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Live sport on SN this weekend“Passenger”: Experienced Tiger left exposed in Blues loss
SEN • March 13th, 2026 10:39 am
Richmond midfielder Jacob Hopper was left exposed in Thursday night’s four-point loss to Carlton.
SEN Fireball’s David King and Kane Cornes were both critical of the 29-year-old following his quiet 18-disposal performance at the MCG.
Hopper managed just two clearances on a night where Blues players Patrick Cripps (nine), Sam Walsh (six) and George Hewett (five) comfortably eclipsed him.
King felt the Tigers needed a spark player in the middle instead of Hopper who was well below his best.
“At some stage they had to opt for a better option than Jacob Hopper in the middle,” King said.
“He looked a bit one-paced in the guts. It had to be (Rhyan) Mansell or (Maurice) Rioli or (Seth) Campbell.
“A spark player because they were getting hammered in there for long periods.”
Cornes believes the former Giant, who signed a seven-year deal with the Tigers in 2022, simply must be better.
He implored the 166-gamer to be a source of inspiration for the youthful Tigers midfielders.
“This is an issue when you give up a couple of first-round picks and a long deal,” Cornes said.
“The Tigers desperately need their senior players to stand up to guide these youngsters through.
“If you can’t have Hopper standing up in the midfield and going toe to toe with Cripps at stoppage or impacting from a contested sense, well, you can’t hide him.
“It’s not as if Hopper can go to half-forward, he can’t go anywhere. If he can’t stand up with the two first-round picks and the long-term deal and the big money that you gave him then there’s an issue.
“He was exposed last night, and not for the first time defensively.
“That’s where Tom Lynch, Toby Nankervis, Nathan Broad, Noah Balta, Tim Taranto, Dion Prestia when he comes back and Nick Vlastuin when he comes back are so crucial to guide this Richmond rebuild.
“That’s the right model to have that core group of experienced players, but they have to hold up their end of the bargain.
“That’s a problem for them.”
King fears that the new age of Tiger will rapidly go past Hopper if he’s not careful.
“Not a problem for long. Sam Cumming is taking a midfield role in this team,” he continued.
“There’s a little opportunity for these senior players to embed themselves in the midfield.
“But if you’re not winning clearance… Hopper won two clearances last night and was a passenger in there and was exposed.
“He’s 29 years of age so he should have footy left in him, but these youngsters will go past him really quickly.
“You’re better off having Sam Lalor in there learning, then Cumming in there learning, then Josh Smillie when he’s right to go.
“You’d want to get on your bike if you’re 28-plus at the Tigers.”
Hopper and the Tigers will get the chance to bounce back against former coach Damien Hardwick and the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG next Saturday.
