Round 2 2011

[perfectionist]

Damien Hardwick was in his second year as Richmond coach and coming off a previous season where Richmond had finished second last (alas we had the mirror image finish), and Richmond had lost 13 straight against the Saints, then our all time winning streak against any opposition - something that would have seemed like fantasy back in the 70s to those who remember. But on that day in 2011, Richmond were still not destined to win, and neither were we - it was a draw. I can remember as we played badly that day that Richmond kept on giving us second chances because their disposal out of the backline was woeful. I thought, this Richmond team was never going to win a flag. And I was right. Of the 22 players in the yellow and black that day, only 7 played in the GF last year. To be fair, Alex Rance was injured that day back in 2011 (just as well) so you might say that 8 Tigers made it through. Significantly, along with Rance, players like Cotchin and Riewoldt were also part of the 8.

What happened in the meantime? Hardwick churned players until he had a team of players who could skillfully dispose of the ball and follow a risky run forward style of play. That game plan becomes less risky if you find a teammate with a handball or kick rather than an opponent. Hardwick got rid of some big names - some "favourite sons" who were just not skillful or strong enough to be in a flag team. He also had available to him a mega million dollar team improvement budget and had used it well improving skills, fitness and strength.

The Saints will never match the budget of local teams like Richmond, Collingwood, Hawthorn or interstate teams like Adelaide or WCE. So we actually have to be better at picking players in the first place and, if we pick the wrong ones, getting rid of them sooner rather than later. The Richmond example tells us that it is possible to go from duds to champs in 6 years with, on average, just over 2 new players each year. Back in 2001, we had a quality 8 (like Richmond) and chose well for the next three years. Our problem in 2018 is that we don't have a quality 8 to start with. No matter how many times a player gets the ball, if he consistently disposes of it badly either by hand or foot, then he must go. We would need a lot of luck to pick up enough players over the next 5 years, and it would mean very few, if any, finals appearances in that time. Those responsible for selecting players in the last 10 years have shown themselves to be poor relative to the successful clubs, but no worse than some other clubs, like Carlton, who made squandering No 1 picks an art form. It's an inexact science. In 2009, Richmond chose Alex Rance with a priority pick at No 18 - we chose Ben McEvoy with pick 9. Prescience or luck? I think we might need both.

[howlinwolf]

Interesting post PF.

Things can turn quickly if things are right in the admin and coaching departments.
Richmond weren't even sure it was right up until a few years ago.

I agree that we need to get things more right as we are not in a position to squander.
Members won't hang on like Richmond's have through extended periods of drought.

One thing that makes all this even harder for us since the Tiger's resurgence from 2011 is the two new sides and their draught concessions.
Add to that the actual pool of quality is far less and our job of picking a jewel from nothing is even more difficult.

Therefore our club needs to be at the top of the heap for administration and coaching.

Unfortunately we need to get the right admin from nothing as well.

I'm afraid if we don't get it right it will be hard to survive.