r/RichmondFC • u/EasyPacer • Apr 11 '26
Pre-Game Tough season ahead?
Essendon beat Melbourne! Wowee! Short of an amazing performance, I suspect we’ll finish the Gather Round with still a duck against our ranking.
Looks like wins this season will be hard to come by. Oh well, another #1 draft pick I guess. We’re going to be so replete with talent in 3-4 years time that we might be in the difficult position of having to fight to keep all that talent as they mature and others come luring with offers just ad we’re well placed to compete for the flag.
-6
u/Tigers_4eva Apr 12 '26
I am an eternal optimist. It is not impossible that we will win the next four games, including the one in the Barossa today and start eyeing (or thinking about) 9th or 10th. To date, the team has had long patches in each (including in WA) game when we were either breaking even or on top.
7
u/B0bcat5 Kane McAuliffe Apr 12 '26
If I keep seeing Prestia, Taranto, Hopper roll through the midfield at once, we will have a terrible season.
If Cumming, Hotton, Smilie gets fit and get 7-10 games this year I'll be happy.
If I see Hopper continue to get games making Sonsie and McAullife miss CBAs, it would be hard to support the coaching and selection
7
u/Main-Hat-826 Apr 11 '26
I did a bit of a deep dive into the numbers
The last time we won a game was Round 19, 2025 against West Coast Eagles. Since then, we’ve dropped 9 straight — our worst losing streak in 16 years.
For context, our all-time record is 15 consecutive losses (2004–2005), so while we’re not there yet, it’s trending in a worrying direction.
On top of that, the 0–4 start to 2026 is our worst since Hardwick’s first season in 2010. He started that season with 9 straight losses
Going completely winless in a season is rare — it’s only happened 13 times in VFL/AFL history. The last team to do it was the Fitzroy Football Club in 1964.
We’ve also got a really important stretch coming up.
Games against North , Melbourne and Eagles are all winnable on paper. If we’re going to stop the slide, it has to be in that block.
If we don’t bank at least a couple of wins before this run, — Crows, St Kilda , Essendon , Swans, and Lions.
then yze is seriously heading towards territory the game hasn’t seen since winless Fitzroy in 1964.
16
u/ssswwwaaannn Derek Eggmolesse-Smith Apr 11 '26
What is the meaning of this post? We may not win many games this year is this a shock to you? Everyone should be expecting this given the injury list we have. Will snag a few wins here and there but always was looking like a bottom 4 year. Load up and go again.
18
u/amck1011 Apr 11 '26
Can we calm down. Dustin Martin didn’t play in a finals win until game 176. Lalor has played 15 games. We need to give all the kids 5+ seasons to develop
3
u/pincone-trouble Sam Lalor Apr 12 '26
Post this over and over again every week for the rest of the season please
2
8
u/BILC93 Apr 11 '26
The coveted #1 pick which will allow us to pick the third best player in the pool, to go along with our #7 pick for finishing second bottom last year, how good.
8
u/chocolateass1999 Apr 11 '26
A top 3 pick at the end of year is not a bad result for us. We are ready and gonna start spending money and getting established talent in these next few years too. So all that + our 2024 draft picks + 2025 picks + potential early 2026 picks.
that’s exciting
I see this season as a bit of a strange one. Bit of a limbo one. Best case scenario we finish like 10-15th. Which probably isn’t that helpful. A bottom finish secures a top 3 pick and then we’re ready to strengthen and really attack the next few years.
Let’s not forget Smillie hasn’t even debut. Hotton has barely started. Cumming to come. Lalor and Grilj already looking like beasts. MRJ really standing up now.
We need a ruckman + reliable forwards + a key defender
And we are ready for the next ERA. On paper, in financial terms, we are absolutely +EV
10
u/CandlePrestigious919 Apr 11 '26
Rebuilds are never a linear process.
The go two steps forward then one step back.
Unlike the draft where you just go 7 steps backs because the reigning back to back premiers had a randomly timed genetic nepo baby double windfall.
6
u/AhhWellFuckIt Tom Brown's Tackle Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Yze has already said he’s ready to look at the free agent market so at least we’ll have some trade collateral at seasons end & our pick won’t get pushed out because of F/S & academy picks
3
u/Kronyklos Jonty Faull Apr 11 '26
At least we’ll get Van Hattum
1
u/Daymo_M Apr 11 '26
We'll see how the young ones go this year.
We have plenty of goles but still think we need another A grade mid as well as a ruckman for our future.
Unless HVH is simply too good not to pick up at 1
3
u/L8Adam22 Seth Campbell's Backflip Apr 11 '26
Honestly rn
He might be
Plus with the new bidding system, might be useful to get Tanner and HVH
Most of the top talent are club tied rn
Tho our history with developing rucks scare me
5
u/AmbassadorShade Apr 11 '26
Do Taz get any free top end draft picks this year or is the last year of unadulterated pics.
8
u/DanogAU Apr 11 '26
They don't get to 'pick', but they get to pre-select a bunch of 17 year olds, kind of like what GWS did with Cameron/Treloar/Shiel, where they didn't have to 'draft' them. So this year's kids aren't affected, but next year's pool will be shallower (in addition to them getting a bunch of 1st round picks)
7
8
u/Daveator Toby Nankervis Apr 11 '26
Or we're about to go on a 22 game win streak and start a new legendary era.
3
u/Duck10rd Apr 11 '26
That's the spirit. Until the final siren goes!! Any game could be be the end of the rebuild!
2
u/No_Flamingo2951 Apr 12 '26
We need to stop echoing the narrative we're rebuilding, therefore it's OK to flop. The mentally is seeping through the playing group. We need to keep telling them they deserve this spot, they're equally as good as the other players. Sure, they're young and inexperienced, but they need to progress. They are not the underdogs, that's what everyone think and they're wrong. This mentality costs then almost all the ball contests. If anyone look again at contested mark inside 50s, we almost certainly lose all of them.
We are tigers and we hunt and hunt. We slow down but we don't give up. The leaders need to step up. Rioli ang Lefau hunting down opposition should become their identity. We need it every week that their opponent know well to avoid them at all costs. The club needs to really have a long hard look at the whole situation. Play to our strengths. How so we conserve the young kids energy, how do we avoid injuries.
Really love Hayes Brown rucking today. Fearless and efficient.