The operation to stop Dusty was a successWith eight Brownlow votes in his past four matches against the Saints, it was clear that a lot of time needed to be put in to stopping Dustin Martin.
What Richmond expected was a hard tag from Jack Steele, with the Tigers’ midfielders able to block and manoeuvre a previously malleable St Kilda midfield to give space to their star.
In the minds of the Tigers, when they rested him forward, he would be too strong for any of Carlisle, Wilkie or Howard.
When Seb Ross was tasked with the role, it left Steele open to tackle hard and impose a physical preference against the rest of the Tigers’ midfield that usually assists Martin so well.
Ross did a fine job restricting Martin when he was in the midfield.
This was a great spot for St Kilda’s two-time best and fairest winner, as his role as the number one midfielder isn’t particularly damaging given his average ball use.
Ultimately, the Tigers had to adjust on the run, and it made for high disposals for their midfielders, without the damage caused of yesteryear.
Richmond focused on clearance work, while St Kilda went defensive at the contest, and decided to focus on width.
They were able to cover the loss of the incredible Zak Jones by adjusting and spreading further to the wings, without their explosive midfielder.
When the Tigers threw Martin forward, he was ineffective and found very little space.
St Kilda might have given a couple of players specific roles to shut down the dual Brownlow Medallist, but the team defence ultimately shut down both Martin and the entire Richmond team.
https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/06/29/how-the-saints-dismantled-the-tigers/
