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Richmond‘s goalkicking will come under fire after a poor performance against Collingwood in their practice match on Tuesday night.
The Tigers kicked a wasteful 5.16 against Collingwood in the charity shield match for FoodBank, going down to the Pies by 30 points at IKON Park.
Collingwood were also wasteful in front of goal, booting 10.16 in their win.
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Before the match, new Tigers coach Adem Yze declared if his side was “fit” and “healthy” and would be able to compete with the best of the league.
“Hopefully, if all things go to plan (we can make finals),” Yze told 9News Melbourne.
“If we’ve got everyone available, we feel like we can be competitive against anyone.
“With a little bit of luck, we’ve got some big boys coming back, if we’ve got everyone healthy and fit, we’ll be competitive.”
However, the Tigers struggled against the reigning premiers, unable to find a strong forward target all night.
Of their five goals, all were kicked by a different player, including one from ruckman Sampson Ryan and another from defender Tylar Young.
It was star midfielder Jayden Short who stood out for the yellow and black, collecting 27 disposals.
Tim Taranto also picked up 26 touches in his return.
The reigning premiers were also wasteful in front of goal, booting 10.16.
However, the Pies’ spread around the ground proved they were keen to defend their 2023 flag.
Pat Lipinski was the only multiple goal scorer with two, while Lachie Schultz kicked one and showed flashes of brilliance in his first proper outing since his move from Fremantle.
Will Hoskin-Elliott collected 24 disposals, while Isaac Quaynor proved he’s fitter than ever off the backline with 23 touches.
Yze, who has been in the role for just six months, explained how the Tigers would attack the new season, taking a lot from the recent premiership tactics that saw then win the 2017, 2019 and 2020 flags.
“We want to have some fun on offence and be really aggressive with the way we move the ball,” he said.
“We want to be hard to play against.
“Our team defence and our pressure is our hallmark of the way Richmond have played for years.”
Superstar triple Norm Smith medallist Dustin Martin had 18 touches, as his role changes as he comes to the pointy end of his career.
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“He’ll do both (forward and midfield time). He’ll get some opportunity to go inside as he has been training all pre season,” Yze said.
“Him and Shai (Bolton) will get ample opportunity to do both.”
The Tigers now look ahead to their opening round match, travelling north to face old coach Damien Hardwick and his new side, the Gold Coast Suns.
