Are Richmond finally capable of winning a flag?

[Schlurp]

While we are now unrecognisable from the unstructured mess we were pre Hardwick, the Hawthorn/Geelong game made it clear that we still have some distance to go to challenge for a GF spot. I don't think we are that far away but until we have two tall backs like Frawley and Lake to support Rance and a run till you drop attitude all over the field, the best we can hope for is an upper four finish.

 

[Stigmata]

Nope, We aren't ready to challenge the hawks, swans, Cats yet.

Too many players that crumble under the pressure of finals footy or just make stupid mistakes still.

We should win a final though.

Cats?

Not enough midfield depth


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[Stigmata]

I think yes.

Absolutely



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[tgrs]

Paddy next year, good drafting and the improvement of youngsters like Lennon and Ellis and continued improvement of those guys in the couple of tiers below superstar level and we are golden

 

[TheTigerArmy]

Nope, We aren't ready to challenge the hawks, swans, Cats yet.

Too many players that crumble under the pressure of finals footy or just make stupid mistakes still.

We should win a final though.

we can beat the cats..

 

[tugga]

Not this year.
But if blokes such as McIntosh can come in and do what he did regularly, we may be closer than we think.

 

[CoggaRules]

Not this year.
But if blokes such as McIntosh can come in and do what he did regularly, we may be closer than we think.

and dont forget we have depth too with Nahas and co pressing for a spot.

 

[tugga]

and dont forget we have depth too with Nahas and co pressing for a spot.

and Griggs in the ruck

 

[CoggaRules]

and Griggs in the ruck

FFS, its Grigg not Griggs and its pissing people off..but not yet...the secret weapon wont be unveiled until we get to the granny

 

[TigerTime88]

To win a flag we need:

1. Griffo to be able to kick 50+ and become a bonafide dangerous target
2. Dustin and Cotchin to go from good to top 5-10 mids in the comp
3. One of C Ellis, Lennon or K Mac to be another star
4. Maric to play well into his 30's
5. A backup plan for Ivan
6. McBean to become a good AFL player making our forward line very difficult to match up on

THE MOST IMPORTANT HOWEVER IS TO EVENTUALLY LAND A BIG FREE AGENT TOP UP PLAYER......DANGERFIELD IS THE BEST FA AVAILABLE THIS YEAR AND IN THE NEXT FEW I WOULD THINK. GET HIM AND WE WILL START PUSHING VERY CLOSE.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Capable of winning a flag? Why set the bar low, shouldn't we be talking about our future DYNASTY?

I can see it now, The year is 2018 and the all the headlines of the major papers scream out "Tigers in Three-peat Triumph"


In all seriousness, I think a lot shapes on this year. A lot of variable are in play but:

• If we can have a good season (maybe win a final or two) to stake a claim as a legitimate top quality side.
• If we can secure Rance to a new deal (without overpaying him)
• If we can avoid any serious injuries to key players (those injuries that prevent players from fulfilling their best or potential).
• If we can develop a few more quality youngsters who can cement their place as best 22 players.
• and if we can have a good trading/free agency period (the above factors could influence how prospective players view the club as a future destination) and land 1 or 2 big name additions.

Then I'd say yes we can have a serious tilt at a flag in the next few years.

A lot has to go right and a lot of water has to go under the bridge first though. Hopefully all the pieces fall into place.

 

[Bojangles17]

certainly got the players, need a bit of luck on maintaining a healthy list but who doesn't plus a couple of ifs and buts with developing players that will strengthen the potency of our front half. If all planets align , of course we can

 

[TigerTime88]

certainly got the players, need a bit of luck on maintaining a healthy list but who doesn't plus a couple of ifs and buts with developing players that will strengthen the potency of our front half. If all planets align , of course we can

See I don't think we have the players yet...we aren't far away but need a bit of luck.

 

[Thrillhouse!]

We have one of the youngest lists in the league still, in terms of the age of our best 22 players.

It's been widely accepted that players start hitting their peak around 25/26, and usually that lasts until about 29 or 30. There are even some players who improve when they're in their late 20's.

Here's a quick breakdown of the age of the majority of our players.

-----------------------
28 years old +

Newman (32)
Foley (29)
Maric (29)
Chaplin (29)
Knights (28)

-----------------------
24-27 years old:

Deledio (27)
Houli (26)
Edwards (26)
Riewoldt (26)
Morris (26)
Rance (25)
Cotchin (25)
Vickery (24)
Hunt (24)
Lloyd (24)
Gordon (24)

------------------------

18-23 years old:

Grimes (23)
Dea (23)
Lambert (23)
Martin (23)
Griffiths (23)
Miles (23)
Batchelor (23)
Conca (22)
Ellis (21)
Vlastuin (21)
McIntosh (21)
McDonough (21)
Elton (21)
McBean (20)
Lennon (19)
McKenzie (18)
C. Ellis (18)

Now that top tier is still quite young, in comparison to say a Geelong or North, who have 6 or 7 guys that are over 30 years old, we only have 1 guy over 30, and he's certainly in his last year, and not an automatic best 22 selection. But we won't have many even in 2 or 3 years time.

As for that 2nd tier age group, it shows that we are actually well on track to building some serious sustainable depth here. The majority of our best 22 are in that 2nd tier age group, so in 3 years time, the majority of these players will just be starting to hit peak in terms of age, and they would have spent that 3 years at AFL level.

Which brings me to the final tier.

Whilst we still have a few guys in that little group that haven't played yet, we've already seen the impact that a kid such as McIntosh can have, given a few years to develop and not being rushed straight in, so that I think is a big tick for our development team, and justifies the pick-ups of guys like Petterd and Grigg, who have shouldered the load whilst we've let a kid such as McIntosh develop.

Plus we know on exposed form that Ellis and Vlastuin have grown into some very good quality players already, however they were forced to from word go, which is a sign of their character. However, I do still prefer letting kids develop.

I don't really wanna see guys like Corey Ellis and Reece McKenzie being given games based on potential, I wanna see them spend a few years in the lower levels, developing their game, and then come into seniors and make an impact, like McIntosh did.

Imagine if we had 1 or 2 "McIntosh" stories every year? Wouldn't be long before our development would started to get rated by the industry.

Our future is looking good, and the great thing is, guys like Petterd, Grigg, and whoever else that have filled the gaps, and have held spots in our team whilst this list has developed, are going to find it harder and harder to stay in the team.

Maybe you should explain that to threenew padlocks on the banter thread. And read his analysis of our side.

 

[GN272]

Not this year based on what I saw on Thurs night at the G - unless there's a lot of Tiger improvement and some deep issues (injury etc) with the other clubs.

 

[tugga]

See I don't think we have the players yet...we aren't far away but need a bit of luck.

agree. We don;t have the list yet.
Hopefully the draft just gone is as good as we been told it was and if we can land Shiel, then it may be getting that way.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

No unfortunately I think we are still a fair bit short.

 

[KiwiTiger]

FFS, its Grigg not Griggs and its pissing people off..but not yet...the secret weapon wont be unveiled until we get to the granny

Is that the Doozy?

Haere Ra

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

After watching a few teams on the weekend, we are still a long way off.

 

[docko911]

Is McIntosh the Doozy he ripped through that interview. When asked about attention he talked about his mates LMFAO.

We are getting close, FA won't get us there but could keep us there like Hawthorn. As soon as we overpay for a few players we'll shorten our period of success better to take people who want to play for the club for less money. Our list is in a strong position. We have players at every position 25 and under with games under their belt. Each time a new player steps up our team improves along with our depth. The oldest players we rely on have 3+ years left. We are set for a long period and should focus on adding to that period by drafting young talent every year and not taking shortcuts.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Need a lot of luck....

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Until we win a final this question has no right to be asked

 

[TheDyerLegacy]

Not this year.
But if blokes such as McIntosh can come in and do what he did regularly, we may be closer than we think.

 

[Bojangles17]

See I don't think we have the players yet...we aren't far away but need a bit of luck.

There are any number of clubs over the journey that you may well have said that , as I say a few planets have to align, but that can happen

 

[Tigerforlife78]

I dont ask myself questions like can we win a flag, leads to heaps of beers and stressing myself out