JACK Riewoldt's goalkicking talent was wasted at Richmond last year, according to Champion Data's 2017 AFL Prospectus.
In 2016, the 28-year-old key forward kicked fewer than 50 goals for the season for the first time since 2008 with a tally of 48 goals.
However, Richmond's inability or unwillingness to get the ball inside 50 starved Riewoldt of opportunities, forcing him to gather the majority of his possessions outside the 50m arc.
According to Champion Data's just released AFL Prospectus, Riewoldt won just 44 per cent of his disposals in the forward 50, his lowest percentage since 2009.
In 2010, when he won his first Coleman Medal with 82 goals, he grabbed 63 per cent of his disposals in the forward 50 and was targeted 45 per cent of the time.
However in 2016, a whopping 56 per cent of his disposals were gathered outside the 50m arc and he was targeted just 31 per cent of the time.
Champion Data argues the Tigers changed tack in round eight after an appalling start to the season moving the ball slowly around their back half to limit turnovers.
It meant they only won the inside 50 count three times for the season, recording an average of 7.53 minutes fewer in the forward half than their opposition and Riewoldt became a victim of their stagnant approach.
Riewoldt still finished ninth in the AFL's goalkicking, one of only two players from non-finalists (Gold Coast's Tom Lynch was the other) to finish in the top-dozen goalkickers for 2016, a demonstration of his quality.
And he also set a new record for disposals in a season with 316.
However, Riewoldt averaged just 3.1 marks inside 50 per game compared to Lynch's 3.5, and looked at times like a Tiger thrown into the wrong enclosure at the zoo.
New forwards coach Justin Leppitsch was diplomatic in October when asked where Riewoldt was best suited, claiming he was somewhere in between a power forward and a high half-forward.
"We have got to make sure we use the strength of our players and put them in the right position," Leppitsch told AFL.com.au.
Champion Data argues Richmond's improved midfield, with the acquisition through the NAB AFL Trade Period of Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy and Toby Nankervis, as well as the opportunity to move talented players such as Nick Vlaustin through the middle, will improve the Tigers' inside 50 count and allow them to play Riewoldt deeper.
Tigers fans can only hope because as Champion Data writes, Riewoldt is "too good to be racking up 56 per cent of his touches outside the danger zone".
Champion Data is the AFL's official stats supplier
