Nine in row: Tigers loom large in SeptemberWilbur Cribbes
theRoar.com.au
27 Aug 2019After the 27-point defeat of Brisbane, who were then the ladder leaders, the Richmond Tigers look likely to carry their form into September.
After Alex Rance’s ACL injury after Round 1 and Tom Lynch’s poor form after recovering from a PCL injury from 2018, many critics were writing Richmond off, saying they were no chance to make the top four, let alone have a chance at premiership success.
But after bringing in first-year revelations, like Sydney Stack, who went down with an ankle injury in the VFL last week, along with several others, Richmond have cemented their depth as among the best in the AFL. Even without the irreplaceable experience of so many senior players missing through injury the Tigers have found a way to finish in the top four. Moreover, Richmond has a nine-match win streak for the tenth time in the club’s history, no bad thing going into the finals.
Although winning nine games in a row, Richmond now faces the hard task playing Brisbane again in two weeks’ time at the Gabba. The crowd will be full of hopeful Brisbane supporters willing their team to their first finals win since 2009.
Despite the tough task of winning away in Queensland, the Tiger army will be hopeful their defensive system, which has thrived with no injuries to defenders since the bye, will stand up, just as it did last week. They’ll rely on outstanding performances from the ever-reliable Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlaustin, who have stood up in the absence of All Australian captain Alex Rance, making Richmond the best defence since the bye, keeping teams to low scores while improving their percentage by 18.4 per cent.
Season 2019 has been a roller-coaster for the Richmond Football Club, with major injuries to experienced players like Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt and with Trent Cotchin suffering constant hamstring issues, but since the bye they’ve been the form team of the competition and seem destined to take home the flag.
But will their team be able to withstand other suddenly in-form teams like Geelong and Collingwood? We will see next week when Richmond take on a well-oiled and resurrected Brisbane side on a Saturday night thriller at the Gabba.
https://www.theroar.com.au/2019/08/26/nine-in-row-tigers-loom-large-in-september/
