Statistics back Tigers' success
By Lyall Johnson
May 22 2003
To borrow from an adage, behind every great team is a great back line.
Throughout Richmond's successful period in the late 1960s and the '70s, the Tigers had what was considered one of the toughest teams of all time, and a series of back lines that over the years included the likes of Kevin Sheedy, *smile* Clay, Robbie McGhie, Mervyn Keane, Michael Malthouse and Francis Bourke.
There is a quiet buzz around Tigerland now that a new defensive era is upon the club. While nobody is claiming that the 2003 Tigers are even a patch on the great sides of bygone eras - much less as ruthless - this year's statistics show that its unsung, virtually "no-name" back line of Darren Gaspar, Mark Chaffey, Andrew Kellaway, Ty Zantuck and Chris Newman is the best in the AFL.
By the end of round eight, Richmond's defence had conceded only 634 points to make it the most miserly in the competition. Port Adelaide is the next best with 646 points conceded and Brisbane third with 671.
Richmond also ranks equal-second with Port Adelaide in its defensive restriction on opposition goals, with opposition teams taking 25 disposals a goal. Brisbane is the best with 26.
Some critics believe the reason the Tigers are proving hard to score against has less to do with the skill of their defenders than with the fact that under former St Kilda and Victoria defender Danny Frawley, Richmond has taken to the flood like a duck to water.
Frawley is acutely aware of how to set up the back half, and during the pre-season, he worked hard with defence coach Paul Spargo to hone player's roles and teach them when and how to release from opponents.
Richmond's rebounding and ability to run out of defence all day is confounding many teams. Score a behind against the Tigers and they are the second most likely team to go "coast-to-coast" and score a goal against you, having done so 10 times this year.
The Tigers also lead the competition with 129 contested marks, many of them taken in defence by Chaffey, who is earning a name for himself as a strong pack mark against far bigger opponents. In seven games this year, he has taken a total of 43 marks.
Richmond is clearly trying to keep the lid on enthusiasm for its top-three position, and in particular not talk up its defensive success and put undue pressure on players. In the words of one insider: "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves."
Former defender Leon Cameron, who has played a new role across half-forward this year, said yesterday the whole team was making a difference, not just the defence.
"I think we have been pretty good all over the ground; you just can't pin the defence," he said. "The defence have been fantastic . . . (it) is always good to have a good defence, but (our success) has come from the 22 who come out each week."
Matthew Richardson had a similar view, but said the fact that the same people have been free of injury and able to play together each week was important to their form.
"Most teams are built on a good defence, and at the moment, we've got a defence (with) the same six or seven guys playing week in, week out, and we're getting a consistent effort from everyone across the board, which is a reason why you might play good footy," Richardson said.
But Richmond's director of football, Greg Miller, who presided over a Kangaroos team that featured Glenn Archer, Martin Pike, Mick Martyn, John Blakey and Byron Pickett in the back half, admitted the club is impressed with its defensive personnel.
"Their stability in their decisions has been the key to them playing well together; their cohesion," Miller said.
By Lyall Johnson
May 22 2003
To borrow from an adage, behind every great team is a great back line.
Throughout Richmond's successful period in the late 1960s and the '70s, the Tigers had what was considered one of the toughest teams of all time, and a series of back lines that over the years included the likes of Kevin Sheedy, *smile* Clay, Robbie McGhie, Mervyn Keane, Michael Malthouse and Francis Bourke.
There is a quiet buzz around Tigerland now that a new defensive era is upon the club. While nobody is claiming that the 2003 Tigers are even a patch on the great sides of bygone eras - much less as ruthless - this year's statistics show that its unsung, virtually "no-name" back line of Darren Gaspar, Mark Chaffey, Andrew Kellaway, Ty Zantuck and Chris Newman is the best in the AFL.
By the end of round eight, Richmond's defence had conceded only 634 points to make it the most miserly in the competition. Port Adelaide is the next best with 646 points conceded and Brisbane third with 671.
Richmond also ranks equal-second with Port Adelaide in its defensive restriction on opposition goals, with opposition teams taking 25 disposals a goal. Brisbane is the best with 26.
Some critics believe the reason the Tigers are proving hard to score against has less to do with the skill of their defenders than with the fact that under former St Kilda and Victoria defender Danny Frawley, Richmond has taken to the flood like a duck to water.
Frawley is acutely aware of how to set up the back half, and during the pre-season, he worked hard with defence coach Paul Spargo to hone player's roles and teach them when and how to release from opponents.
Richmond's rebounding and ability to run out of defence all day is confounding many teams. Score a behind against the Tigers and they are the second most likely team to go "coast-to-coast" and score a goal against you, having done so 10 times this year.
The Tigers also lead the competition with 129 contested marks, many of them taken in defence by Chaffey, who is earning a name for himself as a strong pack mark against far bigger opponents. In seven games this year, he has taken a total of 43 marks.
Richmond is clearly trying to keep the lid on enthusiasm for its top-three position, and in particular not talk up its defensive success and put undue pressure on players. In the words of one insider: "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves."
Former defender Leon Cameron, who has played a new role across half-forward this year, said yesterday the whole team was making a difference, not just the defence.
"I think we have been pretty good all over the ground; you just can't pin the defence," he said. "The defence have been fantastic . . . (it) is always good to have a good defence, but (our success) has come from the 22 who come out each week."
Matthew Richardson had a similar view, but said the fact that the same people have been free of injury and able to play together each week was important to their form.
"Most teams are built on a good defence, and at the moment, we've got a defence (with) the same six or seven guys playing week in, week out, and we're getting a consistent effort from everyone across the board, which is a reason why you might play good footy," Richardson said.
But Richmond's director of football, Greg Miller, who presided over a Kangaroos team that featured Glenn Archer, Martin Pike, Mick Martyn, John Blakey and Byron Pickett in the back half, admitted the club is impressed with its defensive personnel.
"Their stability in their decisions has been the key to them playing well together; their cohesion," Miller said.
