Richmond great Matthew Richardson highlights six key points from the Tigers’ 67-point victory over the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium last Sunday.

1. There is no-one in the competition, who’s a better long kick for goal, on the run, than Brett Deledio.

The star Tiger midfielder highlighted this at the opening bounce of Sunday’s clash with the Western Bulldogs, under the Etihad Stadium roof when he took possession from a perfect Ivan Maric hit-out, burst out of the middle, and then banged through a brilliant team-lifting goal from about 65 metres out.  That breathtaking bit of action was all over in a tick under 10 seconds, but it again showed why Deledio is such a weapon for the Tigers.  He roosted another goal on the run from more than 50 metres out later in the game, to go with the two “ball-bursting” six-pointers he produced in the season-opener against Carlton, and numerous others since his league debut in 2005.  It’s one of the most difficult skills in the game to run at high speed, bounce the ball, stay balanced, and then drill a long goal.  Brett Deledio, however, is a master at it.

2. Jack Riewoldt is an Etihad Stadium specialist.

It’s fair to say that Richmond fans love the MCG, and aren’t particularly rapt with having tp go to Etihad Stadium to see the boys in action.  There is one Tiger, however, who thrives at the roofed venue, and that’s Jack Riewoldt.  A five-goal haul in last Sunday’s 67-point win against the Western Bulldogs took Riewoldt’s overall tally in his past 11 Etihad games to 51, which is very good going, indeed.  Perhaps it’s the fact both ends of the stadium are named after two of the greatest full-forwards in the game’s history – Gordon Coventry and Tony Lockett – that acts as a source of inspiration for Riewoldt.

3. Shaun Grigg has added another string to his bow.

In his first two years at Tigerland after leaving Carlton, Grigg had a real impact as a hard-running midfielder, finishing 10^th in the 2011 Jack Dyer Medal and fifth last season.  I reckon it’s fair to say he’d been a bit quieter in the opening couple of rounds this season, however, at Etihad Stadium last Sunday, he proved his versatility by adapting superbly to a new role assigned to him by coach Damien Hardwick.  Grigg was given the job of curbing rising Bulldog star midfielder Tom Liberatore, who had led the competition in clearances over the first two rounds.  He not only restricted Liberatore to just 10 touches, he had 26 himself and made a significant contribution to the team’s big win

4. Dustin Martin was ready to explode.

The young gun Tiger had shown clear signs in the first two games of the season that he was returning to the sort of form that saw him finish third in the 2011 Jack Dyer Medal and earned him rave reviews from football critics. Martin had been really prominent up to half-time against Carlton (Round 1) and St Kilda (Round 2), but had just tapered off after that in both matches.  Last Sunday he put it all together for four quarters in what was arguably his best-ever performance at AFL level.  The stats speak for themselves – a career-high 35 possessions, including seven inside-50s, and two trademark team-lifting goals.  And, he did it all in a good deal less game time than what he had been playing – just 76%.  As a result of being fresher, he was able to run all day, and it made him a much more dangerous proposition.

5. Daniel Jackson’s importance to the Tiger team should be recognised.

It was interesting to hear coach Damien Hardwick say in his post-match press conference last Sunday that Daniel Jackson had been the team’s best player over the first three rounds of the season.  While the likes of Cotchin, Deledio and Martin, understandably, receive plenty of plaudits for their fine work in the midfield, Jackson goes under the radar.  But, make no mistake, he is one of the first picked each week because of what he offers the line-up in the way of midfield grunt.  Jackson provides protection for his fellow ‘mids’ with his strong body, and thrives on the physical side of the game.  He may be ‘blue-collar’ compared to the other silky-skilled members of the Tiger midfield, but his overall value to the side is considerable.

6. The Tigers must make the most of their opportunities.

As much as the team dominated last Sunday’s clash with the Bulldogs, it didn’t reflect as much as it should have on the scoreboard, particularly early on.  The Tigers were smashing the Dogs in the inside-50s, but kept them in touch due to some ordinary conversion.  This has been a problem area for the side over the past year or two and is something that needs to be addressed in order to overcome the top teams of the competition.  They simply won’t allow numerous scoring opportunities, so it’s crucial to be able to maximise your chances.