Big scores all round, but main goal elusive
Len Johnson | April 21, 2008 | The Age
A GAME in search of a matchwinner ultimately found none as the Western Bulldogs and Richmond played out a thrilling draw yesterday afternoon.
For a long time, it seemed the Bulldogs must find the form that had taken them to four straight victories. They may well have, had they kicked better around goal in the first half. The main offender was Scott Welsh. Recruited from Adelaide to score goals, he kicked five behinds in the most comprehensive display of the yips since Bernhard Langer.
Then it seemed Richmond had won the game in the final term — twice, in fact: first when it bolted 25 points clear when Nathan Brown goaled and Shane Edwards added a behind eight minutes into the final term, and again when successive goals to Jack Riewoldt and Trent Simmonds (following a desperate gather and handball from Mitch Morton) gave it a 19-point break with less than five minutes play left.
As it had been all afternoon, however, no one was able to step up and grab this game by the scruff of the neck. There were many good players, few who did not contribute, but no one emerged capable of winning it by his own effort. Indeed, harsh as it may seem, Richmond probably started to lose it when Jake King, seeing nothing on in front of him, stepped backwards across the goal line to concede a rushed behind. That made the difference three straight goals and, three straight kicks later, the Western Bulldogs had got out of it with a draw, the first time they have gone undefeated through the first five games since 1946.
It would be way too harsh to blame King in any way. He had been one of the Tigers showing the way as they outran and out-bounced the supposed masters of run-and-carry in the competition for most of the afternoon. Yet here he was, not willing to run and, just as importantly, with no teammate willing to run for him. Perhaps the hard game on the big Subiaco ground last week did draw some sting from Richmond's run in the end.
From there, Daniel Cross kicked a goal with less than three minutes to play. Then Robert Murphy came out to meet the ball at centre half-forward, couldn't gather the mark but regained it at ground level, weaved through a pack and guided the ball through off the outside of his right boot and it was a goal the difference with two minutes to play.
Again, the Bulldogs pressed forward. The ball was punted forward to a pack 25 metres from goal. Fifth in line, Brian Lake rose to take the mark, the only reason he was in the contest at all because he had followed Matthew Richardson down the ground. The drama was not done. Lake injured himself on landing, falling over an opponent, and could not take his kick. The Bulldogs pushed Lindsay Gilbee forward (and someone, somewhere, probably was pushing Welsh away).
The Richmond defenders wanted none of this and the field umpire closest to the spot pointed to Will Minson. Minson came forward, kicked accurately, bellowed encouragement to his teammates and the Doggies had got out of jail with an unlikely draw. Still there was potential drama. The game restarted with 14 seconds left on the clock, Jay Schulz won a free kick for a high tackle and while the ball was in the air towards Bulldog-turned-Tiger Brown, the siren sounded, mercifully saving the umpire from having to adjudicate whether Dale Morris had chopped his arms in the marking contest to which both players were already committed.
As with all draws, both teams had things to bemoan and others for which to be thankful. The Bulldogs' use of the ball around goals early in the game was woeful. They had 14 shots for goal in the first term, for only four goals and led by eight points at the end of it. When Brad Johnson got two goals in as many minutes at the start of the second term, they led by 20 points and looked as if they should take control.
Richmond waited a longer time for its winning chance. The Tigers still trailed by eight points at half-time, still with eight fewer scoring shots and nine fewer inside 50s. From there, however, they ran their way back into the game, faltering only when they could have run away with it. The positives, however, were the contributions from the likes of Matt White, Riewoldt, Edwards and Kelvin Moore. From being Richo-centric when it comes to scoring options, they also had no fewer than 11 goalkickers. Maybe things are getting better at Punt Road.
The Bulldogs had even more scoring options, with 14 goalkickers. Minson and Gilbee got three each, Johnson two, 11 others one.
With so many goalkickers, the surprise was that neither team could find the winning goal.
Age's BEST: Western Bulldogs: Boyd, Akermanis, Lake, Cross, Cooney, Hahn.
Richmond: Johnson, Richardson, Deledio, Foley, Tambling, Schulz.
TALKING POINTGOALS to Jack Riewoldt and Troy Simmonds put the Tigers 19 points clear. Then, at the other end, Jake King stepped across the line to concede a point. With nothing on, it was the obvious thing to do, but it ultimately allowed the Dogs to get away with a draw.
THE UPSHOT IT'S still sorting-out time, but five games in, the Bulldogs don't look quite as impressive and the Tigers maybe have more roar than most of us thought.
HOT AND COLD SHANE Edwards dropped a sitter on the eastern side of the ground, allowing the Bulldogs to sweep the ball forward to Scott Welsh. Next contest, same spot, he marked in front of Tim Callan, got a 50-metre penalty and booted the Tigers' third goal.
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