Review Richmond - A Year In Review

[Roachy8]

5 wins was more than expected so therefore a plus.

Major minus was our lack of fight and system to fight in quarters in most of our losses.
Also injuries generally but specifically amongst our first year players - took a lot of the enjoyment out of tuning in each week.

 

[SouthernStripes]

Round one was my highlight by a mile. The Seth Campbell backflip, massive comeback against the blues, Sam lalors old fella escaping his shorts. That game had it all.

 

[baazzaa]

If they had a top 200 players under 25 we'd struggle to make the list. Maybe Campbell and Banks would sneak in.

If you'd told me at the start of 2024 that we'd go last and then second last, but still be playing Hopper, TT, Prestia and Nank in the midfield despite them going -4.6 on average clearance diff all year, even someone as pessimistic as me wouldn't have believed you.

At the start of 2024 these are the players I'd hoped to come good over 2 years of rebuilding:
Ross, Kozi (we'd just got him), Ryan, Cumberland, Dow (who was hyped at during that pre-season), HRS, MRJ, Sonsie, Banks, Gibcus, Brown, Clarke, Kmac2.

Of them HRS and Banks get a pass mark, Campbell who wasn't really on my radar on the time has exceeded expectations.

That's about it, through either injury or poor performance the rest have disappointed. Nothing good has come from the rookies like Lefau, Bauer, Tresize, Blight and Gray, although some of them haven't been given enough of a shot (Gray should have been playing ahead of Faull and Armstrong imo).

So it's been a catastrophic failure to develop the pre-2024 players. The 2024 draft was of course crueled by injury so not much to say there, Lalor and Hotton showed glimpses, the talls were predictably unready. I wanted Murphy Reid so naturally am unhappy about that.

As for the senior players they mostly did fine, Miller has been very good again. TT and Hopper were overrated when we brought them over, and the Balta deal was even worse. Overwhelmingly I think our biggest problem is player development, and the club's approach of wringing every last game out of players like Prestia and Lynch is covering up just how bad the problem is.

 

[prodigy]

Bit rough on Short. He was fine, at worst, after he returned from injury.

Nah for an experienced player he was horrendous more than anything. He had a couple of good games but the way he wastes the footy by just blasting absolutely drives me insane.

 

[sregit]

NEGATIVES.
Prestia, Taranto and Hopper being played altogether at centre bounces was horrific. should never happen again.
The failure to trial others through the midfield was sickening.
Vast periods of non competitiveness unexceptionable, with multiple quarters where we were unable to score.
Not much/no improvement from players in their 3rd and fourth years.
Too many soft tissue injuries to younger players.
Balta fiasco
Too many games to spuds. HRS,Sonsie,Dow,MRJ, Ross and many more..
Smilie unable to get on the park

POSITIVES.
5 of the 6 first year draftees played and appear to show some talent.

 

[kozi]

Get the boys to watch round 1 again and burn the rest of the tape