Improving the standard

A pre-season focus on contested possession, fitness and maturing young bodies has Richmond on track for the 2012 campaign.

And midfielder Shane Edwards believes a third pre season working under a new game plan has led to a lift in the standard of training.

“The training standard is definitely a lot better than what it has been in other years,” Edwards said.

“We’re an improving list, and all the young guys have improved on their body size and fitness in the off season.

“A lot of this pre season has been about winning the contest, and contested footy, trying to get the ball going our way.

“The maturity of the group will help improve that, having been through the system and being part of what we’ve put in place in the last few years.”

The addition of several mature players to the playing list in the last few years, and a natural progression of young players, has added a strong competition for games.

“There’s a lot more competition out there for spots, which can only improve our list,” Edwards told Radio Sport National.

“It’s just about having more players to select from.  Having competition means you have to play better.”

The Tigers will continue to shore up their defensive structures as they strive for further improvement in season 2012.

“It’s about taking the necessary steps to get to where we want to get to,” Edwards said.

“We’re being realistic, and we know where we’re at.  We know that our best footy is good enough, but we need to make sure our bad footy is still good, which is the case with a lot of the good teams.

“We want to get our players healthy, and get improvement in our young guys, so we can have a crack at having a good year.”