Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has lauded the efforts of young forward Maurice Rioli Jnr following a string of prolific performances in the yellow and black.
The 19-year-old backed up his three-goal outing against the Eagles last week with an equally impressive display of forward pressure and ball movement within his side's attacking third.
While Rioli wasn't among the goals tally in Saturday's 27-point win over Collingwood, the teenager had a major hand in several avenues to goal, including multiple chase-down tackles that directly resulted in majors from forced turnovers.
Trent Cotchin and Tom Lynch both booted goals as a result of Rioli's pressure on the Pies, something that caught the eye of his teammates and senior coach.
“Maurice, in the first half alone, (he had) two of those chase-down tackles – it might’ve even been three – that we haven’t seen since Daniel, his cousin, was there,” Hardwick said after the game.
“He’s really growing. He’s a guy that we drafted, what is it, two, nearly three years ago? He’s just improved every single year and that’s what you love as a coach and an organisation.”
Rioli was also among the final links of scoring chains that led to several Tigers goals, with the son of South Fremantle and Richmond great Maurice Rioli Snr recording a game-high three goal assists.
From his 14 possessions, Rioli amassed six score involvements and eight contested touches in what was a career-best evening for the young forward.
With Dustin Martin booting two goals in his return, coupled with Tom Lynch's dominant six-goal performance, the Tigers' attack is purring as they break back into the top eight on the ladder.
Lynch currently leads the Coleman Medal race with 27 goals from the opening eight rounds, while Shai Bolton (16 goals) and Jack Riewoldt (13) have also had a share of the scoring.
Sitting with a 4-4 record, the Tigers will be hoping to extend their winning runs next Saturday when they face Hawthorn at the MCG.