That man Dustin Martin closed in on football immortality in 2020 with a third Norm Smith Medal. Photo: AFL MEDIA

RICHMOND
2020 record: 15 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw (1st)

THE INS
Samson Ryan (Western Magpies), Maurice Rioli Jr (Oakleigh Chargers), Mate Colina (Hawaii Rainbow Warriors – NCAA basketball)

THE OUTS
Alex Rance (retired), Jack Higgins (St Kilda), Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (delisted), Oleg Markov (Gold Coast), Fraser Turner (delisted), Luke English (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
Not only has this club won three of the last four premierships, but it’s also just gone back-to-back for the first time in 46 years – make no mistake, these Tigers sit alongside the 2001-04 Lions, 2007-11 Cats and 2008-15 Hawks as one of the best sides of the modern era. Last year’s flag was perhaps the sweetest of the three, given they had to hub in Queensland for majority of the season and not only rebound from a loss to Brisbane in week one of the finals, but also overcome the Power in an epic preliminary final a fortnight later at Adelaide Oval, before overturning a 21-point first-half deficit in the grand final to run all over Geelong, executing a stunning nine-goal turnaround and winning by 31 points. And who was the architect of Richmond’s latest grand final triumph? You guessed it – the one and only Dustin Martin. With 21 disposals (10 contested), five clearances, five inside 50s, four goals and a goal assist, Martin etched his name into footy folklore by becoming the VFL/AFL’s first-ever three-time Norm Smith medallist. The 2017 Brownlow medallist is undoubtedly a great of the game now, and it’s hard to think of too many players who have relished the big moments in the big games more than Martin over the last 30 years. The scary thing is, the 29-year-old is showing zero signs of slowing down. In 2020, not only did he average a club best 20 touches per game, but he also came in first at the Tigers for clearances, contested possessions, inside 50s and goal assists, also ranking third for goals and fourth for contested marks. He is an absolute machine who is the ultimate “Mr Fix-It”. Put him anywhere on the ground and he will have an influence. In fact, Martin also led the AFL for inside 50s, while Shai Bolton was close behind in third spot. But as blindingly brilliant as Martin is, there’s more to this Richmond team than just the four-time All-Australian. In the middle of the ground, he is part of one of the league’s most stacked, dynamic and destructive on-ball units, which also features captain Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia, Kane Lambert, Shai Bolton, Kamdyn McIntosh, Jack Graham and Marlion Pickett. And when Martin ventures forward, he rubs shoulders with the likes of Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt, who not only finished fifth and fourth for goals in the league last year respectively, but also fourth and second for marks inside 50. But it’s down back where a lot of the magic occurs, too. In Dylan Grimes, Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, David Astbury, 2020 revelation Noah Balta, reigning best-and-fairest Jayden Short, Liam Baker and Nathan Broad, the Tigers have one of the tightest-knit, well-drilled and elite intercepting defensive groups in the competition. Short led the AFL in kicks and bounces last year and came in fourth for rebounds as well as sixth for marks in what was a spectacular career-best season for him. The Tigers were once again arguably the best tackle pressure side in the AFL last year, but under coach Damien Hardwick’s direction, they showed how flexible and versatile they can be. During the finals series, after being one of the best turnover teams all season, they recognised a change was required, implemented a big shift and became an extremely strong clearance side. Richmond has many gears, which is why it has stayed ahead of the curve and reigned supreme for four years.

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THE WEAKNESSES
Winning premierships goes a long way to making everything seem hunky dory, but the Tigers had to contend with a whole host of off-field dramas last year on the way to scaling the mountain again. And the question must be asked – is Richmond’s famed culture starting to show the first signs of cracking? The way the Tigers turned things around ahead of the 2017 season from the top down with strong leadership from chief executive Brendon Gale, president Peggy O’Neal, Hardwick and Cotchin was nothing short of miraculous, and they are still clearly benefitting from that revolution, but nothing lasts forever. Cotchin and his family clearly were unhappy for a period last year, so much so that Gale’s wife revealed that Cotchin and his wife were keen to desert the season and head back to Victoria after the way the club and the AFL handled her day spa COVID breach. There was also the infamous Sydney Stack/Callum Coleman-Jones kebab brawl incident, and Hardwick seemed a little more irritable and feistier in press conferences than usual. Perhaps all of this could have been avoided if a seasoned hand like Neil Balme was up in the hub with the Tigers? But revelations of Hardwick divorcing his wife and starting a relationship with a club employee have tested the family-oriented culture that the Tigers have strived to forge in recent years, too. And Stack’s future must be in some doubt after he spent Christmas in a WA jail following yet another COVID protocol breach. Will any of the above have any adverse impact on Richmond this year? It remains to be seen, but if one club can overcome these hurdles and stay focused on the goal of an historic “three-peat”, it’s these ultra-professional Tigers. As good as they’ve been, though, they do have some on-field challenges as well. Two key members of their fabled “Big Four” (which once featured Rance) in Cotchin and Riewoldt are 30 and 32 respectively, and while they certainly weren’t terrible last year, they did seem to be showing their age on occasion and might be embarking on a downward trajectory in terms of output. The other thing which is interesting is that their list has undergone little regeneration, and could run the risk of standing still and being overtaken by fellow top-four teams Port Adelaide, Geelong and Brisbane, who have gone out and added plenty of star power to their respective lists. In fact, as funny as it sounds, despite winning the flag, Richmond’s playing list has actually been diminished slightly, with Rance, Higgins, Eggmolesse-Smith and Markov departing while the Power have recruited Orazio Fantasia, Aliir and Tyson Goldsack, the Cats have snared Jeremy Cameron, Shaun Higgins and Isaac Smith, and Brisbane has added Joe Daniher and Nakia Cockatoo. To a lesser extent, the Saints have brought in Brad Crouch and Higgins to the club. Of course, Rance basically didn’t play at all in 2019 and 2020 and Richmond coped just fine, but if given the choice, any club would rather hang on to one of the game’s best defenders of recent times. With Ivan Soldo (ACL) out for most of 2021, Richmond looks a little exposed in the ruck, too, so Mabior Chol might get more of a chance to provide back-up to Toby Nankervis.

ONE TO WATCH
Balta had a breakout season to remember in 2020 as he filled one of Richmond’s key defensive posts with aplomb and was rightfully rewarded with a premiership medal at the end of the season. He’s quick, he’s tall, he’s agile and is a sound decision-maker, which is absolutely crucial in that part of the ground. This kid’s form line is on a dramatic upward trend and he could easily become one of the game’s best backmen in the next 12-24 months.

UNDER THE PUMP
There’s no doubt that Stack is a talented player, but he had a 2020 dogged by serious off-field issues and his footy mortality has been brought into sharp focus. It’s now become quite apparent as to why such an exciting footballer wasn’t selected until the very last pre-season supplement selection in 2019. As good as he is, if he can’t get his act together, he may be out of a job at Punt Road this year.

BEST 22
B: Nick Vlastuin, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes
HB: Bachar Houli, Noah Balta, Jayden Short
C: Shane Edwards, Kane Lambert, Shai Bolton
HF: Josh Caddy, Tom Lynch, Daniel Rioli
F: Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Jason Castagna
R: Toby Nankervis, Dion Prestia, Trent Cotchin
Inter: Liam Baker, Nathan Broad, Kamdyn McIntosh, Jack Graham
Emerg: Marlion Pickett, Sydney Stack, Mabior Chol, Jake Aarts

I’ll no doubt cop some criticism for this, but I just think that, despite falling out of favour late in 2020, Caddy makes the team look stronger. His inclusion and the ensuing reshuffle means that on balance, cult hero Pickett has been left out of the 22 for now. I feel like I’ve shot Bambi! But rest assured Tiger faithful, this best 22 isn’t set in stone, it’s very fluid, and will doubtlessly change many times throughout the year. I fully expect Pickett to play plenty in 2021. Stack is an emergency, too, with his future in some doubt at the time of publication, while Jack Ross is perhaps a bit stiff not to be in the 26 now. But he’ll no doubt get his chances throughout the season.