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Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on August 18, 2019, 04:46:45 PM

Title: Media articles & stats: Game of the season - Tigers pip Eagles in a classic
Post by: one-eyed on August 18, 2019, 04:46:45 PM
Game of the season: Tigers pip Eagles in a classic

Riley Beveridge
afl.com.au
Aug 18, 2019 3:50PM


RICHMOND        3.1     6.5      8.8      13.10 (88)
WEST COAST     7.1      8.2      9.3       13.4 (82)

GOALS
Richmond: Lynch 3, Riewoldt 2, Castagna, Caddy, Bolton, Lambert, Short, Martin, Soldo, Edwards
West Coast: Cripps 3, Darling 2, Rioli 2, Petruccelle, Hickey, Allen, Ryan, Waterman, Kennedy

BEST
Richmond: Martin, Houli, Edwards, Grimes, Prestia, Lynch
West Coast: Yeo, Hurn, Shuey, Gaff, Sheppard, Jetta

INJURIES
Richmond: Grimes (ankle)
West Coast: Hutchings (hamstring)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Gavine, Mollison

Official crowd: 57,415 at the MCG

-----------------------------------------------------------

IF SUNDAY was billed as a warm-up to September, it quickly felt like the real thing.

And if the occasion acted as the perfect chance to gain an early mental advantage over a genuine premiership rival, mark this six-point win down as a crucial edge for Richmond.

In front of a vocal MCG crowd, with the intensity of the contest dialled up a notch, you wouldn't be surprised if this round 22 match-up was replicated again on September 28.

If it is, the Tigers would gladly accept a similar result.

The neutrals would gladly accept similar entertainment, as well.

The manner of the victory might fray the nerves for supporters, though. Having fallen five goals down in the first quarter, Richmond was forced to spend the entirety of the match edging its way back into the contest to secure a dramatic 13.10 (88) to 13.4 (82) win.

That comeback was eventually complete in the 29th minute of the final term, when Jack Riewoldt's classy off-balance snap around the body proved the difference in an epic battle.

Dustin Martin was outstanding in dragging the Tigers back into the contest, delivering a performance reflective of his 2017 best with 35 disposals, six clearances and a goal.

Shane Edwards and Dion Prestia were also fantastic in the midfield, while Bachar Houli and Dylan Grimes – the latter battling an ankle injury – provided a sensational rear-guard stand.

There were plenty of positives despite the defeat for West Coast, who had shot out of the blocks before nearly returning serve in the tense final moments of the contest.

Elliot Yeo (26 disposals, 15 clearances, eight tackles) was the standout in midfield, while Shannon Hurn (24 disposals, 10 marks) provided plenty of rebound from the backline.

However, ultimately, it was the Tigers who solidified their spot in the top four with victory.

September might still be 13 days away, but from the outset this felt like finals footy.

Whether it was the bright spring-like sun that blanketed the MCG in the early stages of the game, or the desperate nature of the contest, the whole occasion smelt like September.

And the Eagles were treating it as such.

Within the first 10 minutes on Sunday, Andrew Gaff, Jack Darling and Jeremy McGovern had all thrown themselves into oncoming packs. Sometimes it was brave, others reckless, but regardless it signalled their intent to treat the clash as a preview to the finals.

The visitors also produced the footy to match. Crisper and cleaner around the ground, they kicked seven of the first 10 goals to claim a 24-point lead by the first change.

But just as good sides do, the Tigers responded. The last goal of the opening term was followed by the first two of the second quarter, as the margin was quickly slashed.

The comeback was critical, as the grey skies closed in on the MCG.

The heavens eventually opened at half-time and stayed for the remainder of the game, making it a different type of encounter as both sides started to battle for territory.

While the spectacle suffered as a result of the weather, the contest didn't.

Just three goals were kicked in a gruelling third term, as the Tigers closed the gap to just a point at the final change, relishing the suddenly wet and windy Victorian conditions.

At times, it appeared like that surge of momentum might overwhelm West Coast. But, to the credit of the visitors, they never relented despite a late rush of Tom Lynch goals.

Having relinquished what others might consider an insurmountable advantage in the wet a number of times, they kept being able to respond through generating run from half-back.

But Riewoldt's goal, with just four minutes on the clock, did the trick.

However, while the defeat might sting temporarily on the return flight home for the Eagles, there is a sense this rivalry isn't done yet in season 2019. See you again in September?

MEDICAL ROOM

Richmond: Important defender Dylan Grimes limped from the field midway through the third quarter, unable to put any weight on his right leg after an awkward landing from a marking contest. However, having gone to the rooms, he returned for the final term.

West Coast: Mark Hutchings spent a fair portion of the first quarter battling what appeared to be a hamstring strain. He returned for the second term, but was taken out of the game at half-time. The Eagles had already lost experienced defender Will Schofield before the game. He was a late withdrawal, having been managed.

NEXT UP
Richmond returns to the MCG to meet minor premiership hopefuls Brisbane in a massive clash next Sunday, while West Coast heads home to Optus Stadium to host a Hawthorn side desperate to make the eighth finals spot its own on Saturday night.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-08-18/match-report-richmond-v-west-coast
Title: Richmond hang on in thriller against Eagles (Age match report)
Post by: one-eyed on August 18, 2019, 09:43:47 PM
Richmond hang on in thriller against Eagles

Peter Ryan
The Age
18 Aug 2019


Richmond have hung on in a thriller to defeat a brave West Coast side by six points in a match befitting a final, with fortunes swinging in a thousand different directions during a frenetic final quarter.

After trailing by four goals at quarter-time, the Tigers kicked eight of the next 10 goals and appeared home when they kicked 13 points clear in the final quarter. But the Eagles kept coming to draw level with five minutes remaining, before Jack Riewoldt snapped a goal late in the game to give the Tigers the win.

They now have to beat top-placed Brisbane Lions at the MCG next Sunday to finish in the top four, while the Eagles have to rely on results falling their way to earn a top-two finish.

It was Richmond's master of chaos Dustin Martin who turned the momentum of the match in the second quarter, loosening the Eagles' early grip on the game.

Martin had 11 touches in the second term, giving the Tigers territory as they clawed back the Eagles' lead. West Coast had threatened to run away with the game in an opening blitz that yielded seven sublime goals through clean, creative football.

During that first quarter the Eagles controlled the ball, sharing it and using speed, quick hands and accurate kicking to open up a four-goal lead at quarter-time.

Martin inspired his team to lift their intensity around the ball and constantly bombed it forward to the tall targets, Tom Lynch and Riewoldt.

By half-time the Tigers had dragged the margin back to nine points, with only an ordinary umpiring decision and a worse set shot from Jason Castagna stopping them from being on even terms.

During the long break the rain arrived, an uncontrollable factor that any form analyst knew favoured Richmond, who love the conditions as much as any horse sired by High Chaparral.

However the Eagles didn't win last year's premiership by wilting under pressure, and the game settled down to a head-to-head battle, like two warriors down the home straight.

The Eagles fell behind but fought back, and the Tigers lost then regained Dylan Grimes after he suffered an ankle injury.

Nine goals were kicked in a desperate last quarter, with Richmond managing five to the Eagles' four. It was twin towers Lynch and Riewoldt who kept the Tigers hitting the scoreboard as Martin, Dion Prestia and Shane Edwards settled into a war of attrition against Elliot Yeo, Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff.

A dubious decision to Willie Rioli led to a goal before a handball error from Jeremy McGovern gave Lynch the chance to kick another settler.

But it wasn't until the siren went, with Jason Castagna in possession of the ball, that the Tigers were home and a top four spot was in their control.

Studs-up decision again controversial


Richmond forward Riewoldt took a mark in the second quarter when he jumped over McGovern by pushing the bottom of his boot into the back of the Eagles defender's leg. The mark was disallowed due to the studs-up rule, which will surely be reviewed at season's end. But the umpire wasn't finished, paying another free kick against Riewoldt in the dying minutes for the same offence, enraging the Tiger.

Dylan Grimes' miracle return


Late in the third quarter, Grimes rolled his ankle and two trainers helped him from the ground. He suddenly reappeared along the boundary line with just three minutes elapsed in the last quarter to resume his position as the goalkeeper after what must have been a liberal application of Lourdes water on the ankle.

RICHMOND 3.1 6.5 8.8 13.10 (88)
WEST COAST 7.1 8.2 9.3 13.4 (82)

Goals:
Richmond: T Lynch 3 J Riewoldt 2 D Martin I Soldo J Caddy J Castagna J Short K Lambert S Bolton S Edwards.
West Coast: J Cripps 3 J Darling 2 W Rioli 2 J Kennedy J Petruccelle J Waterman L Ryan O Allen T Hickey.

Best:
Richmond: Martin, Prestia, Houli, Grimes, Edwards, Astbury.
West Coast: Hurn, Jetta, Gaff, Shuey, Cripps, Yeo.

Umpires: Jacob Mollison, Mathew Nicholls, Hayden Gavine.
Official Crowd: 57,415 at MCG.

VOTES
Dustin Martin (Richmond) 9
Dion Prestia (Richmond) 8
Shannon Hurn (West Coast) 7
Bachar Houli (Richmond) 7
Andrew Gaff (West Coast) 7

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-hang-on-in-thriller-against-eagles-20190818-p52iak.html
Title: Tiger time: Dusty the hero in absolute epic (Herald-Sun match report)
Post by: one-eyed on August 18, 2019, 09:46:06 PM
Tiger time: Dusty the hero in absolute epic

Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
18 Aug 2019


As Collingwood put Richmond to the sword in last year’s preliminary final upset, Dustin Martin was as lame as a racehorse off to the knackery.

On Sunday, with Richmond’s top-four hopes suddenly in peril, it was West Coast’s turn to shellshock the Tigers with an identical first-quarter avalanche.

Seven sensational goals against a Richmond side missing midfield generals Trent Cotchin and Toby Nankervis had put the Tigers 24 points down and in full-blown crisis.

Richmond paid Martin $1.4 million a year for days like Sunday at the MCG.

As the Tigers walked off the MCG six-point winners in a contest of finals-type intensity, Martin had put West Coast to the sword with 35 possessions of the highest class.

The statistics will tell you he had 11 second-quarter touches but in a game of moments he refused to let Richmond go quietly into the night as they had last September.

This contest had everything — contentious umpiring decisions, dramatic momentum swings, a game up for grabs in the final passage of play.

Richmond spent the second and third quarters establishing their game plan, then the final 10 minutes grimly hanging on.

Yet by the final siren their top four hopes were still on their own boot thanks to Martin’s class and Jack Riewoldt’s perseverance.

Riewoldt endured two contentious studs-up free kicks — the final one in the last minutes of a seesawing contest — and is yet to find the marking touch of pre-surgery.

But as West Coast surged as they did against Collingwood last year when all seemed lost, Riewoldt came up big in a trio of key moments.

He barged through a pack to find Shane Edwards for a steadying goal and then flicked a handpass to Tom Lynch (three majors) for a key goal.

Then with scores level he banged through a snap as the rain poured down to kick the game’s final goal.

The Eagles looked shot several times in the last quarter, down by 13 points late before levelling scores as their much-vaunted running game finally clicked again late.

Jamie Cripps and Jake Waterman kicked goals from limited chances and when Josh Kennedy finally won a one-on-one against David Astbury to goal, scores were level.

But from a hurried clearance Brandon Ellis intercepted and flicked the ball in to Riewoldt, whose snap finally gave the Tigers a win that could set up a deep finals tilt.


VOTES

3. Dustin Martin

2. Dion Prestia

1. Shannon Hurn

BEST

RICHMOND: Martin, Prestia, Edwards, Houli, Lynch, Grimes

WEST COAST: Hurn, Yeo, Gaff, Shuey, Cripps

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/richmond-move-into-top-four-with-thrilling-win-over-west-coast-in-an-mcg-epic/news-story/751c819c65d06b932a771ba86c299e73