MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 24: Tigers head coach Damien Hardwick celebrates winning the round five AFL match between the Richmond Tigers and the Melbourne Demons at Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 24, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce has revealed the reason she believes Richmond continues to dominate other teams at critical stages of the game and it has everything to do with Tigers coach Damien Hardwick.

AFL coaching staffers have their work cut out for them, managing 22 different players' minutes can be a hard task while trying to achieve the best outcome for the team and often it can get a little complex and mistakes can be made.

Pearce explained that she thinks Richmond's implemented strategy is effective, allowing them to always have their best players in the game during key moments.

“The thing I like about the Tigers is the way Hardwick manages the minutes,” Pearce told SEN Breakfast.

“We wonder why they’re just able to blow teams away in periods of the game, and often late in the game. It’s the way they manage the interchange."

The last thing a coach wants is for a high intensity game to dwindle down to the final minutes with just a few points separating the two teams, only to have a key player sitting on the bench for it due to poor minute management.

Another tidbit Pearce brought up was that the strategy revolves around Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin, micromanaging their minutes to allow them some rest.

“Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin don’t spent as much time on the ground early in the game as what other midfielders do. By three quarter time on Tuesday night, those guys had spent 10-15 minutes less on the field than any other one of Melbourne’s midfielders," Pearce explained.

“Then bang, last quarter, inject them in and they have a huge impact.”

Richmond will get a chance to employ this strategy once again when they take on Collingwood at the MCG this Sunday.