Squad Breakdown: Richmond Tigers SC roster analysis

• BARGAIN BUYS: Assessing the midfield cheapie crop
• TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: 2021 runner-up drops squad reveal

The Tigers will be looking to compete once more for the top prize this season, after a 2021 year which failed to live up to the standards and expectations the club set in the years prior.

The Tigers won just nine matches last year and finished in 12^th place, but many inside the club believe the earlier finish to the year has rejuvenated the playing list and they are ready to challenge again this season.

There is a trio of Tigers under injury clouds to start the season but aside from that, coach Damien Hardwick should have a full list to choose from for their season opener against Carlton on Thursday.

Kane Lambert is struggling with a hip injury and may require surgery, whilst Jack Graham will also miss the early rounds with a hamstring issue. Recently announced co-captain Dylan Grimes is also in a race against the clock with a finger injury of his own.

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LIST CHANGES

There’s been a fair bit of change down at Tigerland over the off-season.

Defensive stalwarts Bachar Houli and David Astbury hung up the boots, whilst fringe talls Mabior Chol and Callum Coleman-Jones departed the club in search of greater opportunities.

Chol found a home at the Gold Coast Suns via free agency and Coleman-Jones is set to form a three-pronged attack alongside veteran Todd Goldstein and highly touted youngster Tristan Xerri down at Arden Street.

On a more positive note, former Kangaroo Robbie Tarrant is set to fill the void left by Astbury in defence this year.

The Tigers also had five top 30 selections in the NAB AFL National Draft, which will hold the list in good stead over the coming years. Those players include Josh Gibcus, Tom Brown, Tyler Sonsie, Sam Banks and Judson Clarke.

BEST 22

FB: J. Gibcus, R. Tarrant, N. Vlastuin

HB: D. Rioli, N. Broad, J. Short

C: K. McIntosh, D. Prestia, H. Ralphsmith

HF: L. Baker, T. Lynch, S. Bolton
FF: J. Riewoldt, N. Balta, J. Castagna

FOLL: T. Nankervis, D. Martin, T. Cotchin
I/C: I. Soldo, S. Edwards, J. Ross, J. Aarts

EMG: R. Collier-Dawkins, B. Miller, M. Rioli, W. Martyn

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GUNS

Half-back flanker Jayden Short ($533,200|DEF) is the most expensive Tiger in SuperCoach this season after averaging 98.3 SuperCoach points in 2021.

This included 12 tons and half of those were scores of 115+ too. However, many SuperCoach players expect Short to go to another level in 2022 after the retirement of Bachar Houli.

Short averaged approximately 105 points per match when Houli wasn’t in the side last year, a fair difference to the 92 points he averaged with Houli in the team.

I think Short well and truly shatters the 100-point average barrier this season and he is a good starting pick for your defence.

Dustin Martin ($503,500|MID/FWD) is always SuperCoach relevant given who he is, and this season will be no different.

Martin only played 16 games last season due to a kidney issue after a collision against Brisbane, which ruled him out for the remainder of the year.

Martin started the year on fire, like he always does, with scores of 158 and 120 in the first two games.

However, from there he slowed down, posting just three other tons in his last 14 games.

Dusty appears to have slimmed down over pre-season again and with the Tigers back in the firing line, I think he should bounce back and push that 100 average (which he has done in seven seasons prior) once again.

If he does, that will make him a top 6 forward you’d imagine.

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CHEAPIES

It looks as though there will be at least two sub $210k players suit up in the Yellow and Black for Round 1.

The first one of interest is Joshua Gibcus ($171,300|DEF), who this morning was told that he would make his debut against the Blues.

Gibcus is a slightly pricier defensive rookie option, but given the lack of defensive rookies in the current landscape, he will probably be a popular pick (currently in 27% of sides).

Gibcus was the ninth selection in last years National Draft and was widely seen as the best intercept marking prospect in the pool.

The Greater Western Victorian Rebels graduate has already received strong positive feedback from those inside the club and looked strong in his 13-disposal, 65 SuperCoach point display against the Hawks in the AAMI Community Series.

The second player on my radar is Hugo Ralphsmith ($206,700|MID/FWD) who is set to feature in a new, more SuperCoach friendly role at half-back this season.

Ralphsmith posted a score of 72 against Hawthorn in the pre-season and that’s probably a good indicator of the sort of scores he might put up this season.

Ralphsmith is an athletic player with traits that enable him to break the lines which means Hardwick is likely to give him a good crack in this role.

The major question here is, is the elevated price tag worth it?

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AVOIDS

Maurice Rioli ($123,900|MID/FWD) is in 6.7% of sides and I’m not overly sold on him as a rookie option. He doesn’t have great scoring potential and has shaky job security as well.

Shai Bolton ($458,600|MID/FWD) might tempt some SuperCoachers, but it’s a hard pass for me.

He’s just too inconsistent which is incredibly frustrating for owners. Bolton had an eight-week burst last season where he averaged 108 SuperCoach points and was one of the better forward options to own, but outside of that, his scoring was toxic.

Scores of 29, 42 and 44 are just not good enough for a player you are playing upwards of $450k for. Fantastic player, but one that I prefer to stay away from SuperCoach wise.

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Dan Rioli ($336,000|DEF/FWD) is at a price point that we usually wouldn’t consider either.

However, he is set to feature in the back half like he did in the last six matches of his 2021 campaign.

Rioli averaged 84.5 SuperCoach points during that stretch, and I think a similar output across the 2022 season is reasonable to expect.

Probably too expensive and won’t average high enough for our sides in the Classic format but could be a smoky option for those playing SuperCoach Draft.