Especially because the Tigers had taken a four-point lead with 21 seconds to play.

"They got the ball, they kicked it forward, they marked it," was all Hardwick said. "They marked it, pretty simple solution."

It wasn't as simple as that.

An AFL club tactical analyst (who wished to remain anonymous) revealed to Fairfax Media what went wrong for Richmond and what went right for Fremantle.

He described the match's final moments as "a victory for Fremantle's win-the-game scenario training and a failure for Richmond's defend-the-lead scenario training".

Step 1 - Lachie Neale goes to Dustin Martin

The analyst said it is well known among AFL clubs that the way to stop Martin is to put an attacking player on him because "he struggles to defend those kinds of players".

That's why Neale went to Martin. First win for Fremantle.

"Martin's idea of bodywork at any stoppage is to fend off when he has the ball. He isn't great at stopping a player getting the ball," the analyst said.

Martin didn't make body contact with Neale and as the ball was bounced Neale "sells a little side step deception to Martin to wrong foot him". Neale was then free to run.

On the right of the centre circle, Martin is side-stepped by Neale. All other Richmond mids at the centre bounce make body contact, except for Martin. Photo: Fox Footy

Luckily for Fremantle, Shaun Grigg didn't win the ball after Sandilands' initial tap, but Sandilands did manage to force the ball to the right side of the ground (if you're watching from behind Fremantle's goals) knowing that Neale would be there. Neale knew Sandilands would tap to that side, the analyst believed.

Step 2 - Richmond half backs are deceived by Fremantle half forwards

The analyst said behind the goal footage that he watched showed that before the centre bounce Fremantle's half forwards purposefully walked slowly away from the central-half-forward area and centre square line.

It meant there was space for Neale to run into and kick inside 50 with no pressure from in front of him. Second win for Fremantle.

"Only one Richmond defender needed to rush Neale but none did because they'd been sucked away from that area by their man and they were too worried to leave their man," the analyst said.

Neale (on centre square line) was able to run to that point unchallenged from in front. Photo: Fox Footy

"If Richmond rushed Neale he might be forced to step a player, kick the ball high into the forward 50 or even handball over the top."

This would have brought Alex Rance into play, the analyst said, because he sat loose and deep in Fremantle's forward 50 anticipating the long, high kick. Instead Neale was able to pick out David Mundy.

Step 3 - Richmond defensive "caravans" and all that right-side space

While Fremantle's high forwards moved their opponents away from the space Neale wanted to run into, the Dockers' deeper forwards moved to the left side of the forward 50 so the right side remained free.

This was where Mundy led to. The analyst said Richmond's defenders were too worried about playing on their man from behind, another fatal flaw. Third win for Fremantle.

Fremantle's forwards have dragged Richmond's defenders away from the right side of the ground to create space for Mundy's lead. Photo: afl.com.au

"If Richmond's defenders set up in a zone to guard all of the dangerous space it's more likely we would have seen a contested situation," the analyst said.

"Dylan Grimes also should have played in front of Mundy and Rance should have been able to get to the contest", the analyst said. "Ideally Grimes and Rance would have sandwiched Mundy and spoiled if Richmond had been defending in more of a zone."