The season has more or less gone to plan in regards to results, with the club beating the teams it should beat, and dropping the games against some of the competition’s best clubs.
This week against Sydney is the first time for the season that we are involved in what I would call a 50/50 game. Despite Sydney being 5-1 and sitting third on the AFL ladder, with the loss of key players Adam Goodes and Shane Mumford, coupled with the fact the match is at the MCG, it paves the way for a possible upset if Richmond continues their recent form.
The recent history against the Swans in Melbourne is also promising. While Sydney has dominated at home against the Tigers, we have won on the last two occasions that the two clubs have faced off in Melbourne so we should consider ourselves every chance to snatch back-to-back wins for the first time this year.
Last week’s win against Port Adelaide would have given the side a lot of belief that the club is finding its feet and the consistency from week to week looks to certainly be something the club wants to pride itself on.
I seem to bring him up every week in these blogs, but new recruit Ivan Maric’s form has been a huge factor in the side’s improved consistency. Maric was best on ground for the club last week and seems to be relishing the role as a #1 ruckman. There isn’t anything flashy that stands out with him and he’s not a regular goal-kicker, but you know you are going to get a huge effort from him every time he runs out with is something we have lacked in a ruckman for some time now.
Another positive this season has been the form of Shane Tuck.
With Damien Hardwick signalling that the club would no longer be giving the kids games just for the sake of it, it has opened the door for Tucky to become a regular staple in the starting 18 and he has taken that opportunity with both hands. He has always copped criticism for the way that he disposes of the ball at times, but you can’t argue that he is as natural a ball-winner as there is in this competition and seems to be getting better with age.
With him in the middle there with the likes of Cotchin, Martin and Foley rotating through, there is a good mix of inside and outside players and with the competitiveness of Ivan Maric in the ruck it is allowing the side to get first hands on the footy a lot more often.
Spearhead Jack Riewoldt looks to be returning to some form as well, kicking a ‘quiet’ four goals last week which is always a great sign from your key forward. He will have his work cut out for him this week though with the likes of Ted Richards and Heath Grundy likely to take him on. Despite his poor start to the year, Tyrone Vickery will be a big loss for the club on Saturday. While he may not be in the greatest form, he attracts a big defender, so without him there Jack is going to get even more attention from the Swans defenders.
Because of this we are going to have to get big game’s out of all our midfielders, especially in terms of scoreboard pressure. It might be high-time for one of Dustin Martin’s 25+ disposal, multiple goal games! Either way, make sure you get down the game if you can this week and make it a cauldron of yellow and black. The boys thrive on it and against interstate opposition we can become the 23rd man.
Go Tiges!
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