Adelaide were “so scared” heading into the 2017 Grand Final that they were almost beaten “at the first bounce”, according to Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch.
The Crows, the minor premiers in 2017, adopted the infamous power stance throughout the finals series and Leppitsch believes it worked against them on Grand Final day.
“Every team has an identity and you think about the team I played for, Brisbane, its identity was a big, hard contested footy beast,” Leppitsch told The Herald Sun’s Sacked podcast.
“So Adelaide adopted the power stance and I think when you adopt anything when you are powerful, the minute you burst that bubble, what is next?
“Talk about the Essendon era and Leigh Matthews’ ‘If It Bleeds You Can Kill It’. Whenever you pop that dominant bubble and you see they do bleed, what is next? It can be a dangerous one to play.
“But they (Adelaide) were so scared going into the game (2017 GF) we almost beat them at the first bounce, and that approach can also have its negatives if someone bursts the bubble, which we did that day.”
After leading by 11 points at quarter time, Adelaide were swept aside by a manic Tigers outfit to the tune of 48 points.
It was Richmond’s first flag since 1980 after finishing 13th the season prior.