Analysis The Richmond dynasty

[jc12]

Bullshiit mate

2020 will be remembered as the compromised season of limited training sessions, shortened 16 minute quarters, just 17 H&A rounds and many unlucky teams (but not Richmond) having to play games with 4 day breaks vs teams with over a week's rest.

The reigning premiers were actually favoured by the various challenges when you consider they had all the pieces & a premiership gameplan already in place. Especially compared to many of their struggling rivals who weren't able to bridge the gap due to the restrictions on what they could do.

Richmond was extremely blessed they were able to spend the last 4 months in their sunny Queensland hub with their families while other clubs had to endure the upheaval of 3-4 week hubs in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.



The Tigers received the easiest draw of all Victorian teams.

AFL fixture 2020: Who won and who lost from the revised schedule?

Richmond got a major leg-up, while Hawthorn didn't have any luck. And how much help did the South Australian and Queensland teams have?

www.theage.com.au

Home/Away

• 5 games in Melb before the travel restrictions (4 at MCG, 1 at Marvel.) Fortunate not to have any interstate games in that block.
• Disadvantaged by only 3 away games after that (vs Giants, Crows, Port)
• 2 travel games on neutral turf (vs Swans at Gabba, vs Ess in Darwin)
• The rest of your games were played at your "home away from home" on the Gold Coast (inc. matches vs WCE and Freo)

The home advantage which the non-Victorian teams enjoyed actually elevated Port Adelaide and Brisbane into 1st and 2nd place. Both of these teams could be considered flag pretenders in 2020, particularly the Lions with many inexperienced players and maybe a season away from mounting a serious challenge to Richmond or Geelong in September

Apologies to any Port and Lions fans reading this, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but this was the weakest top 2 in AFL history.



Days Break

32 games this season where one team had 2 or more days' extra rest than its opponent on a short week (i.e. backing up off a 4 or 5 day break)
In a whopping 26 of these 32 matches, the more rested team won.

This was a seriously compromised aspect of the condensed revised fixture. Some games were quite farcical.

Richmond enjoyed 5 games with this advantage (the most) and had ZERO games with this disadvantage (the fewest)

Games advantaged:
5 Rich
4 St K
3 Coll, WB
2 Bris, Port, Melb, Carl, Ess, Adel, GC
1 Geel, WCE
0 Haw, GWS

Games disadvantaged:
4 Haw, GWS, Adel
3 Coll, NM, Freo, GC
2 Geel, Bris, Ess
1 St K, WCE
0 Rich, WB, Port, Syd, Melb, Carl


I'm not saying there was an AFL/Channel 7 conspiracy to make things easier for Richmond. But if you analyse the fixtures each club was given, the AFL could not have made things any easier for your side compared to other Vic teams.


Congratulations Richmond fans on your club winning the premiership. (Seriously, well done.) Some would say it was an asterisk flag in a compromised season. I don't care about all that rubbish. People on here will put an asterisk against virtually any flag. Who cares? It doesn't matter. They all count.

But please cut the crap about Richmond "doing it tough" this season. Some clubs actually did it tough, but Richmond wasn't one of those.



edit: I'm not even buying into the argument about which dynasty is the best. I don't really care about that crap either. Who cares? Winning the flag is the only thing which counts. With 3 flags in 4 years, the Tigers can be deservedly described as a dynasty alongside the great teams of the past.

Nope, we are a team that needs that connection between the group and at the start of season we didn't have that due to covid limits. Then as every team has had , well almost every team. We have had to face hubs and being away from home whilst teams such wce , bris etc have had the advantage of actually playing in their home.ground. sleeping in their own beds etc

To win a flag when there is such an obvious advantage just shows how good this team is.

Imagine if your team Hawks won if they were forced to go to NT or something whilst other teams were allowed to play at their home ground from time to time

And mate , staying in hotels cooped up 24/7 is tough even with family.

Large chunks of that season was without family too so your point is invalid.

To win the hardest flag of all time shows why we are the greatest of all time.

If anything all these restrictions and challenges should of hindered our game plan, yet it didn't . We got hit, got back up and returned it with force. GOAT

 

[JackFlash]

There is no doubt the Richmond dynasty outweighs all others, as they have the best player in the 21st century playing for them...Last night was a complete annihilation in the 2nd half..Richmond just flick the switch when they feel like it, they are goals better than anybody else.

 

[hk89]

What about compared to teams 1 and 2 on the ladder that ultimately Richmond won over this season?

I agree. I think the COVID restrictions are actually the cherry on top of this flag. While you can argue Richmond did ok compared to other Vic clubs on a couple of measures (short breaks, outright away games), they also had literally no outright home games, and as you point out they were massively disadvantaged by the draw compared to the two teams that finished above them. If this was a normal season, tigers would have finished top 2, and we'd be having people complaining again about never leaving the MCG during finals. Instead they play the entire finals series away from their home ground, including two games at their opponent's outright home ground.

All up this was an amazing accomplishment given the situation, and IMO really solidifies Richmond's right to be talked about in the same group as Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn.

I'd have felt differently if a non-Vic team won given the massive leg up the non-vics got relative to Richmond and Geelong, but none of those heavily favoured non-vic teams could get it done when it counted, as Richmond did. I say this through gritted teeth, given it also brings Tigers even with Hawthorn's flag count, and sets them on a path where a 2021 GF win will clearly set them above what Hawthorn's recent dynasty accomplished. I'd love to see them tumbling down the ladder, but it seems much more likely that will be Geelong's fate than Richmond's, given the relative list ages.

 

[Ron The Bear]

FWIW Leigh Matthews said Richmond would beat the Hawthorn threepeat team.

Just need Dan26 to confirm that we're in the bottom 50 premiers again.

 

[Back One Out]

we are a team that needs that connection between the group and at the start of season we didn't have that due to covid limits.

Every club had that same issue. But my point was that this favoured the top teams who already had their pieces in place and their successful gameplan in place from last season. Much tougher for the coaches of struggling clubs and mid-ranked clubs to make the necessary changes and get the required improvement from their clubs without being able to train them properly.

The ladder order for the Victorian clubs pretty much followed the same order as 2019. You would almost expect some more randomness with all the upheaval this season, but it never eventuated. Status quo from 2019.

The only real outlier was the performance of Port Adelaide, but they blooded a lot of kids over the past 2 seasons and Charlie Dixon

22

Charlie Dixon

Age

33

Ht

200cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.7

3star

K

6.9

3star

HB

4.7

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.2

4star

G

1.6

5star

D

10.5

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.5

2star

M

5.0

5star

T

1.5

2star

G

2.5

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

4.4

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.8

4star

finally stood up,. They have a simple gameplan and they had a lot of home games this year, so I can't say I'm shocked they had a great year.

Then as every team has had , well almost every team. We have had to face hubs

False.

No plurals required in that sentence. Richmond had the one hub on the Gold Coast.

Other teams went into the Sydney hub for 3 weeks, then into the Brisbane hub for 3 weeks, then Perth for 3 weeks and then Adelaide for 3 weeks

Imagine that. Would've been much tougher than setting up a base camp for 4 months on the Gold Coast

 

[Back One Out]

FWIW Leigh Matthews said Richmond would beat the Hawthorn threepeat team.

Leigh Matthews also thinks next year's premiership team would beat this year's premiership team.

He has always viewed the game through that logical, pragmatic lens where teams need to keep improving just to stay in the same ladder position.

And he's right.

The same way that the Gold Coast Suns would beat Jock McHale's 1927-28-29-30 Collingwood teams by 30 goals

 

[hk89]

FWIW Leigh Matthews said Richmond would beat the Hawthorn threepeat team.

That's ok. Hawthorn beat the 2020 Richmond team, much like Tigers took games off the Hawthorn 3-peat team, so its a nice Symmetry

 

[Monkey King]

As teams, for me it's Lions > Geelong > Hawks = Tigers

 

[Sir_Loin]

Leigh Matthews also thinks next year's premiership team would beat this year's premiership team.

He has always viewed the game through that logical, pragmatic lens where teams need to keep improving just to stay in the same ladder position.

And he's right.

The same way that the Gold Coast Suns would beat Jock McHale's 1927-28-29-30 Collingwood teams by 30 goals

no he specifically said he’s does not like to compare eras. He though the hawks generation was close enough to compare to make an exception. Otherwise he wouldn’t have made the comparison ie the Lions.

 

[Back One Out]

no he specifically said he’s does not like to compare eras. He though the hawks generation was close enough to compare to make an exception. Otherwise he wouldn’t have made the comparison ie the Lions.

He's a senile old fool these days anyway who lives in Queensland and rarely got to the game and watched either team up close

 

[Sir_Loin]

He's a senile old fool these days anyway who lives in Queensland and rarely got to the game and watched either team up close

yeah he’s a master s**t stirrer too haha

 

[smasha]

Strangely our best season was 2018 when we didnt make GF

Gastro in the week leading up to the Prelim and Mason Cox

46

Mason Cox

Age

33

Ht

211cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.7

2star

K

5.2

2star

HB

3.5

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.6

4star

G

1.2

4star

D

6.0

1star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.0

2star

M

2.3

2star

T

0.3

1star

G

1.0

4star

D

9.0

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.6

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

2.4

4star

G

1.8

5star

playing one of his few cameos.

We peaked too early that year and stumbled over the line in alot of games near the end of the season then the gastro.

 

[Roby]

Geelong
Brisbane - Richmond
Hawthorn

Three peats are great but it doesn't automatically make you much better than say, winning 3 in 4 years. Tigers could easily have been 4 peaters. Lions and Hawks had a chance to go 4 in a row, as did the Cats.

So the Hawks couldn't have won 5 out of 5 based on that logic?

 

[BF Tiger]

It is the TEAM factor that really makes this Tigers side great. Richmond have had 14 players play in each of three flags. Could easily have been 15 except Jack Graham

34

Jack Graham

Age

26

Ht

181cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.7

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

6.8

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

6.3

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

11.8

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

6.5

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

4.2

5star

G

0.0

1star

D

14.0

4star

K

6.0

3star

HB

8.0

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

7.0

5star

G

1.0

4star

got injured in the PF last year.

Does anyone have the numbers for how many played all three of the Brisbane, Geelong and Hawthorn(13-15) eras?

 

[Coaster90]

Richmond 2020 premiers*
This year will always go down as an Asterix.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

It is the TEAM factor that really makes this Tigers side great. Richmond have had 14 players play in each of three flags. Could easily have been 15 except Jack Graham

34

Jack Graham

Age

26

Ht

181cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.7

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

6.8

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

6.3

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

11.8

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

6.5

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

4.2

5star

G

0.0

1star

D

14.0

4star

K

6.0

3star

HB

8.0

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

7.0

5star

G

1.0

4star

got injured in the PF last year.

Does anyone have the numbers for how many played all three of the Brisbane, Geelong and Hawthorn(13-15) eras?

Lions had 16
Cats had 12
Hawks had 17

 

[Baird]

Two piss easy flags and an asterisk flag. The one time they had to play a Melbourne team at the MCG they got embarrassed. Worst dynasty ever

 

[Bungeye]

After giving it a couple minutes of thought, I have come up with a blue print to beat Richmond.

Every club should recruit a rugby brute to tag him and who can match it physically with Martin.

All you need is to recruit a whole bunch of athletes(skills secondary), kick the ball(eyes closed) out of scrimmages to a part of the ground where Richmond players know how to exploit and then get to work.

It ain't that hard!

 

[SSSSSS]

geelong 3 in 5 years, richmond 3 in 4, easily richmond and not even a contest

due to the fact flags are so much harder to win now with more teams and equalization, plus the fact this flag itself was the hardest out of all yrs to win, done in hubs interstate, players missing due to babies etc, we the tiges will go down as the greatest ever team in vfl.afl history with this group of lads.

reason?

because we are the best TEAM, yes other teams have more talanted players but collectively as a team we just gel and play much better than anyone in the history of this game

we know each others game so well, we are so well drilled and even though we dont have 22 A graders collectively we are the best out of any of those dynasty teams, winning the hardest flag proves it. its official go tiges

I only have Geelong ahead of Richmond because of the quality of opposition they beat. That Saints/Collingwood team were something else.

Can only beat who is against you though so props to the Tiges. Think we will have to review this in a few years time. I believe this Richmond side probably has another 2 years of peak performance left in them.

 

[Acinath]

I know a lot of people are comparing Richmond to the Brisbanes, Geelongs and Hawthorns of the last couple of decades and everyone has their opinion on how they rank, that's fine.

I'm happy with us even being in that discussion, I never thought I'd ever see it.

 

[RichLeMonde]

Brisbane is clearly above both Richmond and Hawthorn. Brisbane won 3 grand finals at the home ground of 3 teams. Richmond beat Adelaide and GWS at home and Geelong on neutral ground, Hawthorn beat Sydney, Fremantle and WC at home. I reckon Geelong of 07-09-11 smash Richmond of 2020, even at MCG. Richmond have many players who aren't great, just their coaching has been elite and their gameplan suits them. Was the sport of aussie rules made for teams to flood opposition forward lines and rush the ball forward by handball to an empty forward line?

Brisbane had a higher salary cap in those years. It was literally not a level playing field. Essendon were efectively punished for assembling a phenomenal team, and for salary cap reasons had to let go of Blumfield, Caracella and Hefernan, and so went from being arguably the GOAT team in 2000 to being unable to compete with Brisbane. Brisbane = great team on the park, but not as great an achievement by a club as Richmond dragging themselves off the canvas after 30 years of failure, trying to rebuild during compromised drafts due to expansion teams

 

[Grockadoc]

I would have Richmond above Geelong in terms of achievement. Out of all 4 sides, Geelong is the only side who could not achieve it.

Richmond has the least amount of talent if the 4. Looking at the teams, you'd say on paper, Richmond were the worst, which in my opinion purs us above Geelong as the Cats underachieved with their list and we overachieved.

 

[kranky al]

 

[Tannehill17]

Damien Hardwick and Benny Gale really turned that franchise around


When did we stop using the word "club" ? Do we have to copy EVERYTHING the yanks say? Can't we keep some of our Aussie vernacular?

Strange thing to have a sook about


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TigerTime88]

1. Clarko's Hawks: 4 flags from 5 GF appearances in 8 years including a 3-peat. Still untouchable.
2. Brisbane: 3-peat and 3 in 4 years.
3. Richmond: unquestionably above Geelong now, who couldn't even go back to back.
4. Geelong 07-11.

If the Tiges win next year they go ahead of all of them.

I'd have the Brisbane team at 1. Hawks and Tigs tied for 2nd and then the Cats.

People saying Richmond "beat up" on average teams. Remember our average winning margin in 2017 finals was 8 goals.

We flogged Brisbane and then ran away from the Cats in 19 before smashing GWS. It wasn't like we just got over the line those two years.

For me this year was their most impressive finals given the PF win in Port. Port IMO were the second best side this year and to beat them on their home deck is really how we took the cup.