I take your point to a degree but that still really undersells those defenders. Either the tactical plan and set up was immaculate (so Hardwick needs more praise) or the individual defenders were brilliant AND had tremendous chemistry. I favour a little of both. Teams simply couldn't score against them in finals, especially in second halves. I know Geelong's defence in those years wasn't nearly as capable and it was probably still a top 4 level defence.Dusty couldn’t have done what he did without a strong supporting cast. As an attacking half forward, he relied on Cotchin covering him defensively a lot. When Richmond were a more mediocre team, Dusty did not put them on his back and carry them to gutsy wins in the H&A, like I’ve seen Greene and GAJ (GC) do. So you’re right to say that he needs that support cast.
However, as I just said to Fadge, the things that Dusty did in a few finals, no other player in the league could have done. He absolutely needed a great defensive team, but none of those defenders did anything unique; their roles, including in finals, all could have been filled by numerous other players in the league. Ditto the mids and forwards.
That’s why Dusty was the match winner, even though obviously he needed other players around him to win
Defenders rarely get credit though, so it's hardly anything new. Houli would've needed 40 disposals and 16 rebound 50s to win a NS. But even a lot of Richmond midfielders never got a look in for praise. Take Prestia and Edwards out for two underperformers and I can't see Richmond winning 3 flags.