Small Tiger shows biteBy Nick Bowen
7:42 PM Sat 14 Apr, 2012AT HIS best, Robin Nahas is as captivating as any small forward playing the game.
The 49,826 people who attended Richmond's 59-point win over Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday were lucky enough to see the 24-year-old Tiger at his very best.
Against the Demons, Nahas kicked 2.2, had three scoring assists, 21 possessions and six inside-50s.
Yes, these are good numbers for a small forward. But they don't truly capture the extent to which Nahas ran Melbourne's defence ragged, or the way he was able to create scoring chances out of nothing, with his speed, evasive trickery and selfless passing.
In Richmond's match-winning nine-goal third quarter, Nahas had a direct hand in two.
First, he shimmied his way around several Demons defenders and hit Shaun Grigg with a well-weighted pass. Four minutes later, he won a free kick after pinging Melbourne defender Colin Garland in a tackle, then - not for the first time - left everyone in his wake, playing on and goaling unopposed in the goalsquare.
In the last quarter, Nahas was at his brilliant best again, making Demons defenders look like witches hats as he ran along the boundary line and set up a Trent Cotchin goal with a banana-kick that hit his teammate on the chest.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick enjoyed Nahas' performance almost as much as the fans. But he said after the game Nahas had to learn to produce his best more often.
"He's probably had an inconsistent build-up to the year, but I think today when he plays genuinely inside that forward half of the ground, and when we get the ball in to that level, he certainly can cause some sides some trouble," Hardwick said.
"His tackle pressure I thought was enormous ... but that's a thing that keeps those (small forwards) in the game.
"He's still got some work to do, Robbie, he's still got to learn to work his way through quiet patches. But we're certainly happy with the way he's going at the moment."
Nahas, himself, was even more reserved about his performance after the game. Like most modern footballers, he deflected the credit elsewhere, praising Richmond's defenders for their pressure and his midfielders for their "very deep" inside-50 entries in the second half.
Nahas also said he was just as happy to be dishing off goals to teammates as he was scoring them himself.
"It's always good to assist your teammates, either way it's six points, so it really doesn't matter who kicks it," Nahas said.
"So if the guys are in a better place than me, I'm definitely going to kick the ball to them."
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/newsId/133096/Default.aspx
