In the fifth of a new post-season series on richmondfc.com.au - the 12 things we learnt in 2012 from a Richmond perspective - Tony Greenberg examines Dylan Grimes’ influence.

No. 5:  Dylan Grimes is the glue that holds the TIgers' backline together

For a player with just 17 games in three seasons of league football to his credit, Dylan Grimes wields a huge influence in Richmond’s defence.

Unfortunately, hamstring trouble again derailed Grimes’ season in 2012, restricting him to just nine appearances.

But in his limited time out on the field during the season, Grimes displayed a maturity and composure under pressure that seemed to lift those around him and significantly bolster the Tiger backline.

Co-defender, Alex Rance, who has formed a close bond with Grimes, clearly appears a better player when he’s surrounded by the talented 21-year-old.
Grimes averaged 16 disposals per match in his nine games this year, with a career-high 24 against Sydney at the MCG in Round 7.

A fair indicator of just how well Grimes performed in less than half a season is the fact that he polled 101 votes to finish 19th in the Club’s Jack Dyer Medal.  That’s an average of just over 11 votes per game, which had him right on top-five pace, had he managed to play a full season.

What do you think is Dylan Grimes’ main strength as a defender?

Although Grimes is lightly-framed, he has the capacity to mix it with forwards of any size or shape, due to the many fine football attributes he possesses.

He is brave, reads the play well, has good closing speed, plenty of poise, is solid overhead, uses the ball efficiently, and has found the right balance between defence and attack.

In his seven games during the 2011 season, Grimes was more focused on defensive spoiling and keeping his opponents in tight check - something he did most admirably.
This year, however, he also showed that he has the ability to win the ball back from the opposition and initiate attacking moves for the Tigers out of defence.

The early signs from the special hamstring treatment Grimes received during his trip to Germany in July are particularly encouraging.

Given his overall importance in the line-up, here’s hoping Grimes has completely thrown off his hamstring problems by the time season 2013 comes around.

On Monday, read about one tough Tiger son of a gun.