Richmond great Matthew Richardson highlights six key points from the Tigers’ Round 6 loss to Hawthorn at the MCG last Sunday.

1. Dave Astbury has become a really dependable defender.

The only positive to come from the absence of injured Tiger key backman Alex Rance, over the past few weeks, has been Astbury’s emergence.  He’s had to play on the opposition’s best key forward each week, and only once, I reckon, has he had his colors lowered (against Brisbane’s veteran champion Jonathon Brown).   Other key forward stars such as Travis Cloke (Collingwod),  Jarrad Waite (Carlton) and Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn) have all been beaten by Astbury this year.  Roughead, the reigning Coleman Medallist, was kept to just one goal by Astbury on Sunday, despite Hawthorn being so dominant throughout the match.  It must give coach Damien Hardwick considerable comfort, in a difficult start to the season, to know exactly what he’s going to get out of Dave Astbury each week.  It’s that sort of consistency and reliability, which every coach wants when selecting players in their line-up. 

2. Brandon Ellis’ return to form was particularly pleasing.

Ellis, who is an important part of Richmond’s future, had been down for a few weeks, since an excellent run-with role on Carlton’s Bryce Gibbs in Round 2, but he bounced back in impressive fashion against the Hawks.  The talented, hard-running 20-year-old had a team-high 32 disposals, including a team-high six rebound-50s, five inside-50s, and he took nine marks.  He constantly ran hard when the team was struggling for overlap and, hopefully, that strong performance against the reigning premiers can be a turning point for his season. 

3. Jack Riewoldt tried his guts out for the team.

I really liked the way Riewoldt went about it on Sunday.  He fought hard right throughout, won plenty of contested ball, kicked a couple of goals, and probably should have finished with four or five.  That clever knock-on, which resulted in a goal to Dustin Martin, was a real highlight from a Richmond perspective, too.  The passion Riewoldt showed further underlined how much he cares about the team.  Despite being frequently double-teamed by the Hawthorn defence, Riewoldt, at no stage, stopped trying to provide a spark for the struggling Tigers.

4. Reece Conca displayed admirable courage and applied strong defensive pressure.

The young Tiger midfielder was especially brave in a couple of marking contests, one which led to Hawk defender Josh Gibson being reported for charging.  I’m sure Conca’s courageous efforts would have had a team-lifting effect, not just on the day, but for the future.  His willingness to put his body on the line, and accept the physical punishment that came his way, is certainly something his coach Damien Hardwick would have been delighted to see.  Hardwick also would have been pleased with the game-high 11 tackles Conca had.  The emphasis on the defensive side of the game further enhances Conca’s prospects of developing into a top-line midfielder.

5. Daniel Jackson again showed, in his 150^th game, why he’s such a valuable member of the Richmond line-up.

Jackson has started the 2014 season off in convincing style, despite an interrupted pre-season due to a hamstring problem.  The reigning Jack Dyer Medallist had 28 disposals against Hawthorn, including an equal team-high 10 contested possessions, a team-high seven inside-50s, and four clearances.  He also managed to curb the considerable influence of dynamic Hawk captain Luke Hodge after being shifted on to him during the second half.  Unfortunately, the Tigers couldn’t provide Jackson with a win to celebrate his 150-game milestone, but his status as an excellent contributor within the team was further enhanced.

6. The season remains very much alive for the Tigers.

Obviously, the season hasn’t started the way Richmond would have liked, but, given the even nature of the competition, with every team having at least one win on the board, and no-one undefeated after six rounds, there’s still sufficient time for the Tigers to turn their situation around.  I reckon 11 wins could well get you into the final eight this year, so it’s just a matter of Richmond regaining a bit of confidence, gathering some momentum, and stringing a few wins together on-the-trot.  It’s worth remembering that back in 2012, North Melbourne was obliterated by Hawthorn (lost by 115 points) at Launceston and looked gone for all money, with just four wins after 10 rounds.  The Roos, however, recovered to win nine of their next 10 games and make the finals.  Against Hawthorn last Sunday, I thought the Tigers at least tried to get the ball moving more quickly, which was a positive.  The effort was there – they just need to put together a strong, four-quarter performance.  Who knows what could then happen from there . . .