The McQualter effect: How 'Mini' made a massive impact on TigersIn three games, Andrew McQualter's tactical tweaks have revived Richmond's season. Cal Twomey investigates
By Callum Twomey
afl.com.au
19 June 2023HOLDING on to the ball more, playing on less, improving clearances, better efficiency and a rise in pressure – these are the early signs of Andrew McQualter's effect as Richmond's interim senior coach.
The Tigers hit the bye this week on the back of three straight wins that have put them back in finals contention a month after three-time premiership coach Damien Hardwick stepped down from the role.
Hardwick was back at the MCG on Saturday night for Trent Cotchin's 300th game and would have noticed some slight differences in the way the Tigers played in their win over St Kilda in comparison to the first half of their season.
In rounds 1-10, with Hardwick in charge, Champion Data shows Richmond sat 15th in the AFL for points from forward-half intercepts and last for scores per inside 50 percentage.
But in the last four games – including wins over the Saints, Fremantle and Greater Western Sydney and a 10-point loss to top-of-the-ladder Port Adelaide – the Tigers sit fourth for the intercept figure and third for scores per entry.
They have also jumped from second-last in the AFL for their kick inside-50 retention percentage (41.8 per cent) to seventh over the past month (48 per cent). The numbers show the Tigers have been more efficient at turning their forward-half intercepts into scores and have been using the ball better on the way in as well.
They have also tweaked their approach to holding on to the footy. They've jumped from 14th in the AFL to fifth for disposal differential (a 20-disposal swing), which has been made up essentially via uncontested disposals as their contested rate has stayed the same.
Under Hardwick, Richmond was the top-ranked team in the competition for their mark play-on percentage at 29.3 per cent. But they've scaled that back to keep hold of the ball more and over the last four games are at 24 per cent, which is 11th in the League in that period.
Richmond has moved into ninth on the ladder with the run of wins and although a change of coach can often be a circuit breaker, McQualter's steady hand after 10 years at the club and some game plan reconfigurations have been evident.
That's clear in the clearances, too, which were not viewed as a priority under Hardwick, with Richmond ranked 16th in the AFL for clearance differential in the first 10 rounds of the season. Since then, the Tigers have jumped to eighth in the competition, while their pressure rating has also leapt from 14th (177) to seventh (186).
The sample sizes are small by necessity, but the impact has been big for McQualter's Tigers.
The McQualter effect
R1-10 (Hardwick) R11-14 (McQualter)
Points for 77.9 15th 88.0 7th
Points from forward half intercepts 23.1 15th 33.3 4th
Score per inside 50% 38.5% 18th 49.0% 3rd
Kick inside 50 retention% 41.8% 17th 48.0% 7th
Disposal differential -11.0 14th +9.3 5th
Uncontested possession differential -13.5 14th +9.0 6th
Mark play on% 29.3% 1st 24.0% 11th
Clearance differential -3.6 16th +0.8 8th
Pressure applied 177 14th 186 7th
Statistics supplied by Champion Datahttps://www.afl.com.au/news/953573/the-mcqualter-effect-how-mini-made-a-massive-impact-on-tigers
