Richmond’s development into a well-rounded team is a major factor in its capacity to string wins together, according to Tiger veteran Chris Newman.

After winning the last nine games of the 2014 home-and-away season to clinch a finals berth, the Tigers have won five of their past six matches this year to climb to sixth on the ladder.

Newman believes the players are now fully aware of the importance of togetherness over individual efforts, as well as sticking to the team plan.

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“All great teams play as a unit . . . that’s something I think comes with maturity and consistency of playing together for long periods of time.  And, we’re just starting to get that now,” Newman said on SEN. 

“We’ve got a long way to go, and we’ve got a lot of improvement left in us. 

“The system needs to work and I think that’s keeping us in more games . . . we’re playing that systematic football. 

“You rely on each player to play their role, and we’re getting that at the moment, which is good.”

Newman pointed to another area of the game that was crucial to Richmond’s prospects.

“Contested footy, I think, is probably one of those things that all clubs try and pride themselves on, but in particular for us, it’s really important,” Newman said.

“We feel like we’ve got some really good contested players in there, and we feel like we’ve got some speed on the outside as well.”