Will Richmond win the 2021 AFL Premiership Season?

One of the oldest and the most recognisable AFL clubs, Richmond Tigers have a well-known legacy starting from the late 1800s. The Tigers are in the spotlight since they defeated the Adelaide Crows in the Grand Final which ended their 35-year drought. Having said that, before 2017 the Tigers could not even get into the Qualifying Finals and the club was finishing below the top 10 in the AFL ladder during the 2010-2016 Premiership Seasons. The Tiger's Coach Damian Hardwick had been coaching the club since 2010. However, he received criticism for the poor performance of the team throughout his coaching career with Richmond. The 2017 Premiership Season was about to change Hardwick forever as the club won their first Premiership in 35 years and went on to win 3 more Premierships which showcased an incredible comeback by the club, the hard work and patience of Hardwick had finally paid off. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season has now begun and now with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic things have taken a big turn around the world. As of now (29/05/2021) some stadiums such as the Adelaide Oval, Blundstone Arena, the Gabba, Giants Stadium, SCG, Optus Stadium and Metricon Stadium are allowed limited crowds and all Victorian stadiums such as the MCG, Marvel Stadium, GMHBA Stadium and Mars Stadium are closed. Having said that, the 2021 season has seen some great transfers and draft picks such as Jeremy Cameron, Aliir Aliir and Adam Treloar, Maurice Rioli Junior and Lachlan Jones.

 

However, everyone is asking the same question; “Are the Tigers going to win the Premiership again?”. Unfortunately, this season is looking very tough for the Tigers as they are currently sitting at 8th place on the ladder. However, only the teams in the top 8 can advance to the Finals but Tigers can stumble at any moment and are not in a safe position. The Tigers have to boost their performance with their current squad as; 4-5 of their main players are currently not active due to injury. However, Dion Prestia, captain Trent Cotchin, Shai Bolton and Josh Caddy have been included for their clash on Sunday against Adelaide Crows which is now moved to Giants Stadium.

 

This season, the Tigers have won and lost 5 matches and in the previous 5 matches, they have only won 2. Their win percentage over 5 matches is only 40%. At this rate, the Tigers might not make it to the finals as they were the most dominant team during 2017-2020. However, the Tigers can now look forward to another win; against the Adelaide crows on Sunday as the Tigers have a better team and performance than the Crows. The Tigers are 8th and the Crows are 13th on the ladder and in the last 5 games, the Crows have only won one match. Furthermore, the Crows have only won 4 matches and have lost 6 in this season by far. However, when playing against teams in the Top 8, the Tigers might have trouble as they lost their forward Tom lynch due to an injury who is out for five to seven weeks.

 

In conclusion, the Richmond Tigers still have some fire burning inside of them and wins and tactics are what will fuel the fire and make the players more confident. We all know Tigers can do better than this. We have witnessed it for the past 4 years. I think the Tigers still have a chance to win the Premiership however, they have to make use of what they have right now. Adaptation and Patience is what will make them stay on their path to the Grand Final.

​

​

​

The Tigers' Premierships:​