Richmond’s star spearhead Jack Riewoldt has expressed admiration for the way teammate Brett Deledio adapted to his new half-forward role in 2014.

Deledio was a pivotal part of the Tigers’ strong surge during the second half of the season, after recovering from a nagging Achilles injury that sidelined him for several weeks early in the year.

From Round 12 on, Deledio averaged 25 disposals, kicked 17 goals, and added a different dimension to the team’s forward line.

“He was going under the radar a lot,” Riewoldt said.

“I think he enjoyed the freedom of playing away from the midfield, and being able to get up, run his own race a little bit, and really use his natural attributes, which are running hard and finding the ball.

“His pace at half-forward was really important for us.

“There were multiple games in the back end of the season, where he had about 30 touches and kicked two or three goals . . .”