Media articles and Stats: Tigers clawed by Cats

[one-eyed]

Tigers clawed by Cats
By Adam McNicol
3:59 PM Sun 24 Jul, 2011

Geelong                                  4.2     11.5       16.9      17.11 (113)
Richmond                              1.2     1.4          5.5          7.9  (51)

GOALS
Geelong: Varcoe 3, Hawkins 3, Stokes 2, Byrnes 2, West 2, Christensen 2, Bartel, Corey, Duncan
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Nahas 2, Vickery, Foley

BEST
Geelong: Christensen, Corey, Kelly, Scarlett, Hawkins, West
Richmond: Cotchin, Tuck, Rance, Foley

INJURIES
Geelong: Johnson (corked thigh) replaced in the selected side by Milburn, Stokes (concussion)
Richmond: Newman (knee), Batchelor (shoulder)

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Shannon Byrnes replaced by Josh Cowan at half-time.
Richmond: Chris Newman (knee) replaced by Shane Edwards during the first quarter.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stewart, Ryan, Wenn

Official crowd: 33, 761 at Etihad Stadium

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GEELONG has had Richmond's measure for more than two decades, and nothing changed when the clubs met at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Cats' error-riddled 62-point victory was their 14th win in 16 games against the Tigers since 2000.

Despite being without ruckman Brad Ottens (rested) and star playmaker Steve Johnson, who withdrew from the team after failing to recover from a corked thigh, Geelong led 11 goals to one at half-time.

Chris Scott's men ambled through the remainder of the clash, Travis Varcoe and Tom Hawkins finishing with three goals each as they won 17.11 (113) to 7.9 (51).

Geelong had few moments of concern, the most serious coming 20 minutes into the last quarter when Stokes was flattened in a solid collision with Reece Conca.

But he managed to walk from the field with the help of two trainers and a possible bout of concussion appeared to be his only problem.

It was a nightmarish afternoon for Richmond. The Tigers lost their skipper Chris Newman to a knee injury midway through the opening quarter (it was described by club doctor Greg Hickey as being "relatively" serious), which forced Damien Hardwick to sub him out of the game for Shane Edwards.

Making matters worse, youngster Jake Batchelor suffered a shoulder injury just 10 minutes later. That meant Richmond had to play out the remaining three terms with only two players on the bench.

Opposed to Matthew Scarlett for most of the game, Jack Riewoldt collected only two possessions in the first half. But he fought back after the long break and finished with three goals, taking his season's tally to 50.

The Tigers, who are languishing in 13th place on the ladder, have now lost 31 of their past 38 games against the Cats.

Geelong remains only percentage behind top side Collingwood, although the Cats have played one more game than the Magpies.

QUARTER BY QUARTER

FIRST QUARTER
Travis Varcoe kicked the first goal of the match with one of his trademark snaps. The Tigers were dealt a massive blow midway through the quarter with captain Chris Newman leaving the ground with a knee injury and replaced by substitute Shane Edwards. Both sides were guilty of costly turnovers by foot, with the Tigers swamped by the Cats as they tried to clear their defensive zone. Small forward Matthew Stokes booted two goals while Varcoe finished off a brilliant coast-to-coast goal for the Cats. Jack Riewoldt kicked the Tigers' first major before Jake Batchelor also headed down into the rooms with a shoulder injury.

Geelong by 18 points

SECOND QUARTER
The Cats continued from where they left off, with Shannon Byrnes kicking two goals as Chris Scott's men ran rampant. The Tiger back line was under siege, forced to over-possess with handballs as they struggled to find any targets rebounding from their defensive 50. After a torpedo kick-in by Josh Hunt, Allen Christensen finished off another coast-to-coast goal for the Cats with a classy snap from deep in the pocket. It was all one-way traffic, with the Cats' big men also getting involved. Tom Hawkins had two goal assists and one major to his name while Trent West plucked a big grab and kicked his first of the day.

Geelong by 61 points

THIRD QUARTER
It took just a minute for the Cats to register their first major of the term through Hawkins. After managing just one goal in the first half, the Tigers finally had their second after a strong mark by Tyrone Vickery before Robin Nahas kicked another in his 50th match. The Tigers battled hard and were prepared to kick the ball long to Riewoldt, with the reigning Coleman medalist kicking two goals in the term. But the Cats had all the answers, with Christensen continuing his great form over the past month and Joel Corey running amok through the middle.

Geelong by 70 points

FOURTH QUARTER
Held goalless by his opponent Alex Rance, James Podsiadly spent the final term on the bench as the Cats kicked the first major through Mitch Duncan. Geelong took its foot off the pedal in the last quarter, and the Tigers showed some promising signs, with Damien Hardwick's men finding some space to run and carry through the middle. But they couldn't capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking 2.4 for the term. Stokes was carried off in the arms of the trainers after coming off second best in a crunching collision with Tiger youngster Reece Conca in the only lowlight in the 62 point win.

Geelong by 62 points

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/119292/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Team Stats

Disposals             368 - 398
Efficiency%           73 - 79
Kicks                   187 - 198
Handballs            181 - 200    
Con. Marks            15 - 13   
Uncon. Marks         65 - 86   
Tackles                  60 - 77    
Clearances             36 - 25   
Clangers                42 - 51   
Frees                     24 - 20
Hitouts                   38 - 24 ........ ( Graham 28, Vickery 6, Griffiths 2 // West 17, Selwood 3, Hawkins 2 )
Con. Possies         137 - 132
Uncon. Possies      234 - 269   
Inside 50s              35 - 66     
Assists                     6 - 18

Individual Stats

                      Disp.   K    H     G    B     SC    SCA  CM  UM   T    C    Cl   FF  FA   CP   UP   In50   A   Eff%

T.Cotchin          38    25    13    0    0    127    101    0    3    5    13    5    2    1    21    16    6    0      58%
B.Deledio          34    12    22    0    0    115    104    1    5    1      1    3    2    0    12    22    2    0      85%
S.Tuck              32    11    21    0    0    133      70    3    3    4      5    1    3    0    14    19    2    0      91%
N.Foley             27    17    10    1    0    108      92    0    2    6      6    3    2    0    12    15    3    0      63%
D.Jackson         24    12    12    0    1      58      84    1    4    2      1    4    0    2      4    21    2    0      58%
R.Nahas            23    11    12    2    0      95      89    1    8    3      1    2    1    2      7    15    0    0      83%
D.Martin            21    12      9    0    1      75      97    1    2    2      2    3    1    2      9    11    4    2      67%
B.Houli              20    11      9    0    1      71      87    0    5    1      0    0    0    0      3    16    2    0      75%
M.White             18    10      8    0    0      64      58    0    4    3      0    0    0    0      2    15    1    0      72%
M.Morton           16      3    13    0    0      50      55    0    3    4      1    3    2    1      4    12    2    0      81%
R.Conca             15      9      6    0    1      47      58    0    2    2      1    3    0    2      3    11    1    0      53%
S.Edwards         14      7      7    0    1      51      59    1    4    3      1    2    1    1      7      8    2    0      71%
W.Thursfield      14      6      8    0    0      71      63    1    2    3      1    2    0    1      6      8    0    0      86%
A.Rance            12      6      6    0    0      62      84    0    4    4      0    2    3    1      4      9    0    0      67%
A.Graham          11      5      6    0    1      84      81    0    2    3      2    3    2    3      5      8    1    0      82%
T.Vickery           11      6      5    1    1      50      68    2    2    2      0    3    0    2      5      7    0    0      64%
L.McGuane        10      6      4    0    0      69      61    0    1    5      1    2    3    1      7      3    0    0      50%
J.King                 8      3      5    0    0      38      63    1    0    3      0    0    0    0      3      5    2    0      88%
J.Riewoldt           7      6      1    3    0      68      79    0    4    2      0    0    2    0      4      4    2    0    100%
B.Griffiths           6      4      2    0    0      27      39    1    3    1      0    1    0    1      2      5    3    0      67%
C.Newman          5      4      1    0    0      45      99    2    2    0      0    0    0    0      2      3    0    0    100%
J.Batchelor          2      1      1    0    0      14      57    0    0    1      0    0    0    0      1      1    0    0      50%

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/super-scoreboard?match_id=10311806

[one-eyed]

Cats put squeeze on Tigers
Martin Blake
July 25, 2011

GEELONG   4.2 11.5 16.9 17.11 (113)
RICHMOND 1.2  1.4   5.5     7.9 (51)

GOALS:
Geelong: Hawkins 3, Varcoe 3, Christensen 2, Stokes 2, Byrnes 2, West 2, Bartel, Corey, Duncan.
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Nahas 2, Foley, Vickery.

BEST:
Geelong: Scarlett, Kelly, Christensen, Stokes, Corey, Selwood.
Richmond: Cotchin, Tuck, Rance, Foley, Deledio, Nahas.

INJURIES:
Geelong: Podsiadly (head knock), Stokes (head knock), Byrnes (calf), Johnson (bruised buttocks) replaced in selected side by Milburn.
Richmond: Newman (knee), Batchelor (shoulder).

UMPIRES: Wenn, Stewart, H Ryan.
CROWD: 33,761 at Etihad.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

GEELONG spent the week focusing on defence as it prepared to confront Richmond yesterday. The Cats were leaking badly after a hot start to the season and coach Chris Scott had noticed. His team had conceded 104 points (against the Brisbane Lions), 96 points (West Coast) and 115 (Essendon) in three rounds.

"I don't think it's any secret out there in the competition in the last month that we've been easy to score against," Scott said. "That's not what we want to be about so we need to arrest it."

Thus a game was set up and won. With manic forward pressure and accountability from the start, Geelong strangled Richmond in the first half, racing to a match-winning 10-goal lead. That the margin stayed almost exactly the same in a forgettable second half was largely irrelevant — the Cats had proven attentive to their task when it counted. "We've arrested it for a game, probably a half of one game," said Scott. "We've got to keep getting better in our area because it was our strength earlier in the year, and it's been a weakness in the last month."

Geelong won by 62 points, continuing a trend of massacres against the Tigers, who are a shell of the team that was ninth on the ladder after nine rounds. Richmond was never going to win; Brett Deledio's horrendous turnover by foot in the first two minutes (reprieved by Shannon Byrnes's missed shot on goal) drew an audible groan around the stadium. Worse, captain Chris Newman went down with a knee injury and before half-time, Jake Batchelor (shoulder) had gone as well.

It contributed to a lame second half. "It translates to tired players, poor skill execution and ugly football, in my view," said Scott, seemingly suggesting, that the new interchange rule had not helped. "I don't mind the sub rule. I'd prefer if it was four interchange plus a sub but I understand the AFL's rationale for making the game less congested."

Geelong's small forwards had a picnic, Allen Christensen, Mathew Stokes, Byrnes and Travis Varcoe extracting nine goals between them. Christensen (26 disposals, two goals) will surely be rewarded with a Rising Star nomination this week, although he said he did not especially care. "I play for Geelong," he said. "What more could you want? It's only an award. I get to play for the Cats."

Veteran Matthew Scarlett played a superb full-back's game on Jack Riewoldt, albeit with Richmond starving him of opportunities (35 inside-50 entries). Scarlett had 27 disposals as a set-up man and held Riewoldt to two goals; the Tiger's third goal came while his primary opponent was on the bench.

Geelong continues to rest men with ailments, with Steve Johnson (soreness) sitting out yesterday and Brad Ottens (knee) and Cameron Ling (soreness) to return soon. It is what Scott calls "our best 22 given a whole lot of factors". But it also allows the rookie coach to have a close look at the likes of Christensen, Mitch Duncan (26 disposals), Josh Cowan and Trent West, who rucked most of the day and kicked two goals. Those types of players are bound to stave off Geelong complacency, for they are playing for their footballing lives.

"It's probably not a cliche, I probably do pinch myself every day, waking up knowing I get to go to training every day," said Christensen. "I'm really lucky. I can't take for granted being in there. There's a lot of boys who are out of the team who can still come back in. You've got to put your best foot forward every week."

Richmond's level of effort was reasonable, led by Trent Cotchin (37 disposals, 21 contested balls) and Shane Tuck, and by Alex Rance's effort in keeping James Podsiadly goalless until the latter was benched at three-quarter-time with a head injury. But the execution was dreadful.

The consensus at round nine was that the Tigers were going places. Right now, they look to be back on the Road To Nowhere.

WELCOME BACK SHANE

The return of Shane Tuck was one of Richmond's few positives. The midfielder had 32 disposals, 14 contested possessions, five clearances and four rebound 50s in his first game since round 10 and his fifth this season.

WEST MARKS TERRITORY

Trent West earned the right to keep his spot ahead of Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens with a solid performance against Brisbane last week and made the call to drop him harder yesterday. The Cats didn't recall Ottens from suspension, and West delivered with 14 disposals and four inside 50s.

SQUAD MANAGEMENT

Geelong forward Steve Johnson was a late withdrawal from the game, replaced by veteran defender Darren Milburn with "soreness" carried over from a corked buttock. More likely he was rested. According to Twitter, Johnson knew he wasn't playing as early as Saturday, allowing him to stay up and watch Cadel Evans in the Tour de France.

TERRIBLE TIGERS

Jack Riewoldt kicked Richmond's only first-half goal. The last time the club failed to kick more than one goal in a half was round three, last year. Tyrone Vickery broke the goal drought early the third quarter.

- MATT MURNANE

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/cats-put-squeeze-on-tigers-20110724-1hvek.html#ixzz1T2DSsyoa

[one-eyed]

A double battering for Richmond
Matt Murnane
July 25, 2011

RICHMOND'S season plunged further into freefall against Geelong yesterday and there might be more pain to come, with skipper Chris Newman and defender Jake Batchelor both injured in another demoralising defeat, by 62 points, at Etihad Stadium.

The Tigers suffered their seventh loss in eight games and for coach Damien Hardwick, this week's bye cannot come quickly enough.

Richmond lost Newman to a knee injury and Batchelor with a shoulder in the same friendly fire incident midway through the first term.

And from there, the Tigers hardly bothered the scoreboard — let alone the Cats — in the first half, posting only one goal in the first two quarters, the club's worst single-half effort in almost two seasons.

"The first half was really, really disappointing," Hardwick said. "Even in the first quarter we were only down by 18 points but I think the inside-50 count might have been minus 13 or 14 at that stage.

"We got our hands on the ball, but Geelong's pressure was just outstanding and just forced us into some mistakes. I think we were down 10 goals at half-time and it ended up that at the end of the match, so that's it in a nutshell."

With big tests coming up against West Coast (Patersons Stadium) and Sydney (MCG) after the bye, the Tigers will be sweating on the results of scans today on Newman's knee.

The Cats also have injury concerns, with small forward Shannon Byrnes in doubt for Saturday's game against Melbourne after being subbed off with a calf injury.

Spearhead James Podsiadly might need scans this week to rule out any facial injuries after copping an accidental elbow to the head in a marking contest.

Forward Mathew Stokes also copped a heavy knock to the head in a collision with Tigers midfielder Reece Conca, but both are expected to play this week.

While the Tigers were able to keep the in-form Podsiadly goalless, Tom Hawkins with three goals and the small fleet, led by Allen Christensen, all got off the leash.

"We just can't seem to take a trick with our back six at the moment," Hardwick said. "We were shuffling players around and . . . we just couldn't find the right match-up."

After nine rounds, Richmond was ninth on the ladder with four wins and a draw. Now, nine rounds later, it has added only one more win and it's hard to see where the next is coming from.

Geelong, meanwhile, emerged from its mini-form skid as promised by coach Chris Scott, and did it without Cameron Ling, ruckman Brad Ottens and Steve Johnson, a late withdrawal.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/a-double-battering-for-richmond-20110724-1hvem.html#ixzz1T2E85DyL

[one-eyed]

Impressive Geelong recapture form as Richmond's misery continues

    Sam Edmund
    From: Herald Sun
    July 25, 2011

IN AN AFL era where we're told every game is a brutal test of mind and body, the easy kill still exists.

Before meeting with Richmond, Geelong had lost two of its past three matches and its heavy training load had it spluttering for much of the past month.

Enter the Lambs and the easy kill at Etihad Stadium. It's difficult to call them Tigers when they best represented lambs to the slaughter for much of this game.

This was a match-up the Cats needed; the ideal prey for a premiership animal that went some way to rediscovering its predatory instincts.

Geelong had won 30 of its last 37 games against Richmond over the last 25 years, including the last six by an average of 75 points. This meeting soon provided an overwhelming feeling of Deja Vu.

The final score was 17.11 (113) to 7.9 (51), but that was a heck of a lot better than the scenario at half time.

Richmond had 1.4 on the board at the main break having advanced the ball inside 50m just 14 times and they were drowning in turnovers.

Will Thursfield, Mitch Morton, Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin, Daniel Jackson. You name it, all took turns coughing the ball up coming out of defence.

If they didn't kick the ball to a nest of waiting Cats, they handballed in merry-go-rounds that repeatedly came unstuck.

To make matters worse the side's best distributor, skipper Chris Newman, went down with a left knee injury after 15 minutes and was subbed off.

Then Jake Batchelor hurt his left shoulder 10 minutes later and was also forced to sit out the rest of the game. It was that sort of day.

Richmond improved after half-time despite being a man down and Trent Cotchin played one of the best games of his career.

But that did little to disguise the first half performance in such an important game.

It would be unfair to portray Geelong as an all-conquering outfit firing on all cyclinders.

The Cats were sloppy again here, particularly going forward, and it was only the opposition's lack of ability that spared it another potential dogfight.

But there was still a lot to like. A seven goal to nothing second quarter in which they monopolised possession was the back-breaker.

Travis Varcoe and Tom Hawkins kicked three goals each, with the latter showing promising signs.

And if Allen Christensen (26 disposals, six tackles, five clearances, six inside 50s) doesn't win this week's Rising Star nomination there should be an inquiry.

Not that the kid is fussed.

"I don't really care. Like I've said, I play for Geelong, what more could you want? It's only an award, I get to play for the Cats," Christensen said.

"It's probably not a cliche, I do pinch myself every day. Just waking up every morning knowing I get to go to training with all the boys, I'm really lucky."

Christensen said the Cats had stressed the importance of a solid defensive display after leaking 104 points to the Brisbane Lions and 115 to Essendon in recent weeks.

"We really focussed on defence today and that really worked in the first half especially," he said.

"I think we've showed that we can play well offensively, but that's our next step, to really get going defensively and really shut down teams."

Geelong rotated heavily, but like Richmond they have injury concerns and also finished with two on the bench.

Shannon Byrnes strained his calf and was subbed off at half time, while James Podsiadly will have scans to determine whether he has facial fractures after a sickening collision with Will Thursfield.
 
Four Talking Points- Sam Edmund

1.)  Richmond went into this one having lost its last four matches. They made a statement, right? Wrong.

The Tigers' first half was simply demoralising. At the main break the scoreboard credited Richmond with 1.4.

2. Surely this is the week Allen Christensen receives his overdue Rising Star nomination. The young Cat put it another beauty - 26 disposals two goals, five clearances and six inside 50s.

3. It's one of the great mysteries - how can Shane Tuck not be given a regular game at Richmond?

Tucky was one of his club's best in only his fifth game of the year, gathering 32 disposals (14 contested) and five clearances.

4. Seven days after bagging eight goals in a masterful forward line display against the Brisbane Lions, James Podsiadly didn't trouble the scorers.

Blanketed by Alex Rance and with the Cats in complete control, Podsiadly was summoned to the bench at three-quarter-time and did not return. He gathered seven touches, including only one mark.

Best:
Geelong: Selwood, Christensen, Corey, Scarlett, Kelly, Duncan, Varcoe, Hawkins.
Richmond: Cotchin, Tuck, Rance, Foley, Nahas, Deledio.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/geelongs-steve-johnson-a-late-withdrawal-for-richmond-clash/story-e6frf9lo-1226100714908

[Ox]

A double battering for Richmond


if i post the pic im thinking of,will i be banned again?

[Dubstep Dookie]

A double battering for Richmond


if i post the pic im thinking of,will i be banned again?

Allow me...