With the Tigers winning the minor premiership with a round to go, Hawks great Jason Dunstall says he is struggling to "mount an argument" for any team to beat Richmond for the premiership.
Having only lost four games and boasting a 20-game win streak at the MCG, the four-time premiership player believes it will take something special for a team to beat the Tigers come September.
“I’m trying to mount an argument for anyone from second to eighth to win it,” Dunstall said on AFL 360.
“Only because Richmond look so good. They look so good, their list is fit — the competition for places, it’s going to take someone to really get on a roll in September. The one thing we do know about finals is that teams can do that.”
Dermott Brereton agrees with his premiership teammate saying that Damien Hardwick's players are well drilled.
“I think they play one kick away from the ball in the opposite direction. They set up behind the ball better than everyone else. I think they’re drilled brilliantly and I think they’ve got four champions, six really important players and I look at that team and don’t think it’s like Geelong 2007 to 2011," Brereton said.
“It’s not that far off what Geelong played, it’s swings and roundabouts. They’ve tried to work their way through opposition in the late thousands with handball and short possessions, the first to pull 400 possessions.
“Then it swung to press up and pressure and then it worked out the kicking over that zone. So it does swing and then it comes back to pressure and they sit a kick away and then it start comes back to that run with hands. So it’s paper, scissors, rock. Chasing the best team, you just have to be the rock sometimes.”
Dunstall also believes that their opposition will be up all night trying to figure out a way to stop the Tigers in September.
“There’s half a dozen brain trusts sitting around for if and when they get the opportunity to take on Richmond at the MCG,” he said.
“Make no mistake there’s some very smart football brains that will be looking at just some little things that they do.
“Without throwing your own game style and structure out the door, you can still tweak it to attack parts of the opposition.”
Which team do you believe can knock off Richmond in the finals?
