A humbling mid-season AFL loss to Port Adelaide was the catalyst for a Richmond revival, the Tigers’ assistant coach Adam Kingsley says.
Before the two clubs meet in Friday night’s preliminary final, Kingsley says Richmond have revisited the lessons from their round 11 loss to Port.
The Power prevailed by 21 points in the August 8 fixture at Adelaide Oval but the margin flattered the Tigers.
Port had a whopping 31 more inside 50s and won the contested possession count by 43.
The Power also dominated stoppages, recording 20 centre clearances to Richmond’s five.
That loss pitched the reigning premier to a precarious position of six wins, four losses and a draw – but they lost just one game since, a semi-final to Brisbane.
“We got a free lesson in contested pressure in that game,” Kingsley told reporters on Thursday.
“And that was really, really good – it probably sparked our season in some ways moving forward.”
Richmond had a batch of star players missing last time against Port, including captain Trent Cotchin Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia, Toby Nankervis and Bachar Houli.
But Kingsley warned against assuming the Tigers would automatically be better in the preliminary final with those players back in action.
“It’s certainly too simplistic to say that,” he said.
“We don’t rely on the magnets, that’s for sure.
“We have got some good players who will play this game that didn’t play the last time but they have still got to get to work and do their job.
“And whoever has the ball from either team is going to expect high pressure and a physical kind of game.”
Kingsley said Richmond were well aware of the strengths of Port, who held top spot for the entire home-and-away season.
“We know what Port Adelaide going to bring,” he said.
“They’re big inside midfield group, really strong defensively, and some really big dangerous forwards and good crumbers with speed.
“So a lot of threats. It’s going to be a really difficult challenge.”
But he said the Tigers were quietly confident entering their fourth consecutive preliminary final.
“The guys are pretty familiar with this time of the season and they know what to expect, so they’re pretty comfortable,” Kingsley said.
“The start is critical, we want to get off to a good start.
“The Port crowd, they love their club and are really strong supporters of their players, so they will make a lot of noise.
“If we can get off to a good start and silence a few, that will be nice but our guys enjoy the challenge of being in a hostile environment and still performing.”
