Media articles & stats: Battered Tigers count cost in loss to Port

[one-eyed]

Battered Tigers count cost as Port cruise

AFL.com.au
March 10, 2016

RICHMOND'S round one preparations have been thrown into a tailspin after four key players suffered injuries in Thursday night's NAB Challenge clash against Port Adelaide.

On a night that the Power unveiled goalkicking recruit Charlie Dixon and built momentum with a 48-point win, the Tigers were left licking their wounds at Etihad Stadium as Shane Edwards, Shaun Grigg, Reece Conca and Jacob Townsend were all cut down.

The Tigers took the extraordinary step of fielding just 15 players for periods of the final quarter, with stars Alex Rance, Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin taking breaks but not being replaced on the ground.

One of the Tigers' most important players, Edwards suffered an apparent collarbone injury at the end of the first quarter and was sent for scans with his left arm in a sling.     

The night got worse from there for Damien Hardwick's men, with Grigg suffering a hand injury and midfield recruit Jacob Townsend leaving the ground on a stretcher after leading with his head to tackle Hamish Hartlett.

Perhaps most disappointing for the Tigers, Conca suffered what appeared to be his fourth hamstring injury in the past 12 months, with his body letting him down at the end of a strong pre-season.

Despite being down to two rotations on the bench, the Tigers refused to risk vice-captain Brett Deledio in the final term, ensuring he got through his first pre-season game unscathed.

After a sloppy start, Port put its foot down once the Tigers' injuries mounted and kicked away to win 0.13.15 (93) to 1.4.12 (45), notching its first win of the NAB Challenge. 

Souring a good night for Ken Hinkley's men, Hartlett will face scrutiny from the Match Review Panel after appearing to headbutt Townsend.

Dixon was not unveiled until the third quarter but he made an impact immediately, throwing his weight around in the forward line and impressing with his repeat efforts and ground level work, kicking one goal.

Star forward Chad Wingard was also tuning up for round one with his first pre-season match, and the All Australian showed glimpses of his best with classy movement in attack and two goals.

Gun midfielder Ollie Wines was a standout with 26 possessions and seven clearances, while Sam Gray continued his impressive pre-season with 28 and eight.

For Richmond, half-back Bachar Houli was solid under pressure and kicked well with his 27 possessions, while David Astbury underlined his re-emergence with 17 and eight marks.

Young midfielder Connor Menadue was already shaping as a likely starter in round one, but the Tigers' injuries and his own form should ensure it.

The lightly-built 19-year-old impressed with his 13 touches and commitment, topping off a pre-season that has impressed his coaches at Punt Road Oval.   

With Ivan Maric missing, the Tigers brought Shaun Hampson in for his first NAB Challenge game, while Sudanese rookie Mabior Chol made a low-key start to his career with five disposals.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Richmond: Richmond will miss Shane Edwards if he is to miss a lengthy period with his collarbone injury. Edwards adds an important dose of speed and class to Richmond's mix, and he has become an underrated and valuable contributor in recent seasons. In five of his last six years, Edwards has played 20 or more games. A leg injury last year restricted Edwards to 16 games, and he would have been hoping for a more productive season in 2016. Tigers coach Damien Hardwick will have his fingers crossed the damage to Edwards' collarbone isn't too significant.

Port Adelaide: Ollie Wines might become Port Adelaide's best midfielder this season. It's a big call, because captain Travis Boak is a long-time proven performer, Brad Ebert just keeps running, and when Robbie Gray and Hamish Hartlett play as full-time midfielders they have a huge impact. But Wines looks in great physical shape and has a presence around every stoppage. He led the way on Thursday night with 26 disposals and seven clearances, and looks set to bounce back after some frustrating injuries last season.

NEW FACES

Richmond: Jacob Townsend's ability to niggle, nag and annoy opponents surfaced again against the Power, and the former GWS midfielder should add a combative streak to Richmond's on-ball unit this year. Unfortunately for Townsend, his night ended prematurely after being concussed in an attempted tackle in the third quarter. Against his former team, Andrew Moore was solid for the Tigers, gathering 17 disposals, while first-year speedster Daniel Rioli showed some spark, speed and class early in the third term to set up a goal for Ty Vickery.

Port Adelaide: Port fans had to wait until the third quarter to see boom recruit Charlie Dixon introduced into the game, as the club continues to closely manage his pre-season load ahead of round one. The ex-Gold Coast forward took a strong mark within two minutes of coming on the field, which set up a goal for teammate Jay Schulz. Former Melbourne midfielder Jimmy Toumpas moved through the wing and was polished at stages but didn't have much of it, finishing with 11 touches at 90 per cent efficiency.

NEXT UP
Both clubs now have a two-week break before round one of the home and away season. The Tigers will kick things off with their annual opening-night clash against Carlton at the MCG on Thursday, March 24. Port Adelaide has a little longer to prepare for its first clash, when it takes on St Kilda at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, March 27.


RICHMOND                 1.3.2   1.3.5   1.4.11   1.4.12    (45)                 
PORT ADELAIDE          0.2.3   0.6.7   0.9.7    0.13.15   (93)         

NAB SUPERGOALS
Richmond: Deledio
Port Adelaide: Nil

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 2, Vickery 2
Port Adelaide: R.Gray 2, Schulz 2, Wingard 2, Ah Chee, Broadbent, Dixon, S.Gray, Neade, Westhoff, White

BEST
Richmond: Houli, Riewoldt, Moore, Menadue, Astbury
Port Adelaide: Wines, S.Gray, Hartlett, Ah Chee, R.Gray, Boak

INJURIES
Richmond: Edwards (shoulder), Grigg (thumb), Conca (hamstring), Townsend (concussion)
Port Adelaide: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Deboy, Nicholls, Kamolins

Official crowd: 6584 at Etihad Stadium

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-03-10/battered-tigers-count-cost

[one-eyed]

Tigers go down to Power surge

richmondfc.com.au
March 10, 2016

Richmond has rounded out its pre-season preparations with a 48-point loss to Port Adelaide in the Club’s final NAB Challenge match at Etihad Stadium on Thursday night.

Of more pressing concern than the final result, however, is the fitness of some key Tigers two weeks out from Round 1, with Shane Edwards, Shaun Grigg, Reece Conca and Jacob Townsend all leaving the game early through injury.

From the opening exchanges, it looked like the Tigers could be in for the long night which unfolded with Port’s talls on top, kicking the first two goals of the game through Jay Schulz and Justin Westhoff.

Richmond were able to answer back quickly though, with Jack Riewoldt opening the host’s goal tally courtesy of a 50-metre penalty, before following up quickly after with a soccer effort from the goalsquare after holding back Alipate Carlile.

Ty Vickery was the recipient of a holding the ball free kick and duly converted from 15-metres out, and when Brett Deledio bobbed up with a supergoal off his left foot – just his third kick in anger of the year – the Tigers had pushed the lead out to 14 points in the blink of an eye.

The damage that Port’s talls looked like inflicting in the first term, was replicated, and then advanced, by the Power’s mosquito fleet in the second with the only four goals of the quarter from Matt White, Jake Neade and Grays – Robbie and Sam – coming in quick succession.

Schulz converted his second of the match to start the third quarter, before Vickery marked a quality Daniel Rioli kick inside 50 to goal and break the run of five consecutive Port Adelaide majors.

Port was able to accelerate again from that point on, booting the final six goals of the match through Chad Wingard (2), Brendon Ah Chee, Matthew Broadbent, Charlie Dixon and another to Robbie Gray, as the Tigers focus went to conservation mode.

In a positive for the Tigers in an otherwise forgettable night, Deledio got through his allotted minutes unscathed, picking up 11 touches and the supergoal.

Bachar Houli (27 touches) and Alex Rance (20) were the leading possession-getters for the Tigers out of defence, while Brandon Ellis (20) and Kamdyn McIntosh (19) got most of the midfield ball.

Across town, recruit Chris Yarran featured in Richmond VFL’s intra-club clash as he continues building towards an early-season appearance.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2016-03-10/nab-challenge-3-match-report

[one-eyed]

Dimma fumes as Tigers’ injury toll mounts.

Port Adelaide defeats Richmond by 48 points, 2016 AFL NAB Challenge at Etihad Stadium

Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
March 11, 2016

ALL Damien Hardwick wanted was for The Footy Show to steal Friday morning’s back page headlines.

The Tigers senior coach didn’t need heroics in Richmond’s final tune-up, just a fighting effort and a clean bill of health.

Tick the boxes and move on to preparation for Thursday week’s season opener against Carlton.

Instead he got a full-blown disaster.

A quartet of injuries, a heavy defeat, yet more controversy and a handful of on-field queries over game-plan fundamentals combined to wreck a relatively untroubled summer.

A club that has spent the past few months wishing away the summer is now running out of time to hit Round 1 with momentum.

Hardwick must have been inclined to spend the second half in the medical room, because that is where the real story was emerging.

By the halfway mark of the second quarter Shane Edwards was off to hospital nursing a banged-up collarbone and Shaun Grigg (wrist/thumb) was done for the night.

Just about the time vision was shown of Edwards leaving for hospital, the Herald Sun website broke news of Martin’s father’s arrest and possible deportation.

Martin was rampaging around Etihad Stadium like a man possessed, but the story will have to be an ongoing distraction for the Tigers star.

Of course this is not another controversy relating directly to Martin’s conduct, but imagine if your mentor and mate was about to be banned from the country?

Then by the third quarter Reece Conca’s latest hamstring strain ruined one of the night’s few positives, his strong play as a back pocket.

Of course it could get worse, as inside bull Jacob Townsend knocked himself senseless attempting to tackle Hamish Hartlett.

Instead of celebrating Chris Yarran’s successful VFL return, the Tigers were counting the savage cost.

All of that would have been sufficient for a sleepless night for Hardwick if the Tigers had backed up their last-start win over Hawthorn.

Instead a swarming, hard-running Port Adelaide held sway for most of the night with the kind of midfield dominance North Melbourne feasted on in that elimination final.

Jack Riewoldt was on another plane whenever the ball came into his area, the star having a hand in all of Richmond’s four first-half goals.

But the question remains whether the Tigers midfield is good enough when Martin and Deledio and Edwards are forward of the ball.

Port Adelaide absorbed the Tigers’ early sorties then ramped up the pressure, their midfield combining close-in grunt with real pace and overlap run.

Chad Wingard was well held on his return from hamstring tightness and Charlie Dixon surviving unscatched after emerged for the second half.

Yet after a pair of NAB Challenge losses, Ken Hinkley’s got exactly the type of fight and midfield dominance he would have demanded.

Ollie Wines didn’t miss a beat, Sam Gray is now one of the first picked and no fresh injuries emerged.

Mission Accomplished in every possible way.

The Tigers will need to use every one of the 13 days available — and their final intra-club match against Geelong — to regroup.

Who plays as the third tall given Ben Griffiths (concussion) didn’t play, Mabior Chol probably isn’t ready and Troy Chaplin will be needed forward?

Are Nathan Broad and Daniel Rioli ready, given both mixed glimpses of potential with moments where the game caught up with them.

By the final siren Richmond was playing two man short, and Hardwick was left realising he needs every second until this 2016 explodes into action.


PORT ADELAIDE 0.2.3 0.6.7 0.9.7 0.13.15 (93)

RICHMOND 1.3.2 1.3.5 1.4.11 1.4.12 (45)

GOALS

Power: Wingard 2, Schulz 2, R Gray 2, Ah Chee, Dixon, Neade, Westhoff, Broadbent, White, S Gray

Tigers: Riewoldt 2, Vickery 2, Deledio (supergoal)

BEST

Power: Wines, S Gray, Hartlett, Ah Chee, Boak, Schulz, Ebert

Tigers: Riewoldt, Martin, Astbury, McIntosh, Grimes, Conca, Houli, Townsend

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/port-adelaide-defeats-richmond-by-24-points-2016-afl-nab-challenge-at-etihad-stadium/news-story/b3df6d2b2987bbd4f96e8ffc2041202f#load-story-comments