THE ONLY TEAM THAT CAN GO WITH MELBOURNE IF THEY IMPROVE IN 2022
SEN 15/03/22
Gerard Whateley and David King are both bullish on Richmond returning to the dominant form that saw them recently win three premierships in five years in 2021.
The Tigers famously hit a level that almost all other teams couldn’t go to in their premiership years of 2017, 2019 and 2020, but an injury crisis struck last year that saw the club miss the top eight for the first time since 2016.
It was similar to Melbourne’s performances late in the season, as the 2021 premiers went to another level that others couldn’t match when the pressure was on.
While acknowledging the season is hard to predict, Whateley believes that if Melbourne continues to improve, Richmond are the only team that can hit such a high level.
“They’re my one team that can go with Melbourne,” Whateley said on SEN Mornings.
“I’ll put an ‘if’ in front of it. If Melbourne further the standard… (if there is) a five per cent, ten per cent rise, and that’s what I anticipate, I think Melbourne are just getting started, so if they lift the standard further, who could go with them?
“Richmond are the only team to my eye that could go with it.
“It’s not a 23 round measure, it’s what does it all look like once we get to the endpoint.
“So I’m on red alert for Richmond, I am a believer that they’re not finished.
“I can easily see them straight back into the top two.”
Meanwhile, King shares similar beliefs about the Tigers.
Midfielders Dustin Martin and Dion Prestia are fully fit after missing chunks of last season, and Damien Hardwick has almost all of his best 22 available.
They competed strongly in their pre-season win over Geelong before cruising in the next game against Hawthorn, and King predicts those gears are something fans are going to see from Richmond once again.
“I’m a massive believer in this football club, Damien Hardwick taps into people and players like no one else,” King added.
“I think the recruitment of Robbie Tarrant hasn’t been spoken about enough, it’s a Brian Lake-style event, he can come in and just lock down a position down back which is hard to fill.
“If you’ve got any vulnerability at full-back you pay the price at the pointy part of the year, that will be sorted (by Tarrant).
“They’ve got to keep him on the park, obviously that’s been a challenge.
“But this slingshot brand of football, the three-man weave they get going quicker than any other team.
“I’ve watched them and listened to them speak, they’re going to play with gears this year, it’s not always going to be flat out.
“They’re going to have different ways of getting you.
“I think Richmond are going to make a statement on Thursday night.”
If, as King predicts, Richmond does beat Carlton on Thursday night, it will continue a run stretching from 2012 of Round 1 wins against the Blues.
Hardwick has confirmed 2021 top-10 pick Josh Gibcus will debut in the clash hoped to attract over 80,000 fans to the MCG.
