Deledio determined to make amends
By Katrina Gill
richmondfc.com.au
RICHMOND supporters were given much-needed hope in the Tigers' final quarter against Port Adelaide on Saturday.
Staring down the barrel of a 58-point deficit at the last change, the Tigers outscored the Power five goals to two in the fourth quarter.
Two of those Tiger goals came from the boot of one of Richmond’s brightest young stars, Brett Deledio.
A disappointed Deledio said the Tigers were driven by the all-too-vivid memory of last week’s loss.
“We didn’t want another effort like we had last week so we really wanted to stay determined and finish off and win the last quarter. We needed to win the first, second and third, too, but I think the boys fought it out,” Deledio told richmondfc.com.au.
During the week, the Richmond coaching staff made it clear they would settle for nothing less than a competitive effort from their troops.
While the Tigers are still chasing their first win, Saturday night’s game was filled with positives.
Despite being outclassed in the ruck, Richmond was able to beat the star-studded Port Adelaide midfield in the clearances.
Skipper Kane Johnson restricted All-Australian Shaun Burgoyne to just 13 touches.
“Obviously Terry (Wallace) was disappointed but he was also reasonably happy we kept at it,” Deledio said.
“We ran and carried well in the first and last quarters. If we can keep that up four quarters, I’m sure we’ll be competitive in the future.”
The Tigers trailed by just 14 points at quarter-time but were punished for some errant kicking in the second term, when Port Adelaide blew the game open, piling on 5.6 to Richmond's seven behinds.
“Port are a really good side and they really ran away with in the second and third quarters,” Deledio said.
“I guess we’ve got a few more things to work on but it’s all a learning curve.”
Richmond’s inaccuracy also gave the Power countless opportunities to rebound quickly from the defensive 50. At the other end of the ground, the Tigers struggled to get any fluent movement and were forced into damage control.
“We had to just hold on to the footy as much as we could when we were kicking backwards but Port were good and pressured us well up the ground.”
After a quiet game against Geelong, Deledio was determined to put in a good showing in week one of the Tiger’s Adelaide road double. In his 50th game, the former No.1 draft pick racked up 22 touches and took a game-high 17 marks. Deledio said his two last-quarter goals were little consolation for the loss.
“I think I was well-beaten prior to the last quarter so I needed something to hang my hat on.
“I was just hoping to get something out of my 50th so it was good to get a couple of goals late in the game. In the last quarter our guys moved the ball forward really well so it made it a lot easier to lead in the forward line.”
The improved-performance should take a bit of heat off at Punt Road, but with the win-loss ledger sliding further in the wrong direction the Tigers can expect another gruelling week.
“There has been a fair bit of scrutiny on our game last week but we’ve tried to stay as positive as possible,” Deledio said.
“I think it’s probably a good thing we got out of Melbourne and played over here this week. We look forward to coming back and playing the Crows on Friday.”
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