Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace has questioned the Tigers' game plan this season, saying they've strayed away from what has made them so great.
Richmond's tenacity around the contest has made them one of the toughest and strongest teams in the AFL over the past two seasons, although they've failed to display the same pressure and tackling intensity over the first two rounds of 2019.
A number of key Tigers have some alarming numbers, and Wallace spoke on SEN on Tuesday afternoon and called them out on their poor starts.
โTheir biggest issue is theyโve lost their DNA. What is their DNA? It was pressure and tackling,โ Wallace toldย SEN Afternoons.
โI just went through some of the players in the side and some of the numbers, and I understand weโve only got two weeks and Round 2 was a really weird game, but when you have a look at it, Dustin Martin has not laid a tackle in two weeks.
โThink about where heโs playing. Heโs never been a tackle machine, but heโs playing exactly around the ball and he hasnโt laid one tackle as your key player.
โNick Vlastuin, who I love as a player, no tackles Round 1 and one tackle Round 2.
โDaniel Rioli, his role is forward pressure, two tackles Round 1, one tackle last week.
โThey bring Mav Weller to the club, two tackles Round 1, none in Round 2.
โFour players have had six tackles between them in two weeks, then they change up the side and bring in three blokes who add a bit more speed, you think theyโll be hungry.
โBrandon Ellis one tackle, Jason Castagna one tackle, Oleg Markov one tackle. I mean, theyโve lost their DNA.โ
Despite losing Alex Rance to a season-ending ACL injury and Jack Riewoldt for four weeks with a hand problem, the Tigers are still one of the deepest teams in the league, but will need to showcase that talent against GWS this Saturday if they're to avoid going below a 50% W-L record for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.
