Media articles and stats: Young Tigers mauled by Dogs

[one-eyed]

Young Tigers mauled by Dogs
richmondfc.com.au
7:14 PM Sun 04 April, 2010


Richmond                 2.0    4.5      6.6        7.6 (48)
Western Bulldogs      6.2    9.6    14.11    17.18 (120)

GOALS
Richmond: Morton 3, Martin, Nahas, Post, Vickery
Western Bulldogs: Hahn 3, Hill 3, Cooney 2, Cross, Giansiracusa, Griffen, Everitt, Hall, Higgins, Lake, Moles, Picken

BEST
Richmond: Thursfield, Newman, Cotchin, Morton
Western Bulldogs: Gilbee, Cross, Cooney, Akermanis, Higgins, Griffen, Hahn, Boyd

INJURIES
Richmond: -
Western Bulldogs: Johnson (calf) replaced in selected side by Hill

Reports: -

Umpires: McLaren, Findlay, Pannell

Official crowd: 27,358 at MCG

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

RICHMOND nipped at the Bulldogs' heels but was rarely able to threaten as the Dogs ran away with a 72-point win at the MCG on Sunday.

The Tigers trailed at every change and fell away in the final quarter as the Dogs won 17.18 (120) to 7.6 (48) win.

The Dogs kicked away early and had a 26-point lead by quarter time, but every time they collectively took their feet off the accelerator, the enthusiastic Tigers pushed forward.

Mitch Morton kicked Richmond’s first nine minutes into the first term and the young Tigers were showing what could best be called ‘youthful enthusiasm’, highlighted by Ben Nason’s endeavour when tackling Jason Akermanis.

But while spirit was there to see early, the final quarter for the young Tigers was disappointing.

With the result a fait accompli very early on, the Dogs simply did enough. They answered every Richmond goal with three or four and gradually increased their lead with each term, sucking the spirit out of the young Tigers.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/91638/default.aspx

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Bulldogs steamroll Tigers at MCG

   * AAP
    * From: Herald Sun
    * April 04, 2010 8:39PM


Barry Hall and Brodie Moles cop a sports drink bath after their first win in the doggies jumper. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

THE Western Bulldogs have completely dominated an inferior Richmond outfit, winning by 72 points at the MCG.

Midfielders Daniel Cross and Adam Cooney sparked the Bulldogs into third-quarter life after a lacklustre first half to post a 17.18 (120) to 7.6 (48) victory.

Forward Josh Hill, a late replacement for skipper Brad Johnson who was a pre-match withdrawal, and Mitch Hahn booted three goals each for the Dogs.

But Cross, Cooney and rebounding defender Lindsay Gilbee were the stars, having days out against a young Tigers side which tried to the best of its limited ability.

Cross mixed courage with a massive appetite for work in the midfield as he racked up 28 touches, while Brownlow Medallist Cooney booted two goals and gathered 26 possessions.

As the Tigers struggled to hit targets by foot throughout, Gilbee put on a clinic in that department - continually sparking the Dogs into attack as he found teammates with pinpoint kicking.

The Bulldogs led by 31 points at half-time, struggling to find their rhythm as uncharacteristic turnovers blunted their attack.

But they clicked into gear to lead by 53 points by three-quarter time then stepped up another couple of notches in the final term to leave the Tigers scoreless until the final seconds of the quarter.

Forward Mitch Morton booted three goals for the Tigers, while Richmond fullback Will Thursfield blanketed Bulldogs star forward Barry Hall.

Hall booted a goal but contributed little else.


Best:
Western Bulldogs: D Cross A Cooney L Gilbee J Akermanis M Hahn S Higgins.
Richmond: T Cotchin W Thursfield K Moore C Newman D Connors.

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Team Stats

player              D     EFF%     K     H     G     B   CM    UM     T     CL     C     FF     FA     CP     UP     I50     A
      
Richmond         336    75    178    158    7    6    6    73    43    31    52     21    21    102    232    39    7   
Bulldogs          429    76    235    194  17   18   13    105  68    28    44    21    21    128    298    71    30

Individual Stats

player     D     EFF%     K     H     G     B     CM     UM     T     CL     C

17    Newman, C     24    96    15    9    0    0    2    5    2    1    1
19    Connors, D     22    73    12    10  0    0    1    5    0    0    2
9    Cotchin, T        22    82    13    9    0    0    0    7    4    3    1    
3    Deledio, B        22    73    11  11    0    0    0    3    2    4    4    
23    Jackson, D      22    73    9    13    0    0    0    3    3    0    4    
36    Martin, D        21    81    8    13    1    0    0    2    1    8    1    
40    Moore, K        20    75    15    5    0    0    1    7    3    1    2    
10    Edwards, S     18    78     9    9    0    0    0    4    2    2    5    
16    McGuane, L    18    78    11    7    0    0    0    5    1    0    0    
31    Thomson, A    18    83    8    10    0    0    0    4    1    4    1    
30    Tambling, R    16    81    6    10    0    1    0    0    3    1    2    
20    Morton, M        15    67    9    6    3    1    0    2    1    1    3    
15    Farmer, M        14    57    7    7    0    0    0    2    1    0    1    
47    Nason, B        14    71    9    5    0    0    0    4    5    0    2    
26    Nahas, R        13    62    6    7    1    0    0    5    1    1    2    
27    Hislop, T        11    73    7    4    0    0    1    6    1    0    7    
28    King, J          10    50    5    5    0    1    0    4    1    1    5    
8    Riewoldt, J      10    50    8    2    0    2    1    2    5    0    1           
5    Simmonds, T    8    75    2    6    0    0    0    0    2    2    3    
37    Post, J           7    57    4    3    1    0    0    3    1    0    3    
2    Thursfield, W    7    86    3    4    0    0    0    0    2    0    1           
29    Vickery, T        4 100    1    3    1    0    0    0    1    2    1

player         FF     FA     CP     UP     I50     A      

17    Newman, C      1    0    8    15    1    0
19    Connors, D      1    1    4    19    1    0
9    Cotchin, T          3    0    7    15    4    1
3    Deledio, B          2    0    5    16    6    0
23    Jackson, D         2    2    3    18    2    0
36    Martin, D          0    0    7    14    2    0
40    Moore, K          2    0    5    14    1    1
10    Edwards, S      0    1    5    13    0    0
16    McGuane, L      0    0    6    11    1    0
31    Thomson, A      1    1    6    11    3    0
30    Tambling, R      1    1    5    10    1    0
20    Morton, M          1    0    7    8    1    1    
15    Farmer, M          0    1    3   11    0    0    
47    Nason, B          2    1    6    8    2    0    
26    Nahas, R          1    0    4    9    4    1    
27    Hislop, T          0    5    3  10    3    1    
28    King, J            0    4    5    7    2    1    
8    Riewoldt, J        2    0    5    4    1    1
5    Simmonds, T     0    3    3    5    1    0    
37    Post, J            0    0    1    7    3    0    
2    Thursfield, W    1    0    2    5    0    0    
29    Vickery, T        1    1    2    2    0    0

http://superstats.heraldsun.com.au/gamestatslive/5015578.html   

[one-eyed]

Young Richmond Tigers never in the hunt against Western Bulldogs
Mark Stevens
Herald Sun
April 05, 2010

IT WAS as if everyone had over-indulged on the Sunday morning Easter egg hunt.

The Western Bulldogs looked lethargic in patches and spent much of the game in second gear, slamming the foot down in spurts.

Richmond tried hard enough, but also looked flat for periods, as if it knew the result was inevitable.

The crowd was also strangely quiet, with the biggest cheers coming when a young Richmond player did anything remotely positive.

But the Dogs will bank the four points, ruing the fact they won't get another opportunity to play the Tigers again this season.

The final margin was 72 points, but it should have been closer to 100 as Richmond dropped away to an embarrassing level in the final term.

The Dogs sprayed 3.7 in the last quarter and Richmond's only goal of the term came in the final seconds. If Dogs coach Rodney Eade wanted to be picky, he could nail his players for not making it a total obliteration.

In a sign of the gap between the best and the worst in this competition, the Dogs had 93 more disposals (the equivalent of three gun midfielders) than the Tigers for the match.

They also took 22 forward 50 marks to Richmond's four, with Mitch Hahn the most dangerous marking target.

Yet Hahn failed to cash in, finishing with 3.5.

Barry Hall was well held by Will Thursfield and the Tigers' defence unit as a whole held up well considering the ball was pumped inside the arc 71 times.

Yet Richmond wasn't clean enough to produce enough meaningful rebound. The Tigers were monstered in the midfield, losing the tackle count 68-43, and simply didn't have the muscle to withstand the onslaught of the battle-hardened Dogs.

The Dogs led by 26 points at the first term, and from there were never seriously challenged.

We will learn more about them when they meet Hawthorn on Sunday given Richmond's inability to apply pressure, but there were some major positives for the Dogs.

Adam Cooney was back to his Brownlow best, winning 26 disposals. What would please Eade most is 11 of the 26 were of the contested variety.

Cooney not only kicked 2.3, but also had a role in five other scores. His efficiency and class stood out among the turnover merchants at Tigerland.

Daniel Cross was as relentless as ever, and Lindsay Gilbee, who, like many of his mates, had a downer against the Pies in Round 1, had 30 disposals and barely wasted one.

But we know those three can play.

Maybe, more importantly, we learned that Andrejs Everitt might just be a player.

Everitt was shaky against Collingwood, but showed an ability to haul in a contested mark, weave through traffic with poise and even dobbed a set shot goal from outside 50m.

Tom Williams also got some valuable game time in defence, and a boost in confidence that comes with lining up against a Richmond forward line full of kids.

You have to hand it to the Richmond fans who were still roaring approval as tackles were laid in the final term.

It is going to be that kind of year at Tigerland. There is no choice but to take pleasure from the little things in life.

The Dogs' faithful are chasing something much more substantial.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/young-tigers-never-in-the-hunt/story-e6frf9jf-1225849679573

[one-eyed]

Tigers get lesson as Dogs run riot
JAKE NIALL
April 5, 2010
 
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Cross, Gilbee, Cooney, Lake, Boyd, Akermanis, Hahn.
Richmond: Cotchin, Thursfield, McGuane, Connors, Newman, Martin.

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

DAMIEN Hardwick had suggested that Richmond would improve on its depressing round-one deja vu, and, remarkably, it can be argued that it did. The Tigers might have been slightly better last night than they were in round one, and at this rate, they will soon have a highly competitive loss.

Unfortunately for Richmond, the opposition also was a notch above what it had confronted in the season opener. So the upshot was that the score against the Bulldogs last night was even worse than the Carlton game; a semi-competitive game at half-time blew out to become a 12-goal loss.

It was a sobering result for the Tigers, given that it happened a day after the only team considered to be a competition peer - Melbourne - went within a point of the mother of all upsets against Collingwood.

On what was shown this weekend, Melbourne is further advanced in its reconstruction than the Tigers, who still require some demolition work on their playing list.

Like a relief worker surveying the wreckage, Hardwick opted to coach from the boundary line in his second game. The match cannot have looked much different down there than it did from the grandstand.

The Richmond coach saw what we did - the Bulldogs moving the ball with slick precision and scoring, while the Tigers would cough it up.

The major differences between these teams - and 12 goals is an accurate reflection of the gap - are experience and skill. The Bulldogs are both the most experienced team in the competition and perhaps the most skilful by foot.

Richmond must own the worst set of foot skills in the competition. Although the Dogs were credited with (11) more ineffective kicks than the Tigers, overall they had 72 more effective disposals. For the likes of Lindsay Gilbee, the Bulldogs' designated kicker, the Tigers represented a form of target practice.

The skill gap is partly a reflection of the vast differential in experience. Last night, the Bulldogs' 22 contained 13 players who had played more than 100 games, and several of those were in the 150-game range.

The Tigers had only three 100-gamers, and one of those was Troy Simmonds, who was fortunate to be retained on the list, and seems to have survived only because Richmond values child protection - it did not want its young rucks to be physically smashed early in their careers. The Tigers were without four 100-gamers: Ben Cousins, Shane Tuck, Jordan McMahon and Graham Polak. Of that quartet, only Cousins has been good enough to get a game in 2010.

The Doggies enjoyed a significant advantage, too, in physical strength. This advantage was most pronounced in Richmond's attack, where Jack Riewoldt was matched with Brian Lake, one of the game's best and most powerful defenders.

Riewoldt is a talented forward, but he is very much a middleweight best suited to second and third defenders, and he was not exactly the beneficiary of great delivery. Result: Lake had 20 disposals and did not concede a goal.

In the midfield, Adam Cooney, Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd were prolific and efficient, Cooney's excellence blotted only by a profligate 2.3.

The Tigers had Trent Cotchin, an exceptional talent who will truly flourish once his body is able to withstand a heavier training load.

Brett Deledio, who is Richmond's most damaging player, was unable to find the space to cut loose. Dustin Martin was the other source for optimism for the Tigers. After two games, he's among the first dozen picked.

Both clubs lost highly decorated veterans from their round-one games. Richmond couldn't pick Cousins, and Brad Johnson was a predictable late withdrawal for the Dogs.

So, in addition to the huge gap in experience, skill and strength, we can add a fourth deficit: depth. Foreman Hardwick has many holes to fill.

PLAYER WATCH
Josh Hill: A late inclusion who made the most of Brad Johnson's illness, kicking three goals and was equal top goal kicker with Mitch Hahn for his team.

Trent Cotchin: Richmond's precious No. 2 draft pick from 2007 was arguably his side's best player, even if he wasn't the most prolific. Though still adapting physically to top level footy after setbacks with his body, Cotchin had some very classy touches.

WHERE THE MATCH WAS WON
The Dogs were in control from the outset, getting a two-goal break five minutes into the match and never looking back and extending their lead in every quarter.


WHERE THE MATCH WAS LOST
Richmond's defence was not disgraced but the Tigers continually struggled to hit their targets. - SAMANTHA LANE

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-get-lesson-as-dogs-run-riot-20100404-rlol.html

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Bulldogs hammer sorry Tigers
Courtney Walsh
The Australian
April 05, 2010


THE Western Bulldogs' assault on this year's premiership is under way, after they thrashed the despairing Tigers by 72 points at the MCG last night.

The NAB Cup champions were understandably pleased to post the easy victory after an opening-week struggle against Collingwood, but the sorry state of Richmond is again evident early in another AFL season.

Unlike the Demons' stoic effort on the rebound a day earlier, when they got within a point of Collingwood after a thrashing the week before, there was little to enthuse about at the MCG last night.

Indeed, the margin would have been far greater had the Bulldogs kicked with their usual accuracy in attack.

Rookie coach Damien Hardwick could possibly point to his defence, for at least Will Thursfield, Kelvin Moore and Daniel Connors -- aside from an awful second-term mistake that allowed Daniel Giansiracusa in for a goal -- held firm, up to a point, against the torrent of Bulldog attacks, with Bulldogs boom recruit Barry Hall held to just one goal.

Young midfielder Trent Cotchin, identified as a beacon of hope at Richmond from his debut in 2008, also showed some improvement.

At a stretch, Hardwick might identify the second quarter as one the Tigers should have won but for the inaccuracy of Jake Riewoldt, but the adage of bad kicking equalling bad football is something Hardwick cannot look past if he is to improve this group.

What must gall Richmond fans is that its start to the year is possibly worse than the horror of last season.

Its 56-point first-round loss to Carlton is an improvement on the 83-point nightmare of last year, but the Tigers of a year ago rebounded to press eventual premier Geelong for much of their round two encounter.

Lamentably, Hardwick's men simply lacked the talent to match the Bulldogs early in the match, and their last-quarter endeavour was poor.

Alarmingly, the Tigers face no easier a task next Saturday against the in-form Swans at the SCG.

On Saturday, Melbourne set the tone for its improved performance by kicking the opening goal against Collingwood.

If Hardwick was to be granted an early wish yesterday, it would have been that his young Tigers could manage the same feat.

Unfortunately, despite two promising forays forward in the opening minutes, it was the Bulldogs, through the impressive Shaun Higgins, that kicked the first goal by sliding through a difficult attempt from deep in the pocket. When Liam Picken followed with another a minute later from outside 50, it told the story.

Due to their talent, the Bulldogs had goaled from two half-chances, while Richmond -- Mitch Morton aside -- did not have the ability to turn an opportunity into something that counted.

If life in Richmond's forward line becomes too tough -- and the evidence to date is that it is far from football's most joyous job -- Morton could consider a career as a magician or pickpocket based on the sleight of hand that led to his second goal, in one of the few highlights for Tigers fans.

As tall forward Jayden Post attempted a difficult mark under heavy pressure from a pursuing Bulldog, Morton managed to pinch the ball as it dropped from his teammate's hand to foot and then wheel on to his left side to snap Richmond's second goal.

But by the time Andrejs Everitt had kicked the Bulldogs' sixth -- overcoming the tactical flood of Richmond players in defence by kicking the ball over them from outside 50m -- the match was effectively over with three quarters to go, as his side took a 26-point lead into the first change.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/bulldogs-hammer-sorry-tigers/story-e6frg7mf-1225849630953