Hit or mythBy Paul Daffey
afl.com.au
Thu 29 Mar, 2012RICHMOND is a terrible kicking team, prone to spraying the ball like a sprinkler, or so the story goes.
Well, the story isn't true. Statistics taken during Damien Hardwick's reign as Richmond coach show that the Tigers have become a more than handy kicking team.
In 2009 the Tigers ranked 15th of the 16 teams for kicking efficiency. In 2010, after Hardwick's appointment, they ranked 10th and last year they ranked fifth.
If the graph of their kicking efficiency keeps trending up, they might even become an elite kicking team.
Hardwick, speaking at a press conference before Thursday night's season opener against Carlton, deflected praise for Richmond's kicking upturn.
"No doubt it's improved," he said.
"Our recruiting guys have been concentrating on bringing good kickers to our club. Francis Jackson and his team have done a terrific job."
During Hardwick's reign as coach, the Tigers have drafted excellent kicking players in Reece Conca, Jake Batchelor, Brad Helbig and Addam Maric.
Of the seasoned players, Chris Newman, Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley and Bachar Houli are elite kicks.
Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin are also good at picking out targets, giving the Tigers a solid core of players who can deliver accurately by foot.
It's enabled them to tinker with their game plan, moving towards a Hawthorn style of picking apart the opposition's forward press with slick passing towards the midfield.
The significant link in this move is Ross Smith, who, after last season, moved from Hawthorn to Richmond to be the Tigers' defensive coach.
The effect of Smith's work was seen during the NAB Cup when the Tigers played seven men in defence.
The extra man enabled them to hold out forward thrusts while also buying time to kick precisely to a teammate.
Carlton coach Brett Ratten this week noted the Tigers' new game plan, as reported on AFL.com.au.
"They've used a few new tactics with players off the back of the square," Ratten said when asked his observations on the Tigers' pre-season.
"They've really taken a leaf out of Geelong and Hawthorn's [strategy]. Ross Smith is there now so whether they've used some of those tactics they did at Hawthorn with seven defenders."
The Tigers last year finished 12th on the ladder. While their kicking efficiency has improved, they need to find more of the ball.
Last year they were ranked 11th for total number of kicks.
An interesting sideline is that they had the third highest conversion rate when they did manage to get inside 50.
"If we can get the ball inside 50, a strength of ours is our ability to score," Hardwick said on Wednesday.
The coach said the Tigers were ready to take on Carlton after the best pre-season of his short tenure.
There are few injuries and their many young players have added strength after another pre-season. He made special mention of midfielders Cotchin, 21, and Martin, 20, as players who've have improved after another pre-season.
The Tigers' extra strength will give them more chance of breaking free and kicking accurately to a teammate.
It's a trait that might take them up the ladder.
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