<p align="center">Richmond Season Review by TigersTooTough

It was very much a hit and miss season for the Tigers. Encouraging signs were shown against really good quality teams and we even managed to beat the best teams in the competition (Hawthorn and Sydney). They did not get thumped and lost a staggering 7 matches by less than two goals. Imagine if half of those games were won!!! With all the “good” came lacklustre performances which resulted in losses to Fremantle, Gold Coast and in the last round, a draw with Port Adelaide. But season results aside, a new style of play implemented by Dimma Hardwick made Richmond a much more relevant Supercoach team (3rd in average of all clubs). A little chipping style and high possession game showed real potential both Supercoach-wise and for the club’s future. Debutants Steve Morris and Brandon Ellis did their jobs for most teams by playing most games and providing good bench cover while bolters Shane Tuck and Shaun Grigg proved to be good PODs. The following is split into The Good, The Bad and The Ones to Watch.

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The Good:

Ivan Maric (Avg. 113.4): For those who were courageous enough to buy big Ivan at             $338 300 as their starting ruckman, I salute you. Brought across from Adelaide this season, “Mullet Man” proved to be an outstanding investment in Supercoach. It is hard to find ruckmen who can be consistent and play a lot which is why Ivan (who only missed one game) was a mid-season upgrade for many. Some figures for you: He scored 100+ in 15 of his 21 games; 5 of those games were 130+. In the six games he didn’t crack the ton, three of them were above a respectable 90. His reliability and his ability to monster opposition ruckmen (was 3rd for the year in hitouts) made him one of the best buys in 2012 and definitely a good for Richmond.

Next year, according to TooSerious, Ivan’s projected price is around the $600 000 mark which for me, is a little too expensive for my liking. He is a good ruckman but I expect his price to drop early in the season which makes him an ideal upgrade. I also expect him to run yellow tips through his mighty mullet pledging his allegiance to the club.

Supercoach Rating: 8/10

Trent Cotchin (Avg. 116.3): The newly-crowned dual best and fairest was a standout this year; so much so, he has skyrocketed into Brownlow contention. He ranked 4th in the AFL for Kicks and Inside 50’s and 10th in Disposals and Contested Possessions. This year, his value went up $65 000 which is a pretty good return for a premo in the midfield. He became one of the most sought after upgrades towards the end of the year and why not? Consistency and perseverance are two words that accurately describe the way he plays which score very well. Add to that the 27.6 disposals he averaged, along with the 5 tackles (average) and you have yourself a midfielder that will score well over the next 10 years.

He scored below 100 just three times in 2012; 2 of those scores were 99 and 98. His season high was an astounding 175 which came against the Bulldogs (35 touches, 7 marks 3 goals 5 inside 50’s). He gets the 110-120 every week plus the higher scores that we expect from the superstars.

A projected price of $617 000 won’t deter many people. As I have said before, he is very consistent which is why he will be first picked in my midfield next year (just like he was this year).

Supercoach ranking: 8.5/10

Brett Deledio (Avg. 116.6): Do I need to say much about this guy? For the last 5 years, Lids has been a blue-chip defender-midfielder in most teams. This year however, has clearly been his best Supercoach year. His previous best yearly average was 105 which is 12 lower than this years. His statistics on disposals, tackles and marks were very similar to Cotchin’s, as were their average scores. His lowest score for the year was 67 however the rest of his scores were above 91 which shows his consistency.

5 scores of 140+ were more than handy and the only downside to Deledio is the fact that all serious Supercoaches have him. At 25 years old, he will be moving into his peak over the next couple of years which makes him a lock if he keeps his Def/Mid status. If not, he could actually be a very good POD. We will have to wait and see how they classify him next year.

Supercoach ranking: 8/10

Shane Tuck (Avg. 114.6): What a comeback year by the veteran. On the outer for the past couple of seasons, there was every reason for Tuck to let his career at the top level go; especially since there seemed to be a lack of support from the coach. However, as good players do, Tuck worked hard on improving all facets of his game and became more of a contested ball player and boy, did it do him wonders. As the oldest midfielder in the team, it was up to Tuck to go and get the ball and provide protection for the likes of Deledio, Cotchin and Martin. This change in his game also delighted Supercoaches. Tackles and Contested Possessions are rated highly in SC and this is what Tuck was able to excel at for most of the year.

I was shocked when looking up his average to write up this review to see that it was around 115. But then, I thought back to the games I have watched and remembered how hard he is at the ball and his attack on the contest. Let’s not forget that he is quite strong overhead and was even able to kick some goals this year (which has never been his strength). He is more of a POD than a lock and goes under the radar often but some of his scores this year have been outstanding.

Next season, I expect Tucky to average around the 90 mark as he is entering the twilight of his career which could translate to less midfield time. With some other players ready to play more time in the midfield (ie. Conca, Ellis, Edwards), I think Tuck will play across the half-forward line for a bit to take advantage of his forward pressure and his marking ability. His value to Supercoach won’t be as good next year but he should still score some high scores; if you’re willing to take a risk with him, take the good with the bad.

2012 Supercoach rating: 8/10

The Bad:

Dustin Martin (Avg. 88.5): Has Dustin Martin really been bad in Supercoach? I will let you answer this one. In my opinion, he has been disappointing rather than bad. His average shows that he was still decent this year but after averaging 99 last year, people expected too much from him this year. He has teased us this year with some big scores but they have come few and far between. In a forum topic, I made the comparison (Supercoach wise of course) between Dusty and Dangerfield. After Danger’s 3rd season at the top level, and a huge amount of expectation placed on him, he only averaged around 70. Because he was a former round one draft pick, there was heaps of pressure placed on Danger. Really, he didn’t deliver until this year which was frustrating. Even though Dusty has clearly averaged more, we are in a similar sort of situation.

Martin scored above 100 on six occasions this year out of his 20 games which isn’t terrible however he had eight scores below 80(which is the bare minimum of acceptable for a premo). This year he was far too hot and cold for my liking.

The way Dustin Martin goes about his football tells me that there is no doubt he will be a superstar but when will we start receiving the points we feel he can get? Next year, he will perform similarly to this year and won’t be in my starting team. Hopefully, he retains his F/M status which will make him more appealing but I believe we will start to reap the rewards from 2014 onwards and not next year.

2012 Supercoach rating: 6/10

Chris Newman (Avg 77): This was clearly the ex-captain’s worst season for a while averaging 22 less points per match than last year. Usually, Newman doesn’t need many touches off the half-back line to be damaging however he only averaged around 16-17 disposals a match and his efficiency wasn’t great either. Other teams seemed to put a bit of a tag on him to prevent him from hurting them too much and it’s fair to say that this strategy worked.

He cracked the ton just 3 times this year with a high score of just 116. He also had 5 scores in the 90’s which is decent however his 9 scores of below 70 (including a season low of just 34) is far from what we hoped by one of the most experienced players on the list. I expect him to improve next year without the captaincy and get back to his higher scoring ability and at about $410 000 (TS predictor) he could be a nice price for the risk-takers.

2012 Supercoach rating: 4.5/10

Bachar Houli (Avg. 83.1) : I’ll acknowledge that this may be a little harsh on Bachar but his inconsistency was the reason I included him in the “Bad” section. He was still able to provide good rebound for the Tigers and his ball-use was very good but in numerous games he was too easily shut out. He had 4 score of below 62 which isn’t great output. A plus was the fact he got 6 scores of over 100 however he was mainly in the 70’s bracket which isn’t adequate for a player of his ability.

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He averaged 21 touches a game which is pretty good but for his scores to improve next year, he has to lift it to around 23-24 touches a game and his kicking efficiency will have to lift a little. At 24 years of age, I do expect him to improve a lot next year and possibly a career best season. I think that his price will be closer to $400 000 next year and if this is the case, lock him in to your team.

2012 Supercoach rating: 6/10

Robin Nahas: Last year, Robbie averaged 86 in what was an outstanding season. This year, he averaged just 70. He contributed well to the Richmond footy team with 34 goals but only averaged 13 disposals and 4 tackles a game which is well down on last year. Just two scores of above 100 and only 6 above 80. I assume that there were a few people that chose him based on last year’s performance and unfortunately, it backfired. The fact he got 8 scores below 60 showed that his impact on the team was well down.

Due to his pace and skill, there are two ways to go for Robbie. He will either be moved into the midfield for a pace injection or he will feature as the substitute more to play as an impact player. In my opinion, last year was a flash in the pan and he won’t reach those heights again. Small forwards have the ability to score big sometimes but they are very much impact players which is why they should be mainly avoided in Supercoach.

2012 Supercoach rating: 3.5/10

The Ones to Watch:

Reece Conca (Avg. 70.3): The former No. 6 draft pick played 18 matches this season on top of his 17 last season and he showed glimpses. He averaged 19 touches but played mainly defensive roles in the backline this year. He will play more of a midfield role next season and I’d like to think that his average points will jump and jump drastically. I think an average of around 80-85 will be on the agenda for young Reece and if he gets a D/M status, he is definitely one to consider.

Shane Edwards (Avg. 80.6): Mark my words. Lock him in your team next year. This year he ranked 9th for Total Goal Assists and 11th for Goal Assists per game (both in the AFL) which are rated very highly. He is an unselfish player who is always looking for teammates in better positions. He also scored a very healthy 29 goals and averaged close to 18 disposals as well. His kicking has always been viewed as ordinary but he has clearly worked on it and has been quite damaging. This year, he played a high half-forward role and played on the wings as well which allowed him to provide some outside run for the Tigers.

He will get more midfield time next year which will improve his scores. 11 out of his 20 games contained scores of above 80 which show his ability and I expect him to get more consistent as time goes on.

Nathan Foley (Avg 103): Probably overpriced next year due to him playing 10 games this year and averaging 103; especially since he is injury prone. If you want a good PoD, he may be your man. Even though he hasn’t played a lot of the past couple of years, his scoring ability cannot be questioned. He is an explosive player that can run all day and tackle as well meaning he can get us points. Wait for his price to go down before selecting him.

Jake Batchelor (Avg 68): Due to injury and some poor form, Batchelor was only able to play 14 out of 22 games this year. He is still young and could have suffered a little from 2nd year blues. Out of the 14 games, I believe 1 or 2 were sub-affected which slightly hindered his average. He scored 5 times above 80 and another 2 in the 70’s which may not appear to be eye-catching however I expect his output to improve. I am a big fan of “Batch” and think he can provide good rebound and third man-up support. He will be awkwardly priced but I like his scoring potential. The only question I have is whether Chaplin’s possible arrival will affect Batchelor’s playing time.

Ben Darrou: I wanted to include a rookie in here just for the future. Don’t know how much he’ll play (if he does play) but he looks the likely type. Is 190 cm and 97kgs so is a solid unit. Can play a key defensive role or off half-back.