Richmond coach Adem Yze has praised Maurice Rioli’s recent form, saying the 22-year-old has been “outstanding” over the last three weeks.
Rioli had a strong string of VFL efforts across May and June against GWS, Sydney, Footscray and the Bullants, where his pressure, midfield minutes, ball use, and commitment stood out.
He was rewarded with an AFL call-up for the Round 18 clash against Geelong, and he has made his mark at senior level ever since, with impressive performances against the Cats, Bombers and Eagles.
The obvious highlight of Rioli’s recent play was his incredible chasedown tackle against West Coast, which was also followed up by an equally as impressive smother, with both efforts resulting in goals to fuel Richmond’s 49-point victory.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash with Collingwood, Yze explained how Rioli is making a strong impact both with, and without, the ball.
“His last few weeks, he has had a real spike in his performance,” Yze said.
“To his credit, the four weeks that he went back and played VFL footy, he worked on his game, worked on his craft, and worked on all elements of his game.
“We understand his pressure is enormous and it’s infectious and it’s exactly what we want, but the byproduct of that is what he is doing with the ball.
“He went and got better at VFL level and his last three weeks that he has come back in, have been outstanding.”
The meeting with the Magpies presents the Tigers with a chance to test themselves against the top of the ladder side.
Despite Collingwood entering the clash on a two-game losing streak, and Richmond on a two-game winning streak, Yze isn’t focusing on the form lines.
“We would hope we are closing that gap (to the top sides) every week by just getting better, irrelevant of whether they’re winning or losing,” Yze said.
“We’re expecting to get better and whether that means it’s in games or in quarters, we are really looking forward to an opportunity to play against the best team in the comp in front of our Tiger Army, irrelevant of what their form is like, it is going to be a tough contest, and we can’t wait.”
Sunday is also the Alannah & Madeline Foundation match, a special occasion for the Tigers, and one Yze says the Club is honoured to be involved in.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ALANNAH & MADELINE FOUNDATION MATCH
“Really looking forward to this week, celebrating the Alannah & Madeline Foundation match,” Yze said.
“Something that we are super proud of as a footy club to be involved in. They’re an amazing foundation that helps a lot of kids, so really looking forward to it.”
