Richmond's No.1 problem is clearances / Things teams need to do to beat Tigers

[one-eyed]

Is this the crack in Richmond's armour?

By Nic Negrepontis
SEN
5 Aug 2018

Is the clearance game Richmond’s crack in their armour?

Richmond were beaten in the clearances 47-40 on Friday night, and are the second-worst clearance side in the league, with the Saints the only side below them on the clearance ladder.

The Tigers were exposed by the Cats in the area during their last-minute win.

Dual premiership player David King is worried about how this could hurt the Tigers as the season rolls on.

“I think the clearance game is such a problem for Damien Hardwick right now, it’s like playing tennis and always returning serve,” King told SEN’s Crunch Time.

The Tigers are minus 18 for clearances across their last two games and midfielder Kane Lambert said it is something they need to address.

“I think it’s been a little bit of a problem for us, our clearances throughout the year, so I’m sure that’s something we’ll look out for and hope to rectify during the week,” Lambert said.

“The clearances that we’re losing, they’re not coming out the front door so to speak, they’re pretty ‘dirty’ balls and more than often.

“We’d rather win the clearance ourselves, but if we’re going to give up clearances we want to make sure they’re ‘dirty’ ones.

“It’s something we need to rectify because clearances and contested ball come crunch time of the year is crucial. It’s something we’re trying to fix.”

The Tigers will travel north to take on Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium next weekend. The Suns are ranked sixth in the competition for clearances themselves.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/08/04/is-this-the-crack-in-richmonds-armour/
https://www.zerohanger.com/king-outlines-richmonds-no-1-problem-22448/

[one-eyed]

The three things teams need to do to beat Richmond

By Nic Negrepontis
SEN
5 Aug 2018

Richmond currently sits unchallenged on top of the ladder, having won their last 19 games at the MCG.

While they’re yet to win a game outside of Victoria, it doesn’t particularly matter considering they’ll have to be beaten at the home of footy in September.

Geelong got close on Friday night and Collingwood put up a great fight for three quarters, but neither got the job done.

Garry Lyon however believes he’s seen enough to work out the three things clubs need to do to give themselves the best chance to beat the Tigers at the MCG.

“Right now they’re clear premiership favourites and we’re working out how to beat them,” Lyon told the AFL Nation pregame show.

“I’m not a huge statistical analyst, but there’s a glaring statistical anomaly here that needs to be addressed and that is their stoppage clearance differential is ranked 18th. They’re the worst clearance team in the competition.

“We say it every week, they’re losing clearances, but it doesn’t seem to worry them. So taking that to the next step is, what happens once they concede clearances? Well we know they’re a fantastic intercept marking team.

“So rule number one for any side who play Richmond is never, ever allow them a plus-one in their back-half. Ever.

"Geelong was coming with a head of steam (on Friday night), they allowed Shaun Grigg to go behind the footy and he took a saving mark as the plus-one behind the ball.

“If you’re conceding centre clearances, all you’re doing is kicking to an outnumbered situation of great intercept markers in Alex Rance, Nick Vlastuin and David Astbury.

“Even up the match-ups, even if it means playing with seven forwards just to put it back on this Richmond side because they’re conceding clearances.

“The next thing is that the Richmond defenders have been far too comfortable for far too long, and that’s the greatest compliment you can pay them.

“They run into an area of the ground and own it where it should be the opposite. The forwards should own the territory.

“So I want violent contests in the forward half and I’m not advocating anything serious, but if Jayden Short or Vlastuin backs into a hole, as they do so often, there needs to be violence in the forward line. They need to hit the contest with violence.

“The last one is, and this could be a bit of a stretch, but make the defence from Richmond stationary, rather than trying to hit leads, because that mobilises them and then the ball is gone.”

“Kick it on their heads, get that violent contest and then let the smalls go to work. That’s where I’m at.”

So Lyon’s three tips to the coaches of the competition:

1. Never allow Richmond a loose man behind the ball.
2. Make Richmond defenders earn it whenever they go into a marking contest.
3. Kick the ball on the heads of the Richmond defenders so they can’t get on the move.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/08/04/the-three-things-teams-need-to-do-to-beat-richmond/

[Lozza]

Three things to make the world a better place:

1. Find a cure for all known diseases

2. End world poverty and provide food and water to every man woman and child

3. Stop violence and win the war against the spread of drugs

Easier said than done

Tigers are winning, we won a premiership, we are playing the same gameplan and yet teams still have trouble beating us. Some of the best football brains are out there with other clubs yet all this talk about how to beat us comes to nothing, we must be doing something right. Move on and start writing some decent articles instead of the same recycled crap.

[Tiger Khosh]

From memory looking through our match stats its not the centre clearances that we are getting beaten in, actually think we win these alot of the time or breakeven or narrowly lose. The stoppage clearances is where we get dominated. Could it be that we are setting up behind play to take possession of the ball after a rushed clearance lost?

[Owl]

Yeah looks like we lose the initial stoppage clearances a lot but often cause the next turnover, it's just the game style with one ruck and the way we set up.

[georgies31]

Hoping this improves with Fridge and Prestia and maybe Conca to come back in.Yet we were still loosing them even when they played stoppages and clearances.I do agree needs to be addressed and improved.But everybody use to say the same about the hawks in there peake you have to break there zone.

[Chuck17]

Conca the great white hope

Cherry ripe for finals

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Conca the great white hope

Cherry ripe for finals

Maybe we can coax Big Bad Benny back so they can both come back for the finals..... 

[Assange Tiger 😎]

Benny G?

he still eligible to play?

[dwaino]

woah 

[Chuck17]

No 1 issue is umpires

End of story

[Owl]

1. Get umpires to pay them heaps of frees
2. Get the umpires to allow Richmond players to be mugged without penalty
3. Get the time keeper to stop the clock if they get a run on to let them catch up on the scoreboard

[MintOnLamb]

1. Get umpires to pay them heaps of frees
2. Get the umpires to allow Richmond players to be mugged without penalty
3. Get the time keeper to stop the clock if they get a run on to let them catch up on the scoreboard

But even when they did all that they still didn't win BUT Crapaveney said it felt like a win so I guess that means something?

There is a huge amount of anti-richmond sentiment out there, they are happy for us to win 1, imagine if we win 3??

[Diocletian]

If the umpires stop letting opposition players hold back Martin at the centre bounces, it would be a good start....

[Lebowski]

From memory looking through our match stats its not the centre clearances that we are getting beaten in, actually think we win these alot of the time or breakeven or narrowly lose. The stoppage clearances is where we get dominated. Could it be that we are setting up behind play to take possession of the ball after a rushed clearance lost?

Good observation. Last i checked in centre clearances we were top 3-4, its rarely a problem for us. I heard lambert refer to friday nights clearance discrepancy as them winning a lot of "dirty clearances" "we dont mind losing those, its the clean ones we worry about and try to protect" Its obviously an internal way they breakdown clearances. Now what that is exactly I dont know but I have a feeling its the ones where a side  always go backwards with a handball before going forward(collingwood does this a lot).