As both the players and their coaches continue their strides in season 2021, distinctive groups have broken out throughout the race.
Some, like the Bulldogs and Demons, have dashed from the starter's gun, with the desire to create lightyears between themselves and the pack.
Sadly for others, they are barely attached to the peloton anymore.
Whether first, second, third or 18th along the road to the last Saturday in September, every side and their side coaching team still have question marks over their head.
Richmond
Have they adapted to the new rules better than anyone else?
Last week, I hypothesized that should the Tigers have been trumped by the Saints in Round 5, then the mood would have been less than ideal at Punt Road.
However, after absolutely annihilating their opponent across the game's final three terms, the flip side of the coin is once again facing upwards.
With 53% chance to make the top four, a 31.3% probability of making the Grand Final once again, and a 17.6% chance of claiming their fourth flag in five years, Stats Insider has Richmond asย the second-best team in the competition.
Anybody that tuned in last Thursday would be willing to tell you that the Tigers more than passed the eye test, and should you choose to dig deeper and crack out your abacus, you will find that the numbers confirm these witnesses are reliable narrators.
Of the myriad of their statistics that have been recorded this year, a complimenting pair will show you that Richmond have adapted to the new rules better than most.
According to Footywire, Damian Hardwick's ambush are ranked in the top five of the competition for handballs, but have also recorded the third least kicks of any team.
A team effort ๐ค๐ค
๐ฅ Watch the best supportive acts from the win over St Kilda, brought to you by @latitude_fs. pic.twitter.com/FAwglZqdTb
— Richmond FC ๐ฏ๐ (@Richmond_FC) April 16, 2021
This tells us one thing โ the competition's benchmark team likes to play fast.
As James Rosewarne stated earlier this week, โRichmond's legacy has been principally constructed upon improvisation, adaptation and imagination'. So should you feel you have them pinned, these Tigers have proven they can't paint themselves out of any problem for years โ they now just do it at pace.
