Revelation: hungry Tigers can be top of the food chain
Lyall Johnson | April 22, 2008
IT SEEMS almost an eternity ago, yet it was only 2005, when Richmond began the season with seven wins from the first nine rounds to have fans and critics alike bestowing on it the title of "the real deal".
Yet by season's end, the Tigers had won only three more games and the claws of the critics were out and sharp.
So when Richmond's Nathan Brown spoke yesterday of the Tigers' "resurgence" in the wake of its draw with the Western Bulldogs and their thumping win over Fremantle at Subiaco last week, what exactly did he see was different with this group of players that could ensure this was not just another false dawn?
The champion forward says coach Terry Wallace puts it down to "self-belief", that "we haven't believed in ourselves much over the last few years and a good win last week, a good win round one, our young blokes are definitely standing up".
But for him, it is what that brings to the style of play the young players are exhibiting. Blokes such as Jake King, Richard Tambling, Matt White and others are hell-bent on taking on opponents rather than simply handballing off or butchering a kick once they find themselves under pressure. And it is one percenters, such as defensive effort, that are starting to dawn on the players as a key to team success.
"I think you saw (on Sunday) that our competitiveness and our tackle pressure and our defensive pursuits in the game was something I've never seen. It's the best it's been," Brown said. "We've always been a side that hasn't tackled or hasn't put a lot of pressure on and (against the Bulldogs) our pressure and our tackling and our defensiveness was probably the difference between us being a good side and an ordinary side … I think that's a real key to the AFL at the moment.
"I don't think we've proven the critics wrong, I think we're just trying to get a little bit of self-belief at the moment that we can compete with the good teams."
With assistant coach David King instilling in the young players the notion of running off the half-back flank, Brown says the side is aware that it must be adventurous and move the ball.
"It was good to see guys like Jacob King and Tambling taking a lot of guys on. David King, who was a half-back flanker himself, has encouraged that and has been training that into the guys and it is good to see it coming out in their games at the moment," he said. "Good to see a little bit of confidence coming out in guys (who) a year ago wouldn't have even dreamt of doing things like that."
This play-on-at-all-costs notion worked a treat against the Dockers and had the Bulldogs on the hop for most of the game, the Tigers accumulating 42 running bounces to the Dogs' 12.
The Tigers came through the match without injury and with Mark Coughlan and Andrew Raines only weeks away from recovering from their knee injuries, the side will look to be strengthened in both the midfield and defence.
Veteran Joel Bowden must also be close to regaining his place in the side. Bowden was among Coburg's best in the VFL at the weekend.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/tigers-can-be-top-of-food-chain/2008/04/21/1208742851510.html
