Five questions on the Richmond-North Melbourne elimination finalMatt Murnane
afl.com.au
September 13, 2015Does Richmond carry the burden of history and is it a factor?Coach Damien Hardwick best explained how the Tigers can rationalise this year as a "different challenge", rather than feel the pressure build after failures in 2013 against Carlton and 2014 versus Port Adelaide. "We are a completely different side. We are more well-rounded, we've got improved talent and our style of game has developed and improved over the course of 12 months," he said. He's right. In short, the Tigers are a more mature team, one now of substance rather than potential. But the pressure is still there. The 22 who run out won't be thinking about all those teams that have failed to win a final since 2001. But they do have their own internal expectations that must have grown since 2013 or 2014, as the team has. And then there is the black-and-yellow army who create more expectation than any other supporter base in the league. So in front of 90,000 spectators at the MCG, the Tigers still have to go out and execute and live up to those expectations. And that is pressure.
Why are Richmond better this year?The have a balanced game, more than they get credit for. Their team defence is one of the best in the league. Conceding just 71 points per game ranks them right up there with Fremantle (71.1) and Hawthorn (70.4). Most importantly, they protect their back six extremely well, which means their key defenders don't get isolated to a dangerous level. They have also added "tempo" to their offence this year, knowing at what point in games they need to go slow, and they have the poise and skill level to execute that plan. They can also go as fast as anyone, signified by their scoring average of 116 points per game over the past three matches, which ranks third in the league.
How does North Melbourne shut down Richmond's ball movement?By making them kick to a contest. The Tigers rank highly for uncontested marks, particularly out of the back half where they like to retain possession and switch the play. In round 23, the Roos purposefully pushed up on the Tigers and closed down those short, sideways options. This made them kick down the line or long to a pack more often, which put the ball in dispute. This meant the Tigers scored only 0.4 from chains that started out of defence.
Who are the game-breakers?Brett Deledio. There is a reason the Tigers usually lose when he doesn't play, so shutting him out of the game is the next best thing for the Roos. Deledio is in career-best form, ranking alongside Brownlow Medal favourite Nat Fyfe in many key statistical categories in the second half of the year. Brad Scott gave him five votes in the AFL Coaches Association award (Hardwick did, too) in the round 23 game, so you can take it as read that the Richmond No.3 would have been highest on the Roos' scouting report this week. He had involvements in 14 of the team's 28 scores - 10 is usually considered a huge game - and he ranks No.2 in that category for the league. He presents a difficult match-up when he is forward, because he is too slippery for a tall, and too good overhead for a small. On the flip side, the Roos key forward triple threat could be a key. The Tigers have the best big defender in the AFL, but Alex Rance has always rated the rangy Drew Petrie as his most difficult opponent. Petrie was nearly best on ground with 21 disposals and 10 goals when the Roos beat the Tigers earlier in the year. So if Rance has his hands full again with Petrie, does Jarrad Waite or Ben Brown get off the chain?
How much does the rest help North Melbourne?Every North player who has spoken this week has remarked on how good they feel. "The benefit was enormous. Every player that was chosen to rest was chosen for a reason. They had some kind of niggle to get over," skipper Andrew Swallow said. The advantage this presents North Melbourne, despite finishing eighth (Richmond were in a sense penalised for finishing close snatching a top-four spot), has been downplayed because the Tigers will have had a bigger-than-usual break (nine days) between Sunday and round 23. It is an optimistic theory pushed by those backing the Tigers, but there has to be some benefit for the Roos. Otherwise, why do it and go through the media storm that has followed? Why do coaches always use back-to-back six-day breaks as an excuse? Every day counts when it comes to recovery, just ask Matt Priddis.
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