After one of the greatest dynasties of the modern era, Richmond have failed to go deep into September over the last two seasons and now find themselves in an interesting position. Season 2023 shapes as perhaps their most intriguing in years.
Still undoubtedly a powerhouse, the club is looking to recapture its best with a couple of handy acquisitions and have a genuine tilt at that mythical fourth premiership for a group of club legends that will fancy their chances at cementing a place in history.
After winning three in four years, their core group of stars began battling injury for the first time in their dynasty, placing more pressure on the next rung of players down. With their depth tested, the Tigers have found areas of their game they have been desperate to improve.
Season 2022 was by no means a failure, they won 13 games and secured their place in the finals. Yet while they returned to September action, they were bundled out in week one in a disappointing finish by recent standards.
They have been very specific in their off-season recruits and clearly believe they need to be better when it comes to contested ball and winning stoppages. Their new recruits will go a long way to fixing that, making Richmond one of the great watches heading into season 2023.
With all of that in mind, here are five burning questions for the Tigers this year.
The past couple of seasons have seen the Tigers exposed for depth at stoppages. That's not to say they don't have quality there, more that the likes of Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia have shouldered a heavy workload the past six years or so and some new blood was much needed.
Enter Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper. Two top-end midfield bulls who will walk straight into this Richmond lineup and improve the contest at stoppages for the Tigers. Both players pride themselves on their work on the inside and their impact is likely to be felt straight away. Taranto averaged 4.8 tackles and 3.8 clearances per game in season 2022, while Hopper averaged 4.9 clearances per game in 2022.
The Tigers ranked 16th in clearances per game, despite ranking 5th in hit-outs, and 18th in tackles per game. With Taranto and Hopper joining, this Richmond midfield takes on a new look and adds a much-needed layer of depth and grunt.
The injection allows Martin to spend much more time forward, a scary prospect for the other 17 clubs in the competition. It's not just Martin who will benefit, Shai Bolton will split time between the forward line and on the ball, allowing him to do what he does best, impact at stoppages for crucial periods before moving forward to create yet more headaches.
There's likely to be much less pressure on Prestia and Cotchin, which should hopefully allow them to be fresh come September when they both do their best work. The Richmond midfield will undoubtedly be one of the more interesting stories to watch develop during the 2023 season.
This question has become even more relevant this week following the shock retirement of 26-year-old, triple premiership player Jason Castagna, who cited a lack of desire as a reason for walking away from the game.
We see it all the time, after two or three premierships, there are those that lose the ability to maintain the rage and standards can slip due to the hunger for success not quite being what it had been. Either that or a once-in-a-lifetime offer is put on the table from a rival to tempt them away, as was the case with Brandon Ellis.
There are very few players who win four premierships, such are the standards required to achieve the feat. The core group of the Tigers' successful era remains intact, however, with the majority of them having already won three premierships, the burning question of whether they can go to the well again remains.
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During Hawthorn's era of dominance, only a handful of their playing group was able to stay hungry enough to win four premierships. The Brisbane Lions team of the early 2000s ran out of steam when chasing their fourth flag and the Cats have seen only Joel Selwood succeed in his quest for a fourth.
There is no questioning the quality of this Richmond squad, they have proven themselves again and again. The only query will be around their desire and whether or not they are still driven by a will to succeed and take their place amongst the pantheon of the game's most successful teams in history.
During their incredible run of three flags in four years, the Tigers had a charmed run on the injury front, rarely losing key players. This continuity was crucial for a side that became so much more than the sum of its parts.
The likes of Tom Lynch, Dustin Martin, Dylan Grimes, Dion Prestia Jack Riewoldt and Nick Vlastuin have all had their injury issues since the 2020 Grand Final, while others like inspirational skipper Trent Cotchin have battled fitness and time.
It's no coincidence that once the injuries started to hit key players from their best 22, the Tigers began to experience their first signs of decline. That's not to say they are no longer a force, more that they were unable to get crucial games into fringe players who either left for more opportunity or stagnated in the VFL.
The Tigers simply cannot afford any of their key players to spend much time on the sidelines this season. They will likely need to examine a strategy that allows them to manage senior players until September, much like Geelong did with Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield and others to great success in 2022.
Every successful dynasty has its own unique game plan and style of play. A blueprint of sorts that the rest of the competition goes to work on emulating or picking apart. The Tigers had a plan that worked to perfection for years, which teams have had plenty of time to study.
The run and gun was daring, and when executed correctly exposed opposition teams, yet could also see them get hit on a turnover and badly hurt. The plan worked thanks to their ability to execute cleanly under pressure yet there are signs in recent times that the rest of the competition has figured out ways to negate it.
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Undoubtedly, when fully fit their game plan would still stack up, however clubs are rarely fully fit these days and a tweak to the plan may prove invaluable, particularly with new recruits coming on board. In 2022 they ranked second in points per game in the competition, yet they also ranked first in clangers per game.
The high-risk, high-reward nature of their plan has always been evident so the question remains if they will stay the course or tweak things. Damien Hardwick has proven himself one of the game's top coaches of the modern era. It will be a fascinating watch to find out if he has a new trick or two up his sleeve for season 2023.
We've all seen the documentary and there is something romantic about club legends finishing on the ultimate high. Few would have begrudged Joel Selwood going out on top in 2022, while Shane Crawford's final game ending with a premiership medal in 2008 warmed even the coldest of hearts.
The core group of Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt et al is entering veteran territory and while they are still superstars, the question remains if they are hanging on for one last dance.
There is a faint feeling, with Martin in particular, that were they to win another premiership, that a few of them would likely call time on their decorated careers. Every AFL player dreams of going out on top, finishing with just a tiny bit left in the tank, a fourth premiership would be the ultimate finale.
With that in mind, could we see these club legends going all out one last time to secure their place in history? This subplot would add an extra layer of intrigue to Richmond this season and for the romantics amongst us, a potential fairy tale ending to cheer on.