A week after beating three-peat aspirants Hawthorn at their own game, Richmond was brought back to earth last weekend in the space of two hours on Adelaide Oval. The margin may have only been six goals, and I stress the word only, because Adelaide dominated the Tigers with 33 scoring shots to 12, prompting Damien Hardwick to label the loss as feeling like a 100-point defeat. In the last 18 months, the Tigers have rarely produced two poor performances in a row. Their performance last Friday night was reminiscent of years gone by; where Richmond has lost games they should have won. But this week the Tigers have dismissed the notion of thinking that the Crows game was ‘typical Richmond’ and that their fans were in for another dose of heartache. Last Friday night’s loss in South Australia’s cathedral will ensure an unsocial yellow and black effort this Sunday, one would think at least.

Milestone games do come bigger than a 150^th, but for Tigers captain and favourite son, Trent Cotchin, Sunday’s game against Gold Coast will be a celebratory occasion. Since being drafted with pick No. 2 in the 2007 national draft, Cotchin has been part of the slow rebuild at Punt Road. He was there when the club was right at the bottom and has played an integral part in their resurgence in recent years. The three-time Jack Dyer medallist hasn’t quite been at his 2012 best this season but he has still been a crucial cog in Hardwick’s engine room. Cotchin is averaging 25.6 possessions, 12.6 contested possessions, 5.3 clearances, 3.5 inside 50s and 3.4 tackles per game from his 18 appearances in 2015.

Richmond’s midfield this season has batted even deeper than in previous seasons due to the continued improvement of former Greater Western Sydney discard Anthony Miles. The stoppage specialist has followed up his brilliant first year at Punt Road to become a dependable force around the ball, averaging 23.9 possessions, 5.7 clearances and 4.2 tackles per game. Dustin Martin (26.4 disposals) and Brandon Ellis (26.3 disposals) have both been collecting big numbers this year, with the former providing the Tigers with another avenue to goal last weekend against Adelaide with three goals. Brett Deledio and Cotchin continue to produce as we have become accustomed to, but the emergence of delisted Cat Taylor Hunt, wingman Kamdyn McIntosh and mature-aged rookie Kane Lambert have also added to their depth through the midfield. Shane Edwards was firmly in the frame for a maiden All Australian guernsey earlier in the year before suffering a leg injury that has forced him to miss the last month – he has been sorely missed since then.

One area the Tigers have struggled in this year is hitting the scoreboard. They might have one of the premier defences in the competition but they are ranked only 12^th for points for in 2015 at an average of 81.3 points per game. Whilst not at the top end, they don’t have trouble getting the ball inside 50, but are ranked 13^th for goals per inside 50 at 23.8 per cent. Richmond have become reliant on Jack Riewoldt to kick their goals for them this season and the spearhead has led the way with 44 for the year. Although the next avenue to goal has been the concern. Tyrone Vickery and Ben Griffiths have shared the second key post but Vickery only has 14 goals from ten games and Griffiths has just 12 from 12 appearances. Behind Riewoldt there is daylight to Deledio (17 goals) and Martin (16 goals). Hardwick has played Nathan Gordon and Sam Lloyd as defensive small forwards who can kick goals but neither have made the spot their own this season. Ben Lennon has showed promise of late but not yet on a consistent basis.

The back six led by All Australian key defender Alex Rance has been Richmond’s key asset this season. Collingwood is the only team to take them for three digits this season and only just. Besides that irregularity, West Coast with 90 points and Adelaide last weekend with 88 points is the most they have conceded all season. Rance is a lock for a second consecutive All Australian guernsey and Troy Chaplin has been good for most of the year holding down the other key post. Consistent campaigns by Nick Vlaustin and Jake Batchelor have been big reasons behind this department’s improvement this year with the pair become dependable and they player in a ruthless manner that epitomises the Tigers back six. Despite being the culprit for Richmond’s last-minute loss to Fremantle in round 17, Bachar Houli provides plenty of drive from defence to be another crucial element of one of the stingiest backlines in the game.

Key Players

Alex Rance has a mortgage on the All Australian back six right now and he could collect the second of many in a month’s time. Having put to bed his contract negotiations and innuendo surrounding his playing future, Rance has continued his dominance down back to not only stop the oppositions best forward but also work off his man to support his teammates. Like his side, the West Australian is coming off a week he’d rather forget, with Taylor Walker taking the honours in their duel despite not putting him to the sword due to inaccurate goal kicking with 2.5 at Adelaide Oval. If it’s possible, Rance has become even better at reading the play this season with his ability to leave his direct opponent and influence another contest almost unrivalled. Just this week, the 18 AFL coaches voted Rance as the premier defender in the game to highlight his standing across the competition. One knock on his game in the past is his composure with ball in hand, but this season he has become a fine user of the ball, with poise and calmness under pressure.

Once again, the importance of Brett Deledio was evident in Richmond’s loss to Adelaide last Friday night. Hardwick’s side has only won two of their last 13 games without the star utility and fell victim to his absence at Adelaide Oval. The dual Jack Dyer medallist doesn’t need the ball 30 times like some, his class this season has seen his name bandied about in All Australian discussion for the duration of the year. His value has rarely been as blatant than it was against Hawthorn a fortnight ago when – in a low scoring affair – he booted four goals form 18 possessions to be the best player on the ground. And given the phenomenal calibre of names on the MCG that night, his effort speaks volumes of how good he is. He might be averaging the least amount of disposals since 2007 at 21.4 per game, but the role he plays now has arguably never been more important. He sets the Tigers up from between the arcs with his potent ball use and ability to pick the right option, time and time again.

Recent Results

R1, 2014, Gold Coast 12.15 (87) d Richmond 10.9 (69) at Metricon Stadium
R16, 2013, Richmond 6.17 (53) d Gold Coast 6.8 (44) at Cazalys Stadium
R16, 2012, Gold Coast 13.12 (90) d Richmond 13.10 (88) at Cazalys Stadium
R17, 2011, Gold Coast 12.13 (85) d Richmond 9.16 (70) at Cazalys Stadium