Tigers thrash Swans
Daily Advertiser
MATT MALONE
March 3, 2008
Richardson booted five goals and tore Sydney’s defence to pieces to lead the Tigers to an emphatic 17.11 (113) to 13.10 (88) win.
In front of a crowd of 8296, Richmond got off to a flying start and never let the Swans in.
On occasions the Swans managed to get within two goals, but a Tigers forward line of Richardson, Brett Deledio and Graham Polak caused constant headaches for the Sydney defence.
Richmond midfielders Nathan Foley, Kane Johnson and Shane Tuck led the charge and racked up plenty of possessions to set up the win. In a sad night for the Swans, Barry Hall was a clear standout up forward, booting five goals against numerous opponents, but the former captain did not have enough helpers.
Sydney’s defence was down and their midfield lacked the firepower of Richmond’s, with Adam Goodes, Luke Ablett and Brett Kirk all having quiet nights by their standards.
The only negative for the Tigers was a suspected rib injury for utility Jay Schulz, who was stretchered from the ground late in the second quarter.
Richardson gave the Narrandera crowd a sign of what was to come in only the second minute, when he took a strong mark inside 50 and kicked truly to boot the opening goal of the day.
Jarrad McVeigh was quick to reply with the Swans’ first goal, but the opening 25 minutes was all Richmond’s.
Richardson kicked two and Cleve Hughes, Graham Polak and Shane Tuck all scored majors as the Tigers raced to a 28-point lead.
Hall then started to get into the game, kicking the final two goals of the quarter, but he also missed two straight forward shots on goal as Richmond entered the first break with a 14-point lead.
The two teams went goal for goal early in the second term, with Hall registering his fourth goal just 11 minutes into the second term.
Midway through the term, a Jude Bolton goal and a Darren Jolly monster from outside 50 put the Swans within two straight kicks. But another set-shot miss from Hall on the half-time siren cost Sydney dearly, and Richmond entered the main break with a three-goal lead.
Sydney kicked two of the first three goals of the third term, through Brett Kirk and Michael O’Loughlin, and again the Swans looked set to launch a serious challenge.
But a brilliant piece of crumbing work and a goal from Richardson put the Tigers back on track. Two goals towards the end of the third term to Kane Johnson saw Richmond enter the last change with a 23- point advantage.
A impressive goal on the run to Ryan O’Keefe in the opening minute of the final quarter put Sydney within reach at just 17 points behind. But Richmond responded through Deledio and then Richardson to shut the gate on the Swans, giving the 2007 wooden-spooners an encouraging pre-season victory.
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