Author Topic: 10 from Richo steers Tigers home  (Read 1680 times)

Offline mightytiges

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10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« on: May 15, 2004, 09:15:06 PM »
Paul Gough
Sportal/exclusive to afl.com.au
15th May 2004
 
Matthew Richardson has produced the greatest individual performance of his long career to guide the Tigers to their third successive win and a place in the top eight, at the expense of an inaccurate Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

Richardson kicked 10 match-winning goals – the best return of his 181 game career – to virtually single-handedly win the game for his side 15.15 (105) to 10.22 (82).

It beat his previous best haul of eight goals, also against the Bulldogs in round one, 1994.

And after this electrifying performance one thing is clear and that is Richardson is in the best form of his 12 year career.

In just four completed matches this season – he injured his hamstring in the opening minutes against St Kilda in round three and then missed the next three matches – he has kicked 22 goals for the season.

And in three of those matches – the five goal haul against Collingwood in round one, seven against Sydney in the wet last week and 10 against the Bulldogs – he has clearly been best afield and his team’s match-winner.

Richardson’s much-maligned kicking for goal has also been faultless in recent weeks and his efforts to kick seven of his goals from set-shots shows just how much his kicking for goal has improved this season.

In stark contrast the Bulldogs just could not buy a goal when they went forward and time and time again they missed easy set shots.

In fact for so much of this game the pattern was for the Bulldogs to go forward and miss and the ball to then go to the other end for Richardson to take a strong mark – he was far too big and powerful for first Scott Bassett and then Ryan Hargrave – and kick a goal.

The Bulldogs’ most humiliating period on a frustrating day for their long-suffering fans came in the opening 10 minutes of the third quarter when they completely dominated Richmond after trailing by four points at half-time.

But the Bulldogs’ reward for their dominance was six successive behinds and it was so predictable that Richardson would take a mark and kick a goal to regain the lead for his side, when they finally went into attack for the first time for the quarter at the 10-minute mark.

The Dogs briefly regained the lead twice more in the third term – each time by just a point – but a goal to Nathan Brown, who helped himself to three goals against his former club, just before three-quarter-time saw Richmond hold an eight point lead at the last change.

And despite having had two less days to prepare for the game, the Tigers finished full of running in the final term with Richardson by this stage completely unstoppable.

The champion forward kicked four goals in the final term alone to take the Tigers back to an even win/loss record at four wins and four losses after eight rounds, which after the round five humilation against Adelaide seemed an impossible task.

And by the time Richardson snapped his 10th goal, on his non-preferred left foot, to seal the game after a Bulldogs’ turnover, Tigers fans were bowing to their hero in their thousands behind the Punt Road goal.

The Bulldogs are now battling with just two wins from eight games and despite the gallant efforts of midfielders Scott West, Brad Johnson and Rohan Smith – their forward line simply did not function, as yet again inaccuracy plagued Peter Rohde’s side.

Their great hope in attack in Jade Rawlings had a miserable day and was soundly beaten by the much-improved Ray Hall while Darren Gaspar and Joel Bowden, who have both struggled this year, played by far their best games of the season.

Richmond: 4.1 8.5 11.9 15.15 (105)
Western Bulldogs: 1.8 6.13 8.19 10.22 (82)

Goals: Richmond: Richardson 10, Brown 3, Stafford, Johnson.
Bulldogs: Bowden 2, Hahn 2, Murphy 2, West, Darcy, Croft, Robbins.
Best: Richmond: Richardson, Brown, Bowden, Kellaway, Johnson, Tivendale, Hall, Gaspar.
Bulldogs: West, Johnson, Bowden, Smith, Grant, Giansiracusa,
Injuries: Richmond: Campbell (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Rodan.
Bulldogs: Johnson (ankle)
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: Kennedy, Head, Margetts.
Crowd: 33,960 at the MCG.

http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=matchdetails&spg=display&articleid=149170
All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be - Pink Floyd

Offline julzqld

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Re: 10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2004, 08:51:30 AM »
Woohoo!!!!   Yeah Baby!!!! :-*

Offline Struggletown

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Re: 10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2004, 01:17:25 PM »
In the first QTR I yelled out to Matthew Croft who was FF for the Dogs at the punt rd end to watch Richo closely cause you'll be on him soon.
After the 9th sailed through in the last l yelled out 'told you so Crofty'
Fair play to him he looked up and gave me a wry smile 8)
Drink,Drugs and Shagging models.
The rest l just wasted.
  George Best on where his millions went

Offline Tiger Spirit

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Re: 10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2004, 12:33:52 PM »
New Tiger resolve
17 May 2004   Herald Sun
Michael Stevens

MATTHEW Richardson disposed of four opponents in kicking a match-winning 10 goals against the Western Bulldogs.

Richmond's gun full-forward was the obvious difference at the MCG on Saturday, although the Dogs didn't do themselves any favours with another atrocious kicking display.

But the question everyone was asking after the game was why Dogs coach Peter Rohde didn't try Jade Rawlings on Richardson after Scott Bassett, Ben Harrison, Ryan Hargrave and Matthew Croft were found wanting?

Rawlings, recruited as a tall marking forward, was out of sorts, having only five kicks and contributing a solitary behind.

In the last quarter, with the Dogs trailing by eight points, Rawlings even dropped a "gimme" chest mark, so low was his confidence.

The ball rebounded and Richardson outmarked Hargrave for his ninth goal to seal the game.
Rohde's reaction was to bench Rawlings rather than try him on his brother-in-law Richardson, on whom he last played in Round 22 last year.

When questioned about Rawlings after the game, he replied: "We don't think he's a good match for Richardson.

"We could have played Granty (Chris Grant) back on him but, at the end of the day, we've got to win the game. Jade's the preferred forward who's most likely to do it.

"Granty's playing centre half-back and really dominating the game. There's not a lot of point in putting those sorts of blokes back to suffer the same sort of fate as the other blokes."

The hallmark of Richardson's display was his immaculate accuracy, the product of 250 shots at goal each week in practice, according to teammate Nathan Brown.

It's a scenario the Dogs could well follow, even though Rohde said they had done more goalkicking practice than anyone would believe.

On Saturday, they registered 1.8 in the opening term, and then kicked six behinds without a goal in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter when dominating the game.

Now that the Tigers have re-discovered how to win, there's no reason they can't continue, even though they face Port Adelaide and West Coast on the road in the next two weeks.

It's worth noting that the Tigers' preferred midfield of the opening round – Wayne Campbell, Mark Coughlan and Tim Flemming – was absent on Saturday.

Campbell, missing because of a calf injury, joked after the game that he was responsible for the improved form of Joel Bowden across half-back.

Bowden had 12 touches in the first quarter on the way to 18 kicks and 12 handballs.

Dropped two weeks ago after a record game streak of 136 matches, Bowden played only one VFL game before earning a reprieve at the last minute against Sydney.

In the previous two games, Campbell has played on a half-back flank in an effort to turn his season around, and now Bowden has done the same.

Bowden's brother, Patrick, was one of the Dogs' best players, chipping in for the side's only two goals of the third quarter when it couldn't buy a goal.

Centreman Scott West again was a standout performer with 35 disposals after kicking the opening goal of the game from the 50m line on the run.

Captain Chris Grant also improved as the game wore on, taking several spectacular marks.

But in the first half, when opposed to Darren Gaspar, Grant was continually led away from the hot spot at centre half-forward, allowing Richardson plenty of room to accept bullet-like passes from Kane Johnson.
Gaspar then returned to a more familiar defensive role after halftime at full-back on Croft, allowing Jay Schulz to take over at centre half-forward.

Johnson and Nathan Brown were the Tigers who caused the Dogs most problems in the midfield.
Johnson continues to unobtrusively win the ball and rarely wastes a kick.

His only goal, the side's sixth in the second quarter, was a gem, kicked off the right side of his boot on the run.

Playing against his former team, Brown was on the receiving end of several bumps off the ball, but had the last laugh by kicking three goals in the Tigers' 23-point victory.

After only two wins from the opening seven rounds, the Dogs now face another year near the bottom of the ladder, with fans wondering where their next win will come from.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,9578260%255E19771,00.html
Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.  --Martin Luther

The time you enjoy wasting isn’t wasted time.

Offline mightytiges

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On this day - 10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2006, 06:18:19 PM »
The big fella had a day out that day but IMHO he is in career best form now especially as far as team-minded goes. He was the only one who showed any leadership and physical pressure against the Swannies.

 


All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be - Pink Floyd

Offline LondonTiger

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Re: 10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2006, 11:37:13 PM »
He has had a good year.  He would be leading our B&F I would imagine.

I would say top 5 B&F at this stage

Richo
JB
Raines
Lids
Tuck

And that sort of shows what sort of a year we are having.  Lids is doing ok, but needs a breakout game soon.

Cogs needs to pull in a 25+ game soon with quality possessions

Newman and Tivs would be close to top 5 as well

Offline mightytiges

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Re: 10 from Richo steers Tigers home
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2006, 10:18:52 PM »
He has had a good year.  He would be leading our B&F I would imagine.

The big fella is well in the lead in the prestigious OER Tiger of the Year award  ;D  :thumbsup.

Richo            88
J.Bowden      49
Polo              38
Deledio          37
Simmonds     36
P.Bowden      30
Tivendale      29.5
Tuck            25
Hyde            25
Raines          24.5

http://oneeyed-richmond.com/forum//index.php?topic=3121.msg34087#msg34087
All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be - Pink Floyd