Gary Buckenara analyses Richmond’s list after the 2019 season
Richmond is stacked with A-grade talent, and the Tigers’ younger brigade — who have only scratched the surface of their potential — can help create a dynasty, writes list expert Gary Buckenara.
Gary Buckenara
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Do we classify two premierships in three years as a dynasty? If not, the Tigers are very close to establishing one.
Richmond is a powerhouse both on and off the field, and the Tigers are the team to beat in 2020 and for the foreseeable future given the strength and depth of talent on their list. While there are never any guarantees in footy and it only takes a slight drop in preparation or mindset to come back to the field, this team has the weapons to win multiple premierships over the next 3-5 years.
The beauty of the Tigers’ list is its superstars are still in their prime, with Jack Riewoldt (31 this month), Alex Rance (30) and Trent Cotchin (30 in April) the oldest of a group that includes Dustin Martin (28), Tom Lynch (26 this month), Dylan Grimes (28) and Dion Prestia (27).
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Richmond has done well to take full advantage of free agency to add talent to their list while at the same time investing in the draft to bring in top-end young talent and that has the club well set-up both for the present and the future.
While there are the stars of the now — Martin, Cotchin etc — there are seven players aged 21 or under with the talent to develop into A or B-grade players in the future. The list is led by the likes of Noah Balta who I talked up in the pre-season and is just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of, Sydney Stack who I had rated at the 36th best player in last year’s draft and Jack Higgins who likely would have been a premiership player this year if it wasn’t for that serious health scare. I also like Riley Collier-Dawkins who I had rated as the 15th-best player in last year’s draft but he slipped to the Tigers at pick 20.
Most counted the Tigers out of the premiership race following Rance’s torn anterior cruciate ligament in Round 1, the strength and depth of the backline was able to cover him. Grimes, David Astbury, Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, Jayden Short and later, Liam Baker, did a brilliant job and the flexibility of each of those players to play different roles meant coach Damien Hardwick had the ability to make moves mid-game if something wasn’t working.
Versatility is one of Richmond’s biggest strengths and has been an area Hardwick has made a point of improving to further strengthen his list and give himself more options when injuries strike mid-game or players are out of form. We saw that with Josh Caddy, who has been a very good goalkicking half-forward but was developed this year as a defensive midfielder, and Baker moving from a small forward to small defender.
These tweaks provide valuable flexibility and their true value isn’t realised until the Tigers need to call upon it in-game when there’s an injury or plan A hasn’t worked. Having multiple players you can throw into different roles that aren’t foreign to them is invaluable. It’s a seamless transition. Shane Edwards is another good example — he was used across half-back when Short was injured earlier in the year.
But what really sets the Tigers apart, aside from their obvious on-field talent, is the mental side of their game and the culture that has been established both within the playing group and wider football department.
Football clubs need a “we first” mentality rather than “me first” and Richmond has absolutely nailed it and been the leaders in creating such a strong team culture that other clubs, including Collingwood, have tried to emulate. Successfully building that culture and standard has given the Tigers that extra 1 per cent that every club is looking for to give it that competitive advantage.
It’s one of the reasons why they’ve been so dominant since 2017.
LIST NEEDS
In recent drafts (and free agency periods) the Tigers have taken steps to shore up their key-position stocks for the future to begin planning for life after the likes of Rance, Riewoldt and Astbury. One possible hole I see is in the ruck and concerns over the durability of Toby Nankervis. Ivan Soldo did well to cover for him this year and they played in the same team on Grand Final day, but is this sustainable going forward? Mabior Chol also showed some exciting signs but he is more of a forward, while Callum Coleman-Jones is a developing forward-ruck who has shown some signs in the VFL but is still learning his craft.
LIST BREAKDOWN
A: Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance, Tom Lynch, Jack Riewoldt
B+: Dylan Grimes
B: Shane Edwards, David Astbury, Daniel Rioli, Toby Nankervis, Marlion Pickett (on talent)
B-: Dion Prestia, Bachar Houli, Kane Lambert
C+: Nick Vlastuin, Jason Castagna, Jayden Short, Josh Caddy, Kamdyn McIntosh, Nathan Broad, Ivan Soldo
C: Oleg Markov, Jake Aarts
C-: Nil
Developing*: Jack Higgins, Jack Graham, Noah Balta, Sydney Stack, Patrick Naish, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Jack Ross
Developing: Shai Bolton, Mabior Chol, Callum Coleman-Jones, Ryan Garthwaite, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith, Ben Miller, Luke English, Liam Baker, Fraser Turner
Please note: Developing* refers to players aged 21 or under with the potential to become A or B-grade players in the future.
DRAFT STRATEGY
The Tigers will have four picks inside the top 41 at the national draft, which is very handy for a team that has just won its second premiership in three years. The strength of this draft is good, with the top 35-40 picks to unearth some very good players for the future. This is a midfielders’ draft so expect the Tigers to add some players with pace and who use the ball well, while they might look for a nice rebound defender given Houli is getting towards the end of his career, Markov hasn’t quite come on as hoped and Connor Menadue has been delisted. I’d also look at an experienced ruckman from a state league just to add ruck depth.
CRYSTAL BALL
The Tigers are the team to beat in 2020 with only bad luck with injury and/or a lack of desire the enemy for this group. Losing the hunger is very unlikely as the players have formed a close bond and have been able to maintain their focus for three seasons now, which is a credit to the leadership both on and off the field and dedication to team success shown by the players.