Richmond is roaring but September challengers will emerge, writes Matthew Lloyd

IF PREMIERSHIP cups were up for grabs in May, Richmond would be a very short favourite to go back to back, but coach Damien Hardwick has one big concern, writes MATTHEW LLOYD.

Damien Hardwick has the Tigers in flying form. Picture: Getty Images

IF PREMIERSHIP cups were up for grabs in May, Richmond Football Club would be one of the shortest price favourites in the history of the game to go back to back, such has been their dominance.

The Tigers are oozing with the confidence and belief of the Harlem Globetrotters.

What a great way to play football, knowing that you have both the game plan and the playing personnel to break the opposition’s belief and spirit at some stage within the four quarters.

It just happens every week, the opposition knows it and more importantly, the Tigers believe it.

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Damien Hardwick’s biggest concern at the moment is that it’s only Round 7 and not Round 17. AFL football is a marathon not a sprint and I keep asking myself the question: will Richmond be playing this well in 17 weeks’ time when it matters most?

In 2016, the Western Bulldogs was never the best home-and-away team, finishing in seventh place and two games behind Sydney, Geelong and Hawthorn.

Yet the Dogs were the best side in September when the big three looked weary and couldn’t recapture their early-season form.

In Round 21 last year, Richmond lost to Geelong by 14 points and sat fourth on the ladder behind Adelaide, Greater Western Sydney and the Cats.

Nobody really believed then that Richmond could be premiers, yet we all know what happened in September.

The Tigers did not lose again, beating all of the sides above them in the finals in convincing fashion.

They peaked at exactly the right time and had the continuity within their side when the others didn’t.

The Tigers are on top of the ladder after Round 7. Picture: Getty Images

Richmond can only control what it is doing and that’s playing its brand which is setting it up for another top-four finish.

The advantage the rest of competition has is that they have four months of football to find a way to break down Richmond’s system.

As consistent as Richmond was last year, it still caught Geelong off guard in that first final as the Tigers’ pressure went to a level we hadn’t seen before.

I will never forget the intensity that the skipper Trent Cotchin and the rest of his teammates played with that night.

That has now become the norm for Richmond as it continues to set the benchmark, but can it sustain the rage, and can an opposition club come up with a way to conquer the reigning premiers in September?

A team always emerges that you don’t expect, just as the Bulldogs and Richmond have in the past two years.

It is unclear at this stage who that will be to challenge Richmond, but the challengers will come.

In 2001, I never suspected that a group of players from the Brisbane Lions called Voss, Lappin, Akermanis, Brown, Black, Power, Leppitsch etc were going to knock us off our perch.

We thought we were set for a dynasty at Essendon. It is easy to see it now, but we didn’t then.

And what happened to the Collingwood dynasty after winning the 2010 premiership?

There are no guarantees in football. You cannot get complacent for one second — this is a brutal competition.

Damien Hardwick’s biggest challenge is to have the Tigers still firing in September. Picture: AAP

It is inevitable that some Richmond players will lose their edge and get too comfortable with the fact that they have a premiership medal already sitting in their trophy cabinet.

Their hunger and resolve will be tested through the winter months when the rest of the competition keeps coming after them.

Everyone lifts and wants the premiers’ scalp, it’s only natural, and that can either define you or eventually wear you down.

The Richmond strength and conditioning team as well as the club’s medical staff deserve a huge pat on the back for their ability to keep their players fit, healthy and out on the field, week in and week out.

The competition for spots and the continuity of playing together is clear for everyone to see when watching Richmond.

Daniel Rioli is the only Tiger not playing at the moment after a serious foot injury in last year’s Grand Final.

It is more than luck, it is good management and it gives the Tigers a massive advantage on the Giants, Geelong and Adelaide who have been hurt already with injuries, just seven rounds into the season.

This will allow Hardwick to rest Cotchin, Alex Rance, Dustin Martin or Jack Riewoldt at certain stages of the season — if the full list continues to be available. They could also have the option of resting players if they can get a two or three-game buffer on the bottom-four sides of the eight in the latter part of the season.

Richmond will need to continue to keep finding ways to evolve as the year progresses as rivals will keep asking questions of them.

The Tigers remain the hunters and continue to set the pace and Fremantle is next in line for its Tiger audit at the MCG tomorrow afternoon.

The Tiger train is running on all cylinders, the challenge will be to see what remains come September.

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