The dejected Tigers trudge from the MCG after their round 15 defeat at the hands of St Kilda. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Richmond is renowned as one of the all-time great AFL teams. But the Tigers have recently lost the air of invincibility that has defined them in previous eras. And it’s still quite hard to get one’s head around.

This type of decline doesn’t happen overnight, and it has taken until round 15 for pundits to officially declare that winning the premiership is highly unlikely for the long-time powerhouse.

In many ways, the fact that Richmond has been afforded all this time before the experts have written off its chances is testament to the dynasty that the Tigers have built over the last few years.

This team looks to have fallen short of the crucial skills that made it virtually unbeatable over the last four years. Notably, the Tigers’ ball-handling in wet conditions has well and truly deserted them at a time when they need it most, though this is the nature of sport and the pressure of having to deliver when you’re trying to arrest a slide.

This clumsy handling was certainly on display against St Kilda in their most recent defeat, this time by a margin of 40 points.

Another key feature that seems to be missing is the intensity with which Richmond normally plays. In seasons gone by, footy fans have become used to seeing the Tigers pounce on their opponents and not let them out of their grip over the duration of the four quarters. That incredible energy from the off has been replaced by a lacklustre response at the sound of the first whistle.
This was more evident than ever against St Kilda, but perhaps it was brought on by the loss to West Coast the week before, when the Tigers were beaten by an agonising four points.

That type of sucker punch when a team is already reeling does have a tendency to lower morale and let the rot set in even deeper. Arguably, this is why the Tigers were slow out of the blocks and never really got going against St Kilda a week later.

Lows of this nature haven’t been an occurrence at all for Richmond over the last four years, but when you consider that St Kilda is at the long odds of 150/1 in Aussie Rules betting to win the Grand Final, it does reinforce the notion that the wheels have come off.

The worry is that this trend will set in for the remainder of the season, which will ultimately lead to the Tigers limping home and finishing without any silverware. There is of course still a clear path to the finals by finishing in the top eight, so the need to draw a line under this form is still a pressing one with a lot on the line.

Whether Richmond is good enough to win a Grand Final is another matter, but the season is still alive, and sport is at best unpredictable. It’s time for the Tigers to go back to the basics and see where that takes them.