Dashing Richmond defender Bachar Houli provides ‘Roar Vision’ with an assessment of the team’s, and his, 2018 season.

The Tiger Army

“I want to thank the Tiger Army for their sensational support for the whole eight years I’ve been part of the Richmond Football Club, but in particular the last two or three years . . . And just when you think the membership has stopped, it keeps growing. As players, their support makes us feel really proud . . . Hearing them supporting us, week in, week out, definitely gives us a massive lift. So thankyou Tiger Army for your outstanding support. And we look forward to your further support in the near future.”

The backline group

“We’ve got a mixture of players (in defence), and that’s the great thing about our football club, in general . . . we’ve got guys who’ve got different strengths, and we complement individual strengths. When you look at our backline, we’ve got a very good balance of players. You’ve got your leaders in Dylan Grimes, Alex Rance and Dave Astbury, who are more vocal, and very solid when it comes to their defensive actions. And then you’ve got your Nick Vlastuins and Nathan Broads, who can play as defensive players, and also when we need them offensively, they can generate run and create as well. And then you’ve got Brandon Ellis, Jayden Short and myself, Oleg Markov, Connor Menadue . . . these sort of players, who are brought into this club for their running ability. We complement each other’s strengths and that’s what makes us as a team.” 

Individual season appraisal

“My season was a little bit up and down because of injury. I had the interrupted pre-season . . . I started on a low with a minor calf injury, which took its time. A lot of that was controlled from our end just to get it right. And then I played the first nine or 10 games . . . I felt like I was playing consistent football, and then I suffered that groin injury against St Kilda, which put me out for 10 games. So just as you start to feel like you’re impacting on-field, an injury comes your way. That’s part of the game . . . you’ve got to accept it. I accept it really well because I know it’s part of the game . . .”

Areas of individual improvement

“Every player’s got room for growth, and for me it’s more so just continuing to work on the defensive side of my game, which has grown a lot over the years. But I’m in this team for my No. 1 strength, and that is my offensive patterns and getting the ball in my hands and delivering to the bigger boys inside 50. I’m never going to be a master in all aspects of my game, but I’ll continue to better myself. I am getting a little bit older now, but that doesn’t mean I stop and I’m complacent with where I am at the moment. I am hungry for success and I want to do everything possible from my end to contribute to a successful year next year.”