After kicking three goals in just his third game of AFL football against West Coast last week, talented Tiger teenager Maurice Rioli didn’t hit the scoreboard in the team’s 27-point victory over Collingwood at the MCG yesterday. The impact he had on the contest, however, was equally, if not more, significant.

Rioli had 14 disposals, five inside-50s, three goal assists and six score involvements in his small-forward role.

But it was his two inspirational chase-down tackles during the opening half of the match that sent the Tiger Army into raptures.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was delighted with Rioli’s pressure-packed performance.

“Maurice, in the first half alone, two of those chase-down tackles, we just haven’t seen that since Daniel (Rioli) was there,” Hardwick said in his post-match press conference.

“He’s really, really growing. He’s a guy that we drafted two years ago . . . and he’s just improved every single year.

“That’s what you love as a coach and as an organisation – people that can consistently put their hand up and improve.

“He’s growing into the role well.”

Veteran Tiger star Trent Cotchin is similarly impressed with the way Rioli is going about his football.

“He’s a special talent,” Cotchin told Fox Footy post-game.

“Those two chase-downs . . . during the week he chased me down. I felt like I had 10 metres (on him) and, within an instant, it’s gone.

“That’s so valuable to the way we want to play and capturing our turnover and bringing it back in to those forwards.”