Old school long game pays off for Richmond TigersCourtney Walsh
The Australian
29 April 2017The Tigers are different. No big news there. We all know that the Punt Road mob like to do things their way.
Like how they’ve have painted the ninth rung in the ladder yellow and black. (Actually, the Tigers haven’t finished ninth since 2008.)
They’ve got the best song by far, are not embarrassed by the yellow stripe on their backs and have a huge army of supporters who, despite their club’s long lean run, are surely the most passionate but also frustrated in the league.
And their beloved Tigers play like no other side. The latest data shows they play a very old-fashioned brand of football.
The Tigers kick the ball long. Very long. Champion Data says they are number one for long kicks and 18th for short ones. They are 18th for uncontested possessions and 18th for uncontested marks.
No messing around with that silly handball a la the trendy Bulldogs — only the beleaguered Blues have had fewer handballs than the Tigers this year. No chipping sideways and backwards; the Tigers prefer to go long and strong.
Going all old school is working for the Tigers, who will look to extend their unbeaten run against the Crows tomorrow in Adelaide.
The Tigers will pit their long-kicking game against an Adelaide outfit that handballs almost as often as it kicks.
So the final match of round six is shaping as an intriguing contest between contrasting styles of play.
Bachar Houli (fourth), Reece Conca (fifth), Trent Cotchin (13th) and Shaun Grigg (14th) are in the top echelon of Champion Data’s table for long kicks.
The long-kicking game is the brainchild of “midfield spread and ball movement coach” — yes, there is such a thing these days — Blake Caracella. Damien Hardwick’s premiership teammate at the Bombers joined the Tigers this year after several years at the Cats.
The Tigers go long and strong and trust Jack Riewoldt and company to either mark the ball or bring it to ground, where hungry small forwards are waiting to pounce. The Tigers are third for loose ball gets.
Kick the bloody thing, the age- old cry goes, but not so much at Richmond games these days. They play the most old-fashioned brand of football in the league, but everything old is new again as they bask in their 5-0 record.
This is Richmond’s best start to a season since the Keating years. The Tigers haven’t been 5-0 in 22 years. Coupled with the distinctive style of play is a sense of growing resilience; and resilience is not a word commonly used to describe the Tigers of recent times.
Hardwick says the side ranks highly in an obscure stat that measures resilience. Apparently his men excel at “three goals or less or three goals or more run-ons”.
We think that means the Tigers are able to stop sides getting on a roll. They sure showed a lot of guts to boot five unanswered goals against Melbourne this week to prevail by 13 points. Throw in an impressive defence — the Tigers are ranked No 1 for pumping the ball out of their defensive 50 — and a fourth ranking for tackles, and the Tigers appear a more steely unit than before.
Indeed, a further salivating aspect of tomorrow’s game is it pits the league’s best attack against the best defence: the Crows have booted the most points this season and the Tigers have conceded the fewest.
Former Lions centre-half-forward Jonathan Brown says Caracella has been a revelation at Richmond and sacked Brisbane coach Justin Leppitsch is teaching Riewoldt and company how to lock the ball in up forward.
“They play a better brand of football, a brand of football that will stand up in bigger games,” Brown told Adelaide radio station FiveAA. “I’m really liking their style of play.”
But there’s no denying the Crows’ form and they are capable of strolling through zones while chewing gum; yes, they handball a lot but also consider how Rory Laird and Brodie Smith are ranked number one and three for long kicks. The Crows are versatile. It’s been a hallmark of Pyke’s coaching.
Now a warning. Please look away now if you are a Geelong or GWS supporter, as you might find Hardwick’s assessment of Adelaide offensive. “They’re a great side,” Hardwick said. “They’re I think by far the best side in the competition at this stage.”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/old-school-long-game-pays-off-for-richmond-tigers/news-story/8673883bece7e6cc052a637849138899
