Richmond FC 2024 mass exodus

[Franko Armani]

Have you ever seen anything like this before? In my 40 odd years of following footy I’ve never ever seen such willingness from players of one club willing and ready to jump ship now that the glory days are done.

There hasn’t been any desire by their premiership players to dig in, stick by the club and fight or play for the jumper and to help bring the team some wins for their supporters in the next few years. Since their premiership coach Hardwick did the same thing mid season , essentially abandoning the plan to build again, players have followed suit. You have to wonder how many of the injuries sustained this year are as bad as they were made out to be - possibly a lost desire to do the hard work.

You have to feel sorry for Yze and the players that were brought in on the back of the premierships. Even their CEO jumped ship - would he have left if they were contending again?

TLDR: I guess what I’m saying is that what has happened this year is an unprecedented abandoning of ship.

Edit: maybe this is the future blueprint for all sides that are past their use by, although the Cats prove their is an alternate model.

 

[VernonSpots]

Why blame the players. Their Premiership coach and CEO did the same thing when their "career life" is basically until their late 50s if they want it.

Stink starts with Hardwick and fans should be putting the boot into him before players, but you know, easy targets and all.

 

[Toump Ass]

Bit like their fans really, jumped ship before Dusty Martin even hung up the boots.
Sad.

 

[kreuze_missile]

Feel sorry for Taranto.

Thought he was going to a contender.

Now gets to play for wooden spoons until he retires.

 

[Franko Armani]

Tigers could seriously go winless next season. 1 year down the bottom after such success you can handle but literally no games or next to no games for 2 or 3 years is going to be hard to swallow. I’d imagine some very bitter supporters before the end of 2025 and fair enough too.

 

[stallon]

Feel sorry for Taranto.

Thought he was going to a contender.

Now gets to play for wooden spoons until he retires.

surprised Taranto and Hopper arent asking for trades out too

 

[Footy Smarts]

surprised Taranto and Hopper arent asking for trades out too

They probably are. Their contracts make that extremely difficult though.

 

[Lsta062]

Feel sorry for Taranto.

Thought he was going to a contender.

Now gets to play for wooden spoons until he retires.

I don’t. He took a risk on us like we took a risk on him. Same with Hopper. It’s not working out for both of us. Besides, he’s got a decent contract.

If he wants to blame anyone, then maybe he should look at Hardwick, who courted them here and ditched the moment things started looking bad. Even then, I don’t think he really can blame Hardwick either because it was his choice to go to a club post-dynasty

 

[Blackhawk42]

Feel sorry for Taranto.

Thought he was going to a contender.

Now gets to play for wooden spoons until he retires.

Only a matter of time IMO.

Somebody would take his contract on too.

Hopper might have a tough time finding a new home though.

 

[Football Tragic]

I actually think the club may have suggested to some of the players to perhaps explore other options. If you speak to the supporters, we understand and accept the position the club in currently in. It's the end of an era and we are seeing premiership players depart via retirement and trade. It many ways, I feel it's fortunate how its playing out.

If these players stayed, it;s likely that they would never be part of a flag team. They could help lead the young recruits but realistically, they will not help us to push back up into finals and succeed. So why not get something for them? They wish to leave anyway, so now we're going to end up with a collection of highly rated draftees all coming through at once. We'll still have team leaders to guide and develop them on field, so we don't miss them in that role either.

In the end, no one wants to see players of the ilk of Rioli, Bolton, Baker and Graham potentially leave your club but if we can get back 5 or 6 early picks for them, it could be exactly what we need to build the foundation of our next Dynasty team.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Hardwick has p1ssed off many supporters the way he went about it. If he finished up when he should have at the end of the prior year, Kingsley would be coach with a succession plan enforced.

As for the players, so be it. Fck it, we'll get some very, very good draft picks and we start again. Hoping in addition to nailing our draft picks (no guarantee) that we can also succeed in picking the eyes out of some "Moneyball" picks to help the kids.

 

[PhatBoy]

I actually think the club may have suggested to some of the players to perhaps explore other options. If you speak to the supporter I understand and accept the position the club in currently in. It's the end of an era and we are seeing premiership players depart via retirement and trade. It many ways, I feel its fortunate how its playing out.

If these players stayed, its likely that they would never be part of a flag team. They could help lead the young recruits but realistically, they will not help us to push back up into finals and succeed. So why not get something for them? They wish to leave anyway, so now we're going to end up with a collection of highly rated draftees all coming through at once. We'll still have team leaders to guide and develop them on field so we don't miss them in that role either.

In the end, no one wants to see players of the ilk of Rioli, Bolton, Baker and Graham potentially leave your club but if we can get back 5 or 6 early picks for them, it could be exactly what we need to build the foundation of our next Dynasty team.

Putting aside my usual back and forth with a couple of specific tigers fans for a moment to give an honest appraisal:
I see your point in that you ask yourself if some of those players will ever be there for the next flag and you don’t want to deny them a shot at success etc. and you might get more value FOR them than what you get with them.

But on the flip side it is just as disheartening to see a side turn up their toes and just basically say ‘we can’t do this’ and give up altogether despite having enough good players to put together the skeleton of a competitive side

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

They're in for a world of pain in the short term.

The key for them is to draft strongly in 2024 and 2025 before Tasmania enters the equation.

 

[smasha]

Tigers could seriously go winless next season. 1 year down the bottom after such success you can handle but literally no games or next to no games for 2 or 3 years is going to be hard to swallow. I’d imagine some very bitter supporters before the end of 2025 and fair enough too.

Very painful but could be a perfect scenario before Tassie comes in.

 

[Giant Pete]

Should be plenty of green shoots for Taranto and Hopper.

 

[Handsuper47]

Bit like their fans really, jumped ship before Dusty Martin even hung up the boots.
Sad.

trust the Melbourne supporter to know all about jumping ship - isn't it about time for you to get ready for the snow?

 

[juss]

Have you ever seen anything like this before? In my 40 odd years of following footy I’ve never ever seen such willingness from players of one club willing and ready to jump ship now that the glory days are done.

There hasn’t been any desire by their premiership players to dig in, stick by the club and fight or play for the jumper and to help bring the team some wins for their supporters in the next few years. Since their premiership coach Hardwick did the same thing mid season , essentially abandoning the plan to build again, players have followed suit. You have to wonder how many of the injuries sustained this year are as bad as they were made out to be - possibly a lost desire to do the hard work.

You have to feel sorry for Yze and the players that were brought in on the back of the premierships. Even their CEO jumped ship - would he have left if they were contending again?

TLDR: I guess what I’m saying is that what has happened this year is an unprecedented abandoning of ship.

Edit: maybe this is the future blueprint for all sides that are past their use by, although the Cats prove their is an alternate model.

I think we needed this cleanout to avoid a slow, middling rebuild. Better for club and player to mutually agree on it rather than leave with bad blood.

Baker, Rioli and Bolton will go, I wouldn't really call the retirees a mass exodus.

It's going to be a lean few years but we're going to accelerate the rebuild hard with some very good picks now in a good draft.

 

[smasha]

trust the Melbourne supporter to know all about jumping ship - isn't it about time for you to get ready for the snow?

He has got his cheese platter ready.

 

[smasha]

Media will feast on fairy bread and raspberry cordial laughing at the Tigers for a few years but we will be back.

Still bathing in the afterglow of three flags.

We could get a real big clump of first round picks to fast track our future.

Wonder if the CFL will make a rule change?

 

[windyhill]

Not sure this was a part of Benny G’s plan. Full credit for the three flags, the 100k membership,didn’t quite catch the wooden spoon bit.

 

[voorhees]

Very painful but could be a perfect scenario before Tassie comes in.

this is correct
Better that the club makes moves now to attempt to pull one self up of the floor
then run into a wall in 3 years time.

 

[Toump Ass]

trust the Melbourne supporter to know all about jumping ship - isn't it about time for you to get ready for the snow?

My holiday house is on the Bellarine peninsula actually. Friends have a place in Bulla I have borrowed in the past, but I'm not really into snow personally.

Please don't tease me about having money, it's not my fault, I didn't earn it lol.

 

[smasha]

Not sure this was a part of Benny G’s plan. Full credit for the three flags, the 100k membership,didn’t quite catch the wooden spoon bit.

Worst injury list in living memory put paid to that.
No forward line pretty much the whole year.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

They probably are. Their contracts make that extremely difficult though.

They've also cooked their trade value by playing pretty poor for two years. Outside Taranto's first half of last year he's been average and Hopper has just been bad.

 

[PhatBoy]

We keep hearing about ‘before Tassie’ because they’re scared of some perceived ill that befell a bunch of clubs who were down the bottom when GCS and GWS came into the comp.

Do people not realise that three of the five bottom sides during the Suns’ first crack at the draft have since won 5 flags between them, and that doesn’t include another in the Lions who have spent half a decade in and around the top four, nor does it include another lost grand final by the Eagles. The two teams immediately above THEM, Adelaide and Port, went on to make a grand final and spend a decent period in the 8 before self destructing while the other has been a fixture in the finals for most of the last decade.

And that was with TWO clubs picking the eyes out of the draft.

What is it exactly everyone is so afraid of with Tasmania? That the players they don’t pick will all be at exactly the same level and thus the team that finishes bottom just before that draft won’t have an advantage over the rest of the comp?


What’s more likely is that Tassie will draft a lot of the cream but will struggle to compete because their club doesn’t yet exist and therefore not really be relevant to the ladder and the finals race at that time, and thus the next teams in drafting order will have access to the next best players and should still incrementally be able to improve their standing.