No. 1: The Richmond revival was remarkable.
Football critics can argue until the cows come home whether Richmond’s season was a pass or failure, but the fact of the matter is that no team in league football history has produced such a stunning form reversal during the course of a season to reach the finals.
From a 3-10 form-line, five games out of the top eight, and equal-last place on the league ladder, to a finals berth, on the back on nine consecutive wins, is the stuff of football fairytales.
Yes, the start to the season was awful, and the elimination final loss to Port Adelaide bitterly disappointing.
Do not, however, underestimate the achievement of winning nine games straight in such an even competition, with absolutely no margin for error existing, either.
One slip, and Richmond was cooked for 2014.
Full credit to coach Damien Hardwick, his assistants and the playing group, for steadfastly refusing to concede all was lost at that 3-10 stage of the season.
It would have been understandable had the Tigers decided to go down the path of playing the kids, in preparation for 2015, but they were hell-bent on still putting their best team on the park each week, and winning as many games as possible, to repay the faith of their devoted supporters.
Importantly, the players took full responsibility for turning the situation around. The on-field adversity drove them to become a tighter-knit unit.
In the words of inspirational Tiger ruckman Ivan Maric: “We had to come together and bond even closer than what we were before, to be able to turn things around. I think everyone was fed up with losing. The best fun you can have in football is to win games, and that’s why we’re doing it . . . Because of that, the friendships within the playing group have gotten stronger. And, when you’re winning, you enjoy it even more because of those strong friendships.”
Throughout that winning streak, Richmond displayed a great resilience to dig deep when the going was at its toughest, and find a way to get up.
The late-season wins against Essendon, Adelaide and Sydney were standouts in this regard, with the Tigers headed in the last quarter of all those matches, seemingly staring down the barrel, but responding superbly to emerge victorious.
It’s priceless what Richmond learnt from the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of season 2014.
