In the lead-up to the start of season 2018, richmondfc.com.au is examining how the Tigers will shape up this year across all playing lines.  We continue this week with the midfield and, today, Tony Greenberg takes a look at the Club’s formidable on-field brigade.

There’s no denying the quality of the Richmond midfield, led by inspirational captain Trent Cotchin and the brilliant Dustin Martin.

The dynamic duo’s dominance throughout the 2017 season was a pivotal factor in the Tigers capturing the premiership cup.

Cotchin had his best year since winning (retrospectively) the 2012 Brownlow Medal, while Martin’s season was one of the greatest ever produced by a player in league football history, culminating in a Brownlow Medal, Jack Dyer Medal, Norm Smith Medal and premiership medallion.

While the Cotchin and Martin combination again will be the classy centrepiece of Richmond’s midfield in the 2018 season, it’s sheer folly to suggest the Tigers are merely a two-man band in this crucial department of the game.

Prized mature-age recruit Dion Prestia was a relatively slow burn for Richmond last year as he recovered from some injury issues, although he was still a valuable contributor and important to the team from a structural viewpoint. His finish to the season, however, was nothing short of superb.

In the last seven games (four home-and-away and three finals), Prestia averaged 26.5 disposals, 12.4 contested possessions, 5.4 clearances and 5.7 tackles. Those numbers stack right up alongside Cotchin’s and Martin’s for the corresponding period.

Prestia clearly has the capability to pick up where he left off in 2017 and generate plenty of drive for the Tigers through the midfield this season.

Kane Lambert’s third placing in last year’s Jack Dyer Medal underlined his significant improvement as a member of Richmond’s on-ball brigade.

Lambert thrived on the added responsibility placed on him, averaging 21.5 disposals per game – a big rise from 14.7 the previous season.

He was ranked fifth in the competition for goal assists and 17^th for inside-50 entries.

With the amount of self-belief that he would have gained from such a consistently high level of performance during the Tigers’ premiership year, and his totally professional approach to the game, Lambert looms as a key factor in the team’s push for back-to-back flags.

Shaun Grigg may be the ‘elder statesman’ of Richmond’s midfield, but his effectiveness clearly has not diminished.

Grigg, 29, the oldest member of the Tigers’ 2017 premiership side, averaged 21.8 disposals per game for the season, was ranked sixth in the competition for inside-50s and finished sixth in the Jack Dyer Medal.

With his hard running, football ‘smarts’ and versatility (ie providing ruck back-up for Toby Nankervis throughout 2017), Grigg remains a key cog in the Richmond midfield machine.

Talented, tough teenager Jack Graham was a revelation after breaking into the Tigers’ line-up late last season and taking his place in the midfield.

Graham averaged 14.0 disposals, 7.0 tackles and 3.2 clearances in his five games, kicked five goals (including three in a top-class Grand Final performance), and displayed a maturity way beyond his years.

All Tiger eyes will be on Graham in 2018 to see if he can build on the substantial gains he made during his debut AFL season.

The former SA under-18s captain certainly shapes as the type of player who won’t rest on his laurels, and you can expect him to continue to make impressive progress at the game’s highest level.

Toby Nankervis was another surprise packet for Richmond in his first season for the Club last year.

Starved of opportunity during a couple of seasons with the Sydney Swans, Nankervis blossomed at Tigerland as the team’s No. 1 ruckman in the absence of Shaun Hampson, who was hampered throughout the year with a severe back complaint.

Nankervis averaged 14.8 disposals per game (impressive numbers for a ruckman), was ranked 11^th in the competition for total hit-outs and provided a strong presence around the ground for the Tigers.

At just 23, Nankervis undoubtedly has scope for further improvement, and his competitive nature should ensure that he takes another step forward in his football development this year.  

Throw into the Richmond midfield mix for season 2018 the likes of quality premiership players Shane Edwards and Josh Caddy, plus Anthony Miles and Sam Lloyd, who starred at VFL level in 2017, together with the prospect of Daniel Rioli spending some time in there, and you can see that the Tigers have plenty of options for the all-important ‘engine-room’.