Media articles and stats: Tough Tigers triumph over Freo

[one-eyed]

Tough Tigers triumph

By Nick Bowen
afl.com.au
4:36pm AEST Sunday, July 21, 2013

RICHMOND        3.3   4.6     9.9   12.12 (84)
FREMANTLE       2.2    2.5     6.6     8.9 (57)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Deledio, White, Martin, King, S. Edwards, Vickery, Cotchin, Jackson
Fremantle: Mzungu 3, Mayne 2, Walters, Silvagni, de Boer

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Rance, Ellis, Vlastuin, Jackson, S. Edwards
Fremantle: Mzungu, Crowley, Dawson, Clarke, Johnson, Fyfe, Mundy

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Fremantle: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Matt Arnot substituted out for Nathan Foley in the third quarter
Fremantle: Alex Silvagni substituted out for Cam Sutcliffe in the third quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, McBurney, Stewart

Official crowd: 40,125 at the MCG

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RICHMOND has tightened its grip on its first finals berth since 2001 after recording a fighting 27-point win over top-four contender Fremantle at the MCG on Sunday.

The Tigers led from the opening minute - when Jack Riewoldt opened the game's scoring with a goal - to the final siren, defying slippery and blustery conditions to win 12.12 (84) to 8.9 (57).

Richmond's win was its 11th for the season and not only strengthened its grip on sixth spot on the ladder but also took it three games clear of ninth-placed Carlton.

With key players such as Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands and Hayden Ballantyne sidelined, the Dockers never quite found their rhythm against a patient Tigers team that used pinpoint passing to cut through the visitors' renowned defence.

However, the Dockers never gave up and threatened to stage a remarkable comeback victory when they kicked the first two goals of the final term to cut a three-quarter deficit of 21 points to just eight points at the 10-minute mark.

But the Tigers steadied, kicking the final three goals to put the result beyond doubt, two coming from spearhead Jack Riewoldt, who had been well held by Zac Dawson.

Skipper Trent Cotchin was outstanding for the Tigers, racking up a game-high 34 possessions. With midfield partner Brett Deledio contained by the game's toughest tagger Ryan Crowley, Cotchin's run through the middle was vital for the Tigers.

Dustin Martin (30 possessions) was also important for the Tigers in attack and through the midfield, while young defender Nick Vlastuin again underlined his courage and poise under pressure.

The Tigers have a tough run home with games against the Sydney Swans (SCG) and Hawthorn in the next two rounds and Essendon in round 23. But they might need only one more win to book their spot in September and will start favourites against the Brisbane Lions (MCG, round 20), Carlton (MCG, round 21) and Greater Western Sydney (Skoda Stadium, round 22).

Although Riewoldt finished with four goals, Dawson was one of the Dockers' best players, holding the Tiger spearhead to just two marks, all coming in the final term.

Tendai Mzungu was excellent for the Dockers, kicking three goals in the third term, while Nathan Fyfe (27 possessions) and David Mundy (25) toiled hard on a frustrating day for the visitors.

The Tigers made a fast start, kicking the first three goals of the game to skip out to a 19-point lead at the 18-minute mark of the first term.

But the Dockers suddenly found space through the middle of the ground, kicking two late goals to cut the deficit to seven points at quarter-time.

The second term was defined by clangers and turnovers as both teams struggled to cope with the MCG's slippery surface and a swirling wind.

Tiger Matt White kicked the only goal of the term that ran just 24 minutes and 59 seconds – the shortest quarter of the season – as Richmond took a 13-point lead into half-time.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2013-07-21/tough-tigers-triumph

[one-eyed]

Five talking points: Richmond v Fremantle

By Jennifer Phelan
afl.com.au
4:05pm AEST Sunday, July 21, 2013

1. The Tigers finally get their scalp
Richmond's inability to beat the sides above it has been a valid criticism all season - but no more. While Fremantle was undermanned, the Tigers' response when repeatedly challenged would have most pleased coach Damien Hardwick. The Dockers cut a 22-point margin in the third term to get within eight points nine minutes into the final quarter after kicking the first two goals, but the Tigers rallied and were able to overcome some challenges that would have previously brought them undone.

2. One big out, one big job
Already missing the suspended Matthew Pavlich and injured pair Hayden Ballantyne and Luke McPharlin, the Dockers didn't need any other key omissions for the fifth-versus-sixth clash. But a bout of the flu grounded Aaron Sandilands, leading to a key-position shake-up. Alex Silvagni started forward before he was subbed off in the third quarter, while regular midfielder Tendai Mzungu emerging as an important goal-kicker with three third-term goals. However, Zac Dawson's job against Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt was more significant, even if the Tiger did finish with four goals. Riewoldt managed two in the first quarter goals – one from a free kick and the other after he smothered a kick from Lee Spurr and converted – and two in the last, but he took his first mark for the day in that last quarter as Dawson had the better of their one-on-one contests.

3. The shortest quarter of the season
Hardwick predicted on Thursday that the winning side would score 12 goals and the loser less – and was dead on the money. But he probably didn't expect just six goals scored at half-time, including only one in the second quarter. Turnovers were rife in the slippery conditions and were only magnified by Fremantle's defensive style. The low-scoring second quarter went for just 24min 59sec – the shortest quarter of the season so far and the only to dip below 25 minutes. The previous shortest was a quarter in the Adelaide-St Kilda clash in round eight at AAMI Stadium, which ran for 25.24. Things opened up after the main break with the game producing another 14 goals after a miserly opening half. 

4. Milestone man White green no longer
White is the Tigers' go-to substitute player but was spared the green vest for his milestone 100th match with Hardwick opting to start Nathan Foley off instead. When White kicked the only goal of the second quarter goal, he racked up his 50th career major and gave the Tigers some breathing room after the Dockers had reduced a 19-point margin to six. Hardwick paid tribute during the week to the hard-running White, who has had to fight his way to forge an eight-year career. "He's had to do it tougher than most, there's no doubt about that," Hardwick said. "I think he's improved every year he's been here, since I've been here, so we've been really pleased with his output and what he's brought to the footy club."

5. Tiger cubs continue to roar
Recent First-round draft picks Nick Vlastuin and Brandon Ellis had days to remember with 17 and 24 possessions respectively. Vlastuin had a stunning moment in the first quarter when was tunneled by Michael Barlow while taking a mark at half-back, leaving him flat on his back. But the first-year Tiger recovered quickly to take his 50m penalty, delivering to Ivan Maric in the forward 50. Brett Deledio sneaked up behind Maric after running off the bench without his opponent Ryan Crowley knowing, and duly kicked the Tigers' second goal.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-07-21/five-talking-points-richmond-v-fremantle

[one-eyed]

Tigers deliver the dream

   Matt Murnane
   The Age
    July 22, 2013

RICHMOND 3.3 4.6 9.9 12.12 (84)
FREMANTLE 2.2 2.5 6.6 8.9 (57)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Deledio, Jackson, Martin, King, White, Edwards, Cotchin, Vickery.
Fremantle: Mzungu 3, Mayne 2, Silvagni, de Boer, Walters.

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Rance, Martin, Jackson, Ellis, Vlastuin, White.
Fremantle: Mzungu, Johnson, Mundy, Dawson, Fyfe, Clarke, Crowley.

UMPIRES Donlon, McBurney, Stewart.

CROWD 40,125 at the MCG.

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

This was Richmond's chance.

So as much as you might have expected the Tigers to win, you sort of thought they wouldn't. But this might not be the "Tigers of old", so to speak. The Tigers of old haven't played finals for 11 years. These Tigers will.

But let's not get too carried away with Sunday's result at the MCG. This is Richmond, so there was some bad to go with the good, and this wasn't the same Fremantle that coach Ross Lyon hopes can go all the way.

The Tigers still make some mistakes that must cause coach Damien Hardwick to pull his hair out. Particularly with their feet, and particularly when they switch the ball back through the middle.

But that's not what this was about. This was about Tigers and the "F" word. So let's analyse the evidence that suggests this team is good enough to feature in September. That they deserve to.

Even though this wasn't Fremantle's best 22, the Dockers play with a method that always asks questions of their opposition. And this Dockers outfit kept asking questions the entire game.

They mounted one decent run in every quarter to challenge the lead that Richmond had built, and subsequently kept, all day.

Three goals from Tendai Mzungu in the third quarter punctuated the Dockers' strongest charge, bringing the margin back to nine points.

But just as they had done in the previous two quarters, the Tigers found goals when they needed to. They kicked three of the final four to close out the term, including the "captain's goal" by Trent Cotchin after the siren.

Then, in the last quarter, the Dockers charged again, kicking the first two goals to reduce the margin to eight points and set off any doubts lurking in the back of the Tigers' minds.

Yet Richmond locked in and ground down again.

Having not taken a mark for the first three quarters, Jack Riewoldt booted two goals and Daniel Jackson drilled a wild snap out of a pack to ensure the Tigers had finally done what everyone said they needed to – beat a team above them on the ladder. More importantly, they did it with the brand of football the teams above them play, consistently.

They beat the Dockers in contested ball by 16, and won clearances 40-23. Against a team such as Fremantle, that is a smashing.

They hunted the hunters, setting the tone with 21 tackles in the first quarter.

But more than just the raw tackle numbers, Richmond's constant pressure forced goals from turnovers and meant the Dockers were in the low 60s for efficiency percentage. In short, they did to the Dockers what the Dockers do to others. Lyon stated the obvious after the game when he said: "The Tigers were up and about."

They won it in the midfield. On a day when the Tigers most needed him to stand tall, Cotchin did exactly that with 34 disposals and six clearances.

Jackson also did it in that understated way that he always does it, with 22 disposals, seven tackles and seven clearances.

Dustin Martin was also damaging with his 30 disposals and six inside-50s, but more so when he went forward.

Yet there was a handful of others in the midfield who joined in to ensure the Tigers won the area of the ground Fremantle tries to turn into a battle of attrition.

It was so again on Sunday, especially the second quarter, which turned into an arm-wrestle played pretty much between the two arcs and produced only one goal.

The Tigers midfield stood the test, but we already knew they were good. Maybe this was more about the defence. It is hard to recall Alex Rance having played a better game, hauling in 16 marks while roaming across half-back and collecting 30 disposals.

They are Brian Lake-in-his-prime numbers.

And there were four other defenders – Brandon Ellis, Ricky Petterd, Bachar Houli and Chris Newman – who had 20 or more disposals each, and another, Nick Vlastuin, who had 17.

Fremantle doesn't usually kick big scores, but keeping any side to just eight goals is a worthy effort.

Richmond fans have been talking about finals with hope this year. After this they can talk with substance.

But then again, we are talking about Richmond.

PLEASE, UMPIRE
Two controversial umpiring decisions late in the third quarter were crucial in breaking open a game that was otherwise an arm wrestle. The first was perhaps technically correct, but seemed against the spirit of the match. Docker Alex Silvagni was penalised for putting his hand in the back of Tyrone Vickery. The contact was minimal, but the penalty was significant as Vickery kicked a goal. The second was worse. Docker Stephen Hill was accused of tackling Trent Cotchin high, when replays showed he only brushed the back of his jumper. Cotchin kicked the goal after the siren.

FANS LOVE KING
If you wear yellow and black you love Jake King. But even those who don't had to give King credit for his brilliant run and goal in the third quarter. After spoiling from behind, he bounced to his feet like a cat, took possession, turned, baulked one, then another, and kicked a sensational goal on his non-preferred left foot. It set the Richmond faithful into a frenzy.

DON'T KICK IT TO JACK
Fremantle defender Lee Spurr committed a disastrous kicking error early in the first quarter. Spurr took a mark just outside Richmond's forward 50, and then kicked it straight to Jack Riewoldt, who was standing on the mark. With no one inside Richmond's attacking zone, Riewoldt let fly from just outside the arc and watched it bounce through for a goal.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-deliver-the-dream-20130721-2qcb3.html#ixzz2ZgMyRA5o

[Chuck17]

Fluff pieces everyone of them

[one-eyed]

Richmond prevails over Fremantle side missing key players

    Jon Ralph
    From: Herald Sun
    July 22, 2013

After withstanding Fremantle the Tigers are surely finals-bound after so many false dawns and heartbreaking ninth-placed finishes.

Was this 27-point victory, achieved through the defensive brilliance of Alex Rance and the heroics of Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt, the scalp Richmond needed?

Who really cares - not the Richmond fans still roaring out the glorious `'yellow and black'' retort to their theme song half an hour after the victory.

And not Newman, who was just another Tiger with quick hands in heavy traffic and a will to tackle Ross Lyon's well-drilled Dockers over and again.

With 11 wins and games against Greater Western Sydney and Brisbane to come, the AFL's longest-running current finals drought is done and dusted.

"It was just an important win. The preparation was really good all week and the boys came out with a plan and executed it. They came back at us and it was a really good sign to weather the storm.''

That storm came not through rain predicted on Friday but the remarkable ability of this resilient Fremantle outfit to stay in the contest. Lyon's rope-a-dope involved Fremantle dropping loose men back and absorbing body blows before surging forward hard on the counter-attack.

Despite missing the trio of Aaron Sandilands, Luke McPharlin and Matthew Pavlich it was good enough to get the Dockers within eight points in a low-scoring contest early in the last quarter.

That Fremantle was so close was due to not only the famed Lyon system, but the ruck work of Zac Clarke, three goals and 21 touches to Tendai Mzungu and a handful of key Richmond errors across half back.

Richmond sides in this position have made crumbling under pressure an art form.

Not this time. They kicked the last three goals to keep their top-four aspirations alive, two of them through Riewoldt's accurate boot.

Trent Cotchin exploded with 34 possessions and much improved ball use, Alex Rance was an impassable rock in defence, and even Brett Deledio found ways to influence the contest despite only 15 touches on Ryan Crowley.

But the real achievement for Richmond was its team-wide commitment to out-hastle and out-tackle a side which has those characteristics as its badge of honour.

Riewoldt's smother of Lee Spurr and goal from 55 metres mirrored Luke Hodge's goal-of-the-year contender, the ball bouncing and skidding in the goal square with the 40,125 fans on the edge of their seats.

Rance dragged down David Mundy with a goal-saving tackle on the last line, and across the board a team mocked for its lack of tackling pressure brought the heat.

Then came the silk - Jake King's 20-plus step curling left-foot goal, bettered only by Jack Riewoldt's own left-foot snap, one of four goals for the spearhead on the day.

So often Richmond have arrived at this juncture and fallen apart. But there is no better pressure test than Fremantle, and yet the Tigers passed it with flying colours.

This is rarified air for Richmond, but on yesterday's effort it is also well deserved.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-prevails-over-fremantle-side-missing-key-players/story-fndv8t7m-1226682711640

Lyon said the Dockers, who were beaten in the stoppages 40 to 23, had blown opportunities in the match.

"It was a frustrating day, the Tigers were pretty good,'' he said.

"We slaughtered the ball a bit when we had some golden opportunities, particularly in the first half.

"We knew they are the number one clearance team.and that's the way that it panned out. They pantsed us around the stoppages.''

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/fremantle-coach-ross-lyon-talks-down-his-sides-loss-to-richmond/story-fndv8h5w-1226682748021

[one-eyed]

Tigers mature into contenders

    by: Courtney Walsh
    From: The Australian
    July 22, 2013

RICHMOND showed signs of its growing maturity to defeat Fremantle by 27 points, 12.12 (84) to 8.9 (57), in a season-setting match at the MCG yesterday.

For much of this century -- and, it could be argued, for 30 years -- the Tigers would have succumbed to an opponent with an approach to football best described as suffocating.

Fremantle was missing four of its best players -- captain Matthew Pavlich, ruckman Aaron Sandilands, defender Luke McPharlin and forward Hayden Ballantyne -- but that would only have placed added pressure on the Tigers of old by increasing expectations they would win.

But these Tigers are proving themselves capable of living up to expectation. It was not pretty but it was Richmond's best win for the year.

Early on, the Tigers showed great patience to maintain possession against the Dockers, who excel in pressuring their opposition into error and then striking on the rebound.

Then, with Fremantle pressing strongly early in the last term, Richmond did not wilt.

Instead, the Tigers kicked away courtesy in part of two last-quarter goals to Jack Riewoldt, with the victory on a crisp yet beautiful winter's day effectively confirming that Richmond will be a finalist for the first time since 2001.

While the opposition over the next fortnight is even tougher than the miserly Dockers, Richmond has the chance to prove itself a worthy top-four candidate against the Swans in Sydney next Sunday and Hawthorn at the MCG on the first Saturday in August.

Topple those sides and fans might begin dreaming of the last Saturday in September.

Matt White, who kicked a goal in his 100th game, certainly believes the Tigers are capable of upsetting two sides coach Damien Hardwick described as formidable. "They are two great sides and obviously we have matched up pretty well against them," he said.

"It is going to (take) a great effort for us to get over the top of them but we are looking forward to the challenge."

But even if Richmond, which sits only two points behind the Dockers, manages to surprise over the next fortnight, it is difficult to see it passing Fremantle on the ladder.

While Fremantle coach Ross Lyon conceded that yesterday's loss "clearly does not help" his side's chances of finishing in the top four, it will be favoured in each of its last six matches.

The Dockers play only one side currently in the eight -- they host Port Adelaide in round 22 -- with a match against Carlton in a fortnight possibly their toughest challenge. They are set to be boosted by the return of Sandilands and Nick Suban next week.

Lyon, however, will demand improvement on yesterday's effort. The Dockers were beaten in an area they pride themselves on, namely winning the contested ball.

"It was a frustrating day but the Tigers were pretty good," he said.

"We slaughtered the ball when we had some golden opportunities. They pantsed us around the stoppages."

The Tigers were clever in their method early in the piece when seizing the initiative.

Instead of kicking long down the wings -- where Fremantle often had a regular man -- they would chip from side to side in the hope of opening space further afield. At times, it was painstaking but it proved effective as the Tigers kicked the first three goals of the match.

Riewoldt kicked a goal in the opening minute when infringed by Clancee Pearce. He then provided a rare highlight in a scrappy match when, while standing on the mark, he intercepted a pass from Lee Spurr, pivoted on to his right foot and kicked truly from inside the centre square.

Without a target in attack, the Dockers did not kick a goal until Michael Walters was successful 21 minutes into the opening term.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-mature-into-contenders/story-fnca0u4y-1226682807298

[one-eyed]

Tougher Tigers pass test

  Rohan Connolly
    The Age
    July 22, 2013

There was rich symbolism indeed in veteran Tiger Chris Newman having the ball in his hands when the final siren rang at the MCG on Sunday.

Next week, Newman, in his 240th game, will equal an unwanted record he will share with St Kilda great, the late Trevor Barker, as the men to have played the most games of football without a single finals appearance.

But barring injury, the record will be Newman's alone for only five weeks. Because that same siren also sounded the end of a major drought for the club he has served so well for so long.

Richmond's gritty 27-point victory over an injury-depleted Fremantle has all but made certain of the Tigers' first finals appearance since 2001, the year before Newman made his senior debut.

With 11 wins and a three-game buffer to ninth-placed Carlton, Richmond probably needs only one more win to start organising its finals tickets. It could lose its next four and still pick that up against Greater Western Sydney in round 22. But there's prospects of more than a token finals appearance if the Tigers play their cards right.

Sure, they've got Sydney and Hawthorn over the next fortnight, and Carlton and Essendon in the last three rounds. They will also never meet a top side as vulnerable as were the Dockers, already without skipper Matthew Pavlich, key defender Luke McPharlin and the energy of Hayden Ballantyne, and then the late withdrawal of Aaron Sandilands.

But while the talk all week had been about Richmond needing to bag a big scalp, this was as much a win in which the Tigers battled and managed to defeat their own demons.

No Ross Lyon-coached side, relying heavily on a system rather than personnel, is ever going to lie down simply because it's missing a quartet of its biggest names. In fact, Lyon has shown repeatedly - not only with the Dockers but in his St Kilda days - the bigger the challenge, the more emphatic the response.

So out came the usual weapons. The manic defensive pressure. The predictable clamp down on Richmond architect Brett Deledio by Ryan Crowley. The late releasing of the handbrake. But the Tigers withstood them all.

At least four times, Fremantle came hard at them. And each time, the Tigers passed the test, kicking three of the last four goals of the third term, and again dominating the last after the Dockers had again crept within eight points. That wouldn't have happened last year, perhaps not even earlier this season.

It's becoming a recurring theme, though, the Tigers perhaps trading in some flash for a larger dose of fortitude, their recent wins hardly spectacular but, in a credibility sense, more convincing.

Fremantle's capacity to control the tempo and maintain possession had it a clear No.1 in the AFL for uncontested marks, but the Tigers put on enough heat to comfortably win that statistic, as well as beat Freo for contested ball and nearly double it on the clearance count.

But for one hell of an off day against North Melbourne a fortnight ago, it's that sort of solid, resilient spirit Richmond has shown since it flunked a test against Essendon in round nine. No longer can you foresee things spiralling out of control after some error. And there were plenty against the Dockers.

Some bad misses from Dustin Martin. Some ill-discipline from Jake King. The odd turnover from Alex Rance and Daniel Jackson.

But the latter pair, maligned at times - even recently - for cracking under pressure, poor decision-making, skills, or all three, still ended up among the best handful of players on the ground because rather than letting heads drop, they just shrugged off the setbacks and went again.

As outstanding as skipper Trent Cotchin was, it's the likes of Rance, tremendous in defence, Jackson, whose season out of the box continued with some tough clearance work and a critical late goal, and youngsters Brandon Ellis and Nick Vlastuin whose contributions are helping spread the load.

Enough so that while Deledio was quietened again by Crowley, this time the result wasn't a nail-biting loss such as in round five, but in the end a strong victory.

Top four for Richmond remains an achievable if unlikely prospect given the difficult run home.

And only a romantic would aspire to any more than that for the Tigers.

But the gradual improvement under Damien Hardwick has been far more pronounced in 2013. And this September, Richmond will actually get a taste of the crops they look likely to be harvesting for a few years yet.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tougher-tigers-pass-test-20130721-2qcoy.html#ixzz2ZhRXGMeD

[gerkin greg]