Coach: Craig McRae (first year)
Captain: Sam Darley (first year)
2015 finish: 13th
2015 best and fairest placings: 1. Matt Dea / 2. Matt Thomas / 3. James Wall
Last premiership: 1905
Alignment: AFL standalone
The Richmond VFL team’s 2015 performances demonstrated a slight lack of depth in the club’s AFL playing list. Unlike the aligned teams of fellow AFL finalists Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Footscray, the VFL Tigers struggled for wins despite defeating North Ballarat twice and Port Melbourne once – teams that finished above them on the ladder.
New senior coach Craig McRae joins the club after five years as a development coach at Collingwood and a previous stint in development at Richmond from 2007-09. McRae won the AFL Coaches Association’s Development Coach of the Year Award in 2014 and will make advancing the careers of AFL-listed youngsters such as Dan Butler, Reece McKenzie and Daniel Rioli his priority.
The Tigers lose plenty of toughness in the midfield, with Jaryd Cachia heading back to his native South Australia after one year as captain, the retirement of Matt Thomas and the delisting of Matt Arnot from the AFL team. However, ball-winner Jacob Ballard joins after two years on Fremantle’s rookie list and inside midfielder Tom Couch returns to the VFL after a season in the Geelong Football League.
Essendon’s signing of 2015 best and fairest winner Matt Dea as an AFL top-up player leaves a hole in defence that could be filled by half backs Sam Darley – the club's new captain fresh from the Western Bulldogs system – or VFL 100-gamer Tom Langford. 22-year-old indigenous utility Kelvin Williams will also add dash after a stellar season in the VAFA.
Richmond was ranked sixth in the competition for disposals and uncontested possessions per game in 2015 but struggled to move the ball forward effectively and then convert in front of goal, ranking in the bottom three teams for inside-50s per game and scores per inside-50. Effective ball movement will surely be a focus area for McRae.
Ins: Tom Couch (Bell Park), Matthew Troutbeck (Bentleigh), Sam Hibbins (Collegians), Anthony Forato (De La Salle), Ash Morris (Deniliquin), Daniel Coffield (Eltham), Jacob Ballard (Fremantle), Jarred Ellis (Gold Coast Suns), Ryan Thomson (Mooroopna), Jordan Perry (Northern Blues), Jono Daggian (Old Scotch), Tom Langford (Port Melbourne), Kelvin Williams (St Kevin’s), Sam Darley (Western Bulldogs)
Outs: Luke Conca (Blackburn), Jaryd Cachia (Norwood), Ed Barlow, Chris Clay, Pat Contin, Devin McFarlane, Rian McGough, Jeremy Mugavin, Tom Quinn, Marshall Rippon, Jack Townley, James Wall, Cameron Williams, Nick Wynne