Richmond VFL coach and ex-player Steve Morris might just be an AFL coach in waiting given his miracle work at Tigerland in 2024.
Richmond's reserves have called on 47 players already this season - six more than their senior side given the injury crisis that has hit both squads in the opening half of 2024.
With the seemingly non-stop forced changes AFL coach Adem Yze has weaved through in his debut campaign at the helm, almost every inclusion for his side has meant a key player from Morris' has been plucked from the VFL lineup.
But despite the mass turnover, which has included an ACL injury to captain Lachlan Street, the Tigers are right in the finals mix for the three-state competition.
Morris has Richmond's VFL unit with seven wins on the board from their dozen matches to be inside the wildcard cut-off and just two eight points from third.
When quizzed by Zero Hanger on the club's performances under Morris this year,ย Yze said the 2019 VFL premiership captain has been "terrific" in a time of adversity at Punt Road.
"What they've been able to do is just play a really consistent brand of footy," the Richmond senior coach said.
"It doesn't matter who they're drawing on. We've had six or seven AFL-listed players playing in the VFL and their form has been terrific.
"Some of the younger players have had to grow in their leadership around these VFL boys coming in to play. Their consistency each week, even with what they're dealing with, has been terrific. We expect the same now at AFL level.
"(If) we lose a couple of players, [the inclusions come in and] just play that role so and to the best of their ability. So credit to them.
"Hopefully when we get some talent back in our AFL team, that's obviously gonna trickle down into the VFL program as well. So he's doing a terrific job."
Morris too has been rapt with the response and maturity of his squad so far this season.
The 35-year-old steered his side to a six-goal victory over Carlton - who had 13 AFL-listed players - last Sunday after some pull from the Blues in the second half.
"I'm so proud of this group. We probably don't deserve to be playing the sort of footy that we are. We've been absolutely smacked with injuries at AFL level and also some of our very best VFL level players," Morris told the club's media arm after their most recent win.
"To their credit, they just continue to show up and continue to play our way for the team and it allows us to get results like that. Really pleasing.
"We spoke about events in our life we thought we'd matured through in the pre-match. We stood tall and got a win I thought the boys really deserved."
Morris, the son of two-time premiership Tiger Kevin, spent six years on Richmond's list and would remain at Punt Road with the club's VFL program after being delisted in 2017, taking on the captaincy and a developmental role among the club's coaching ranks.
His playing days had Morris learning from some of this generation's best mentors, with triple premiership coach Damien Hardwick leading the AFL group while Morris shared lifting the 2019 VFL premiership cup on the dais with then-coach Craig McRae.
The Collingwood premiership coach has been a role model for Morris, who has been able to pass on his best coaching traits to his own players.
"It's been a big part of my life. I love the opportunity to work with young players, get the best out of them and give them the opportunity to play on the big stage," Morris recently said in an interview with Channel 7.ย
"Being able to work under some amazing coaches in my journey... Craig McRae, 'Dimma'. Probably one of the greatest things I took from 'Fly' was the storytelling. He did a great job of getting the boys to buy into what we're trying to achieve. He's a real role model of mine.
"From when I started playing to now, you've just got to coach players differently. It's a challenge I really look forward to, to connect with players on a different level and get the best out of them. It's something I'm really passionate about.
"From a VFL perspective, I just want us to play a brand we can be proud of, a brand that allows our young players to develop and then go on to AFL (level)."
Richmond's VFL side has just six games left in their 2024 campaign, with just two of those matches coming against clubs currently above them on the ladder.
They'll head to Cramer Street this Sunday for their Round 15 clash with the Northern Bullants before returning home next weekend to host Gold Coast.
