At the mid-season bye this season, Richmond was in ninth spot on the league ladder, after suffering three consecutive losses, with an overall record of seven wins, six losses, and an ordinary percentage of 92.0.
Since the bye, however, and the return of several key players from injury, the Tigers have thrived.
Four wins in-a-row – by 33 points v St Kilda, Round 15, 92 points v Gold Coast, Round 16, 27 points v GWS, Round 17 and 38 points v Port Adelaide, Round 18 – has resulted in their percentage rising to a respectable 107.5, and they are now in fifth place on the ladder with five home-and-away rounds remaining.
Over the course of the past four matches, Richmond has outscored its opposition by a total of 190 points – 67.46 (448) to 37.36 (258).
While it’s been an overall strong team effort by the Tigers to turn their fortunes around, several players deserve special mention.
Star recruit Tom Lynch has led the way superbly up forward booting three goals in each of those four games, for a combined tally of 12.
Dion Prestia has continued to be a model of consistency through the midfield, racking up numerous disposals through his clever reading of the play and hard, two-way running.
Young gun Shai Bolton has shone in his transition into the midfield, winning plenty of ball and generating valuable, speedy run for the team.
Brandon Ellis, likewise, has flourished in his return to the midfield.
Exciting Tiger cub Sydney Stack has played with a maturity way beyond his years in a variety of on-field roles.
And Richmond’s defenders have done an excellent job throughout the past month, with the highest score against the Tigers in that time being St Kilda’s 10.10 (70) in Round 15.
Dylan Grimes, David Astbury, Nick Vlastuin, Nathan Broad and Bachar Houli have combined negating the effectiveness of their forward opponents with elite intercepting and attacking flair.
Absolutely nothing can be taken for granted in such a topsy-turvy season, but the Tigers, at least, are back in the hunt.
