Richmond's talented youngsters and first-round draft picks Brandon Ellis (2011) and Nick Vlastuin (2012) have earned the plaudits for their amazing seasons this year. But fellow youngster and fellow first-round pick Reece Conca (2010) showed why the future is bright at Tigerland. Conca missed a little more than a month with a foot injury, but made up for lost time against the Bulldogs by gathering 21 possessions and kicking two goals in an impressive display that didn't go unnoticed by coach Damien Hardwick. "He's (Conca) certainly finding his feet. What he has got is an uncanny ability to find his teammates through the heat of traffic," he said after the game. Shaun Grigg, too, gave a nod to the importance of more support for star midfielders Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin: "We've got three of the top players in the AFL, so we just want to help them out as much as we can and give them the ball when we can."
2. Grimes' gems
Clubs are looking at new ways of increasing supporter involvement and engaging their fans. NBA franchises in the United States are all over this development, and often have players tweeting from the team's Twitter account. It seems AFL clubs are slowly catching on, as injured Richmond defender Dylan Grimes took over the Tigers' Twitter account on Saturday night. Grimes revealed the hardest trainer at the club was Nathan Foley – who has battled back from an Achilles injury – while revealing teammate Reece Conca loves a 'cuddle' after kicking a goal.
3. Griffen grits his teeth
The Western Bulldogs star midfielder has had his best season to date, averaging 28.1 disposals per game and ranking equal fifth in that category in the competition. His preparedness to take the game on has always been an asset, but it is his work ethic that has gone to the next level. Griffen helped himself to 38 disposals and eight inside 50s to be clearly the Western Bulldogs' best player against the Tigers. Griffen was stiff to miss AFL.com.au's version of a mid-season All-Australian team during the week, but may just find himself in the real team come the end of the year.
4. The youth policy
Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney has made it clear that the club is focusing on developing its younger players. McCartney has gone down the youth path in recent weeks, dropping club champion Daniel Cross back to the VFL and starting veteran forward Daniel Giansiracusa as the sub against the Tigers. McCartney's decision seemed vindicated by some standout performances from his young charges. Father-son pick Lachie Hunter, son of Mark, collected 19 touches on debut. Jake Stringer kicked two goals and Jackson Macrae had 27 in a promising effort.
5. Redeeming themselves, one banner at a time
It's fair to say the Richmond cheer squad did not have their greatest day last week against Adelaide at the MCG. When Tiger players ran out before the game against the Crows they were greeted by a barely intact banner full of gaping holes. But the Tiger cheer squad redeemed themselves against the Dogs, producing a banner that was reinforced with layers of tape. Boasting all the qualities essential to banner production at the elite level, it was a banner worthy of a team rapidly imposing itself as a worthy finals contender.
