Media articles and Stats: Tigers outclassed by Hawks

[one-eyed]

Tigers outclassed by Hawks
Kristian Pisano 
April 27, 2014 7:11 PM


RICHMOND   2.0   3.1   4.6   7.10 (52)             
HAWTHORN   4.7   6.9   14.10   18.10 (118)

GOALS

Richmond: Riewoldt 2, Edwards, Martin, Jackson, Ellis, Petterd
Hawthorn: Rioli 4, Hale 2, Hodge 2, Breust 2, Gunston 2, Lewis, Puopolo, McEvoy, Roughead, Hill, Burgoyne

BEST

Richmond: Astbury, Ellis, Riewoldt. Grigg, Jackson
Hawthorn: Rioli, Hodge, Mitchell, Duryea, Hill, McEvoy, Hill

INJURIES

Richmond: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil
 

SUBSTITUTES

Richmond: Sam Lloyd replaced by Matt McDonough in the third quarter
Hawthorn: Ben Stratton replaced by Jonathan Simpkin at three-quarter time.

Reports: Josh Gibson reported in the final term for striking Reece Conca.

Umpires: Fisher, Rosebury, Hosking

Official crowd: 52,990 at the MCG

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The Tigers have suffered their fourth loss of the season, going down to Hawthorn by 66 points in front of 52,990 fans at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.

Hawthorn shot out of the blocks, kicking the first three goals of the game before Shane Edwards opened the Tigers’ account with a set-shot set up by Nathan Gordon.

Turnovers from defence hurt the Tigers early, with Hawthorn scoring 23 points from turnovers in the first quarter, but the Hawks also had trouble converting, kicking 4.7 and keeping the Tigers within striking distance at the first break.

The match evened up in the second term due to a midfield arm-wrestle which resulted in both teams only managing six scoring shots between them.

At half-time the game looked within reach for the Tigers, despite being 26 points down, with efficiency in the forward 50 being the main problem in the deficit for the Tigers.

Cyril Rioli took the game away from Richmond in the third term, kicking four of Hawthorn’s eight third quarter goals to set up the victory.

Again, Richmond had their opportunities, but kicked 1.5 to Hawthorn’s 8.1 which opened up the gap between the two sides significantly.

David Astbury continued his stellar season, keeping Jarryd Roughead to only the one goal and giving him little space, while Dylan Grimes kept the in-form Jack Gunston to just two goals.

Jack Riewoldt tried hard all day in a hard-fought battle with Josh Gibson, collecting 16 disposals (nine contested), six marks and kicking two goals. His desperation was evident all afternoon, with a goal assist to Dustin Martin while battling three opponents was one of the highlights of the day.

Brandon Ellis provided his best return for the season, finding the football 32 times, with nine marks, six rebound 50s, five inside 50s, one goal and two goal assists off the wing.

Reece Conca got into double digits in the tackles column for the second time this season with 11 (averaging 6.8 a game), to go with 18 disposals in a hard-fought effort.

Will Langford had the run-with role with Trent Cotchin, but again the captain was one of the Tigers’ best with 21 disposals, eight clearances, seven tackles and four inside 50’s.

The Tigers face Geelong next Sunday afternoon at the MCG.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2014-04-27/tigers-outclassed-by-hawks

[one-eyed]

Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli lights up MCG with four goals and 100 per cent efficiency to sink Richmond
Herald-Sun
April 28, 2014

AS THE autumn light faded above the MCG there was no need for stadium management to turn the lights on.

Cyril Rioli would do it for them.

With Hawthorn and Richmond seemingly destined to play out a routine four-quarter grind, Rioli lit up the home of football like precious few can.

He scorched the Tigers in a third quarter blitzkrieg that amazed and stunned in equal measure. In 21 scintillating minutes, the little wizard kicked four goals from seven possessions to bury a Richmond side that had somehow remained in touch at half-time.

He snapped the first goal of the second half in 28 seconds and got his second 10 minutes later courtesy of a cat-like interception of a Ricky Petterd handball while standing the mark. A set shot goal followed before he slalomed around the Tiger defence to drill his fourth with an audacious banana.

Rioli would finish with 17 touches — 11 contested — four goals, three score assists and seven tackles in Hawthorn’s thumping 66-point win.

If that wasn’t devastating enough, he did it at a stunning 100 per cent efficiency — the only Hawk on the ground to walk off with a flawless output. Has there ever been a player to inflict more damage to the opposition with fewer numbers?

There’s answering your critics, then there’s gagging them for the rest of the season.

When the final siren sounded yesterday it was hard to believe that the storm clouds were gathering over Hawthorn’s No. 33. Seemingly every time he has a quiet game against Geelong they come out of the woodwork.

This time it was a legendary full-forward who suggested Rioli was an inconsistent underachiever. While the former spearhead was squirming on the couch at home, Bruce McAvaney and co. were getting into a lather at the ‘G.

This wasn’t a cameo, it was a match-defining surge at the critical moment. The Hawks kicked four of the game’s first five goals, feasting on a plethora of Richmond mistakes and spreading the footy in typically methodical fashion. It could have been more, too, had Hawthorn not hit the post twice and missed three sitters in the first 20 minutes.

The Tigers’ first shot at goal didn’t come until there were eight minutes left in the opening term, but they settled at the first change and stopped the bleeding in the second.

Suddenly Sam Mitchell was coughing the ball up and his teammates couldn’t move it quickly as Richmond set up camp inside its attacking 50m.

But it speaks volumes about Hawthorn that despite being outplayed in that second quarter, it still outscored the Tigers by seven points before opening the floodgates in the second hour.

Damien Hardwick may as well try to charm a bird out of a tree this week after claiming in the build up to yesterday’s match that the Tigers were a “better side” than last year.

Four quarters of football later his side is in desperate trouble at 2-4 and has Geelong this week.

David Astbury was superb on Jarryd Roughead and Brandon Ellis tried hard, but the transitional dash and dare so evident last year has vanished.

Sensing his side’s desperation, a Richmond fan even ran on to the ground in the last term.

Brian Lake was solid in his first game, which may be just as well after Josh Gibson was reported for a high hit on Reece Conca in the last quarter, sparking large brawl on the Southern Stand wing.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/hawthorn-star-cyril-rioli-lights-up-mcg-with-four-goals-and-100-per-cent-efficiency-to-sink-richmond/story-fndv8os9-1226897528027

[one-eyed]

Hawthorn in a class of its own against hapless Tigers

     Greg Baum
      The Age
    April 28, 2014

HAWTHORN 4.7 6.9 14.10 18.10 (118)
RICHMOND  2.0 3.1    4.6    7.10 (52)

Goals:
Hawthorn: C Rioli 4 D Hale 2 J Gunston 2 L Breust 2 L Hodge 2 B Hill B McEvoy J Lewis J Roughead P Puopolo S Burgoyne.
Richmond: J Riewoldt 2 B Ellis D Jackson D Martin R Petterd S Edwards.

BEST
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Birchall, McEvoy, Hill, Rioli, Hodge.
Richmond: Ellis, Astbury, Houli, Conca, Riewoldt.

Umpires: Brett Rosebury, Brendan Hosking, Leigh Fisher.
Official Crowd: 52,990 at MCG.

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There are ways to beat Hawthorn. One is simply to be Geelong, with all its skill, hardiness and corporate memory, and even that is not necessarily sufficient in a final. Another way is to be Richmond; by a historical anomaly, in the last two seasons, that was more than enough.

It was too good to be true, and Richmond knew it.

There's no foolproof way to beat Hawthorn. On Sunday at the MCG, the Tigers tried all they knew. They tagged Luke Hodge with Reece Conca, kept a weather eye out for Sam Mitchell at half-back, engaged Hawthorn on conventional terms and could only watch as the Hawks sliced them to pretty ribbons. Mitchell and Hodge did what they have been doing to allcomers for years. Forewarned was not in anyway forearmed.

Hawthorn has been at this game for so long that it is easy take for granted the sublime talent it takes to play it. Only one flaw was apparent, kicking at goal. It is age-old, and has cost the modern Hawks at least one flag. The Hawks were 4.7 at quarter-time should have been 7.4 at the very least. By contrast, Richmond scored with both its shots at goal.

That way didn't work. So in the second quarter, the Tigers knuckled down, tightened up, played one-on-one and made the Hawks work for every kick and pay for some. There were passages of play in which the Hawks looked as susceptible as any mortals. Mitchell and Hodge both made mistakes in the same quarter, unprecedented these last 10 years.

The trouble for the Tigers is that the Hawks can play this way too. Remember last year's grand final? As the competition's hunted, they know every trick and trap the hunters might pull. Whether in the wide open spaces or in the clinches, class outs. How other clubs would love the quick-footed, quick-witted Bradley Hill as their spare part in midfield.

For all their gut-busting, lung-bursting, eye-popping endeavour, the Tigers kicked 1.1 for the quarter. Hawthorn kicked 2.2. One was from Hodge's hit-up of David Hale, from chapter one of the Hawks' playbook. The other was by piercing Richmond's siege and setting Paul Puopolo loose, with half the MCG to himself. Richmond had changed the look and tempo of the game, but not its inexorable course.

In the third quarter, a third possible way to prevail against Hawthorn emerged: lull it into a false sense of security.

For a little while, the Hawks outsmarted themselves. Some kicked on their non-preferred feet, into smothers or to opponents. Some were caught, so undignified, so un-Hawthorn. The great Hodge cribbed a mark, conceding 50 metres and a goal. It was almost as if the Hawks needed the stimulus of more competition than the Tigers could provide this day.

Then again, if you're as good as Hodge, why not show it? He hit up Hale again with a 60-metre pass from a centre bounce - with his right foot. Goal.

And if you're as good as Cyril Rioli, why not add a bit of mayonnaise? He kicked four goals this quarter, a now familiar Cyril cameo.

Space does not permit a catalogue of them, but one is suffice to stand for all. From a standing start, he leapt seemingly to twice his height to pluck Ricky Petterd's intended clearing handball out of midair. The rest you know. The Hawks' sense of security wasn't false. It was the competition status quo.

Three last possible means by which Hawthorn might succumb remained. One was that the Hawks would get bored and go home. But why would they? Their football is exhilarating to watch, so it must be to play. So on and on they glided, until 11 players had kicked 18 goals, now a standard afternoon's walk.

Richmond tried playing with an extra number in defence; unfortunately, he was an invading fan. Then, when Josh Gibson upset the Tigers with a forearm that almost divided Conca, they flew the flag. But they were too late by at least two hours, and for this type of rallying, probably 20 years.

In truth, the last quarter was about statistical accumulation, useful only in contract negotiations. The 10 minutes were like the last minute of any other game, for marking time.

The competition was back to as your were. In two demoralising hours, Richmond's bunny had transformed into a beast all too recognisable to the rest of the competition, Monty Python's killer bunny.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/hawthorn-in-a-class-of-its-own-against-hapless-tigers-20140427-zr0f1.html