Richmond heads in to the 2022 finals series armed with an attacking arsenal that could do some damage, according to David King.
The Tigers enter the finals on the back of four straight wins in which they scored 100 points or more in each.
They finished the home and away season as the highest scoring team with the fourth best percentage, but had to settle for seventh position after dropping some close games.
As the Tigers prepare to take on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in an Elimination Final on Thursday week, King identified their ball movement, scoring power from possession and the possible return of superstar Dustin Martin as their greatest assets.
“The Tiges have mastered ball movement,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.
“I keep saying this - their system is the best system in the comp because it does allow them to score with that rapid, wing-line, brilliant handball game.
“They’ve got spark players forward of centre that are in some serious form. Then they add the youngster in (Noah) Cumberland in there and all of a sudden you go, ‘Wow, we’ve got another threat’.
“Martin coming back, another threat. He doesn’t have to come back in career-best form, he just has to come back and be another soldier forward of centre.
“They’re the number one team in the competition for any time they’ve got their hands on the ball in the last six weeks of footy, being able to turn a possession into a score anywhere on the ground.
“That’s Richmond - number one. That’s a huge asset.”
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King outlined the areas in which the Tigers are number one, but did highlight the fact they are beaten without the ball which is not customary for a Damien Hardwick-coached side.
“They’re number one at moving the ball from defensive 50 to forward 50, number one when it goes inside 50 at covering that into a score. It’s a picket fence - one, one, one, one,” he added.
“It’s amazing what they’re doing with the ball, but without the ball you can get them.
“And this is unlike Richmond. We haven’t seen this before under Damien Hardwick. They’re rated bottom five or six in the competition without the footy.
“It’s going to rely a lot on their brilliance this campaign, but they are bloody brilliant.”
In good news for their in-form attack, the Tigers have confirmed the fitness of key forward Tom Lynch, who was subbed out in the final quarter of the weekend’s 66-point win over Essendon with a groin complaint.
Lynch has kicked 60 goals in 18 games this season, including 21 in his past four outings, four of which came against the Lions in a come-from-behind seven-point win in Round 20.
He will be fit to travel to Brisbane to take on the Lions at the Gabba.
It is the third final between the two clubs over the last four years with the head-to-head at 1-1.