North Melbourne great David King has outlined the four key factors which will determine whether Richmond can keep their premiership chances alive without star defender Alex Rance.
The All-Australian captain endured a devastating ACL injury during the third term of his side's opening round game against Carlton last week, forcing Tigers to consider life without their defensive weapon.
"I've probably stopped short a couple of times of saying, "They can't win without (Rance)'," King said on Fox Footy's AFL 360.
"But the more you watch - particularly from behind the goals - it's not that you can't replace the player, it's that he does so much in their system. He is the system.
"He is the reason they play the way they do. They have a forward half press because this guy can do everything."
King said there are four key factors surrounding Richmond's upcoming season, the signs which may expose one of the more dominant teams of the past two seasons.
3. Outplayed
"They just get beaten. Maybe they just get beaten one-on-one which doesn't happen against Richmond."
With the inclusion of the 6-6-6 format affecting how teams set up structurally, the Tigers will be forced to operate without a loose down back, meaning all defenders will be accountable.
Following injury setback for defender Bachar Houli, Richmond will look for a different path when protecting their defensive 50. Last week against the Blues, they had a winger (usually Jayden Short) start on his line before running to help the back six after the ball is bounced - they might continue to play like these with a weaker backline.
