Editing Richmond Football Club (section)

===Return to finals (2013–2016)===
[[File:Richmond players run out.jpg|thumb|left|Captain [[Trent Cotchin]] leads Richmond out onto the ground before a match against {{AFL GWS}} late in the [[2013 AFL season|2013 season]].]]
2013 saw Richmond claim a victory over [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]] (making it one of only two clubs that season to defeat the eventual premiers) and go on to qualify for its first finals series in over a decade.<ref>[http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/08/11/richmond-sew-up-finals-spot/ Richmond sew up finals spot], ''The Roar'', 11 August 2013</ref> However, before 94,690 fans—the largest week-one crowd since the VFL/AFL adopted its current finals system—Richmond lost to Carlton in the first elimination final.<ref>[http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-09-08/tiger-tough-not-enough "Feel-good Tigers must harden up"]. AFL News 8 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.</ref> Also that year, [[Peggy O'Neal (lawyer)|Peggy O'Neal]], an American-born lawyer, became the AFL's first female club president when she got the position at Richmond.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8733406|title=Woman to lead Tigers in AFL first|publisher=Ninemsn|date=3 October 2013|access-date=3 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004233929/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8733406|archive-date=4 October 2013}}</ref>

After its drought-breaking finals appearance the previous year, Richmond failed to live up to expectations in the first half of the 2014 season, losing 10 of its first 13 matches and dropping to 16th place on the ladder. Despite public sentiment that the season was lost, the club rallied behind a five-goal performance by Cotchin to win against St Kilda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2014/141520140628.html|title=AFL Tables – St Kilda v Richmond – Sat, 28-Jun-2014 2:10 PM – Match Stats|website=afltables.com}}</ref> It catalysed a nine-match winning streak, with a Round 23 victory against eventual grand-finalists Sydney raising Richmond to 8th on the ladder and putting the club into its first back-to-back finals appearance since 1975. A 57-point loss to Port Adelaide in an elimination final knocked Richmond out in the first week of the finals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2014/09/12/mastermind-season-review-richmond-tigers/|title=Mastermind season review: Richmond Tigers}}</ref> Cotchin won the Jack Dyer Medal for the third time in four years, making him the youngest Richmond player to win three club best and fairest awards.<ref>[http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-09-30/cotch-wins-dyer-medal-no3], ''AFL Media'', 30 September 2014.</ref>

Richmond faced the prospect of another disappointing season in 2015, losing 4 of its first 6 games. In the following weeks, however, the club registered 4 straight wins, including an upset victory over the previously undefeated [[Fremantle Football Club|Fremantle]] in Perth,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finalsiren.com/AFLLadder.asp?AFLLadderTypeID=2&SeasonID=2015&Round=10-1|title=AFL Ladder 2015 Round 10 |website=finalsiren.com}}</ref> and went on to defeat top-four teams [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]] and reigning premiers [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]]. Richmond would go on to win the final four games of the home and away season to finish fifth on the ladder. Facing North Melbourne in an elimination final, Richmond lost by 17 points in front of a crowd of 90,186, making it the club's third consecutive first weeks finals loss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2015/24/rich-v-nmfc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907090829/http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2015/24/rich-v-nmfc |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 September 2015 |title=Match results |publisher=AFL Media |year=2015 |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref>

In 2016, Richmond failed to qualify for the finals for the first time in four years. Following a comprehensive Round 3 loss to Adelaide, coach Hardwick said the team would have to "take a little half-step back to go two steps forward."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-season-2016-hardwick-says-richmond-may-need-to-go-back-to-go-forward-20160409-go2lf8.html|title=AFL season 2016: Hardwick says Richmond may need to go back to go forward|newspaper=The Age|location=Melbourne|first=Rohan Connoly and|last=Larissa Nicholson|date=9 April 2016|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref> It would go on to be the story of the season with several major defeats including one against Greater Western Sydney in which Richmond registered its lowest score since 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-30/giants-smash-dismal-tigers-by-88-points-to-sound-afl-warning/7675110|title=GWS Giants pulverise Richmond by 88 points to sound AFL warning|publisher=ABC|date=30 July 2016|access-date=8 August 2016}}</ref> The club debuted six players and brought in two recruits for their first games in the yellow and black.