AFL 2023: Three-week stretch to reveal a clearer picture of Richmond’s prospects this season

The Tigers are not exactly humming along and trouble lies just up the road with the toughest three-week stretch of their draw all season. It will present a much clearer picture of their prospects.

The Pies win, but at what cost? Picture: Michael Klein

Richmond has a polish problem.

For the second time in three weeks Damien Hardwick was left to lament some fundamental skill execution errors from his team which cost them any chance of stopping a red-hot Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night, leaving his team at a set of early-season crossroads.

In Hardwick’s own words, the Tigers have been going OK after making a bold play at the trade table to load-up in the midfield on prime ballwinners Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto.

But these next three weeks are a doozy for the yellow and black.

Starting on Saturday afternoon at the MCG, the Tigers take on Western Bulldogs at the MCG, followed by Sydney Swans at Adelaide Oval for ‘Gather Round’, and then Melbourne on Anzac Day eve in probably the toughest three-week stretch of the draw they’ll face all season.

If the Tigers were humming along, it wouldn’t be such a big concern.

But the Tigers coughed the ball up far too easily under the might of the Magpies forward pressure on Friday night, racking up 28 “giveaway turnovers” in the first half.

It was an alarming number, according to the senior coach.

“That’s through nothing but skill execution and decision-making errors,” Hardwick said.

“Twenty-eight!

“We had eight in the second half, and a lot of that can be put down to Collingwood’s good play but in particular our poor play.

Dylan Grimes and his teammates face a torrid three-week stretch that will give a clearer indication of where Richmond possibly sits in 2023.

“We didn’t use the ball anywhere near well enough, 28 is an incredibly high number.

“You are going to struggle to stay in games when you give the ball away 28 times.”

To be fair, the Tigers were missing four key players, and Dustin Martin (hamstring), Jayden Short (calf) and Hopper (knee) are all expected to be back next weekend, including Short who is ahead of schedule.

Those three clearly help against the Dogs on Saturday, but there is a certain balance in the Tigers’ game style they are yet to get right in 2023.

Coming into the clash against Collingwood, Richmond was the No. 1 forward intercept team in the game. Their pressure is back.

But they aren’t finishing or executing as well as they would like.

In Round 1 against Carlton the Tigers had 21 more inside 50s than the Blues, yet drew the game due to some missed opportunities and connection problems in the forward half.

And while they fended off a charging Adelaide late last week, again the Tigers were poor by hand and foot when the Magpies turned the heat up.

Daniel Rioli, who to be fair has had an excellent start to the season, led the turnover count with eight, Jack Ross had seven, Nick Vlastuin six, and Liam Baker and Tim Taranto had five each for the match.

In that sense, they played into the Magpies’ hands, and Craig McRae’s men probably could have put this game away in the first-half, but sprayed it in front of goal, kicking a wasteful 8.15 (63) for the night to Richmond’s 7.7 (49), keeping the door ajar for the Tigers momentarily in the third term.

The challenge for Hardwick is how does he coach his team to be more lethal and precise by foot around the two new hard nuts in the engine room in Hopper and Taranto. Taranto is a quality player, but his use by foot has also been up and down so far this season.

Jack Riewoldt and his fellow forwards aren’t finishing or executing as well as they would like.

And the improvement needs to come in a hurry over the next three weeks when Richmond can either make a statement that it is one of the genuine challengers in 2023, or just an also-ran.

Since the 2020 premiership, Richmond missed the finals in 2021, and then scraped in last year but bombed out in the first week of September, going down to Brisbane in a thrilling elimination final loss at the Gabba.

They had no Grimes (hamstring) and Martin was underdone in that one.

But these next three weeks may also say a lot about the list, which Hardwick and Co have clearly backed-in this year to help climb back up towards a top-four spot.

Richmond has seven 30-year-olds in its regular senior team, led By Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Martin, Grimes, Marlion Pickett, Tom Lynch and Dion Prestia, not forgetting Robbie Tarrant.

If the Tigers’ top-eight ambitions don’t materialise this year, then there will have to be some considerable change. So the stakes are high for Richmond in 2023.

Youngster Noah Cumberland turned the game momentarily with his ball use in the forward half in the third term, lacing out three targets to help get the score back to within one straight kick.

Cumberland’s defensive actions are a work in progress, but he is creative and smart with the footy. It was at odds with the Tigers’ first half.

Hardwick said the Tigers shouldn’t be too harshly judged just yet, but clearly the next three weeks will be telling.

“I thought we fumbled and bumbled in and around the contest and I thought they (Collingwood) were cleaner,” Hardwick said.

Damien Hardwick pleads with his players for an extra effort at three-quarter time as Collingwood takes control in the contested possession battle.

“Are we playing well enough at the moment? We are going OK, but we can certainly get better in some areas.

“Some sides are going well and some sides aren’t going so well.

“It is pretty early to judge sides on where they are at, at the moment. I know we are quick to jump on that as an industry.

“But the reality is you have just got to let the game settle a bit and figure out what happens from here.”

At half time, Collingwood was also dominating the contested possession battle, winning 88-70. By the end of the game, Collingwood had increased the difference to 23.

Baker said Hardwick was blunt about that part of the game, too.

“We got smashed around the ball,” Baker said.

“’Dimma’ challenged us on our contest stuff, which is tough to hear when we are getting smacked around the ball contest-wise.

“The boys take it to heart, but credit to them (Collingwood)”.

Perhaps it showed how much they missed the four stars who were out, including Nathan Broad who will miss another three matches with suspension.

If the Dogs were under the microscope last week, the spotlight will turn to Richmond if the club can’t return to the winner’s list next weekend as part of this tough month.

How Pies could address deepening ruck crisis

Collingwood could be forced to turn to untried rookie ruckman Oscar Steene after losing Darcy Cameron to a knee injury in its win over Richmond on Friday night.

Cameron hobbled off the ground late in the third term and was substituted out of the team, delivering a considerable blow to the club’s depleted ruck stocks.

The 27-year-old has a suspected medial ligament injury and will likely have scans on his knee on Saturday.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae said he feared Cameron would be out for a “significant period”.

The Magpies made the bold call to trade superstar big man Brodie Grundy to Melbourne last year, and Mason Cox (rib) and Aiden Begg (back) have been sidelined with injuries.

Darcy Cameron was subbed out of the match. Picture: Getty Images

It means Collingwood coach Craig McRae may have to look to fourth-stringer Steene, a supplementary selection period pickup from West Adelaide, who had 29 hit-outs in the VFL team last weekend.

A call-up to the senior side for Thursday night’s clash against Brisbane Lions at the Gabba would be a huge step-up for the 19-year-old who played mostly SANFL reserves last year.

“I’m rapt with how he’s developing,” McRae said.

“I’ve always believed with my development hat on that we set people up to succeed and we’ll have to weigh up whether that’s the case with him, whether it’s too early. It’s not impossible.”

The Magpies were unsure on Friday night how long Cameron would be out, while Cox faces a test on his rib after copping a knock in the win over Port Adelaide last Saturday at the MCG.

Cox suffered a hematoma and required more scans before the club would consider a clear return-to-play timetable, pending specialist advice.

Rookie Oscar Steene could be thrust into the ruck. Picture: Michael Klein

McRae also wouldn’t rule out using Billy Frampton in the role, even after the former Crow produced a stellar performance in defence, keeping Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch to one goal.

Frampton played in the ruck in his time with Adelaide and Port Adelaide.

“Potentially, yeah. At the right time and against certain opposition ... that’s something that may come up,” McRae said.

“I half-joked with (small forward) Jamie (Elliott) on the way out that he might be rucking next week,” McRae laughed.

“We’ve got a few things up our sleeve.”

Despite the injury to Cameron, the Magpies chalked up their third-straight win on Friday night to remain undefeated heading into the clash against the Lions.

The Tigers will take on Western Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon and are expecting Jacob Hopper (knee) and Dustin Martin (hamstring) to be available after the star pair missed the loss to the Magpies.

And superstar Collingwood midfielder and Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos could be in for more votes after gathering another 33 possessions in the win over the Tigers.

Daicos has started his second season on-fire, gathering 32, 35 and 33 disposals in the three wins.

Nick Daicos is in fine form. Picture: Getty Images

However, brilliant midfielder Jordan De Goey was outstanding and looks set for the three votes after racking up 35 touches and 10 clearances, while Billy Frampton starred deep in defence shutting Richmond star spearhead Tom Lynch.

Frampton was one of the four players picked up in the trade period with the salary cap space created by Grundy’s move to Melbourne.

Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay and Bobby Hill also switched colours and have helped transform the Magpies into premiership favourites after a scintillating start to the season.

However, the Cameron injury is a considerable concern as the club could not afford to lose the former Swan to a long layoff, exposing its depth in the ruck department.

Without Cameron in the fourth quarter against Richmond, Collingwood used McStay and Ash Johnson as makeshift talls in the ruck against Tiger Toby Nankervis.

The 204cm Steene was picked up by the Magpies in February to add depth to the ruck stocks after impressing at training over summer.

Steene was called-up to the senior West Adelaide side for four games in 2022 where he averaged 10 disposals and three marks a game.

MATCH REPORT: WAYWARD PIES WIN BLOCKBUSTER AT THE ‘G

Ronny Lerner

New premiership favourites Collingwood have overcome a horrible goalkicking display to maintain their undefeated start to the season with a gritty 14-point win over Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.

But the victory came at a cost for the Magpies with Darcy Cameron subbed out at three-quarter time with a knee injury.

It was a far cry from the freewheeling style of the Magpies’ first two games this year, and in front of 85,241 fans – the third biggest home-and-away crowd between these two famous clubs - alarming inaccuracy prevented Collingwod from ending the contest early. The Pies registered 13 of the first 14 scores, but could only manage 3.10 and a lead of just 22 points in the second quarter.

There was another huge crowd at the MCG for the blockbuster clash.

Richmond, who were missing Dustin Martin (hamstring), Jacob Hopper (knee), Nathan Broad (suspension) and Jayden Short (calf), then subbed Noah Cumberland in at half-time, at the expense of Samson Ryan, and the small forward had an instant impact, setting up the Tigers’ next two goals.

Richmond ramped up the pressure, and after managing just one goal from 21 inside-50s in the first half, their forward efficiency skyrocketed as they helped themselves to the first three majors of the third term to slash the deficit to three points.

But rather than drop their bundle after having little to show for their domination of general play, Collingwood regrouped and responded strongly, booting the next four goals, including two to Jamie Elliott, to open up a game-high 28-point lead at three-quarter time.

A couple of quick goals from Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch in the final term gave the Tigers a glimmer of hope, but Collingwood never looked seriously troubled, and when Dan McStay drilled a set shot with less than five minutes to go, the result was put to bed.

Jordan De Goey was outstanding with 35 disposals (15 contested), 10 clearances and eight inside-50s, and the Nick Daicos tag failed again. After the reigning Rising Star towelled up Port Adelaide’s Lachie Jones last week, he did a similar job on Jack Graham this week, accruing 33 touches.

Meanwhile, Billy Frampton played the best game of his career, keeping Lynch to just one goal, which was scored midway through the final term.

After smashing Port Adelaide in contested possessions by 57 last week, Collingwood produced a similarly strong showing in that department again, thumping Richmond by 23 (161-138). The Pies also dominated the forward entries (59-41) but poor goalkicking cost them a bigger win.

Scott Pendlebury impressed yet again.

PENDLES RISES TO THE TOP

Late in the third quarter, with Collingwood on a roll, the evergreen Scott Pendlebury joined the party with considerable class as he gathered the loose ball deep in attack and weaved his way through, not one, not two, but three Tigers in Noah Balta, Daniel Rioli and Nick Vlastuin, before snapping truly from the top of the goal square to extend the Magpies’ lead to 22 points.

LYNCH LETS OFF PIES

Shortly after, Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch had a couple of chances to cut back the margin, but the big Tiger missed a pair of straightforward set shots in the space of a couple of minutes to cap off a dirty night for the reigning best-and-fairest who was well held by Billy Frampton.

TIGERS’ HISTORIC LOW

Richmond’s half-time score of 1.3.9 was their lowest since Round 19, 2016 (1.2.8 against GWS) and their worst against Collingwood since Round 10, 1955 (1.2.8).

HARDWICK MILESTONE

Damien Hardwick became the first man in VFL/AFL history to coach Richmond in 300 games on Friday night. He’s also the club’s second-most successful coach, guiding the Tigers to three premierships, one shy of the great Tom Hafey who oversaw four flags between 1967-74.

SCOREBOARD

MAGPIES 2.6, 3.10, 7.15, 8.15 (63)

TIGERS 1.0, 1.3, 4.5, 7.7 (49)

LERNER’S BEST

Magpies: De Goey, N.Daicos, Frampton, Sidebottom, Elliott, J.Daicos, Pendlebury.

Tigers: Baker, Bolton, Ross, Taranto, D.Rioli

GOALS

Magpies: Elliott 2, Hill, Mihocek, Johnson, J.Daicos, Pendlebury, McStay.

Tigers: Riewoldt 2, Bolton, Mansell, Clarke, Lynch, Ross.

INJURIES

Magpies: Cameron (knee), Mihocek (cut eyebrow).

Tigers: Nil.

UMPIRES: Fisher, Stephens, Heffernan, Mollison

VENUE: MCG

CROWD: 85,241

PLAYER OF THE YEAR- LERNER’S VOTES

3 Jordan De Goey (Coll)

2 Billy Frampton (Coll)

1 Nick Daicos (Coll)

HOWE RETURN DELAYED AS PIES STAR HOSPITALISED AGAIN

Jon Ralph

Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe has required a second stint in hospital this week to clear an infection in the compound fracture in his forearm.

Howe spent several days in hospital after the ghoulish injury which saw him break his arm in multiple places as he crashed to the MCG turf after a marking contest.

But when an infection flared he was forced to spend most of this week in hospital attempting to minimise the infection so his arm could again begin healing.

Collingwood confirmed to the Herald Sun Howe’s stint in hospital is expected to cause a delay in his eventual return to the AFL.

Jeremy Howe requires a second stint in hospital. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Jeremy Howe’s sickening collision against the Cats. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Infections in compound fractures are not uncommon, but players can still return from those types of injuries in around eight or 10 weeks if they do not have lengthy setbacks.

The Pies are yet to put a return date on Howe’s injury but Collingwood football boss Graham Wright said he was tackling his setback with his usual determination.

Further scans on Thursday showed Mason Cox has bleeding on his spleen so will likely miss at least three to four weeks, including at least a fortnight of total rest.

“Our main priority is Jeremy’s health and we will continue to support him as he recovers,” Wright said.

“The infection was picked up early by medical staff and we don’t foresee any long-term issues. Despite the slight setback with his recovery, in true Jeremy style, he is in good spirits.”

Collingwood star Jack Ginnivan will return to competitive football in the VFL on Saturday night after a two-week ban for his drug strike.

The Pies are keen for him to play a full game to build match fitness although Collingwood’s AFL side plays next Thursday.

It would mean the Pies’ VFL players would have only a five-day break leading into the round 4 AFL clash, so Collingwood might need to monitor their game time depending on any injury toll from the Friday night clash against Richmond.