RICHMOND has the worst contested footy ranking of any top-eight side.

But Tiger fans shouldn’t be overly concerned — their club’s ranking of No.12 does not tell the whole story.

It is Richmond’s lopsided free kick count (-67 for the season) which is hurting their contested footy ranking.

Who’s in the umpires’ bad books?

As explained on this week’s podcast of The Drill, the Tigers actually rank in the top four for three critical contested footy areas.

Led by inside dynamos Dion Prestia and Dustin Martin, they win more ground balls than 16 other clubs.

But they have given away 451 free kicks this season and hold the worst differential in the AFL, which count against their contested footy ranking.

LISTEN TO THE DRILL AND SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES

“The reason they rank 12th is because they have the worst free kick differential,” Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne said.

“But if you’re at clubland that’s how you would analyse Richmond. Overall they rank 12th, but when we break it down to the ground ball situation they’re up there.”

Hoyne said that loose ball gets represented the best quality measure of contested footy, with Clayton Oliver the No.1 player in the AFL ahead of Gary Ablett, Lachie Neale, Matt Crouch and Jarryd Lyons.

media_camera Clayton Oliver wins plenty of his own footy. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Collingwood is the No.1 contested team in the AFL, but ranks in the bottom four for loose ball gets.

The Drill also explained why the Tigers do not need a second key forward to capture a premiership.

In the past 90 finals there have been only 16 bags of five goals, with three belonging to Buddy Franklin.

In the past five years the average number of contested marks taken in home-and-away games compared to finals only fluctuates by about one, despite the age-old theory big men are the key to September.

media_camera Lance Franklin is always a factor in September. Picture Sarah Reed

The contested footy breakdown also showed the Western Bulldogs’ need for a Jake Lever-type.

The Dogs are the game’s No.3 team for ground ball gets, but rank last for contested marks — dropping their overall contested footy ranking to No.8.

They are -80 for contested marks and premiership coach Luke Beveridge has repeatedly lamented occurrences when his team has been smashed aerially, including in this year’s loss to Lever’s Crows.

Recently the Dogs have been exploited by power forwards Jon Patton, Charlie Dixon and Joe Daniher with some of their quality defenders sidelined.