One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on June 30, 2019, 04:35:32 PM
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Saints fight for Richo, but Tigers still prove too good
AFL.com.au
Callum Twomey
Jun 30, 2019 3:58PM
ST KILDA 3.0 7.0 8.3 10.10 (70)
RICHMOND 2.0 6.2 9.4 16.7 (103)
GOALS
St Kilda: Bruce 3, Hind 2, Acres, Marshall, Long, Membrey, Parker,
Richmond: Stack 4, Chol 3, Lynch 3, Bolton, Rioli, Caddy, Ellis, Castagna, Graham
BEST
St Kilda: Marshall, Gresham, Billings, Clark, Battle, Ross
Richmond: Martin, Stack, Prestia, Chol, Vlastuin, Lambert
INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Richmond: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Power, Stevic, McInerney
Official crowd: 40,962 at Marvel Stadium
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ONLY seven days ago Alan Richardson was given nine games to prove he should remain coach at St Kilda next year.
The Saints' loss to Brisbane last week put immense pressure on Richardson's position, leading football boss Simon Lethlean to say the Saints would need to show improvement for the coach's tenure to continue into 2020.
That rebound came against Richmond on Sunday. The Tigers got the honours, beating a persistent Saints outfit by 33 points at Marvel Stadium, but the 16.7 (103) to 10.10 (70) result will alleviate some of the immediate scrutiny on Richardson despite the fadeout in the last term.
It was also against a much stronger Richmond outfit than in recent weeks, too, after the inclusion of big names Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, David Astbury and Kane Lambert.
The Tigers took some time to get going after making seven changes from the side that lost to Adelaide two weeks ago but were stronger in the crunch periods against the Saints.
Dustin Martin was excellent throughout the contest with 36 disposals (a game-high 13 contested) and six clearances, while Dion Prestia (29 touches), and Kane Lambert (23) were also influential.
NAB AFL Rising Star contender Sydney Stack was also crucial in the win, booting four goals, including three in the first half, in a dynamic display in attack, while young ruckman/forward Mabior Chol kicked three in a promising performance.
Pleasingly, too, for Tigers coach Damien Hardwick, all of his players returning from injury got through unscathed as Richmond gives itself a chance at making an impact in September.
St Kilda didn't win but will have been pleased by the showing of a number of its youngsters. Rowan Marshall put in another consistent game with 19 disposals, a goal and 33 hit-outs, while Jade Gresham (22 disposals) and Hunter Clark (23) also had an impact.
St Kilda was fast out of the blocks, kicking the first three goals of the game before Richmond could settle.
Clark was impressive, finding nine disposals in a busy first term, but the Tigers grew into the contest.
Stack's flying grab at the top of the goal square, and subsequent goal, was the highlight of the term as Richmond cut the deficit to a goal at the first change.
Stack didn't stop there. He kicked the first goal of the second term before a four-goal run from St Kilda that was built on quick ball movement and daring pace saw it jump to a 23-point lead.
Mature-agers and line-breakers Matt Parker and Nick Hind got involved for the Saints, with Hind booting two sharp goals.
But Stack continued to take his chances and a shimmy and long goal from the first-year sensation helped Richmond get back within four points at the main break.
St Kilda controlled the ball for the main part of the third term, before Richmond struck back, forcing the Saints into errors and capitalising.
After Martin had set up Tom Lynch for a goal, Daniel Rioli ran into an open one and then Josh Caddy slotted a long shot, the Tigers had booted six goals straight to take a 14-point lead.
St Kilda was efficient in the first half, but Richmond's defensive tactics shut down their space in the third term, drying up the Saints' scoring. A late goal to Parker, however, kept them within touching distance.
But Richmond's class came to the fore when it mattered.
Jason Castagna's goal midway through the last quarter sealed it for the Tigers, after exciting youngster Shai Bolton had spun out of strife to handball to Rioli, who felt pressure on his heels and knocked the ball Castagna's way instead of grabbing possession.
It trickled into the forward pocket, where Castagna feigned a kick and snapped a goal from the boundary line on his non-preferred foot.
MEDICAL ROOM
St Kilda: The Saints appeared to get through the contest without any injury worries.
Richmond: It was the same for the Tigers, who ended their win with a full complement of players.
NEXT UP
Richmond heads to Metricon Stadium next Saturday to take on Gold Coast, while St Kilda will also be on the road, playing North Melbourne in Tasmania on Sunday.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-06-30/match-report-st-kilda-v-richmond
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Tigers run out winners in see-sawing contest with Saints
Warwick Green
The Age
1 July 2019
How often has an inspired tap-on from a Rioli proved the decisive moment that splits open a game of football?
With Richmond and St Kilda seemingly determined not to take any sort of risk during a cautious outing at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the game was in the balance midway through the final term.
The ball came bouncing awkwardly into the Richmond forward line and hovered for an instant above Daniel Rioli's eyes, making it look for all the world that he had been set up for a crunching tackle if he took possession.
Instead he instinctively knocked it on to the forward pocket and into the path of Jason Castagna, who carefully tip-toed along the boundary, holding forth the Sherrin like an Italian waiter balancing a tray in a Lygon Street restaurant. Castagna then stepped inside his St Kilda opponent and snapped truly with his left foot, making the margin four goals and effectively ending the contest.
For two teams with so much at stake, this was a match marked by measured ball movement that seemed designed to eliminate risk and errors. Unfortunately, both teams were guilty of several atrocious unforced blunders as they kicked the ball inside 50, and as a result 19 of the first 21 goals in this match were the direct result of turnovers.
Some of the more senior players were the main culprits, notably boom Saints recruit Dan Hannebery, who looked especially rusty early in the match.
The goals came in streaks. St Kilda burst out of the blocks with the first three of the match, only for Richmond to reply with three of their own to level the scores a minute into the the second quarter. St Kilda kicked the next four; Richmond the next six.
This was not a match dominated by the big names. Dustin Martin had a lot of the ball (36 disposals) and predictably set up several goals with his clever kicking, but was not the dominant force that his numbers would suggest.
Skipper Trent Cotchin, returning from injury, was workmanlike, whereas gun forward Tom Lynch was well held for most of the afternoon by Jake Carlisle.
Instead it was the lesser lights who were pivotal in this victory. Sydney Stack ignited the Tigers early, booting two of their first three goals and finishing with four. His poise and polished disposal stood out on a day when others were guilty of slamming the ball on to their boot.
Mabior Chol was outstanding, whether lending a hand in the ruck, pulling in contested marks in the back half, or posing a threat up forward, where he kicked three goals - two of them precise set shots from distance.
For the under-fire Saints there were encouraging signs from their young players, notably Hunter Clark, who produced his best game in a St Kilda jumper playing across half-back.
STACK'S ON
He has added steel and excitement to the undermanned Richmond back half this season, but Stack hasn't had much of a look-in up forward in his debut year. That changed in this match with Tigers coach Damien Hardwick starting him across half-forward. The move paid dividends with Stack snaring the Tigers' first goal in spectacular style. With Richmond trailing 18-0 late in the first quarter, Lynch drove a 45-metre kick to the top of the goal square, where Stack gracefully sprang onto Clark's shoulders and pulled in an old-fashioned hanger, landing like a cat jumping off the next-door neighbour's fence.
RETURNING STARS
Hardwick conceded before the match that "there are always concerns with cohesion when you bring in seven players, but the reality is that a lot of those players have played together a long sustained period of time".
The seven Tigers who came into the team - captain Cotchin, defender David Astbury, midfield pair Kane Lambert and Shane Edwards, ruckman Ivan Soldo, Jayden Short and Shai Bolton - all make Richmond a much more formidable outfit, but the Tigers unquestionably looked rusty early in the match.
Richmond frequently fumbled the ball in the first half and several unforced turnovers resulted in St Kilda goals. Of the seven, Soldo, Cotchin and Lambert produced a typically hard-working and honest contributions. All will be better for the run.
MADDIE'S MATCH
This was the fourth annual match between these two clubs in support of Maddie Riewoldt's Vision, which helps fund medical research into finding a cure for Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome.
Maddie is the sister of former St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt and the cousin of Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt, who missed this match through injury.
Splashes of purple - Maddie's favourite colour - could be seen everywhere at Marvel Stadium, most notably replacing the red panel on St Kilda's jumper.
Richmond players also wore purple armbands, and signs at the ends of the stadium were renamed "Riewoldt" (northern end) and "Maddie" (southern).
During the intervals between quarters there were challenges between the Saints team, captained by Nick Riewoldt, and the All Stars team captained by Jonathan Brown, with marking and kicking contests involving the likes of former Saints Stewart Loewe and Nick Dal Santo and jockey Damien Oliver.
RICHMOND 2.0 6.2 9.4 16.7 (103)
ST KILDA 3.0 7.0 8.3 10.10 (70)
Goals:
Richmond: S Stack 4 M Chol 3 T Lynch 3 B Ellis D Rioli J Caddy J Castagna J Graham S Bolton.
St Kilda: J Bruce 3 N Hind 2 B Acres B Long M Parker R Marshall T Membrey.
Best:
St Kilda: Marshall, Clark, Ross, Long, Carlisle, Membrey.
Richmond: Stack, Chol, Martin, Prestia, Grimes, Lambert.
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Shane McInerney, Justin Power.
Official Crowd: 40,962 at Marvel Stadium.
VOTES
S Stack (Rich) 8
M Chol (Rich) 8
R Marshall (StK) 7
H Clark (St K) 7
D Martin (Rich) 7
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-run-out-winners-in-see-sawing-contest-with-saints-20190630-p522ol.html