WHAT THEY GOT RIGHT AND WRONG: EACH CLUB’S WINS AND WOES FROM ROUND 4Andrew Slevison
SEN
8 April 2024What they got rightEffort, intent and attitude
What Richmond may be lacking in skill and polish, they are making up for with effort and attitude.
Apart from the first half in Opening Round against Gold Coast, the Tigers have acquitted themselves well under Adem Yze.
They may have a need for a little bit more composure and prowess with ball in hand, but at least the effort, intent and attitude is flowing through the players.
Defensively soundTo keep any side to one goal in a half is a fairly decent, especially considering there are some inexperienced players in defence.
The Tigers kept the likes of Max King and Tim Membrey under wraps inside 50 with players such as Tylar Young (23 games) and Ben Miller (28 games) playing pivotal roles.
Despite going under by seven points, they restricted the Saints to 67 points which was their best defensive result in five games this season.
Valuable minutes into kidsThe Tigers are in somewhat of a rebuilding phase so it’s important to get games into the developing players.
Tom Brown was excellent across half-back, Seth Campbell again played well as a small forward in his fifth game, Tyler Sonsie got valuable minutes, while Rhyan Mansell, Tylar Young, Ben Miller, Maurice Rioli and Mykelti Lefau all contributed.
Kane McAuliffe also debuted, coming in for the injured Thomson Down in the third quarter.
It is this group that will need to come through if things are to continue improving under Yze.
What they got wrongAttack around the contest dissipated
After a strong start, the Tigers were out-hunted in the second half, particularly in the third quarter.
Their attack around the contest dissipated which led to another lapse where the Saints kicked three goals in just over six minutes on their way to seven scoring shots in 14 minutes.
While we did praise their effort and intent earlier, it did fall away for a 15-minute patch in the third term which in the end cost them the game.
Execution and polishThe Tigers had as much ball forward as the Saints, only having one less inside 50 (56-55).
However, the Saints were able to conjure 22 scoring shots while the Tigers could only muster 15.
A lack of polish and execution, highlighted by their 69 per cent disposal efficiency, contributed greatly to Richmond’s eventual loss.
Forward line synergyDespite Bolton’s almost match-winning four-goal haul, not much else overly worked in attack for the Tigers.
The synergy of a brand new forward setup which includes Jacob Koschitzke, Mykelti Lefau, Tyler Sonsie, Rhyan Mansell, Seth Campbell and Maurice Rioli is going to take time.
Bolton was amazing and Dustin Martin was also very good (while spending time up the ground), but there might be some pain in and around forward 50 before it gets better.
The Tigers are already crying out for Noah Balta to return.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/04/08/what-they-got-right-and-wrong-each-clubs-wins-and-woes-from-round-4/