TIGERS’ MODERN MARVELS

Finest in yellow and black of modern era

DUSTY, Richo or Rance?

Who has been the best Richmond player since the formation of the national competition in 1987?

Across a generation of despair, Matthew Richardson, the son of “Bull”, was a ray of light for the long-suffering Tiger Army. But the planets never aligned for the superstar forward from Devonport.

In 1995, when Richmond fielded arguably its best team of the wilderness years (beating Essendon in an epic second semi-final at the MCG with a midfield featuring Matthew Knights, Wayne Campbell and Paul Broderick) Richo was sidelined with a knee reconstruction. He booted 91 goals the following year.

The Tiges made another prelim in 2001, but it was slim pickings at Punt Road until Damien Hardwick transformed his young list into a dual premiership team in 2017 and 2019. Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Trent Cotchin and

Jack Riewoldt picked themselves in the Tigers’ top 20 of the modern era.

Another flag, Norm Smith or Brownlow Medal would elevate Dusty into the conversation alongside Kevin Bartlett and Royce Hart as the greatest Tiger of them all.

Shane Edwards, Bachar Houli and Dylan Grimes could not be denied a spot, but Dion Prestia, best and fairest in last year’s premiership season, and his big mate Tom Lynch need a few more seasons in yellow and black to edge past some stars and stalwarts of the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

If the selection criteria was pure talent over longevity, Nathan Brown would get in, but he played only 82 games for the Tigers and was never the same after that broken leg.

Brad Ottens was an All Australian in 2001 and heads a list of Tigers stiff to miss out including Jeff Hogg, Michael Pickering, Matthew Rogers, Leon Cameron, Shaun Grigg, Nick Daffy and Nick Vlastuin.