Building the pressure at Richmondafl.com.au
6 June 2017Soon after arriving at the Tigers, new assistant coach Blake Caracella told AFL.com.au tackling was on Richmond's agenda.
The Tigers had been ranked last in tackle differentials in 2016, recording 11 fewer on average than their opposition, and last for the number of tackles inside 50.
How that has turned around, with the Tigers ranked number one for tackles inside the forward 50, and Daniel Rioli, Jason Castagna, Dan Butler and Shai Bolton terrifying opposition defenders.
In 2017, the Tigers are making 3.5 more tackles a game than their opposition and spending 7.22 minutes a game more with the ball in their forward half than their opposition.
With a forward line that acts more like a magnet than a trampoline, the Tigers are kicking the ball forward 88.5 per cent of the time too, sitting fourth in the competition, whereas they were 15th on that statistic in 2016.
It sees them sitting fourth on the ladder, their highest spot after round 11 since 2000, and are the second-best performed team when it comes to points conceded.
We all jumped on Richmond coach Damien Hardwick when he said the Tigers needed to take one step back to take two steps forward, but he appears to be having the last laugh.
The Tigers' formline is as good as any, and there is no reason they can't secure an all-important top four spot.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-06/the-stats-files-why-moore-and-the-magpies-started-hitting-winners
