Chris McDermott: Why Richmond will take some catching
RICHMOND will equal the longest winning streak at the MCG if they beat Adelaide on Friday night and are now raging favourite to go back to back. Chris McDermott looks at why they have become beyond good.
Chris McDermott
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THE crowds are gathering again at Tigerland.
Kevin Bartlett is dusting off the famous number 29. Again.
It might have been 37 years between premierships before Richmond’s drought ended last year but after their comfortable defeat of Sydney at the MCG on Thursday night they are clearly the team to beat again in 2018.
It will be no easy task for the challenger.
Rarely have we seen a more comfortable, confident and relaxed team.
They all but smiled their way through their demolition of the Swans. They even took time out during the first quarter, to comfort injured team-mate Reece Conca as he was escorted off the ground on a stretcher.
Every player went to him to acknowledge his impact on their team and appear to pledge their commitment to honour his contribution.
The Tigers kicked the next goal and while the Swans tried, the second-best team in the game was no match for the reigning premiers.
Full credit to coach Damien Hardwick.
He has not been an overnight success by any means but he always appeared to have the goods as a coach.
The acquisition of Neil Balme as a calming influence with a brilliant football brain cannot be understated.
Balme’s record speaks for itself. Two premierships with Norwood here in SA as a player and another two as coach in 1982 and 1984. Two losing grand finals at Collingwood with Mick Malthouse at the helm and Balmey his right-hand man.
Then three premierships in eight years at Geelong alongside Mark Thompson, breaking a 44-year drought and now back to Richmond where his arrival coincided with the end of 37 years of pain.
Eight premierships in total, and it’s not over yet.
Good things are happening at Richmond.
Speed is a must in today’s game and, boy, do they have some speed at Richmond. Big Toby Nankervis is the exception but he has other attributes. The Tigers are quick in mind and body. They run fast but they think and act fast.
It has taken their game to another level and on the wide expanses of the MCG it is unstoppable. At their peak, quite possibly unbeatable.
The Tigers have won their last 16 games on the AFL’s most famous ground and will equal the longest winning streak at the ‘G if they beat the Crows on Friday night.
Win that game and they’ll play Collingwood there in round 19 in front of close to 100,000 fans to make the record their own.
Richmond has Balmey and it has pace but what else makes it great? The Tigers have moved beyond good.
The stats tell an interesting story for the Tigers, and one that all opposition teams must study closely.
Their possession numbers haven’t changed over the past three years — 360, give or take, with 210 by foot and 150 by hand.
Interestingly their efficiency has dropped from 74.6 per cent in 2016 to 70 per cent last year and 71 per cent today.
They have sat closer to the bottom than the top in efficiency with the ball in hand over the past two years but their inside-50 numbers have skyrocketed from 45 a game in 2016 to 56 last year and 55 a game today.
Richmond is a three-goal better team as a result of the tweaks they have made and they have gone from a middle of the road team, consistently disappointing their fans, to an exciting trend-setter sitting on top of the table with an 11-3 record.
That’s where Richmond is today.
It’s now up to one of the other 17 teams to do it better or find a way to nullify the Tigers’ strengths.
Sydney has played the same way for years and while competitive, they do not look premiership quality.
Geelong and the West Coast are in a similar boat. Melbourne is a little further back.
Adelaide and Port are the great unknowns.
Time will tell what Collective Mind has done to the Crows’ premiership dreams. Their window is closing as their inside-50s continue their downward spiral from 57 a game two years ago to just 50 a game this season, and their goals dry up from 16.5 a game to just 12 in 2018.
Injuries have taken their toll but the scoreboard doesn’t lie.
At Alberton, Port’s numbers speak a slightly different tune.
Possessions have increased but their efficiency remains stable at around 71 per cent.
They are kicking the ball better and, like Richmond, their marks are now about 90 a game, up from a dismal 73 in 2016.
Interestingly, their inside-50s are labouring near the mid-50s a game.
It shows what many think — the Power just don’t get it in scoring range anywhere near enough. As good as they look at times, they have a problem.
It’s the Tigers and daylight to second as the charge to September begins.
The question is, are any of the contenders prepared to do something different, maybe even drastic, in the hope of making a late charge?
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