Media articles and stats: Tigers flatten GWS, destiny awaits

[one-eyed]

Match report: Tigers flatten GWS, destiny awaits

afl.com.au
23 September 2017

RICHMOND is into its first Grand Final in 35 years after overrunning Greater Western Sydney with a 10-goal-to-four second half, to seal a 36-point triumph that sparked nearly all of the 94,258 at the MCG into a frenzy that is sure to last for at least another week and, possibly, all summer.

After leading by just one point at half-time on Saturday, the Tigers turned the game on its head in the third term, with a six-goal-to-one burst that put them 31 points up at three-quarter-time.

And when Dustin Martin goaled little more than a minute into the final term – his third consecutive major – the game was effectively over, with Richmond then able to cruise to a 15.13 (103) to 9.13 (67) win.

Martin (20 possessions and three goals) capped his stellar season with another star turn and next week will turn his attention to helping the Tigers break a 37-year premiership drought when they take on Adelaide in the Grand Final. 

Daniel Rioli also starred with four goals, while Trent Cotchin was as influential as any Tiger on the ground, leading his team in possessions (26), clearances (seven) and tackles (nine).

The Tigers could, however, face the massive blow of going into the decider without their skipper after Cotchin laid a bump on Dylan Shiel that is almost certain to attract the attention of the Match Review Panel.

Cotchin bumped Shiel 10 minutes into the first quarter as the Giant was bending down to gather the ball. The Richmond captain was also contesting the ball, but went low and caught Shiel on the chin with his shoulder.

Shiel played out the remainder of the first quarter, but suffered a delayed concussion at the first break and was ruled out of the game midway through the second quarter.

Even if Cotchin escapes with a fine, he would be ruled out of the Grand Final given he has already incurred two fines for low-level striking offences this season.

The MCG crowd was one of the most one-sided in memory, with only orange visible often the high-vis vests of the ground's security officers.

Loud and proud all game – as only Richmond crowds can be – its roar grew and grew in intensity as the Tigers took control in the second half, with its vociferous support seeming to energise Damien Hardwick's men.

Alex Rance (16 possessions, seven marks and five rebound 50s) controlled the air inside the Giants' forward 50, while fellow key defender David Astbury took on the big job of minding Jonathon Patton and held him to one last-quarter goal.

Dion Prestia (22 possessions and six tackles) and Kane Lambert (23 possessions and seven inside 50s) were also standouts in a Tiger midfield brigade that ran the Giants off their feet.

The Giants fell at the penultimate hurdle for the second consecutive year, but this loss was decided a lot earlier than last year's devastating six-point defeat by the Western Bulldogs.

Co-captain Callan Ward (25 possessions and three goals) led the way for this team, while his counterpart Phil Davis played his part, holding Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt to one late goal.

Harrison Himmelberg (four goals) provided a strong target in attack, while Jacob Hopper (28 possessions and five clearances), Josh Kelly (28 possesions and eight tackles) and Tom Scully (25 possessions and six inside 50s) provided some resistance in the midfield, and Adam Tomlinson (26 possessions) tried to generate some run from defence.

MEDICAL ROOM
Richmond: Key defender David Astbury (right shoulder) and Kane Lambert (foot) went into the rooms at quarter-time for assessment, but both returned to the field early in the second quarter.

Greater Western Sydney: Dylan Shiel suffered a delayed concussion at quarter-time after being bumped by Trent Cotchin earlier in the term. After being assessed at quarter-time, Shiel was ruled out of the game midway through the second quarter.

RICHMOND                              4.3    5.7    11.11    15.13 (103)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY     3.3    5.6    6.10       9.13 (67)

GOALS
Richmond: Rioli 4, Martin 3, Butler 2, Lambert, Caddy, Castagna, Townsend, Edwards, Riewoldt
Greater Western Sydney: Himmelberg 4, Ward 3, Kelly, Patton

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Rioli, Martin, Grimes, Rance, Lambert, Prestia
Greater Western Sydney: Ward, Kelly, Tomlinson, Scully, Davis, Himmelberg

INJURIES
Richmond: TBC
Greater Western Sydney: Dylan Shiel (concussion)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Nicholls, Meredith, Ryan

Official crowd: 94,258 at the MCG

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-09-23/match-report-tigers-flatten-giants-destiny-awaits

[one-eyed]

Tiger Army in sight of dream premiership

Warwick Green
The Age
24 September 2017

RICHMOND                          4.3 5.7 11.11 15.13 (103)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 3.3 5.6 6.10 9.13 (67)

Goals:
Richmond: D Rioli 4 D Martin 3 D Butler 2 J Caddy J Castagna J Riewoldt J Townsend K Lambert S Edwards.
Greater Western Sydney: H Himmelberg 4 C Ward 3 J Kelly J Patton

BEST:
Richmond: Rioli, Cotchin, Martin, Rance, Lambert, Nankervis.
GWS: Ward, Davis, Scully, Kelly, Patton, Himmelberg
​
Umpires: Shaun Ryan, Simon Meredith, Mathew Nicholls
Official Crowd: 94,258 at MCG

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

The fairy tale lives on. Richmond's preliminary final victory has set up a premiership decider between the two teams who came into this season with the longest AFL grand final droughts. The Tigers will return to the game's biggest stage for the first time since 1982, and will meet an Adelaide team that last played off in 1998.

Thirty five years ago it was a young Maurice Rioli, wearing the famous No.17 jumper, who lit up the MCG, winning the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in a losing grand final. Fittingly the catalyst for Richmond's win on this evening was his great nephew, Daniel, who produced several moments of individual brilliance to, at first, keep the Tigers in the contest during the first half, and secondly spark a Tigers charge that split open the game in the third quarter.

In the first quarter Rioli kicked a goal against the flow to level the scores, in the second he kicked truly on the run from 50 metres to get the Tigers back to within one point, and in the third quarter he snapped two opportunist goals to bring the crowd of 94,258 to life.

Rioli finished the match with four goals, but his forward pressure was equally impressive and included six tackles. Some of his deft taps to advantage were reminiscent of another Rioli who has played in four premierships in recent years.

The third quarter was the defining stretch of this final and there were several moments that told the tale of the two teams. Apart from Rioli, Richmond got two goals out of Dustin Martin when coach Damien Hardwick pushed him deep to the goal square, one-out against Heath Shaw. Martin sealed the result with a trademark baulk and banana kick one minute into the final quarter.

At the other end of the MCG the Giants blazed away into their forward line in the third quarter, where key forward Jonathon Patton was outnumbered in aerial contests and had no support at ground level. It meant  any opportunities for the quarter were as precious as gold. Two of them fell to  Steve Johnson, who squandered them in morale-sapping fashion. Firstly, Johnson declined a set shot from 45 metres and instead handballed to Nathan Wilson, who blasted wide under pressure. A minute later Johnson won a free kick on the 50-metre line near the boundary. He opted for a smart-alec look-away hook kick that landed straight in the arms of Shaun Grigg and took the wind out of the Giants' sails.

Where the Stevie J gamble paid off last week, it was a bust this week.

Richmond were brilliantly led by senior players Trent Cotchin and Alex Rance. The skipper was the dominant midfielder on the ground, but will have an anxious wait to see how the match review panel assesses a high bump on Dylan Shiell in the first quarter. Shiell played out the opening quarter but missed the rest of the match with concussion.

Rance led a backline that looked slightly shaky early but became dominant as the match wore on. He backed himself at every opportunity and was prepared to play on and move the ball quickly after grabbing intercept marks.

The match began with Richmond exploding out of the blocks. Cotchin won a free kick at the opening bounce and kicked long to a pack split by Jack Riewoldt. Martin did not break stride as he exquisitely crumbed the spilled Sherrin and his handball to Kane Lambert in the goalsquare had the Tigers a goal up after just 21 seconds. Martin again was integral as Richmond had another two shots to be 13 points up within four minutes. But the Giants bounced back to take command in the next 20 minutes of the opening term, sweeping forward in waves to set up goals to Harrison Himmelberg (two) and Callan Ward.

The second quarter was an arm wrestle, with the Giants dominating possession but failing to press home their ascendency on the scoreboard.

By half-time the Giants had 48more disposals, but Richmond kept themselves in the match with their tackling – particularly in the forward 50 – and some flashes on individual brilliance.

But Richmond blew the game open in the third quarter. It was at half-time of the 1975 prelim that Richmond premiership coach Tom Hafey told his charges that time had come to "fight like hell". "There's nothin' more Tigerish than a bloody Tiger, a wounded Tiger," he roared.

And so it proved with the class of 2017. They booted six goals to one in the 33 minutes after half-time and with each one the crows became louder. Both fed of each other and stoked each other's belief.

Several Richmond players who had struggled to have an impact began to have an influence as the Tigers gained momentum nearing the finish line.

The Giants had few players who contributed for the entire match. Ward battled away in typical hard-nosed fashion, while Phil Davis was solid in the key defensive post.

But all of the attention should and will go to Richmond. The fairytale lives on. The media hype will go into overdrive. The supporters will be even more frenzied, and postcode 3121 will be swinging for at least another week.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/richmond-tigers-vs-gws-giants-tiger-army-in-sight-of-dream-premiership-20170923-gynh69.html

[one-eyed]

Every Tigers player rated from the second preliminary final

afl.com.au
24 September 2017


David Astbury – 6
Was under pressure early when Harrison Himmelberg kicked two early goals, with the second goal coming after he was outmarked in the goalsquare. He then hurt his A-C joint, but returned in the second quarter to provide much needed support.

Nathan Broad – 5
Played within his limitations, picking the first option when kicking and putting teammates into space. He was good enough to keep his opponent quiet but did not have any influence.

Dan Butler – 4
Laid two big tackles late in the first quarter to bring himself into the game but he was quiet with just seven touches. His tackling pressure counted most and he finished with six tackles.

Josh Caddy – 6
Began the game brilliantly with a snap goal in the first five minutes that had the Tiger army on their feet and then handed another one off to Jason Castagna in the first quarter. Was at his usual bullocking best and his big body and experience created many loose balls inside the contest.

Jason Castagna – 6
Bounced back from the qualifying final with a lively opening. He was handed a goal but he created space and could have kicked multiple goals if he had kicked straight. Castagna ended up with 18 touches and holds his spot for the Grand Final.

Trent Cotchin – 9
Best on ground, the skipper set the tone, winning contests he had no right to win and laying energy sapping tackles on the opposition to inspire his team to victory. Any finals question marks are well behind him and the Brownlow medallist is now a great player. He now waits for the Match Review Panel to assess his concussion-inducing bump on Dylan Shiel.


Shane Edwards – 7
Edwards is an underrated midfielder and once again his best work was unseen as he linked up and won the ball in tight when required. Although he missed a gettable snap in the first quarter, it was the only blemish as he won 10 contested possessions.

Brandon Ellis – 5
He battled to get away from Matt De Boer but when he did he created run through the middle, winning more of the ball as the game went on and restricting the Giants.


Jack Graham – 5
Inexperienced but brave he ran hard to mark and would have had a better game if he had made the most of chances in front of goal. He has another tough body over the ball and linked up well.

Shaun Grigg – 6
After a nervous start, he lifted in the second quarter and then was moved on to Kelly, keeping him quiet in the third quarter when the game was up for grabs. He is a vital cog in the midfield.

Dylan Grimes – 7
He did a great job on Toby Greene, restricting the brilliant Giant forward and provided great support to Alex Rance and David Astbury. His only blemish was a missed set shot when the game was tight in the third quarter.

Bachar Houli – 6
Kept persisting even when the ball didn't bounce his way at times in the first half. Once the game broke open he was instrumental in the Tigers maintaining momentum. He won a hard ball at a defensive stoppage late in the game that was important.

Kane Lambert – 7
Kicked the first goal of the match when he received a handball from Dustin Martin but there was more to his performance than that cameo. He won 23 disposals and four clearances to show his value, with his run along the wing late in the game a steadying moment.

Dustin Martin – 8
The champion opened the game with an exhilarating crumb that led to Lambert kicking a goal within the first minute and had Tiger fans roaring. He then broke the game open when he went forward in the third quarter kicking three goals including the opener in the last quarter. No-one can tackle him. The Tiger army was chanting his name midway through the last quarter and you could understand why.

Kamdyn McIntosh – 5
He looked a little shaky early but he never stopped putting his head over the ball and laid five tackles.

Toby Nankervis – 6
The big ruckman lifted in the third term and it made a huge difference to the Tigers. His tackle on Lachie Whitfield early in the third was a massive moment as it crushed the Giants' momentum. He was very good in the second half.

Dion Prestia – 6
More of an accumulator than a player who did anything special but he was good when required. He ended the game with 22 disposals and has become a solid midfielder at Richmond.

Alex Rance – 8
Rance was brilliant whether playing on Harrison Himmelberg or Jonathan Patton cutting off multiple attacks and turning defence into attack. The champion full back once again stood tall in defence, taking seven marks and controlling the backline.

Jack Riewoldt – 6
A quiet game but his mark and goal with less than 10 minutes remaining was the sealer, steadying any nerves and putting Richmond into the Grand Final. He was solid but didn't have many chances.

Daniel Rioli – 9
The matchwinner started the game quietly but it was clear by midway through the first quarter he was going to be dangerous. He laid two great tackles either side of quarter time and then kicked a massive running goal in the second quarter against the run of play. He then went beserk in the third quarter with two brilliant snap goals that made a Tigers' victory certain.


Jacob Townsend – 4
He kicked an opportunistic goal in the third quarter after his teammate's pressure saw him gather a loose ball near the goals. He then won a contested ball early in the last quarter when the Tigers needed to keep fighting neutralising a two on one. Laid five tackles.

Nick Vlastuin – 6
Had a quieter game in the preliminary final but his rebound from the defensive 50 was important. A very good footballer, he just did the job as required.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-09-23/every-tiger-rated-from-the-second-preliminary-final