Richmond head into 2022 having missed finals for the first time since 2016 and are now expected to bounce back.
The Tigers dropped all the way down to 12th, in parts due to injuries, form and luck.
Primed to find themselves in contention again, with the return of injured stars and the acquisition of Robbie Tarrant, who will play a significant role in the side.
Can Richmond win their fourth flag in this premiership window? This season is sure to tell.
Ins: Josh Gibcus (National Draft), Tom Brown (National Draft), Tyler Sonsie (National Draft), Sam Banks (National Draft), Judson Clarke (National Draft), Robbie Tarrant (North Melbourne).
Outs: David Astbury (retired), Mabior Chol (Gold Coast), Callum Coleman-Jones (North Melbourne), Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (delisted), Ryan Garthwaite (delisted), Bachar Houli (retired), Patrick Naish (delisted).
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Coming off three premierships in four years, including back-to-back in the two prior seasons, the Tigers were obvious favourites.
With a list mirroring the one that took them to the promised land in 2019-20, it looked like everything was coming up Richmond once again.
Fate had other ideas. Things started off slowly, but before the bye they managed to find themselves with a 7-5 record, while a win in Round 13 would have them a game away from the top four.
They lost however, and it was downhill from there, winning only two games past the bye.
Injuries plagued Damien Hardwick's team, including their number one player Dustin Martin, and they slid to 12th and out of finals contention.
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Midfield: It's quite obvious that one of Richmond's key strengths is their midfield.
Headlined by arguably one of the greatest players in recent history in Dustin Martin, the engine room at Tigerland is stacked.
Martin is crucial, and with his return the team is already better than they were in Round 23, depending on his form and fitness.
Dion Prestia is another important name, if he has a clean run without injury the Tigers' midfield will be humming once again.
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No longer captain, Trent Cotchin could revitalise his career without the added pressure of captaincy, while Shane Edwards, Shai Bolton and Jack Graham all add to a strong midfield.
Graham in particular is coming off a breakout season, averaging 19 disposals, four inside 50s and 5.5 tackles. The 23-year-old can only improve his game further.
Youth: Richmond benefit from having a big group of young players. Previous dynasties from Brisbane, Geelong and Hawthorn saw the sides focus on trying to retain their position and seek out established players rather than build their youth.
The Tigers on one hand, at least right now, are still contenders, and if they are in the twilight of their premiership window, they haven't thrown the kitchen sink at many big names, but have blooded their youngsters.
Last year allowed them to do so, with injuries to key players allowing the likes of Riley Collier-Dawkins, Rhyan Mansell, Thomson Dow, and Jack Ross to experience minutes at AFL level, while Jake Aarts continues to grow as a small forward, and Sydney Stack and Daniel Rioli shined some light at half-back.
Not much needs to be further said of Bolton, who showed the footy world what he's capable of.
As aforementioned, Graham is a star in the making, while Liam Baker was also massive in his own breakout year.
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Holes in defence: This hasn't become a weakness just yet, but this space should be watched.
With the retirements of Bachar Houli and David Astbury, two big holes are left in the backline for Richmond.
Dylan Grimes and Nathan Broad also can't be solely relied on to cover talls, with Noah Balta tipped to see time in attack.
This issue might be somewhat offset by the recruitment of Robbie Tarrant, who will take Astbury's role. However the void Houli leaves is much more pressing.
Houli was an elite rebounder, and the likes of Rioli and Hugo Ralphsmith don't match up, maybe they will one day but not right now.
It's hard to not pick Dusty when talking about star players at Richmond.
Despite battling injury, Martin was still one of, if not, the Tigers' best last year, leading the club's Brownlow votes (11) and finishing fifth in the best and fairest.
The Brownlow medallist averaged 22.6 disposals, 1.2 goals, 3.6 clearances and 5.3 inside 50s.
Midfielder
Disposals
Goals
Clearances
The way Dusty can change a game and flip it on his head is very important to Richmond's identity and he was sorely missed.
A healthy, fit and motivated Martin will be one to watch in season 2022.
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Last season saw Shai Bolton further add to his development, and we expect him to break out into the player he can be in season 2022.
His stats weren't elite for a midfielder but his position in the team didn't require it.
He kicked 23 goals (third-most for Tigers), averaged 19.7 disposals and had 6.1 score involvements per game.
Bolton began to show why he is highly valued, and the apparent heir to Dustin Martin's position as a midfield striker.
The South Fremantle export is a couple of disposals (per game) away from having Dusty level numbers (22 disposals and 1 goal a game).
Look out for the 23-year-old to start having games at that level this season.
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The first seven weeks look to be big for Richmond.
They'll have the traditional Round 1 clash with Carlton, with many people predicting the Blues to finally win this game. Winning this and putting those doubts to rest will give the team confidence
Rounds 2 and 3 see games against GWS and St Kilda, expected wins, but still two sides that finished above the Tigers in 2021.
Games against the two grand finalists in Rounds 4 and 6 are massive, and if Richmond are to win at least one of these, expectations of returning to finals will return.
In between those games is a date with the Crows in Adelaide, and a fortnight later will see the Tigers travel to Optus Stadium to play West Coast.
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This year is interesting for the yellow and black army.
Richmond will look to balance between giving its older stars one more chance to win the big one again while also ensuring their youth get plenty of opportunity.
Combining those two elements, and throwing in the return of Martin, the Tigers should improve from 2021.
With star players entering or in their twilight years, along with strong midfield and overall depth, Richmond will return to the finals frame.
Predicted position: 5th
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