Richmond’s stirring victory over Hawthorn at the MCG last Friday night was the eighth time this season it has won a game by restricting the opposition to 10 goals or less.
The powerful Hawks had won their previous three matches by a combined total of 299 points and had scored 100 points or more in seven consecutive games.
But the tight Tiger defence managed to keep them to a total of just 53 points (7.11), which was their lowest score of the season.
“Our back six have been amazing,” Richmond captain Trent Cotchin said in a post-game interview on the ABC.
“Even through those tougher times earlier in the season, when they were under the pump, they were sticking fat.
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“Our midfield pressure and forward pressure has gone up a notch, which has really helped them (the backline) in the predictability of the ball coming in . . .
“We have a number of guys who are elite at stopping opposition players, but there are also guys who are capable of getting it in their hands and creating for us going forward as well.”
Troy Chaplin, a key member of Richmond’s defence, said stability was a key factor in the Tiger backs’ success.
“We’ve been playing together for a while now, and we’ve had Taylor Hunt come in and he’s had a pretty big impact as well,” Chaplin told ‘Roar Vision’.
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“Two or three years together, it’s made a massive impact . . .”
Chaplin agreed with Cotchin that the impressive work-rate of the Richmond midfielders and forwards had eased the pressure on the team’s defence.
“I thought our midfield and forwards chased and harassed like I’ve never seen before (against Hawthorn). They made our job a lot easier,” Chaplin said.
Chaplin also pointed to the versatility of the Tigers’ backmen as an important part of their make-up.
“The beauty of our group is we can play on all sorts of opponents. We can play tall, small, or those medium-size,” Chaplin said.
“We don’t rely on one guy to shut down one person. It’s a real team defence . . .”
