Richmond superstar Dustin Martin summarised it so succinctly in an on-ground interview immediately after the Tigers’ Round 13 victory over Geelong at the MCG . . . “We’ve got the band back together – the ‘mosquito fleet’.”

Dusty, of course, was referring to the long-awaited return to the senior side of Daniel Rioli following the broken foot he sustained in last year’s Grand Final triumph over Adelaide, and the resultant renewing of the Tigers’ potent premiership small forward combination.

Rioli, together with Dan Butler and Jason Castagna, posed major problems for the Cats’ defence right throughout the match due to their lightning pace, strong defensive mindset and goal sense.

Round 13: Castagna's world cup goal

The talented trio had a collective tally of 15 tackles, 16 score involvements and five goals (out of the team’s total of 12).

Each one of them also featured in the highlights reel with some breathtaking acts of brilliance.

Butler and Castagna had been valuable contributors across the forward line for Richmond this season in Rioli’s absence (Butler with 13 goals in 12 games before last Sunday’s match and Castagna with 17 goals in 10 games).

There’s no doubt, however, that Rioli’s return had a profound positive influence on both Butler and Castagna.

They looked more dangerous with Rioli around to apply his trademark elite defensive pressure to the opposition backs, enabling them to pounce on turnovers.