Forwards coach Craig McRae spoke to Richmond Media about the Round 9 win over the Western Bulldogs in this week's edition of Coaches' Corner, presented by Hostplus.
A pleasing result
"We went into the game knowing the Bulldogs were in great form, having won their last two games against good oppositions. So we knew we had to bring our best and we certainly did that. It was one of our better performances of the year, we looked a lot more connected and our trademark pressure around the ball was outstanding."
Richmond's ball use
"We've been doing a lot of work on that part of our game...just the way we're entering inside 50...And also where we kick the ball, we've been kicking the ball wide and having long shots. So we worked on that during the week and it was really pleasing to get some reward for that."
Lynch and Riewoldt setting the tone early
"We'd been having a lot of long shots, against the Giants we kicked 1-10 from about 45 metres out. So a theme for our forwards was to draw the ball closer to goal and also to work harder for each other too...I was really pleased with Jack (Riewoldt) and Lynch's unselfish game. The amount of times they were blocking for one another or allowing 'Marbs' (Chol) to jump at the ball. It was really obvious when watching it back on the tape this morning and it was really pleasing."
Chol's increase in confidence
"He really gives our forward line a different mix. He's got that ground level speed and ability to launch at the ball and every week, he shows something more. Just his energy, there was a defining contest in the first quarter where he went hard at the ball and it set the scene for the group."
Aarts' three-goal performance
"He's impacting the scoreboard now and he's such a good role player. When you watch behind the goals footage or you watch him closely, he's just setting the ground up really well for our team's system. Defensively, he's always a beast. I just love his contest too, he's never beaten. And now he's getting rewarded with goals, he's a valuable player for us right now."
Dusty's dominant performance
"Last week we tinkered a little bit with where he was playing in the third quarter and he kicked a couple of goals, so we liked that and we went into Round 9 with that mindset to get him up around the ball a bit more and he really turned it on...(He was) at his best last night and it was fantastic to see."
Round 10 against the Lions
"This compressed part of the season is going to challenge most teams and I think they've got a few injuries and will come off a four-day break. So there are a couple of things in our favour but they're a quality team at the moment and are on the top of the ladder for a reason, so we're going to have to bring our best again."
