Richmond won plenty of praise in a gallant 2024 campaign, with the Tigers managing to secure a Wildcard finals spot despite being decimated by a horror run of knee injuries.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 10th
W-L-D (%): 10-9 (101.0%)
Players used: 54
Played every match: 0
AFL players used: 24 (148 matches)
Ex-AFL players: 1 (16 matches)
Debutants: 21 – Jacob Blight, Ry Cantwell, Nick Collier, Sam Davidson, Liam Fawcett, Jed Feneley, Sam Frangalas, Liam George, Nick Girolami, Luk Haddara, Oliver Hayes-Brown, Harvey Langford, Kane McAuliffe, Tom McCarthy, Finn O’Sullivan, Josh Pollocks, Harry Scott, Jagga Smith, Kaleb Smith, Liam Thomas, Lachlan Wilson
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Tom Brindley, Sam Davidson and Lachlan Wilson (36 votes); 4th: Chad Harris (35); 5th: Joel Garner (32)
J.J. Liston Trophy: Lachlan Wilson (8 votes), Sam Davidson (5), Sam Naismith (5), Lachlan Street (5)
Coaches MVP Award: Sam Davidson (26 votes), Lachlan Wilson (26), Kane McAuliffe (25), Joel Garner (24), Jacob Blight (18), Lachlan Street (18)
Leading Goalkickers: Sam Davidson (26), Archie May (20), Samson Ryan (13), Jacob Koschitzke (12), Steely Green (12), Austin Johnson (12), Liam George (12)
Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year: Nil
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Tyler Sonsie 27.3, Kane McAuliffe 22.3, Lachlan Street 21.2, Lachlan Wilson 20.6, Kaleb Smith 19.7
Contested possessions: Kane McAuliffe 11.6, Tyler Sonsie 11.3, Lachlan Wilson 11.0, Joel Garner 8.8, Oliver Hayes-Brown 7.3
Kicks: Tyler Sonsie 16.2, Kaleb Smith 14.2, Jacob Blight 13.6, Joel Garner 12.9, Chad Harris 12.5
Handballs: Lachlan Wilson 11.2, Tyler Sonsie 11.2, Kane McAuliffe 10.9, Lachlan Street 9.5, Harry Scott 8.4
Marks: Jacob Blight 7.1, Chad Harris 5.9, Mutaz El Nour 5.5, Jacob Koschitzke 5.2, Archie May 5.1
Tackles: Lachlan Wilson 6.4, Kane McAuliffe 6.1, Joel Garner 5.1, Cam Olden 4.2, Harry Scott 3.7
Hitouts: Oliver Hayes-Brown 25.4, Samson Ryan 24.8, Tom Brindley 4.6, Jacob Koschitzke 2.9, Joel Garner 1.6
Clearances: Tyler Sonsie 6.8, Kane McAuliffe 5.6, Lachlan Wilson 5.2, Joel Garner 4.2, Oliver Hayes-Brown 3.3
Inside-50s: Tyler Sonsie 4.3, Kane McAuliffe 4.0, Joel Garner 4.0, Noah Cumberland 3.8, Lachlan Wilson 3.2
Rebound-50s: Jacob Blight 6.2, Kaleb Smith 5.6, Chad Harris 4.8, Lachlan Street 4.5, Mutaz El Nour 4.3
What went right: These tough Tigers just refused to lay down under Steve Morris, who played his entire career the same way. Sam Davidson and Lachlan Wilson were outstanding in their first years at VFL level to share the best and fairest with key defender Tom Brindley, who did his job every week with a minimum of fuss. Davidson received the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the VFL’s most promising young talent aged 24 years and under. In November he became the 18th consecutive winner to be selected by AFL club when he was drafted by the Western Bulldogs at pick 51. The return of Chad Harris and the signing of Joel Garner were also big wins and they could very easily have made the Guinane Medal a five-way tie. Young tall forward Archie May also had an excellent season, while Oliver Hayes-Brown showed plenty of promise late in the year.
What went wrong: ACL, ACL, ACL! One or two is bad luck, with any more a horror show, The Tigers’ eight this year was an epidemic. And that’s what Richmond had to deal with across its AFL and VFL lists with Judson Clarke, Josh Gibcus, Mykelti Lefau, Sam Naismith and Tylar Young from the AFL squad, along with captain Lachie Street, Will Bravo and Joel Nathan from the VFL squad. That meant the VFL Tigers spent most of the season with at least a third of their best team in the rehab room or the AFL, which wasn’t aided by Mutaz El Nour also missing almost half the season. The 110-point belting by Sandringham in Round 8 was the on-field lowlight, while they would have been disappointed in the 11-goal loss to Williamstown in the Wildcard final, the second such thrashing at that stage in two years.
Summary: What a gallant performance from the Tigers. One of the stories of the year was how they managed to stay up and competitive for all but two games despite being absolutely destroyed by injuries. They got the wins on the board early and just refused to buckle as their youngsters kept stepping up to the plate, led by Fothergill-Round-Mitchell medallist Sam Davidson and fellow mature-age recruit Lachlan Wilson. All that character was on show in Round 21 against Carlton where a loss could have seen them fall out of the top 10 and lose a place in the finals that was theirs from wire to wire. The fact it all came unstuck in the Wildcard final should not detract from an effort they should be supremely proud of.
Grade: 8/10
2024 SMITHY'S VFL SEASON REVIEWS
Essendon
Sandringham
Sydney Swans
GWS Giants
North Melbourne
Port Melbourne
Casey Demons
Coburg
Carlton
Collingwood
Northern Bullants
