AFTER a drought-breaking finals appearance last year, expectations were high going into this season. An unlucky run with injuries early on contributed to a disastrous period where the Tigers lost 10 of their first 13 games. But a stunning nine-game winning streak saw Richmond soar into September, only to be brutally knocked out by Port Adelaide in their elimination final. 

Damien Hardwick had highs and lows. He was great when he said any boss who didn't grant holidays to allow fans to drive to Adelaide for the final was "a mug", but struggled at times to explain the 3-10 win-loss record. He is contracted until the end of 2016 with a two-year extension signed at the end of last year. 

 

Dustin Martin was trialled across half-back in the pre-season but later spent time in attack, where his explosive speed and strength made him the perfect weapon to secure clutch goals.  

The emergence of Brandon Ellis as a full-time midfielder and the recruitment of Anthony Miles allowed for Martin, Brett Deledio and Shane Edwards to kick more goals.

Consistency in winning the contested ball improved, while the leadership group helped instil a resolve to win the close ones the Tigers have struggled with in the past. 

Tweaks to the game style – as highlighted by Jack Riewoldt in May – led to disjointed performances as well as a media storm when Hardwick admonished the forward for his comments. 

The Tigers couldn't cope when they lost key players such as Ivan Maric, Alex Rance and Deledio, all of whom missed big chunks of football early on, raising questions about their depth. 

The quest to win a final. The Tigers' nine lives ran out when they were belted by a hard-running, clean handling Power outfit after skipper Trent Cotchin chose to kick into the wind after winning the toss. 

   

Second in goalkicking to Jack Riewoldt with 27 for the season, Martin settled down for his most consistent year. He became a force one-on-one in attack, kicked sealers against Adelaide (round 21) and the Sydney Swans (round 23), and looks like improving on his second place in 2013 in the best and fairest. 

The ex-Sydney Swan and North Adelaide forward made the most of his second AFL chance late in the season, holding his spot from round 18 onwards. He brought a level of unpredictability to the forward line and impressed with his forward pressure, as well as booting the goal that regained the lead against Adelaide in round 21. 

Hard to go past the contested ball machine who stormed into the side in round 12. Finished the season with 86 clearances, second to Cotchin (123) despite playing 10 fewer games. The ex-Greater Western Sydney midfielder has signed a two-year contract, meaning he'll start 2015 on the senior list. 

Seems an easy target, but his four-match suspension for punching Dean Cox in round 18 ended his year. Showed patches of form after a VFL spell that followed his two-touch game against Collingwood in round four, but ultimately the Cox incident cost him and he wasn't recalled for round 23 or the final. 

The Tigers had to win away from home to play into September. While the Swans were without Lance Franklin and Josh Kennedy, it showed spirit and courage for the Tigers to outlast the premiership fancy and seal eighth spot after forfeiting an early 33-point lead. 

It was the performance that led Hardwick to describe the Tigers as "a very mediocre football side at the moment" – their disappointing shellacking at the hands of the Bombers in Dreamtime at the 'G. Riewoldt couldn't get into the game until late, the usual ball winners lacked impact and the players were subject to a brutal post-match spray from the coach. 

Ensuring their training standards don't drop off, which Ivan Maric claimed contributed to the 3-10 slump, and their ability to maintain composure and resist the tendency to slip into poor decision making when the heat gets turned up. They got better at winning when they need to, but the disaster against Port showed there is still a risk of panic taking over. 

Retirements: Injuries forced out Jake King and Dan Jackson before the season was over. King retired in July while Jackson pulled the pin on the eve of finals after losing faith in his body.

Delistings: The Tigers have pulled the pin on former North forward Aaron Edwards, ex-Lion Todd Banfield and Geelong's former ruckman Orren Stephenson, along with Ben Darrou, Cadeyn Willims, Brett O'Hanlon and Brad Helbig. 

Trades/free agents: Chris Newman and King were the Tigers' only free agents - the former is playing on for another year. Vickery could be forgiven for asking questions about his future after Ben Griffiths was the preferred option for round 23 and the final. The Tigers also have salary cap space to go shopping.    

Speedy wingers. They've deepened their contested ball players with Matt Thomas and Miles, and Nathan Foley's second half of the season indicated he's got good football left in him. They were exposed by the Power's electric outside run in the finals and would benefit from some pace to complement their inside brigade.