Media articles and stats: Tigers overcome determined Demons

[one-eyed]

Tigers overcome determined Demons
By richmondfc.com.au
6:56pm AEST Sunday, May 19, 2013

RICHMOND            2.4   7.9   12.14   15.16 (106)
MELBOURNE         3.0   7.2   10.4     11.6 (72)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Martin 3, King 2, Deledio, Nahas, Ellis, Vlastuin, Morris, White, Chaplin
Melbourne: Davey 3, Dawes 2, Dunn 2, Nicholson, Bail, Howe, Evans

BEST
Richmond: Ellis, Vlastuin, S. Edwards, Deledio, Grigg, Houli
Melbourne: N. Jones, Magner, Terlich, M. Jones

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Melbourne: Toumpas (ankle) 

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Luke McGuane subbed out for Matt White in the third quarter
Melbourne: Jimmy Toumpas (ankle) subbed out for Rohan Bail in the third quarter

Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Hosking, Foot
Official crowd: 39,148 at the MCG

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Richmond has shrugged off a dogged Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, to record its fifth victory of the season.

The Tigers dominated possession but struggled to shake their opponents for much of the contest, eventually breaking clear in the final quarter to win 15.16 (106) to 11.6 (72) in front of 39,148 fans.

Young midfielder Brandon Ellis was the star for the winners, collecting a career-best 39 disposals, including 16 in a blistering first quarter, as he continually found space up and down the wing.

Last week's AFL Rising Star nominee Nick Vlastuin continued his good form, amassing 25 touches and using the ball with precision.

Full forward Jack Riewoldt booted three goals in a good duel with Melbourne defender James Frawley, while Dustin Martin also kicked three, all after half-time.

Veteran Aaron Davey, often used as the substitute this season, revelled in his opportunity to play a full game, providing a genuine spark for Melbourne.

He had 19 disposals and booted three goals in a lively display.

Defender Dean Terlich typified the Demons' strong defensive intent with an equal game-high 10 tackles to go with 21 disposals.

Recruit Chris Dawes provided a strong target up forward in his second game of the season, taking seven marks and booting two goals.

However, as has commonly been the case, Melbourne did not have enough prolific ball winners in the midfield.

Nathan Jones' 22 disposals was the Demons' highest as Richmond had 106 more possessions in total.

Melbourne frequently found itself chasing Tiger tail early in the match, but stayed in touch through dogged defence, intense pressure and efficient ball use moving forward.

They led by two points at quarter-time and trailed by only 11 points at the start of time-on in the third quarter.

But Richmond's around ground dominance eventually won out as they kicked four of the last five goals.

The Tigers will look to further consolidate their top eight position in next Saturday night's blockbuster 'Dreamtime at the G' clash with traditional rival Essendon.

Melbourne, meanwhile, will need to be every bit as spirited as it was on Sunday over the next three weeks, with matches against Fremantle (in Perth), Hawthorn and Collingwood.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2013-05-19/tigers-overcome-determined-demons

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Five talking points: Richmond v Melbourne
By Jennifer Phelan
6:00pm AEST Sunday, May 19, 2013

1. Better than last week
They might not have won but the Demons were streets better than last week against the Suns. They had a much talked about 38 tackles that match; a mark eclipsed in Sunday's third quarter on their way to 67 (to the Tigers' 65) for the afternoon. Chris Dawes improved from his Melbourne debut - managing three leading marks for his two goals and presenting as the target the Dees need. There were also a few forgettable incidents, namely a forward line stuff-up in the second quarter that saw Jeremy Howe and Neville Jetta nearly run into each other in an attempt to mark a pass from Aaron Davey that ended in a turnover and Richmond goal. Despite the setback, Melbourne hung in there – a quality that has deserted them too often this season.
 
2. Support from the enemy camp
The Demons entered the game under enormous pressure following their 60-point capitulation to Gold Coast, but they fronted it knowing they had the support of their MCG co-tenant. Richmond president Gary March told guests at the club's pre-game function the Tigers had empathy for their embattled opponents, having gone through lean times themselves. "It's a tough job being a president when things aren't going well on the field and particularly tough when you're sitting [in the stands] on the back on a number of hidings," March said. "I remember sitting there on the back of being 20 goals down at half-time against Geelong … you think there's no way forward." March's support for Melbourne president Don McLardy, who was at the function, was also apparent. "Good people always rise to the top and Don McLardy is one of the great people involved in AFL football," he said. "Under his leadership I've got no doubt that there will be good times ahead."
 
3. And backing from the rehab group
Melbourne forward Mitch Clark, who is sidelined after surgery on his right foot, also threw his hat in the ring for coach Mark Neeld. Despite expressing some surprise over Neeld's Saturday comments that restoring the club would be a five-year job, he said he supported the coach and his direction. "I'll back 'Neeldy' in ... he's such a positive guy and works so hard to get this club back to where we want it to be," Clark told 3AW. "I'm in it for the long haul and I'll be there trying to fast-track the younger guys as well." The former Brisbane Lion said his foot, which had a screw removed from it late last month, was "feeling pretty good" and he would up the ante on his rehab on Monday having progressed to walking in the altitude room on a treadmill. However, he emphasised his recovery would not be rushed.
 
4. Electric Ellis … and his new competition
Before Sunday's game, second-year defender Brandon Ellis had a career-high 25 disposals (against Fremantle in round five). Against Melbourne, he racked up 39. The 19-year-old has been tracking impressively since his game against Fremantle, with 18 disposals against Geelong and 23 against Port Adelaide. The official AFL Player Ratings might not have him starring – he's ranked 391st overall, as the 111th defender and 25th at Richmond – but he is trending upwards and will continue to do so if he holds his current form. While Ellis was the club's shining junior last year, the Tigers' newest first-round draft pick, Nick Vlastuin, has strong claims on the title in 2013. Vlastuin, in his fourth game and fresh from winning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination, had 25 disposals with 89 per cent kicking efficiency. Afterwards, coach Damien Hardwick said they had both impressed, not only this week but in the games they've played this season. "Both those boys look like they've been playing AFL footy for a long time and that's why our recruiting department picked them up," Hardwick said. "The thing we really like about [Vlastuin] is his flexibility. He's capable of playing half back, up forward, on the wing. We're really pleased with the way he's going."
 
5. Just getting the job done
It was a game the Tigers simply had to win after arresting a three-game losing streak last week against Port Adelaide in slightly surprising circumstances, given the players they had missing. With tough asks against Essendon and West Coast in Perth rounding out their first half of the season before their bye in two weeks' time, it was four points they dearly needed. Without taking anything away from the Demons, who were more resilient and team orientated than they've been in a while, the Tigers really didn't reach any great heights in their performance until they pushed away in the fourth quarter to kick four of the last five goals.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-05-19/five-talking-points-richmond-v-melbourne

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Richmond youngsters Brandon Ellis and Nick Vlastuin were awesome in the win against Melbourne

    Bruce Matthews
    From: Herald Sun
    May 19, 2013 6:49PM

IT took longer than expected and yet a Richmond victory always seemed inevitable.

A combination of Tiger waste, particularly inside the forward 50, and Melbourne's improved intensity maintained the intrigue until early in the last quarter at the MCG.

Really, Richmond's winning margin should have been more pronounced than 34 points. The Tigers' 14 extra scoring shots told a stark tale of their dominance for large slices of a contest that rarely induced more than spirited applause from the 39,148 fans.

Richmond should have put the game beyond reach early in the third quarter - four misses from as many set shots in as many minutes kept the dogged Demons alive.

But the warning signs were flashing as several telling Tiger moves started to stretch Melbourne's elastic-like resistance to breaking point.

Midfielder Dustin Martin went forward to show how its done with three goals, the last early in the final term that effectively sealed the deal.

The Demons desperately needed that first goal themselves, but the depleted forward set up just couldn't find a way.

Pacy Aaron Davey had provided hope with three goals in a sparkling third quarter display.

But he didn't get a sniff when rugged Tiger defender Steven Morris trotted to his side for the start of the second half.

Morris even ran hard to create a target deep inside 50 to help himself to a telling goal when the match was still in the balance midway through the third term.

And Richmond infused even more run when Matt White was subbed on to replace taller forward Luke McGuane early in the third quarter.

A White goal on the run in the last quarter pushed the Tiger scoreboard contributors to impressive double figures to emphasis the flexibility and variation lacking in Melbourne's forward structure.

Tiger belief that they really are on the rise this time was buoyed by the continued improvement from young players like midfielder Brandon Ellis and rebounding half-back Nick Vlastuin.

Ellis hunted the ball in a manner as effective as Hawk ace Sam Mitchell to rack up a staggering 39 possessions. Not a bad day's work for a teenager who hasn't reached 30 AFL games yet.

And Vlastuin similarly displayed composure far beyond his years and experience with 25 touches and admirable influence in the back half.

Throw in the steady form of Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio and the Tigers can prepare for Saturday night's Dreamtime at the G with confidence and genuine belief.

To no-one's surprise, Melbourne players attacked the ball and the ball-carrier with renewed vigor, a vast improvement on the previous week's meek effort. And most tackles stuck this time in the heartening show of competitiveness.

The Demons stayed in the contest for so long through their work ethic. They ran and spread well when they had possession. And they worked to get numbers back when Richmond had the ball.

But, aside from Chris Dawes and Davey's brief burst, the options in attack were limited. At least the former Magpie booting his first goal for his new club late in the opening quarter.

Richmond was wasteful in the first half with just two goals from 15 inside entries in the first term. But they found a better return with varied scoring options, even youngsters Ellis and Vlastuin, as the contest opened up.

Twice, the Tigers threatened to break away in the first half when they edged to 11 points leads, but these more committed Demons toughed it out to stay in touch at the main break.

The lead swapped seven times and scores were twice level in the first half of what was an intriguing struggle.

A push and shove involving almost every player after the half-time siren reflected the tone of the day - neither team was going to take a backward step in this one.

But the sheer weight of Tiger scoring opportunities meant they were always going to have the last laugh.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-youngsters-brandon-ellis-and-nick-vlastuin-were-awesome-in-the-win-against-melbourne/story-fndv8t7m-1226646263603

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Richmond young gun Nick Vlastuin was sensational against Melbourne

    Matt Windley
    From: Herald Sun
    May 19, 2013 9:57PM

THERE are moments in footy games that mean more than others.

And when Richmond's Nick Vlastuin scored a goal in the 21st minute of the second quarter you just knew that, for all of Melbourne's efforts, the Demons were going to fall short.

A minute earlier, Aaron Davey was fed the ball out of a pack in the forward pocket. The veteran had time to slot what would have been his third goal for the quarter and put Melbourne back in front.

He instead did the team thing and centred it.

Neville Jetta went to take a chest mark but, after Jeremy Howe jumped in front of him and perhaps impeded his view, he dropped it straight out of the bread basket.

Tigers captain Trent Cotchin won the hard ball, handed off to Jake Batchelor, kept running, cleared off half-back to Vlastuin in the middle of the ground, who marked and was subsequently bundled to the turf by Dean Terlich.

The resulting 50m penalty ended in a goal. The Tigers led by six points and were never headed.

When you're playing such a defensive game, everything has to go right to win.

Every opportunity has to be taken and mistakes are costly. For much of the contest the Dees applied themselves with an intensity rarely evident all season.

The weather was fine but a red and blue defensive flood of biblical proportions washed through the MCG.

When Daniel Jackson lined up for goal midway through the first term, all 18 Melbourne players were inside their defensive 50m. Six Tigers were not.

If Dees players weren't eyeing their man or standing on the goal line, they were manning space. It was the ultra flood. But doing so meant options were hard to find.

The team had only 34 inside 50s for the match.

An incredible conversion rate kept them in the game longer than they otherwise would have been.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-young-gun-nick-vlastuin-was-sensational-against-melbourne/story-fndv8t7m-1226646317385#mm-breached

[one-eyed]

Tigers see off plucky Demons

    Greg Baum
    The Age
    May 20, 2013

RICHMOND   2.4 7.9 12.14 15.16 (106)
MELBOURNE 3.0 7.2 10.4    11.6 (72)

GOALS
Richmond: Martin 3, Riewoldt 3, King 2, Deledio, Ellis, White, Vlastuin, Nahas, Morris, Chaplin.
Melbourne: Davey 3, Dawes 2, Dunn 2, Nicholson, Howe, Evans, Bail.

BEST
Richmond: Ellis, Vlastuin, Deledio, Riewoldt, Martin, Grigg.
Melbourne: Dawes, Davey, N. Jones, M. Jones, Magner, Terlich.

INJURIES Melbourne: Toumpas (ankle).

UMPIRES McBurney, Hosking, Foot.
CROWD 39,148, at MCG.

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For Melbourne, the season has been reduced to mitigation of its margins of defeats. For neutrals, it has become an almost ghoulish watch for who the Demons eventually will beat, and when. For Richmond, after its galloping start to the season, it has become in part a vigil against the return of an old fragility that once would have made the Tigers the likeliest team to embarrass themselves by losing to Melbourne.

These forces made for a match that rose to no great depths. The MCG cancelled the shifts of some workers, and delayed switching on the floodlights until the second quarter. As for the competing teams, this became an exercise in what could be saved.

Melbourne led until midway through the second quarter and trailed by fewer than two goals as late as time-on in the third quarter, but never was going to win. At least three times, Richmond looked about to turn this game into a monstering, without ever making good the threat. But the Tigers were never going to lose. The stats sheet would not be denied: Richmond had the ball 100 times more than Melbourne, fetched inside 50 almost 20 more times, and that advantage would have been even more pronounced if the Tigers had not inexplicably decided to play out the end of the game in safety mode. It became a percentage neutraliser.

So, from this exposition of the inevitable, what can these teams take away? For Melbourne, there were increments of improvement. Their first five goals came from merely eight disposals in the forward 50; the Demons were efficient, a word little associated with them this year. Chris Dawes, with two first-quarter goals, gave them a target and a heartbeat.

Aaron Davey was in glimpses himself of old. In a team that mostly plays in dogged blinkers, his 180-degree vision, and complementary foot skills, opened up new vistas for the Demons. And the three Joneses — Nathan, Matt and James Magner, who is Nathan Jones in pastiche — made at least for break-even for a while at stoppages.

Melbourne laid for more tackles than Richmond, such an issue last week, and willingly took up the body-on-body motif in a half-time melee that grew up around Alex Rance.

But as the match ground on, and Richmond's siege took its toll, and Melbourne tired, it grew hesitant and sloppy. At one stage in the third quarter, it bundled the ball inside forward 50 seven times in a row for the advance of one goal. Foreseeably, Richmond broke via Nick Vlastuin, who looks as if he was born in football boots, and who now sped away from Davey to hit up Dustin Martin for a goal at the other end. ‘‘Sped away from'' is a phrase not much associated with Davey's opponents.

Davey was worried out of the game by Steven Morris, and Dawes did not quite make good on his early promise, remembering that this was only his second game for this season and club. In the last quarter, the Demons did not score until time-on. By then, Jeremy Howe was on a loose patrol at half-back, looking likely to take mark-of-the-year at any moment. If he did, at that time and in that place, it would have been like making a hole-in-one while playing golf alone.

For Richmond, little-sung Brandon Ellis was left to run wild in the first half, took full advantage of his freedom, and remained a game-shaping force to the last kick. Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio provided their usual spit and polish, and Jack Riewoldt, pushing far up the ground, was a greater influence than the figures might suggest. His effort to slither away from James Frawley and goal as the three-quarter-time siren sounded put an effective end to this contest.

Richmond added potency to its attack after half-time by playing Martin as a permanent forward, for the gain of three goals. Martin would add a potency and frisson even to an embroidery class.

In the last quarter, play became so compressed in Richmond's forward half that Troy Chaplin was able to steal far enough forward and kick a rare goal.

For the Tigers, it could be summed up this way: they were made to work, they were workmanlike. Some days, footy is like that. The match finished on an apt note, with a shot for Riewoldt after the final siren that he would normally kick with his eyes shut. He missed.

MOMENTUM SWING

Melbourne would have taken the lead just on half-time. Chris Dawes scrambled a kick forward that fortuitously landed with Aaron Davey, who ran in on an angle and rather than go for goal centred the ball. The kick split two Demons players who spoilt one another. The ball then went forward to Nick Vlastuin, who drew a 50-metre penalty and a Richmond goal - 12-point turnaround.

BROUHAHA

The Demons had some desire and anger about them in the first half so when the half-time siren went and Alex Rance bounced between several opponents searching for someone to object he quickly found a volunteer. The wrestle quickly escalated into a full-on melee. Players will be fined for wrestling but none looked like they threw punches deserving of a report.

JUMPING JACK

It was within a fingertip of mark of the year. Jack Riewoldt flying, twisting from the side to rise above a pack deep in the forward line late in the game. He had a couple of grabs at it as he sat on James Frawley's shoulder, but could not bring the ball to ground. Minutes later Jeremy Howe - a perennial contender for mark of the year - showed him how it was done when he leapt over Lynden Dunn to mark. - MICHAEL GLEESON

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-see-off-plucky-demons-20130519-2jule.html#ixzz2TlJIB9hL

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Demons' fighting spirit gives Neeld some hope

    Michael Gleeson
    The Age
    May 20, 2013

The Demons did part of what was asked of them - they tried. The next question, of turning effort into victory, remains some time away but it was sufficient to leave coach Mark Neeld believing he now has the chance to coach them in how to play.

Richmond, like Melbourne, did what was asked of it: It won, but did little more than that.

Before 39,149 at the MCG, Melbourne answered the question of character it had raised with its pathetic effort last week, by at least bringing a respectable level of effort.

''In a bizarre sort of a way, I can coach now. If that is what you are going to bring to the table. We know there are some turnovers we made that we need to work on and that is obvious, but I thought, for the most part, the boys kept going,'' Neeld said after the 34-point loss.

The Demons' determination prompted the obvious query of where that passion had been last week.

''We realise that with the inexperience we are going to go up and down in that area and we are trying to alleviate that,'' Neeld said. ''We still feel since the GWS game we have had one week where people could question [our] effort and that is across a five-week period.''

When asked how the team would maintain that level of effort Neeld began to reply but was interrupted by full-forward Chris Dawes, who said that was not a coaching issue.

''It's nothing to do with the coaching - it's the players. Coaches shouldn't have to coach effort at AFL level. That's on the players and we are pretty confident that won't happen again. Tonight was a first step towards that,'' Dawes said.

''Yeah, the effort was better but it should be at AFL level. We competed hard and put ourselves in a position to win but we didn't win so we can't accept that.''

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was pleased to win a frustrating game in which his side failed to open up the defining break it could have in the first half by loose shooting at goal.

''We certainly didn't make the most of our chances going inside 50, when Ty Vickery kicks four straight behinds and I'm not sure what Jack [Riewoldt] kicked. We couldn't quite get the scoreboard reward we were after.We were taking a lot of marks inside 50,'' Hardwick said.

''What did they kick - 7.2 in the first half? We kicked more points than they had shots.''

Hardwick praised the game of emerging defender Brandon Ellis who had a career-high 39 touches to be the outstanding player on the ground and first-year player Nick Vlastuin had the best game of his short career with important linking play through the middle.

''We played OK in spurts, let's not take anything from Melbourne. Their aggression, their niggle was outstanding, they played the sort of footy I think they are capable of playing as a club, It was a pretty solid contest, our guys have had a good hitout today,'' Hardwick said.

The niggle spilled over into a melee at half-time but there appeared no punches thrown and it at least reflected a level of aggression in the contest from Melbourne.

The first half was as good as Melbourne could hope for. In the first quarter it laid 18 tackles, a marked increase on last week's despicable performance when the Demons had 39 for the match. They pressured and harassed and finished the day with 67 tackles, their second-most for the year.

They had a focal point forward in Dawes, impressive performances from youngster Matt Jones, Michael Evans and Dean Terlich, and Aaron Davey's class made him stand out in his side.

The Tigers now face Essendon next week in the Dreamtime game and follow that with a trip to Perth to take on West Coast, both winnable games and important to Richmond's hopes.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/demons-fighting-spirit-gives-neeld-some-hope-20130519-2juvl.html#ixzz2TlJz9UcT