Tigers, welcome to pressure cooker

Dustin Martin is Collingwood's toughest match-up today. Picture: Tim Carrafa Source: Herald Sun

WHETHER you had Richmond in the eight or not, there was a general consensus that the Tigers would improve in 2013.

With wins over Carlton, St Kilda and the Bulldogs one would have to say that the early expectations of improvement have been met.

The natural development of some early round draft picks has continued and the overall talent base of the Tigers has improved.

Trent Cotchin established himself as a star last year and could by the end of the year be in the top three or four players in the competition.

Brett Deledio seems a better player now but is that simply due to the emergence of Cotchin and Dustin Martin and has he always been underrated?

If Martin can continue his form from last weekend he will jump up to the level of the other stars very quickly.

In the first three rounds of the season, the Tigers have established themselves as a very talented, offensive and dangerous side.

Richmond is ranked third in uncontested possessions, third in uncontested marks and sixth for handball receives in the competition.

Once the Tigers get the ball in their hands they are working very hard for each other and are third for percentage of scores for times inside forward 50.

They certainly look to be in sync offensively and if Collingwood allows them easy access to the ball today they will be in serious trouble.

However, today is perhaps the first big test for the Tigers and will answer a number of questions.

Finals teams are built around contested possession, tackles, the ability to restrict the opposition and an intense defensive mindset.

In this regard, there are some early worrying signs for the Tigers. The Tigers are 18th for tackles, 12th for contested possession, 14th for hardball gets, and 15th for clearances so far in 2013.

This is where the Tigers will be tested today. Their ability to win the ball at the contest and, if the Pies win it, their ability to tackle and get the ball quickly back into their hands.

Collingwood is fifth in contested possession and fourth in hardball gets.

Although the Tigers are 3-0, they gave up big leads in their first two rounds and both the Blues and the Saints always looked capable of getting back into the game.

Martin is perhaps Collingwood's hardest match-up and if his fitness allows him to play four quarters of football, he could become Richmond's most important player.

I'm sure this is something that Damien Hardwick and the coaches would have harped on this week. They simply cannot get dominated around the contest by the Pies.

Despite last week's lost to the Hawks, Collingwood's pressure this year has been excellent.

Collingwood has averaged 64 tackles per game compared to Richmond's 43. So you can assume that the Tigers players will have far less time to make decisions than they have had in the first three rounds.

Dale Thomas tackles Eddie Betts. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

Equally, we saw the result when the Kangaroos tried to play Russian roulette with the Pies midfield in Round 1. Eventually, Swan and Pendlebury will beat you if you give them too much access to the ball.

Certainly on paper the Tigers do look to have a good combination of defensive and attacking players.

Daniel Jackson has had a terrific season so far and could be one that can be used to shut down Swan or Pendlebury. Reece Conca has won some critical one-on-one contests in season 2013 and we know that whilst Shane Tuck is not a super accountable midfielder, he has a great ability to win his share of clearances.

Cotchin and Deledio are great two-way running midfielders and will need to be at their best on both sides of the ball today.

Martin is perhaps Collingwood's hardest match-up and if his fitness allows him to play four quarters of football, he could become Richmond's most important player.

I know the Tigers fans have loved the first three rounds, particularly the exciting football their team has played.

However, the best result for the Tiger faithful today would be a grinding defensive struggle with Damien Hardwick's boys on top at the end of the game. 

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