Richmond coach Adem Yze opted to coach from down on the bench rather than up in the coaches’ box for last Saturday night’s Dreamtime at the ‘G’ blockbuster clash with Essendon. Here he explains the thoughts behind the move . . .

“Going down to the bench tonight was more around our spirit and just making sure that we stay within the game,” Yze said.

“There are so many momentum shifts in the game these days. You look at it, every week there are four or five-goal swings each game . . .

“I just felt like because we’ve got so many young players that if teams kick two or three goals, we seem like we’re losing spirit and getting a little bit lost . . . It’s a bit too long to wait to quarter-time.

“So, that was the only reason why we did that.

“It obviously helped with our players to make sure they stayed engaged and keep their morale up when things weren’t going our way.  

“I think there were a couple of times tonight we did look like we were falling away, but we fought back and got ourselves back in the game and had an opportunity to win the game late as well.

“It is hard to see the structure and some system and method things from downstairs. You miss the opportunity to see what’s happening on the other side of the ground.

“But to our coaches’ credit, were all over it today. Structurally, around clearance, Jack Ziebell and Chris Newman were all over it. Communication was really strong.

“I felt really comfortable down there, so there’s no reason why I won’t keep doing it.”