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The Tigers did bring in veteran backman Robbie Tarrant to help cover the loss of Astbury, while Pick 9 Josh Gibcus also appears likely to slot straight into their defensive unit.ĭefence has been such an important part of Richmond’s DNA in recent years, with Alex Rance’s ACL blow in 2019 followed by his retirement showing how strong it was as a collective - also forcing others to stand up. If they lose a Dusty Martin, they regroup to work out how they cover Dusty, or if they’re down two of their members from their back six, they work out how to collectively make it a better defensive unit.”Ī new-look back six looms as potentially the biggest area of concern for Richmond in 2022 after losing gun statesmen Houli and Astbury, while Noah Balta is set to make the switch forward.

“They look like a team that if they lose someone, look forward to replacing them. But I don’t think their injuries as such hurt their chances, it was more the collective energy across the group. “When you’re tired, you can’t operate your system as best you possibly can. The Tigers were hit as badly as any team by injuries last year, with Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards, Toby Nankervis (all restricted to 16 games), Noah Balta, Nathan Broad (both 14), Kane Lambert (13) and Dion Prestia (12) missing significant chunks of the season.

OVERCOMING INJURIES AND QUESTIONS OF DEPTH It was a culmination of being up for so long, but it’s often when you don’t have air and come down, you get to go back up again.” They looked pretty tired last year and were banged up, it wasn’t necessarily the system that broke down. “And of course, their team still stacks up against the best of them.

They’ve developed some really good IP in the way they’ve played. “You can’t have a system that has yielded sustainable success like they’ve had and fall away so suddenly - the backdoor doesn’t just blow open, it’s nailed shut. I don’t think we’ll see them outside the top eight again,” he told. Once you’ve had a successful system, you’re going to find yourself playing finals. “They’re too good a team and well coached by Damien Hardwick to stay down.

Can the Tigers get back to their best in 2022? (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: FOX SPORTS