VFL Tigers fight and win at CoburgBy Brenton Mann
Richmond Media
April 1, 2023Richmond VFL ventured to Piranha Park to tackle Coburg on Saturday afternoon, after the Tigers’ opening round win over the Bullants a week prior.
Like Round 1, Richmond ground out a resilient win, as it fought tooth and nail to prevail by 42 points, the final score reading, 11.12 (78) to 4.12 (36).
Steve Morris put it on his midfield brigade to lift its rating at quarter time, lighting a fire under Thomson Dow and Tyler Sonsie, as the burgeoning on-ballers took control at the coalface.
The duo combined for 59 disposals and 15 clearances, inspiring those around them as Richmond assumed control at the first break.
The Tigers fielded two debutants following four from Round 1, as Mohammed Yassine and Billy Cooper started their careers in Yellow and Black with a bout against the Lions.
Yassine and Cooper are alumni from the Bachar Houli Foundation and Korin Gamadji Institute respectively.
Nineteen-year-old Yassine is a real line breaker, which was evident with his first possession as it sliced through the heart of the lush oval.
Light drizzle and gloom equated to tricky conditions, with both sides consistently turning the ball over, leading to the Sherrin pinging between the arcs.
Sonsie and Austin Johnson were the diamonds in the rough, as Sonsie shimmied his way from congestion, feeding the ball to Johnson, who watched his long-range snap sail through.
Jacob Bauer slotted Richmond’s second goal with a spearing set-shot from the paint of 50, as the Tigers edged past the Lions on the scoreboard.
Richmond clung to a slender three-point lead at the first change and went about swiftly extending that after the first break.
Small forward, Harrison White jagged his first goal of the game, which was soon followed by Kaelan Bradtke registering the Tigers’ fourth major.
Dynamic defender, Mutaz El Nour made his way forward centre, sliding down the open side and clinging the ball to his chest.
El Nour displayed poise and power by foot, sinking his aqua right boot into the ball and saluted accordingly.
Richmond raced to a four-goal lead, which Angus Hicks pushed to five after smartly dribbling through a major from a scramble in the goal square.
Debuts at any level are special, and a goal on debut adds to the occasion.
As Ben Miller tracked a bobbling ball in the forward pocket, Billy Cooper swopped by for the handball and coolly snapped his debut major in front of his ecstatic band of supporters.
Coburg sense the urgency, slamming on two goals in quick succession, much to the delight of the home crowd.
The Tigers upped the ante around the ball and elevated their defensive intent in the second term, which led to a 21-point lead at the main break.
Football in drizzly greasy conditions is standard practice for recruits from The Apple Isle, and Seth Campbell looked right at home from the opening bounce.
Campbell covered the ground like a colt that was sired by a mudlark, with his ball handling, disposal, and decision-making shining like the ivory sand of Wineglass Bay.
Scoring dried up somewhat in the third quarter, with Bauer and Hicks adding to their goal tally.
What the term lacked in goals it made up for with friction, with tensions reaching boiling point.
The add spice ignited the crowd, in a throwback to yesteryear.
Richmond was able to withstand the forward thrusts by the Lions, holding the home side goalless for the term and stretching its lead to 34 points.
Coburg had a chance to rectify its goalless quarter with a shot after the siren, with the Sherrin cannoning into the post, triggering a collective groan from the crowd.
The style of Coburg and conditions weren’t conducive to free-flowing slick football; however, Richmond were more than comfortable scrapping it out in the trenches.
Bradtke and Bauer were constantly left to battle two and three opponents, which didn’t bother the Tiger talls one bit, with both hitting the scoreboard in the last quarter.
COB 1.3 3.6 3.9 4.12 (36)
RICH 2.0 7.3 9.7 11.12 (78)
Goal Kickers:
Richmond: Bauer (3), Bradtke (2), Hicks (2), White, Johnson, El Nour, Cooper
Best Players: Dow, Sonsie, Bauer, Johnson, Hicks, Street
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1296636/vfl-tigers-fight-and-win-at-coburg
