Media articles & stats: Dees pip Tigers in absolute classic

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Harry's half-dozen sees Dees pip Tigers in absolute classic

By AAP with Alison O'Connor
afl.com.au
30 July 2023

RICHMOND      5.4    9.7    13.8   15.8 (98)
MELBOURNE    3.5    8.5    14.6   20.10 (130)

GOALS
Richmond: Martin 3, Baker 2, McIntosh 2, Balta, Bolton, Coulthard, Prestia, Riewoldt, Rioli, Soldo, Taranto
Melbourne: Petty 6, Melksham 4, van Rooyen 4, Pickett 2, Chandler, Hunter, Neal-Bullen, Petracca

BEST
Richmond: Martin, Bolton, Taranto, Prestia, Baker
Melbourne: Petty, Gawn, Viney, Melksham, van Rooyen, Rivers

INJURIES
Richmond: None
Melbourne: None

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Matthew Coulthard (replaced Ben Miller in the third quarter)
Melbourne: Joel Smith (replaced Adam Tomlinson in the third quarter)

Crowd: 52,294 at the MCG

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HARRISON Petty and Jacob van Rooyen have had career-best days in attack with a combined 10 goals to propel Melbourne to a runaway 32-point win over Richmond at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.

The Demons, who twice fell 20 points behind after half-time, edged closer to a top-two spot with their 20.10 (130) to 15.8 (98) victory in a classic contest.

Former defender Petty (six goals), young gun van Rooyen (four), and veteran Jake Melksham (four) fired as the key targets in an attacking mix that gave Simon Goodwin food for thought as he ponders axed recruit Brodie Grundy's future role in the side.

One of Melksham's majors included the goal that marked the sixth lead change in a see-sawing contest to put the Demons in front for the final time midway through the last quarter.

They finished far stronger than Richmond, kicking the last six goals of the game to post their highest score since round seven and settle a gripping battle in front of 52,294 fans.

Melbourne's Jack Viney (32 disposals, seven clearances), Christian Petracca (29, eight) and Max Gawn (28, 11) were outstanding.

Captain Gawn, who also had 40 hitouts and 22 contested possessions, was particularly influential when the game was on the line in the last quarter.

The Demons remain in fourth spot on the ladder but moved closer to the top three after Collingwood, Port Adelaide and Brisbane all lost in round 20.

Richmond would have climbed into the top eight if it had won but was left kicking itself after letting its lead slip.

Tim Taranto (24 disposals), Jacob Hopper (23) and Shai Bolton (25) all fought hard in a losing battle, while Tigers superstar Dustin Martin kicked 3.2 from 21 disposals and had 11 score involvements.

Martin booted two majors in the third quarter, including one from the centre square, as Richmond surged ahead in slippery conditions.

They looked likely winners when Martin's long-range shot sailed through at the six-minute mark of the third term, but the lead had evaporated by three-quarter time.

The Demons kicked five of the next six goals and added another 6.4 to 2.0 in the final term.

Noah Balta's goal 10 minutes into the last quarter had put Richmond in front but they were no match for Melbourne when it mattered most.

Petty finds the ball - and the big sticks - at will
Have the Demons finally found what they've been looking for in attack? Judging by Harrison Petty's output up forward, the answer could be a 'yes'. The swingman, who played much of his career as a backman, showed his versatility as he booted a career-best six goals. But it wasn't only the goals that put Petty in the spotlight, with the 23-year-old also taking a game-high 10 marks (including four contested) and had nine score involvements in a dominant showing that is sure to please coach Simon Goodwin on the eve of finals.

https://www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/4953#match-report

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Pet symmetry: Dees find forward balance in second-half avalanche

Peter Ryan
The Age
July 30, 2023 — 7.25pm

Melbourne’s forward line finally fired to overcome a determined Richmond in a win that keeps the Demons’ top-two hopes alive.

After months of trial and error, defender-turned-forward Harrison Petty stamped himself as the key forward the team was searching for with six goals as he combined with Jake Melksham and Jacob van Rooyen, who kicked four apiece, to crush Richmond with a 12-goal second half.

“They all looked really dynamic ahead of the ball on the back of some pretty good supply. We had 71 inside-50s,” Goodwin said. “The way that functioned was certainly very pleasing.”

Goodwin said Petty, a premiership defender who kicked six goals after kicking 11 goals in his previous 60 matches, had shown promise as a forward.

Skipper Max Gawn and Jack Viney were crucial to the comeback as they turned it on after the Tigers established a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter. Gawn put his head down and got to work like a professional cyclist on a mountain climb, while Viney hunted the ball like he’d lost his wedding ring in long grass to finish with 32 disposals.

“[Gawn’s] response in the second half from himself and Jack Viney, as leaders in our football club, basically said ‘come with us, lads, and we will show the path forward’,” Goodwin said. “He’s been instrumental in the past three or four weeks in our team, and he’s carrying a huge load for us.”

The Demons are now one game behind second-placed Port Adelaide while the Tigers, despite the defeat, remain just two points outside the eight and remain a threat.

The game was free flowing, yet tough, with Richmond hitting the lead after kicking the first two goals of the last quarter only to watch Melbourne respond with the final six of the game to win by 32 points.

There were good battles all over the ground as the team’s stars found themselves matched up against competitors who refused to wilt.

Gawn and Ivan Soldo wanted to hurt each other, or so it seemed, as they leapt at each ruck contest like upset kangaroos boxing on. Twice in the first half, Gawn lay face down on the turf. Once, Soldo hit the deck on his back like a wrestler bouncing on the canvas.

Dustin Martin prowled, as engaged in the contest as he has been for years, while Christian Petracca was dangerous, although failed to convert shots into goals.

And at either end lesser lights were engaged in David and Goliath battles in an attempt to halt the intercept marking that propels many attacks, particularly for Melbourne. Marlion Pickett had the job of stopping Steven May and Jake Lever, while Melksham adopted his disruptive role on Richmond co-captain Dylan Grimes. May eventually won the day.

Those match-ups made centre clearances vital as the Demons struggled to rebound through the ground from their defensive 50 as the Tigers made the most of their chances, kicking the ball deep inside 50, bringing it to ground and scrapping for a score. They ended the game with 15 goals from 45 inside 50s.

Richmond caretaker coach Andrew McQualter said the Tigers played well for two and a half quarters but were eventually overrun by a good team. He conceded they are just a bit off the top-four teams but they believe they can improve enough to match them with too many inside 50s conceded.

“The ladder doesn’t lie,” McQualter said. “Over 120 minutes of footy at the moment we are a bit off. We think we can better and we are in a rush to get better.”

But it was Melbourne who are primed for a tilt at another flag – this time at the MCG – having made the hard decision to leave Brodie Grundy out again. Goodwin said the conditions in Cranbourne were tough for Grundy as he played for Casey Scorpions in gale-force winds.

RICHMOND    5.4   9.7   13.8   15.8 (98)
MELBOURNE   3.5   8.5   14.6   20.10 (130)

GOALS
Richmond: Martin 3, Baker 2, McIntosh 2, Riewoldt, Soldo, Bolton, Rioli, Prestia, Balta, Taranto, Coulthard.
Melbourne: Petty 6, van Rooyen 4, Melksham 4, Pickett 2, Neale-Bullen, Petracca, Chandler, Hunter.

BEST
Richmond: Bolton, Martin, Vlastuin, Banks, Taranto.
Melbourne: Viney, Petty, Gawn, Melksham, May, van Rooyen.

CROWD
52,294 at the MCG.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/demons-solve-forward-woes-in-second-half-avalanche-20230730-p5dscl.html

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MATCH REPORT: DEES POWER AWAY FROM TIGERS

Ronny Lerner
HeraldSun
31 July 2023

Melbourne have all but sewn up a top-four spot after fighting back from 20 points down in the third quarter to overwhelm Richmond by 32 at the MCG on Sunday.

Richmond kicked three goals in a row to lead by six points early in the final quarter, but Melbourne struck back by booting the last six majors to run out 20.10 (130) to 15.8 (98) winners.

Much has been made of the Demons’ forward struggles this year, but they seemed to find the perfect formula against the Tigers, with Harrison Petty and Jacob van Rooyen kicking career-high bags of six and four goals respectively, while Jake Melskham chimed in with another four.

Petty provided a huge focal point in attack, taking 10 marks (four contested) to straighten up his team considerably.

And in the ruck, Max Gawn was enormous again with 28 disposals (22 contested), 11 clearances and 40 hitouts.

It once again makes it hard to see how Brodie Grundy works his way back into the Melbourne line-up.

Melbourne dominated the inside 50s after half-time 41-17, and convincingly won the stat 73-45, while they also doubled Richmond for marks inside 50 (20-10).

But the game was still alive in the final quarter due to the Demons’ inefficiency as they finished with 30 scoring shots at 41 per cent efficiency, to Richmond’s 23 at 51 per cent.

Jack Viney produced another spectacular game in the middle, gathering 32 disposals (10 contested), nine tackles, nine inside 50s and seven clearances, while Christian Petracca racked up 29 disposals (14 contested) eight clearances and a goal.

The win saw the Demons maintain their two-game buffer on fifth, and with North Melbourne and Hawthorn still to play in their run home, they’re well on track to securing the double chance. They’re also just a game behind the faltering Port Adelaide in second, which means their odds of securing a home final first up are also still strong.

As for the Tigers, they missed a chance to enter the top eight and to make the finals they will now probably have to win three of their last four games. With the Bulldogs, St Kilda, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide (away) in their run home, they’ll certainly be made to earn it.

TIGERS LACK DISCIPLINE

Richmond gave away a pair of goals after committing easily avoidable 50m penalties. In the first instance, when they led by 20 points late in the second term, Melbourne’s Alex Neal-Bullen was paid a free kick 65m out from goal, and Tigers midfielder Jacob Hopper momentarily handled the ball, but then dropped it when he realised it was a Melbourne ball. That indiscretion brought Neal-Bullen to the top of the goal square for the easy six-pointer.

And then halfway through the third period, with Richmond leading by 15 points, van Rooyen was lining up for goal from 40m out on the boundary line. But rather than taking an extremely difficult shot for goal, he too was brought to the goal square when Noah Balta bumped Max Gawn way off the ball.

DEES TURN THE TIDE

The Demons managed to draw level shortly after quarter-time, but for the remainder of the second stanza, the game was played largely in the Tigers’ forward half as they piled on four of the next five goals to lead by 20 points deep into time on. Richmond’s forward pressure was relentless, and they effectively put the brakes on Melbourne’s ability to transition from defence.

The Demons managed to peg back the last two goals of the first half, but Richmond came out breathing fire after the main break, kicking three of the third term’s first four majors, including a pair to Dustin Martin, to restore their 20-point buffer.

However, Melbourne’s pressure and forward efficiency rose dramatically and they scored the next five goals, featuring a pair each from van Rooyen and Melksham, to take a nine-point lead at the 28-minute mark, as they cut Richmond’s uncontested mark count considerably.

SCOREBOARD

TIGERS 5.4, 9.7, 13.8, 15.8 (98)

DEMONS 3.5, 8.5, 14.6, 20.10 (130)

LERNER’S BEST

Tigers: Martin, Bolton, Vlastuin, Taranto, Prestia.

Demons: Petty, Gawn, Viney, Petracca, van Rooyen, Melksham, Langdon.

GOALS

Tigers: Martin 3, Baker 2, McIntosh 2, Soldo, Riewoldt, Bolton, D.Rioli, Prestia, Taranto, Coulthard, Balta.

Demons: Petty 6, van Rooyen 4, Melksham 4, Pickett 2, Neal-Bullen, Petracca, Chandler, Hunter.

UMPIRES: Johanson, Nicholls, Toner, Gianfagna

VENUE: MCG

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LERNER’S VOTES

3 Harrison Petty (Melb)

2 Max Gawn (Melb)

1 Jack Viney (Melb)

https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/afl-richmond-v-melbourne-demons-close-in-on-toptwo-spot-with-win-over-tigers/news-story/91de59709d20244c868dcaeb491c409f