Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was impressed with the way the Tigers were able to overcome a bad start and secure two valuable points for a drawn result in last night’s low-scoring scrap with Collingwood at the MCG.
The Magpies kicked the first four goals of the match but were restricted to just one more for the remainder of the contest, as Richmond tenaciously clawed its way back.
“We were probably second to the ball early . . . Collingwood contested-ball numbers would reflect that. We started to step in a little bit more, got the game going our way. I thought we were pretty good system-wise after quarter-time, really,” Hardwick said.
“There’s some positives to take out of it . . . Our backs started to get on top as well. I thought it was really a dominant performance by them.
“So there’s some things we took out of the game that we really like. But there’s a lot of areas we can really improve, there’s no doubt.”
Another positive for the Tigers on the night was the return of spirited small forward Jack Higgins from a serious brain injury that he suffered last year.
“He looked lively up forward and he’s only going to get better for the run,” Hardwick said.
“He’s a player we just like having in the side . . .he makes things happen.
“Really impressed with the way he’s gone about it. He’s very diligent in his training, loves trying to improve his craft.
“He’s going to be a good player.”
