More aggression, less possession behind Richmond's 2017 brillianceAnthony Colangelo
The Age
18 April 2017Contested possessions and tackling are two performance indicators many clubs rate as essential for competitive, if not elite, football. Both were areas in which Richmond rated poorly in 2016. But not in 2017.
The Tigers are averaging 10 more contested possessions per game than their opponents in 2017, as opposed to averaging 0.4 less last season. They're also averaging 10.7 more tackles than their opponents per game in 2017, compared to a dismal minus 11 last year.
Good Friday footy was great, Nat Fyfe is captain courageous, Hopper pops through a ripper, Eddie kicks six to including the odd bit of genius and Riewoldt is sublime as Tiges remain unbeaten.
And as contested possessions rise, Richmond have gone from averaging 0.9 more uncontested possessions than their opponents in 2016, to averaging 18 fewer uncontested possessions per game than the opposition in 2017.
This renewed aggression has helped Richmond to a sublime 4-0 start for 2017 and is going a long way to extinguishing the painful memories of their 13th on the ladder finish in 2016, following three consecutive finals series.
Richmond have also improved in a whole range of other key performance areas. They have risen from ninth to fifth in disposal efficiency, from 15th to sixth in points scored, 15th to second in points conceded and from 16th to sixth in inside 50 differential.
In terms of Richmond's broader game plan, the improvement has been that the Tigers are possessing the football less. Richmond's penchant for short kicking and over possessing the football was a bugbear for fans last year.
And contrary to what some may think, the Tigers' improvement hasn't come from star or senior players like Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Shaun Grigg, Bachar Houli or Alex Rance getting more of the ball.
In fact, in their so far stellar seasons, all have averaged fewer possessions than they did last year.
Cotchin is down an average of 1.6 possessions per game, Houli 4.9 less, Martin 2.6 less, Grigg .3 less and Rance 4.6 less.
The rest of the team has followed them. Twenty of the 26 players who have played for Richmond in 2017 have averaged fewer possessions than they did in 2016.
The only players to average more possessions in 2017 than they did in 2016 are Reece Conca (3 more), Toby Nankervis (2.9), Jack Riewoldt (0.6), Daniel Rioli (0.3), Jason Castagna (0.2) and Todd Elton (0.5).
Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace told Fairfax Media Richmond's move to a more "pure style of footy" was certainly a directive from Damien Hardwick and his assistant coaches.
"When you're leading Brisbane by a big margin at half-time and a key defender [David Astbury] has the most possessions on the field, you know you're playing really direct footy," Wallace said.
"I have seen Richmond be more direct in all their games this year, but it was the most evident on the weekend. It was just really clinical."
Wallace said Martin and Cotchin in particular had "become deeper in their kicking" and had all but stopped winning the ball along the half-back line and moving it sideways.
"And now with quick blokes in the forward 50 [Rioli and Castagna] to get on to the footy, it really plays into the hands of those long kicks over the top," Wallace said.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/richmond-can-thank-more-aggression-and-less-possession-for-2017-brilliance-20170417-gvmelr.html
