BEWARE, footy world — the Richmond lid is off.

It is officially Tiger Time.

Richmond has sent Punt Road, Swan Street and the AFL community into meltdown, securing its first VFL/AFL premiership in 37 years with an unforgettable 48-point victory over the Adelaide Crows.

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The Tigers’ incredible resurrection, which has seen them jump from 13th in 2017 to premiers in 2017, is the biggest jump in VFL/AFL history, overtaking the climb their Saturday opponents (Adelaide) achieved in 1997.

It was a case of the immovable object (Richmond — the best defensive team in the competition) overcoming the irresistible force (Adelaide — the best offensive side) as the Tigers held their stunned opponents to just 60 points — the Crows’ lowest score for the entire 2017 season.

Like he did all year, Dustin Martin dominated for the Tigers with two telling goals and 28 disposals to become the first player in VFL/AFL history to win the Brownlow Medal and Norm Smith medal in the same season.

“I honestly cannot believe it. This is a dream come true,” Martin said.

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“This is the best thing in the world mate. I’m proud of each and every player that played today.”

Dion Prestia showed his worth as a recruit, Alex Rance played close to the perfect first half for a defender and fifth-gamer Jack Graham kicked three goals on a remarkable day for the football club.

But as good as those individual performances were, this famous Tigers victory was epitomised by the trait that has underlined the club’s stunning 2017 resurgence under coach Damien Hardwick: Defensive pressure.

The Crows clearly controlled the game in the first quarter, with Rory Sloane and Eddie Betts kicking the first two goals within the opening five minutes. Richmond applied just 177 pressure points for the term — well below the standard they had set during their AFL finals campaign.

But that all changed come the second quarter, where the Tiger Tornado — as dubbed by Fox Footy’s On The Couch throughout the year — went into overdrive.

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The Tigers lifted their intensity in a frenetic second quarter that set up premiership No. 10, finishing with 212 pressure points in the second term — a defensive pressure number that is off the charts.

Led superbly by their senior and best players — such as Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards and Bachar Houli — the Tigers willed themselves back into the contest, booting 4.1 to Adelaide’s 0.5 to set up a half-time lead.

“One of the most impressive things with Richmond today is even at times when they looked like they have coughed it up in the middle of the ground and made a big mistake and Adelaide have been able to score on turnover, they have got it back again,” Cameron Ling told Channel 7.

“They have had numbers around the footy and created another turnover.”

That intensity and momentum continued into the third term, adding another 5.4 while restricting the Crows to a miserly 1.3.

“This is a stunning attack by Richmond on the man and the ball,” Mark Maclure told ABC.

And when the Tigers’ pressure lifted in the second term, so did the Tiger army — the passionate, faithful supporter group that has stuck fat to their beloved club.

Every Tiger touch of the footy, every tackle and every clever tap drew enormous cheers from the yellow and black faithful.

The concern for the Crows heading into the game was whether they could handle the Tigers’ pressure. And that was answered during quarter No. 2 when the Crows failed handle the heat and, consequentially, failed to kick-start their quintessential slingshot game.

Brisbane champion Jonathan Brown said the Crows may have struggled to cope with the dimensions of the MCG as their adventurous ball movement was clamped.

“For mine the Crows have played too straight,” Brown told Fox Footy.

The Adelaide forward line, the main reason behind the 2017 Crows scoring juggernaut, were throttled by the Tigers’ defensive set-up. Josh Jenkins and Andy Otten were held goalless, while Betts and Walker could only managed three goals between them.

Charlie Cameron was also held to one goal, but struggled through a left leg injury he picked up during the first term.

For the Crows, both Matt and Brad Crouch worked hard all day, but only four players managed to finish the game with 20 disposals or more.

Adding to the Crows’ dramas, Luke Brown (knee) and Hugh Greenwood (calf) were among hurt players.

RICHMOND 2.3 6.4 11.8 16.12 (108)

ADELAIDE 4.2 4.7 5.10 8.12 (60)

GOALS

Richmond: J Graham 3 D Martin 2 J Riewoldt 2 J Townsend 2 B Houli D Butler D Prestia J Caddy J Castagna K Lambert S Grigg. Adelaide: R Sloane 2 T Walker 2 B Crouch C Cameron E Betts H Greenwood. Umpires: Shaun Ryan, Matt Stevic, Simon Meredith.

Official Crowd: 100,021 at MCG.

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