The Dogs have their flaws but should be able to subdue a Tigers lineup that is down on personnel and confidence on Saturday night at the MCG.
Best Bet
It’s one step forward and two back for the Tigers as their injury list remains long, despite welcoming back Dion Prestia, Jack Graham and the two Noah’s Balta and Cumberland.
Liam Baker is now out with injury and they have also lost experienced campaigners Kamdyn McIntosh and Dylan Grimes.
Once again Richmond are rolling with a very inexperienced side, with 12 players with less than 50 games experience.
That will make it hard to beat a Dogs team that is flawed, especially defensively. The way they allow ball movement is a real concern against good teams, but the Tigers offence is the equivalent of being belted with a wet lettuce at the moment.
The Dogs should dominate the midfield battle. Yes, Libba is missing but the core midfield group should still dominate a Tigers side that is ranked second last for contested possession differential and last for clearance differential.
The Dogs have shown with beltings of Gold Coast, St Kilda and the Eagles that they are well and truly capable of taking care of bad sides, and Richmond unfortunately fall into that category.
Same Game Multi
Richmond’s midfield woes mean that their defenders are becoming very reliable plays for disposals as the ball is down there so much. Jayden Short and Nick Vlastuin are likely candidates, leaving Daniel Rioli alone due to him spending a fair amount of time forward last week.
For the Dogs, Adam Treloar and the Bont are the logical plays given their midfield dominance.
Value Bet
The Tigers allow the second most disposals of any team and have conceded some massive totals to ball pig midfielders like Caleb Serong and Jack Steele. Treloar is well capable of another big game here.
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