Scoring the goal for Tigers, BluesRohan Connolly
The Age
April 2, 2015For two clubs whose antipathy towards each other has been as genuine a rivalry as has existed in the postwar era, Richmond and Carlton these days have far more in common than they'd like to admit.
Certainly, the glory days for both the Tigers and Blues seem a distant memory. The last time they played off in a grand final, in 1982, was Richmond's last appearance at the big dance.
That was also Carlton's sixth premiership in a glorious 14-year window. Since then, the Blues have won just two more, the last of those 20 years ago this year.
But as the Tigers and Blues launch the 2015 AFL season on Thursday night, there's some more immediate common ground, too, a shared Achilles heel, which, if not addressed, will leave both short of the mark once again. And it concerns the game's most fundamental goal, or rather, goals.
Before a game has been played, there's a consensus that with defence having gone about as far as it can, the only way for attacking football is up, and that increasingly, it's the capacity to score that will separate the best from the rest.
Indeed, it already does. Hawthorn last year was the only team to average more than 100 points per game, the Hawks' 111.7 a full two goals clear of another flag aspirant in Port Adelaide.
Richmond, despite reaching September for a second year in a row, lagged in 11th on the scoring charts at an average of 85.7. Carlton had a similar to tale to tell scoring almost exactly the same.
The midfield cream in both sides has been well documented, and their defences have proved adequate. But the opener gives us our first glimpse as to how either team intends to bridge the scoring gap.
Carlton has to do so with a new-look forward set-up after losing over two summers Eddie Betts, Jarrad Waite and Jeff Garlett, and for now at least, without Matthew Kreuzer, who spent time over the pre-season training as a key forward before re-injuring his foot.
Carlton will go in against the Tigers with Lachie Henderson and Liam Jones as their marking targets, at ground level Troy Menzel looking to build on the promise shown last year when he finished third in the goalkicking, and an unknown but exciting quantity in Clem Smith, who can be expected to exert defensive pressure.
Jones, in particular, will be watched closely. An erratic performer for the Western Bulldogs, he's shown some good pre-season signs, and was close to the Blues' best forward in the last NAB Challenge game against Geelong.
Coach Mick Malthouse said on Wednesday he hoped to get 40 goals this year out of the recruit. Even that would be an advance on the Waite's 29 goals last season.
Richmond, meanwhile, has no issues finding a big goalkicker. Jack Riewoldt is a dual Coleman medallist who has won the Tigers' goalkicking the past five seasons, never with anything less than 58. His tally of 61 in 2014 represented 21 per cent of Richmond's entire score. The Tigers scored two goals per game more in 2013 than last year, with Riewoldt kicking fewer.
Coach Damien Hardwick conceded that while his team controlled the ball well, finishing off its opportunities inside 50 hadn't been a strong point.
There's been some pre-season tinkering to the blend, with defender Steve Morris trialled up forward, and with the emergence of midfielder Anthony Miles last year, Deledio likely to spend even more time closer to goal.
Not for the first time, though, it's the capacity of tall forwards, Ben Griffiths or Ty Vickery, to go to another level, which could have a bearing on whether Richmond hits the scoreboard hard enough.
For both sides, the opening game of the new season, like always, will have its share of unknowns. But in the case of the Tigers and Blues, never more so in the opening stoush than when the ball crosses the centre line.
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