“Weakest ever”: Concern for Richmond over top 10 result

Should Richmond fans be worried after Tuesday night’s Jack Dyer Medal results?

While Tim Taranto deservedly won a third Tigers best and fairest, it was the makeup of the top 10 which created plenty of intrigue.

Jack Ross had a decent season to finish runner-up, while veteran defender Nick Vlastuin was third after a slow start to the campaign.

From there it was even more interesting.

Retired/delisted midfielder Dion Prestia (equal fourth with Seth Campbell) and fellow premiership defender Nathan Broad, who has called time, were in the top six.

Another premiership star in Jayden Short - who is looking to get out - was seventh.

It prompted a deeper look from Kane Cornes who described it as the “weakest top 10” he can recall.

“You get so much intel going through club’s best and fairest results,” Cornes said on SEN Mornings.

“It’s pretty frightening the players that finished inside Richmond’s top 10 which speaks to their injuries, lack of depth and the struggles they’ve got with their list.

“Dion’s been delisted and he’s finished fourth. Broad’s gone, Short might be gone.

“Not pretty reading I wouldn’t have thought. Might be the weakest top 10 of a best and fairest ever.”

Tigers' Top 10
1 - Tim Taranto (55 votes)
2 - Jack Ross (47)
3 - Nick Vlastuin (32)
Eq.4 - Seth Campbell (31)
Eq.4 - Dion Prestia (31)
6 - Nathan Broad (28)
7 - Jayden Short (27)
Eq.8 - Toby Nankervis (24)
Eq.8 - Ben Miller (24)
Eq.10 - Noah Balta (23)
Eq.10 - Patrick Retschko (23)

Similarly, former Sydney, Hawthorn and Collingwood midfielder Tom Mitchell has concerns for Adem Yze’s Tigers.

“I’m worried about that because Prestia finished fourth and he’s gone. Broad finishes sixth and he’s gone. Short finished seventh and wants to be traded,” he said on AFL Trade Radio.

“More experience is going. That is not what Richmond needs.

“I think this is a disaster. They need to retain Short, you need some experience around.

“I understand Prestia because they’ve got a number of inside mids already. Why wouldn’t you keep Broad around for another year? I’m not sure.”

“If Short leaves they’ve only got seven players who have 100 games or more of experience - Jack Ross, Noah Balta, Jacob Hopper, Toby Nankervis, Tim Taranto, Tom Lynch and Nick Vlastuin.”

Brownlow Medallist Mitchell, who worked with Yze at the Hawks between 2017 and 2020, hopes it all turns around under the 48-year-old.

“I am concerned,” he added.

“I love ‘Ooze’ because he’s such a ripping person and he has such a good footy brain.

“But they’re not giving him much cattle to work with. I get the theory of bringing in as much top-end talent into our list, but the pain is going to be another three years of potentially winning two to five games for a season.

“If they get five wins next season, that’s a win for them. That’s a good season.”

But is that enough for Yze to keep his job?

“I hope so.”

SEN’s Garry Lyon firmly believes there is enough talent at Yze’s disposal, but Tigers fans just need to see them on the park after the kids

“Sam Lalor, I’m convinced. I think he’s going to be an unbelievable player,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

“I think he’s going to be outstanding, up in the Jagga Smith territory. Every time he plays he does stuff where you go, ‘Wow’.

“Taj Hotton looks like a really good player, Sam Grlj looks decent.

“Josh Gibcus has barely played, Josh Smillie hasn’t played - but there comes a time when you’ve got to deliver.

“I think Adem Yze can coach - and I’m a bit biased to a degree - but he’ll run out of chances too if he can’t get them going.”

Tim Watson added: “He might run out of patience before he runs out of chances.

“There were times this year where he looked nonplussed about what was happening around him. There was almost disgust in what he was saying post-game about performance and desire to want to compete.”

Lyon said: “And he didn’t gild then lily, he told it as it was.”

Before Lyon provided some hope, especially given the appointment of Selwyn Griffith as the club’s new high performance boss.

“But coming into your fourth year, regardless of circumstances, people will run out of patience,” he added.

“The former Melbourne strength and conditioning boss, Selwyn Griffiths, worked with Adem at the Demons in that premiership year.

“They cut deep but you look at these results and the sniper players are still there. It’s just that the younger players haven’t been able to have any continuity in the way they go about it.”