SHREWD TIGER TACTICS PAY OFF... AND SHOW WHAT THEY’VE BEEN MISSINGMax Laughton, Ben Waterworth and David Zita
Foxsports
15 May 2023The Tigers’ defence was expected to be an issue coming into the season - especially in terms of a lack of depth. And with Robbie Tarrant yet to play a game in 2023, and Nathan Broad playing just his fifth last Friday night, that depth has been exposed.
But what a fifth it was, with Broad limiting Geelong superstar Jeremy Cameron’s impact and helping inspire a major upset over the reigning premiers.
While Cameron had 21 disposals (four inside 50), nine marks and six score involvements, he added just the one goal - while Broad compiled 19 disposals, seven marks, 11 intercepts and five intercept marks.
It was his versatility and footy smarts that allowed him to win the battle, and thus the war, according to Fox Footy’s experts.
“Nathan Broad at the right time would drop off him, he’d go back and help Noah Balta, let Jeremy Cameron get up the ground at stoppage - and it’s a great result,” Garry Lyon said.
Jordan Lewis responded: “You back your system in and you understand what your strengths are. So if you’re Nathan Broad, your strength isn’t in and around the stoppage. You back your midfielders in to try and absorb that pressure from Cameron, force him further up the field.
“And we speak about the way Broad was able to defend - and it’s a lot of the stuff you can’t see, your behind the goal vision. He’s so versatile, so he can play on Cameron one week and then the smaller forward the next week.
“He was huge; he played his position and his opponent perfectly.”
North Melbourne champion David King declared Cameron had looked “impotent” offensively in a way he hadn’t seen before.
“Broad’s match up with Jeremy, he just wasn’t a threat, even in the forward-50,” King told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“I haven’t seen him look so impotent in the forward half of the ground.
“He (Broad) gave him some opportunities 60-70 metres from goal but nothing really close to goal.
“I couldn’t stop watching that battle.
“Damien (Hardwick) touched on it in the post-match he said ‘you know he missed four weeks and you look at the type of player that he plays on, that player’s got us in all those games and they end up being losses’.”
To Hardwick’s point, the Tigers proved unable to stop players like Jacob Van Rooyen (three goals in Q4 for Melbourne in Round 6), Tom Papley (six goals for Sydney in Round 5), Aaron Naughton (three goals for the Bulldogs in Round 4) and Jamie Elliott (two goals in a low-scoring Collingwood win in Round 3).
Given Broad’s versatility he certainly would’ve limited some of those goals - and perhaps swung the results in the process.
He’s going to be vital if Richmond wants to recover from its 1-5-1 start to play finals. Already they’ve won consecutive games, placing them just a win and a half outside of the top eight after Round 9.
They’re still going to need to win nine or 10 of their last 14 matches to play finals, but that’s doable.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2023-round-9-talking-points-analysis-reaction-results-wrap-highlights-harley-reid-cup-between-hawks-roos-and-eagles-carlton-offfield-problems/news-story/47702678a4317f61534939673b4d9e0f