’s team also included mid-season draftee James Peatling, ex-decathlete Jake Stein, Zach Sproule and Connor Idun.
There’s no high draft picks in that crop, but these last two results wouldn’t have happened without them.
The Davis dilemma
The Giants took many people by surprise when they left out former co-captain Phil Davis despite him being available after missing last week with concussion.
Davis, who turns 31 in the next few weeks, was likely among them.
With fellow key backmen Lachie Keeffe and Jack Buckley nursing ACL injuries, he seemed a certain inclusion.
But coach Leon Cameron instead chose Connor Idun and Jake Stein to provide support for No.1 defender Sam Taylor, who this week signed a three-year extension that ties him to the club until 2025.
Davis spoke in recent times about wanting to wait until season’s end, once he had some matches behind him, before seriously engaging in contract negotiations for next year.
Both Idun and Stein were solid again, and Cameron stopped short afterwards of guaranteeing the veteran his spot back.
“The pleasing part about last week and also this week is some young fellas have come on and taken their opportunity,” Cameron said.
“Phil clearly can be in our 22. This week he wasn’t, because we backed in the seven (defenders) who just played last week – and they did a really good job.
“But clearly he’s still got some great footy in him. Is it a challenge to get in at the moment? Absolutely it is.
“But I’d much prefer this than having it the other way, when we had so many injuries and some concerns about who was actually going to play there last week.
“It’s good to be tight for spots. Yes, there will be some frustrating players who want to get in and play AFL footy – and Phil will be one of them.
“But I must admit he’s been terrific in the way he’s handled it and he’ll put his best foot forward next week and he’ll want to play, and it will be over to match committee to pick the side we think can beat Carlton.”
Stephen Coniglio (toe) and Sam Reid (ankle) both played in a reserves scratch match at Punt Road earlier on Friday and could also come into calculations.
There’s something special Bruhn at the Giants
We received a sneak peak of what Tanner Bruhn is capable of in the pre-season Community Series, when he put four goals past the Swans.
There were times this season when Bruhn, a junior All-Australian taken with the 12th pick in last year’s draft, looked like he wasn’t quite ready to be a senior regular.
However, his past two games have been his best yet, with Friday night’s effort another excellent glimpse at the player GWS has.
Bruhn’s decision-making can be spectacular at times, especially for a teenager.
The Geelong Falcons product passed the eye test, but his numbers were also good: 14 disposals, seven score involvements, four clearances and four inside 50s.
Bruhn’s 15 centre-bounce attendances also highlighted the trust they already have in him.
The Giants’ gun recruiter Adrian Caruso looks to have done it again.
Hardwick: We’ll be a hell of a lot better next year
- Ronny Lerner
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has not given up on finals for his reigning premier Tigers but he has already started shifting his focus to next year.
Hardwick admitted the that Greater Western Sydney were more equipped for a September challenge following Friday night’s 39-point loss, saying they looked like “a million bucks”.
“They might be hitting their straps at the right time because I’d hate to run into them in September,” Hardwick said post-match.
The Tigers coach dismissed suggestion that his team had lost the hunger for success after winning three of the previous four premierships, instead bemoaning the raft of injuries to key players they had experienced throughout the year, particularly in defence as the Giants scored at will without Noah Balta, Nathan Broad, David Astbury or Bachar Houli to contend with.
Richmond would need a minor miracle to qualify for the finals this year, but with a large core of premiership players still at his disposal next season, Hardwick was optimistic of their chances of making another run at a flag in 2022.
“When we have a good pre-season I think we’ll be a hell of a lot better,” he said.
However, Hardwick was noncommittal on whether Houli would be part of those plans beyond this season.
“These guys have been outstanding players for us so we’ll give them every opportunity to play on where we can but we’ll certainly make the right decision for the club moving forward,” he said.
Hardwick also admitted his club hadn’t handled all the challenges that have been thrown up as a result of another Covid-impacted season as well as their rivals.
“This year’s been as hard as it’s ever been, whoever wins it (premiership) this year will have an enormous tick beside their club,” he said.
Why rivals should take Giant warning seriously
- Ronny Lerner
In a warning to rivals, the Giants can still bolster their strength in coming weeks, dominating Friday night’s first half as led by 56 points at one stage.
Veteran GWS pair Phil Davis and Stephen Coniglio might have to wait a little longer to break back into the Giants’ line-up after the team produced another sensational performance without them.
GWS backed up its miraculous upset victory over Geelong last week with a clinical dismantling of Richmond on Friday night to tighten their grip on a finals berth with one round to play.
And after experiencing an “extremely hard” week at the selection table, coach Leon Cameron doesn’t anticipate it will get any easier this week ahead of their final game against Carlton, but he wouldn’t want it any other way either.
“The hardest one was Phil,” Cameron said post-game of his former captain who was absent last week due to concussion, but was cleared to play this week.
“I was really rapt with our back seven last week and we wanted to back them in again, so that was really tough.
“But to his credit he’s taken it as well as he possibly could … he’s hurting because he’d love to play AFL footy, but equally his leadership has been absolutely first class.
“Clearly he’s still got some great footy in him. Is it a challenge to get in (the best 22) at the moment? Absolutely. But I’d much prefer this than having it the other way when we had so many injuries.”
And while Coniglio is no guarantee to return against the Blues, either, he’s made huge strides in a short amount of time in his recovery from a toe injury.
“A week or so ago it wasn’t looking as great and maybe he mightn’t be able to even get back and play footy this year but a really successful return today (in a scratch match) and hopefully he can build on that and start to put pressure on our match committee again which is good because it means everyone is fighting for spots,” Cameron said.
If the Giants were to qualify for the finals, Cameron said he wouldn’t have an issue with the pre-finals bye being scrapped, but he would prefer finals matches to be played in front of crowds, even if that means Melbourne has another year deprived of the biggest month of the season.
He also paid tribute to his team for not adopting a “woe is me” attitude after starting the year 0-3, and recovering adequately to find themselves in the box seat for a top-eight spot.
Match report: Finals hopes crushed as lethargic Tigers exposed
- Ronny Lerner
Greater Western Sydney have given Damien Hardwick even more reason to hate Marvel Stadium after all but ending Richmond’s finals hopes in emphatic fashion at the Docklands venue on Friday night.
In what was a virtual elimination final for both sides, with just two points and two positions separating them on the ladder, the Giants were the only ones who looked like they understood the gravity of the situation as they absolutely tore Richmond to shreds in the first half before running out comfortable 39-point winners.
The result saw GWS take a big step towards securing a finals berth, moving to seventh spot heading into the weekend, while Richmond now need Fremantle to beat West Coast on Sunday, otherwise they will become the first back-to-back premiers to miss the finals since Adelaide in 1999, bringing an end to their incredible triple premiership dynasty.
But even if the Tigers do manage to somehow squeak into the eight, they’ll only be making up the numbers based on this performance.
Hardwick’s side had no answers for the Giants’ devastating centre clearance work, astonishing forward efficiency, manic pressure and electric run-and-carry.
The Giants not only capitalised on the lethargic Tigers’ lack of pressure on the ball carrier, but also regularly found holes in Richmond’s undersized backline.
After only taking five marks inside 50 for the entire game last week against Geelong, GWS already had six by quarter-time as they shot out to a commanding 31-point lead, registering their best opening term in over two years.
Even midfielder Tim Taranto, who teamed up with Harry Himmelberg for four first-quarter goals, found himself outmarking Richmond key defender Ryan Garthwaite with strength.
And it got considerably worse for the Tigers in the second term as the Giants continued to steamroll them, slicing through their meagre resistance with ease to pile on another five consecutive goals and shoot out to a 56-point advantage just after time-on.
Greater Western Sydney averaged nine marks inside 50 per game this season, but already reached that figure by the 14-minute mark of the second quarter, finishing up with 15. The Tigers were overwhelmed and simply couldn’t cover the absences of David Astbury, Nathan Broad, Noah Balta and Bachar Houli down back – even with experienced hands such as Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin still in the line-up.
With the heat well and truly taken out of the contest, the Giants kept their foot on Richmond’s throat in the second half, to register their third-biggest win against the Tigers.
GWS PICK TIGERS BACKS APART
Underscoring just how badly Richmond were struggling down back was the fact that GWS had 17 scoring shots (12.5) from just 27 inside 50s in the first half, at a staggering 63 per cent efficiency, to bring up their highest ever halftime score against Richmond. The Giants finished the game with 16.10 from 56 at 46 per cent, with four goals coming from outside 50m, compared to Richmond’s 10.7 from 43 at 40 per cent.
TARANTO STEPS UP IN ATTACK
With GWS superstar Toby Greene out suspended, Taranto’s move forward proved to be an inspired decision. The on-baller had a career-high four goals by the 17-minute mark of the second quarter to be the main reason why the contest was over so early. He also ended up with 18 touches (nine contested) and a game-high eight score involvements.
KELLY CELEBRATES NEW DEAL IN STYLE
After triggering the eight-year extension on his contract, Josh Kelly showed no signs of a post-signing hangover, starting brilliantly with 12 disposals and three tackles in the first quarter, before finishing with an equal game-high 32 possessions to go with 11 tackles and 10 contested touches. And he was supported beautifully by Jacob Hopper, another architect of the dominant victory with 26 disposals (11 contested), nine clearances, seven score involvements and a goal.
NO RESPITE FOR TIGERS UP FORWARD
Even when the Tigers tried to go forward, GWS were so well set up, they couldn’t find a way through with GWS defenders Isaac Cumming, Nick Haynes and Sam Taylor dominating the airways, combining for 22 intercept possessions between them.
TIGERS CREATIVITY STIFLED
Early in the third quarter, the Tigers actually had 20 more disposals than the Giants for the game, but at the same stage, Leon Cameron’s team had 600 more metres gained, highlighting the massive difference in attacking intent between both sides when they had possession of the ball.
SCOREBOARD
GIANTS 7.3 12.5 15.8 16.10 (106)
TIGERS 2.2 4.3 6.4 10.7 (67)
LERNER’S BEST
Giants: Taranto, Kelly, Hopper, Cumming, Haynes, Himmelberg, Ward.
Tigers: Baker, Cotchin, Short, Prestia.
GOALS
Giants: Taranto 4, Himmelberg 3, Lloyd 2, de Boer 2, Hogan, Hopper, Perryman, Ward, Mumford.
Tigers: Baker 2, Lynch 2, Bolton 2, Edwards, Coleman-Jones, Riewoldt, M.Rioli.
LATE CHANGE David Astbury (quad) replaced in Richmond’s selected side by Ryan Garthwaite.
UMPIRES Rosebury, Stephens, Mollison
VENUE Marvel Stadium
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LERNER’S VOTES
3 T.Taranto (GWS)
2 J.Kelly (GWS)
1 J.Hopper (GWS)
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Originally published as AFL GWS v Richmond 2021: What is next for Damien Hardwick’s Tigers?
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