Premier with the lot: How scoring now follows pressure at Tigerland

A STAGGERING scoring transformation has taken place at Richmond, which combined with its renowned pressure, has it in ominous early shape for its premiership defence.

A TIGER economy has taken hold at Punt Rd.

The financial term, typically given to small Asian countries who experience rapid economic growth, now applies to the Richmond Football Club.

For while the Tigers’ pressure and forward-half intensity have been consistently high for some time, it’s the rapid offensive growth that has their stock continuing to rise.

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The JLT series, combined with the last three months of last season, have underlined Richmond’s status as the offensive juggernaut of the competition.

Rewind to Round 16 last year and Damien Hardwick’s men were 9-6 and in a four-team logjam separated only by percentage.

Defensively they were sound, ranking third in the AFL for points-against, while their time in forward half differential (ranked fourth) and forward half turnovers created numbers (third) proved they were getting in the face of the opposition.

They were preying on mistakes, but being held back by an inability to properly punish their opposition. After 16 rounds, Richmond ranked an incredible second-last for goals per inside 50m (21.6 per cent), 10th for points from turnovers and 13th for points-for.

Shane Edwards powers the Tigers into attack against North Melbourne.

But after a 67-point loss to St Kilda in Round 16, something clicked. In the 12 games since, including this year’s JLT series, it’s the staggering efficiency of the Tigers’ attack that has scorched rivals.

Amid a raft of scoring improvement, the Tigers are scoring 20 more points a game, up from a league ranking of 13 to No. 1 at 105.3, and goals per inside 50 has soared from 17th to third.

But it’s the leap in points scored from turnovers that most encapsulates Richmond’s ruthlessness. The Tigers have gone from outscoring their rivals by 4.2 points per game via this source, ranked sixth, to a whopping 30.9 points — ranked No.1.

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A Richmond side packed with pace now punishes as impressively as it pressures.

In a pre-season interview with Fox Footy, Hardwick said it was a method several drafts in the making.

“You look at how pressure is generally exerted; it’s through speed,” Hardwick said.

“We didn’t have a lot of speed through our side, then we started to address that in one draft (2014). We got Connor Menadue, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna. Then the next draft we had Daniel Rioli. Than the draft after that, Shai Bolton.

“It certainly allowed us to be a little bit more attacking off the back half knowing the fact that if we did get the ball inside 50, we had the speed and the capacity to make up ground with our good runners to keep the ball inside 50. We didn’t previously have that.”

Richmond's record since losing in Geelong in R21 last year (including finals and JLT games):
7 wins
0 losses
210.9%
Av points for: 119
Av points against: 56#gotiges

— Al Paton (@al_superfooty) March 8, 2018

Ben Griffiths’ concussion issues and Todd Elton’s failure to seize his chance may have forced Hardwick’s hand last year, but the pieces of the puzzle were there. The delisting of Liam McBean, Ty Vickery’s departure to Hawthorn and Elton’s eventual delisting have also cleared a path for the army of quick midfielder-forwards.

Shane Edwards, Jacob Townsend, Kane Lambert, Butler, Rioli, Menadue, Castagna and Bolton all zip seamlessly around the forward half of the ground. Star onballers Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia also play forward where Josh Caddy and Sam Lloyd spend the bulk of their time. Last November Richmond snared a couple more, taking Jack Higgins and father-son Patrick Naish in the draft.

It’s not only created fierce competition for spots, it’s created a Tiger economy and a scoreboard boom.