It hadn't been the ideal start to the season for Richmond, with player availability hurting them and their pressure dropping to a nine-year low against Port Adelaide last week. 

Against the Sydney Swans on Sunday, however, the Tigers proved that at their pressure-focused best, they can seriously challenge good sides.

Working incredibly hard across the ground, their willingness to use speed to close down space and ability to swarm the ball-carrier made it near impossible for the Swans to move the ball and led to the Tigers winning seven holding-the-ball free kicks across the opening three quarters alone.

Importantly, it was a full team mindset, with everyone from Liam Baker to Tom Lynch buying in.

It is a style of play that requires even application across four quarters and produced an emotional first win for coach Adem Yze, a result that will make all teams wary of their upcoming Tiger showdowns.