The Tigers are biding their timeAshley Browne
afl.com.au
June 9, 2015 4:56 PMRichmond won nine straight games last year during its barnstorming run to the finals. But the teams it defeated to make it into September – St Kilda (twice), Brisbane Lions, Port Adelaide, West Coast, Greater Western Sydney, Essendon, Adelaide and the Sydney Swans – had a combined winning percentage for the year of 44 per cent.
The Tigers have resurrected their campaign this year with four straight wins, and this winning streak, while less than half that of last year is already shaping as more impressive. Collingwood, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Fremantle represent four handy scalps and their winning percentage of 62.5 per cent for the year is quite impressive.
Friday night's 27-point win over the previously-unbeaten Fremantle was obviously the best of the lot and raises hopes that not only will the Tigers make the finals, but do some damage once they get there.
Figures from Champion Data suggest the Tigers have become more patient when moving the ball from defence. Whereas they played on from 40 per cent of their marks through the first six weeks of the season, that figure has been trimmed to 27 per cent. They are also kicking more and handballing less.
On Friday night they kicked seven goals from their first eight entries inside their forward 50.
For the match they registered 22 scoring shots from 36 inside 50 entries, which is remarkably efficient and it reflects a trend over the last four weeks where 30 per cent of their inside 50 entries have resulted in goals, as opposed to 23 per cent from rounds one to six.
And they're converting better as well. They rated 16th for accuracy at just 44 per cent over the opening six rounds, compared to 54 per cent, seventh overall from rounds seven to 10.
The Tigers are persisting with the Jack Riewoldt-Tyrone Vickery–Ben Griffiths triumvirate up forward and what it is doing is getting Riewoldt on his bike. As the Champion Data heatmaps show, he is moving further up the ground, which causes opposition backlines more concern. Do you lock him down with your number one defender, or stand him with a more mobile, athletic defender?
Riewoldt's movement helps explain why the Dockers were always up against it – and despite the hopes of the Channel Seven commentators – never likely to reel Richmond in, particularly after the hamstring injury to Michael Johnson.
The Tigers have their bye this week, although they're such a momentum side that they'd probably be happy to keep playing.
http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-06-09/after-the-siren-round-10
