Richmond's AFL dominance is shrinking — here's how the Tiger trap was sprung

Much of Richmond's recent success — and there's been plenty — has been built around a devastating ability to counterattack.

Damien Hardwick's men lured their opponents into a Tiger trap: pressuring them when they had the ball and feasting on the turnovers.

But so far this season that feast has turned to famine.

In its five appearances since the competition's resumption, Richmond has averaged just 51 points per game. In three of those contests it's been held below 40 points.

The once terrifying Tigers have suddenly become toothless.

Last weekend, Hardwick sought to deflect the blame, pointing the finger at the Sydney Swans for what he described as a "horrendous game of football".

"There's not much I can do," Hardwick said.

"We're attacking and we've got 75,000 people in our forward 50. It's pretty hard.

"It's become a tactic in the AFL — that 'fold back' mentality is really keeping sides in games."

Indeed, the Swans weren't the first side to employ such tactics against the Tigers.

Increasingly, teams are opting to counterattack the counter attacker. It's not pretty, but it's effective.

The Tiger trap has been sprung.

Trying to beat 'the wall'

Even with the advent of 6-6-6 starting positions at the centre bounce, most teams deploy spare men behind the ball at some stage during a match.

Some prefer an extra number near the stoppage, while others prefer to bolster their backline.

These structures are usually fluid and will change depending on where the ball is and who has it.

When a team loses possession, players tend to either flood back to defence or take up a zoning pattern around the ground.

Most teams have tended to favour the former against the Tigers, opting to run back hard and early.

In the clip above, the Hawks get seven defenders back against two Tigers forwards.

Although the Tigers eventually scored from this passage of play, at other times the Hawks, Swans and Magpies have managed to suffocate Richmond's attack with similar defensive commitment.

Unless their counter attacks are precise and rapid, the Tigers are often finding they're outnumbered up the ground.

With their options stifled, the Tigers are resorting to kicking for territory — gambling on being able to retain possession or at least force a stoppage.

If they do can that quickly, sometimes it works.

But they aren't drilled to be able to patiently work their way through tight presses or zones with controlled short kicks.

That means they've struggled to score when their opponents have set up with a spare or two behind the ball, such as after stoppages or a chain of turnovers.

Unthreatening at the coalface

Although Richmond is considered a contested ball side, it's not big on winning clearances from stoppages.

In fact, the Tigers have often been happy to concede in that area to place a greater emphasis on winning turnovers.

They've regularly deployed undersized ruckmen and have pulled midfield weapons such as Dustin Martin away from ball ups.

But after studying these tactics for the past three years, teams have had time to digest and nullify Richmond's methods.

They now know that they're less likely to be hurt by Tiger clearances than by Tiger intercepts.

Often the result is a stalemate. Richmond games can quickly become unattractive bore-fests if both it and its opponent remain intent on waiting for the other to make a mistake.

How can the Tigers beat '75,000' defenders?

Well, maybe they can't quite beat 75,000 men — but there are ways to overcome extra numbers flooding the backline.

It all comes down to space and how to manipulate it.

Richmond's best forward entries this season have invariably come when they've moved the ball quickly, catching defenders out of position.

But if that's not possible and the defence is able to set itself, the Tigers need to choose the right option.

While Lambert and Lynch make it look easy here, it takes skill and courage to bypass the nearer shorter options for the deep mismatch.

When the ball goes to ground in Tigers' forward line, however, they've regularly been outnumbered at the contest and struggled to apply pressure.

They sit last for tackles inside forward 50, after leading the league in 2017. Their small forwards and crumbers have struggled to find room for a quick gather and snap on goal.

This may necessitate the need for riskier and more erratic forward entries to unsettle the opposition's plans.

True, "risky" and "erratic" are hardly adjectives associated with this Tigers dynasty.

But in this crazy season of 2020, all bets are now off.