Pies benchmark for Tigers says Deledio Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
February 03, 2011 TWO early-season matches against Collingwood will prove how far the Tigers have come, Brett Deledio insists.
He has confirmed he will again play at half-back after a superb 2010 season in which he narrowly failed to win a third straight Jack Dyer Medal.
The Tigers stormed home last year to win six games in Damien Hardwick's first year, but will not surprise rival clubs again.
Richmond's first NAB Cup encounter will be in a round-robin clash against Collingwood and Carlton, before a brutal first month of the home-and-away season. The Tigers face finalists Carlton, St Kilda, Hawthorn and Collingwood, with the Pies having smashed Richmond by a combined total of 219 points in their last three encounters.
"They are the benchmark. Their team defence is outstanding, really," Deledio said.
"Two years in a row they have pulled our pants down in the home-and-away season, so we will be looking to see how we match up against them early, and then we have them early in the season too. It will be interesting to see how much we have improved, and to see how much they have improved as well."
Deledio says the Tigers have borrowed parts of Collingwood's much-vaunted defensive pressure.
"It would be hard not to. We went and watched them a couple of times last year, just their defensive six, and they just work for each other. That's what makes them so hard to score against."
Deledio enters the season having completed a flawless pre-season and having added strength after a 2009 pre-season interrupted by shoulder injury.
The 23-year-old has played 128 games without finals, and admits he cannot wait to play on September's big stage.
"I am behind only Newy (Chris Newman) and Tucky (Shane Tuck) in most games played without a final. That's something that is starting to concern me a bit.
"I would be lying to say any footballer doesn't want to play finals every year. It sucks when other teams are still playing. We definitely aspire to finals, but we won't set a limit on that."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/pies-benchmark-for-tigers-says-deledio/story-e6frf9mx-1225999115431
