Richmond’s Shai Bolton takes the 2021 Mark of the Year against Geelong at the MCG. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

RICHMOND
2021 record: 9 wins, 12 losses, 1 draw (12th)

THE INS
Robbie Tarrant (North Melbourne), Josh Gibcus (GWV Rebels), Tom Brown (Murray Bushrangers), Tyler Sonsie (Eastern Ranges), Samuel Banks (Tasmania Devils), Judson Clarke (Dandenong Stingrays)

THE OUTS
Bachar Houli (retired), David Astbury (retired), Mabior Chol (Gold Coast), Callum Coleman-Jones (North Melbourne), Ryan Garthwaite (delisted), Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (delisted), Patrick Naish (delisted), Noah Cumberland (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
Season 2021 might have been a rare “downer” for the Tigers, but they still have a large core of star premiership players at their disposal. With Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Tom Lynch, Shai Bolton, Shane Edwards, Dylan Grimes, Kane Lambert, Trent Cotchin, Nick Vlastuin, Jayden Short, Noah Balta, Liam Baker, Jack Graham, Toby Nankervis, Dion Prestia, Kamdyn McIntosh, Marlion Pickett, Nathan Broad and Daniel Rioli all still on the list, Richmond would have to think it’s got at least one more tilt at a flag left in it – especially if most of the aforementioned men remain fit and healthy for most of the year. If the Tigers didn’t think they were still in the premiership window, they wouldn’t have gone out and recruited veteran North Melbourne defender Robbie Tarrant to help fill the sizeable void left by the retired Bachar Houli and David Astbury. Comparisons to American sports make this writer cringe, but there is a serious “The Last Dance” vibe about the Tigers heading into 2022. And Tarrant might just be their Dennis Rodman (except for the lack of crazy hair, colourful lifestyle and friendship with North Korean dictators). They might not have made the finals in 2021, but wins over the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane Lions, GWS and Essendon in particular suggested their premiership level quality still lurked somewhere below the surface. And with Alastair Clarkson no longer at Hawthorn, the Tigers now have the best coach in the AFL in charge in Damien Hardwick.

THE WEAKNESSES
One area that the Tigers arguably need the most improvement in is in the medical room. They were absolutely ravaged by injuries last year, and for most of the year their backline, in particular, remained unsettled. Key players such as Ivan Soldo (22), Prestia (13), Vlastuin (10), Houli (10), Lambert (nine), Broad (eight), Balta (eight), Nankervis (six), Martin (six) and Edwards (six) missed a combined 98 games at an average of 10 per player. No team, even reigning back-to-back premiers, can cope with so much manpower being unavailable for so long. And that certainly allowed the chasing pack to catch up with and then zoom past them, their record against the top-eight teams last year a dismal 4-7, with smashings at the hands of Geelong (63 and 38 points), Sydney (45), GWS (39) and Melbourne (34) of particular concern. But it was a three-week period which comprised consecutive losses to St Kilda, Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium and Collingwood that was the clear low point of the year. Against the Saints, they were restricted to their lowest score in 60 years – 2.10 (22). On differentials in 2021, Richmond was ranked 15th for disposals, 15th for marks, 16th for contested possessions and last for clearances. And while the Tigers got away with not being a strong clearance side in their premiership years due to their heavy reliance on their brilliant turnover/counterpunch game style, they couldn’t execute that with their depleted defensive unit in 2021 and were left badly exposed. Another cause for concern is that a large chunk of their premiership core – featuring Pickett, Lambert, Grimes, Martin, Cotchin, Riewoldt and Edwards – is 30 or older, and so is Tarrant. Will they all still collectively play at the level that we’ve all become accustomed to? Time will tell. Their depth has taken a bit of a whack too with Houli, Astbury, Mabior Chol (Gold Coast) and Callum Coleman-Jones (North Melbourne) all departing at the end of last year. Richmond also had the 11th-ranked attack last season, so that will clearly need to improve if the Tigers plan on returning to the finals, let alone winning a fourth flag in six years.

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ONE TO WATCH
Bolton had a career-best year last year, so much so that at times, due to Martin playing below his impossibly high standards for mere mortals, he looked like he was Richmond’s best player. The electrifying excitement machine can do it all. He averaged 20 touches a game, kicked 23 goals and finished first at the club for clearances, second for contested possessions, third for goals and fourth for disposals. He also won the Mark of the Year for his outrageous leap over Geelong’s Mark Blicavs. The 23-year-old is only getting better and 2022 could see him knocking on the door for All-Australian honours.

UNDER THE PUMP
Jason Castagna gets a spot in the starting 18 more by default because of the Tigers’ lack of depth in that pressure/small forward position. But he would struggle for a spot in many other AFL teams. He has really battled to consistently have an impact on games in the last couple of years, kicking just 34 goals from 42 games, going goalless in 18 of those matches, and kicking multiple goals on just eight occasions in that period. He has signed a new two-year deal at Punt Road, but would want to return to his pre-2020 form to ensure he remains a regular part of the senior team.

BEST 23
B: Dylan Grimes, Robbie Tarrant, Nick Vlastuin
HB: Jayden Short, Noah Balta, Liam Baker
C: Kane Lambert, Trent Cotchin, Jack Graham
HF: Dustin Martin, Tom Lynch, Shai Bolton
F: Jake Aarts, Jack Riewoldt, Jason Castagna
R: Toby Nankervis, Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia
Inter: Kamdyn McIntosh, Marlion Pickett, Nathan Broad, Daniel Rioli, Ivan Soldo
Emerg: Jack Ross, Rhyan Mansell, Sydney Stack

The Tigers have the luxury of being able to rotate Martin and Bolton between the midfield and forward line, giving them some enviable flexibility. The return of Soldo from a 2020 ACL injury will also be welcome as Richmond looks a tad light on for tall timber. Jack Ross, Rhyan Mansell, Sydney Stack, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Thomson Dow, Matthew Parker and Hugo Ralphsmith ensure decent depth, but after being dropped three times last year, Josh Caddy might really struggle for game time in 2022.