Former three-time All-Australian midfielder Nick Dal Santo said Richmond’s performance on Friday night opened his eyes to the gap between them and everyone else.
The Tigers dispatched last year’s runners up in Adelaide with ease and they now sit a game clear on top of the ladder.
Dal Santo said he thought there were contenders, but given the Tigers will likely play every final at the MCG, he isn’t so sure anymore.
“Walking away from the ground on Friday night, I’ve changed my opinion. They are clearly the best team in the competition and I know that’s an obvious one, but even up until last week I felt there was contenders,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“I had these teams at their very best challenging Richmond – Port, Melbourne, West Coast and Collingwood, but the way the Tigers are playing and what they did on Friday to the Crows, I think they could play at 85 per cent and still win.
“I think they’ve got enough room to make some mistakes and have some players not at their best, but the spread of their work load and their ability to move that football, the amount of questions they ask across all lines, it’s too much.”
The former North Melbourne midfielder said the Tigers have too many weapons for opposition teams to stop.
“When you’ve got defenders making forwards nervous, it’s a huge concern, traditionally it’s always been the other way around,” he said.
“They’ve got this forward line that’s just clicking. I changed my mind at about 11:30pm on Friday night.”
Richmond’s next game at the MCG will be in Round 19 against Collingwood and former St Kilda captain Danny Frawley believes this game could draw 100,000 fans.