Coach’s statistics say Richmond can’t beat Fremantle on Friday Greg Denham
The Australian
June 02, 2015 
Fremantle’s winning sequence will eventually come to an end, but recent history suggests it will not be on Friday night against Richmond.
Unbeaten over the first nine rounds of the season, and sitting on top of the ladder two games clear of their nearest rivals West Coast and Sydney, the Dockers host the Tigers at Domain Stadium, where they have not lost a home-and-away game for more than a year.
But it is the impressive record of Fremantle coach Ross Lyon against Richmond that should concern the Tigers the most.
In the 12 games Lyon has been an opposition senior coach against Richmond — starting with seven games when in charge of St Kilda — Lyon has lost only one match, and that was in 2013 with the Dockers at the MCG. As coach of the Saints, he won his first six games against Richmond before drawing against them in 2011.
Lyon’s record against Tigers coach Damien Hardwick, is six wins, one draw and the loss in round 17, 2013. He won his first three games opposed to former Tigers coach Terry Wallace. His greatest winning margin against a Richmond team is 56 points in 2009 when he went head-to-head for the only time against caretaker coach Jade Rawlings.
Leading into their only win over the Lyon-coached Dockers, Richmond had the benefit of an eight-day break, one day more than Fremantle, who were on the road.
This week both clubs will have had six days between matches. Fremantle’s win over the Crows last Saturday night equalled their best winning streak of nine set in 2006. Their smallest winning margin this season came in the opening round in Perth where they defeated Port Adelaide by seven points. Lyon said last week the run was sustainable. “The more you win, the harder it is to lose,” he said.
The last time the Dockers lost a home-and-away game in Perth was in round six last year against North Melbourne. They have won all 14 since.
They lost last year’s first semi-final at Subiaco against Port Adelaide when they were overrun after half-time without the injured trio of Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin and Hayden Ballantyne.
On Friday night, Johnson becomes the ninth Dockers player to achieve the 200-game milestone.
Despite the odds being stacked against the Tigers, they have hit form over their last three rounds.
Richmond defender Troy Chaplin said improved skills and better ball movement were the keys to the lift. Costly turnovers have been reduced in their past three wins over Collingwood, Port Adelaide and Essendon.
Teammate Dylan Grimes told the Richmond website on the weekend that the Tigers were ready to challenge the competition’s benchmark team.
Chaplin said: “I think we've just been a little bit more efficient with our disposal ... we've definitely held on to the footy a bit more. We are starting to understand one another's game styles and how we work together as a (defensive) group.”
Hardwick said the contest would provide a test for the Tigers to see how far they had come after their poor start to the season.
“It’s exciting … it gives us a really good opportunity to see where we're at,” he said. “They’re a quality side, obviously, and very hard to beat at home but we play well there and we travel well.”
Lyon described the eighth-placed Tigers as being a “big challenge” despite his near impeccable record against them.
“They’re a momentum team, they’re on a roll, but again we'll accept the challenge,’’ he said.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/coachs-statistics-say-richmond-cant-beat-fremantle-on-friday/story-fnca0u4y-1227378616143
