Want to relive that last 60 odd seconds against the Hawks...... read on
==============================================
The Tiger tale of goal 41 . . .
4:18:18 PM Wed 24 August, 2005
Chris Riches
richmondfc.coma.u
There were 41 goals kicked in last Sunday’s pulsating Richmond-Hawthorn clash at Telstra Dome, and when the winning margin is less than a goal, each of those 41 majors becomes so important.
But none were more important than the last one, kicked by Kayne Pettifer with less than a minute to go, to put Richmond in front and cap a stunning Tiger fightback.
Fittingly, Mark Graham – playing his final game of football against his former club – played a vital part in that last goal.
Starting with Graham’s kick-in from Hawthorn’s goalsquare, and ending with Pettifer’s goal at the other end, the ball travelled the length of the ground in only 22 seconds.
In those 22 seconds, the ball passed through six Tiger players hands – each with their own fluctuating fortunes on the day; each with their own story to tell …Mark Graham picks up the ball from behind the goals with 68 seconds to go.
Graham, who has just punched a Nathan Lonie shot at goal through for a behind to extend Hawthorn’s lead to two points, has enjoyed a wonderful last quarter.
A couple of key intercepts, some deft touches and crucial possessions have shown on-field the passion and commitment he had used at three-quarter time to urge his teammates to make one more big effort, one more comeback.
As he scans the field looking for a target, Graham spies Ray Hall running free towards the half-back flank to receive the kick-in.
So Mark Graham, for the last time, wheels onto that trusty left foot that has served him so well for more than 240 games and launches a long kick towards Hall, who is now metres in the clear.
• 68 seconds to go . . .
The ball reaches Hall, some 55 metres out from Hawthorn’s goal. The boy from Woy Woy – having a wonderful season in defence – has been given a licence to run against Hawthorn and is enjoying perhaps his finest game for Richmond.
Twenty possessions and three goals, including a ‘pearler’ on the run in the third term, has seen Hall work himself into almost complete exhaustion. Yet he rallies himself for one final effort, running hard from the back pocket to get free and receive Graham’s kick-in.
• 65 seconds to go . . .
Running with the flight of the ball, Hall fumbles a tough fingertip mark, but his hard running has allowed him time to recover, and with a poise belying his tiredness, picks up the bouncing ball.
Now pursued by a Hawthorn opponent, Hall doesn’t panic, setting his sights on a long handball to a teammate seemingly in space.
That teammate is Brett Deledio.
• 62 seconds to go . . .
Since half-time, Deledio has shown why the Tigers picked him number one in the 2004 draft. After a quiet first half, Deledio has been electrifying in the second – winning the ball, using his blistering pace to elude opponents, and kicking long into the forward line.
Deledio receives the Hall handpass and instinctively feels a pursuer close behind. But that pursuer, Hawthorn ruckman Peter Everitt, is left flat-footed by a stunning Deledio sidestep, which frees him to use his pace and accelerate from the wing.
• 59 seconds to go . . .
The super-talented youngster bounces, looks up to avoid another would-be Hawthorn tackler, and sprints to the corner of the centre square at half-forward.
In an instant, he surveys the Tigers’ forward line and decides to launch an audacious, courageous torpedo punt – from 65 metres out – to, at worst, get the ball to the hot spot in front of Richmond’s goal as quickly as possible.
• 55 seconds to go . . .
The kick isn’t a perfect one, and begins to die on its trajectory about 15 metres out from the Tigers’ goal. Two Hawthorn defenders stand waiting – seemingly unopposed – for the ball to arrive, with Hawk full-back Jonathon Hay looking in prime position to take a simple mark.
Out of nowhere, however, flies a Richmond player to make a contest – Jay Schulz.
• 53 seconds to go . . .
Less than two hours earlier, Schulz was laying on the ground in pain and ready to be taken from the field on a stretcher after a sickening collision with Hawk forward Ben Dixon.
The collision, which saw Dixon’s boot smash into Schulz’s chest, appeared to have ended the young Tiger’s match, and maybe his season, prematurely.
The promising key-position player had already endured a shocking run of injuries in 2005. That, and the controversy which surrounded him being caught drink-driving – the final straw that saw the TAC cut its sponsorship deal with Richmond early in the year – had gone a long way towards derailing his ‘05 season.
But after being recalled to the senior side for this match, Schulz wasn’t going to go out without a fight.
Courageously returning to the field and going forward in the last term, Schulz didn’t disappoint . . . He contested everything that came his way, unluckily hit the post from one shot at goal, and then played a role in two vital Tiger majors.
The second of those – to Kane Johnson – saw Schulz playing in front and executing a beautiful handball to his captain for an easy goal to reduce the Tigers’ deficit to just eight points.
But now, Schulz, desperate to make a contest of the Deledio kick forward, flings himself sideways at the ball and almost takes an unbelievable grab.
As the ball spills from his grasp, he has the presence of mind to re-gather and ferret out a handball to his nearest teammate – Greg Stafford.
• 51 seconds to go . . .
Stafford, himself, has enjoyed a good game. For the first time in weeks, the big man has looked not only fit, but comfortable with the tempo of the game. He has kicked a couple of goals, but also has displayed that deceptive mobility he possesses, to create scoring opportunities for others.
Just a minute earlier, Stafford played a role in Matthew Richardson’s fourth goal, leading out strongly to take a chest mark before quickly dishing off to ‘Richo’ who goaled from 40 metres to cut the margin to one point.
That followed a third-quarter effort by ‘Staf’ to scoop the ball from the boundary line and snap towards goal after Hawk youngster Jarryd Roughead tried to knock it out of bounds. That kick ended up with a mark and goal to Rory Hilton.
So Stafford, just to the side of the Schulz marking attempt, plays the role of rover. As he accepts the hot handball from his teammate, he is quickly tackled by the Hawks’ Roughead. But with experience and strength, he slips his arms free and spots Kayne Pettifer unattended near the goalsquare. The quick handball is perfect for Pettifer, who gathers it easily.
• 49 seconds to go . . .
Pettifer has had a mixed day; his fortunes reflecting the Tigers’. A couple of good goals early on, but then a fumble that let Hawthorn in for its 21st major of the afternoon, followed by a missed shot at goal just minutes later.
Despite this, however, Pettifer’s last quarter has been full of endeavour. He has chased hard, pressured and tackled. His despair at his missed shot – as well as a bouncing kick that trickled through for a point when teammate Joel Bowden was running free in the goalsquare – has been etched on his face for all to see.
A passionate Pettifer, like his teammates, is trying his guts out, just hoping for one more chance to make amends, to find a way to help his side across the line.
That opportunity comes in the dying seconds. On hand to rove the Schulz spill, Pettifer intelligently falls off the back of the pack to get free in the goalsquare. Stafford sees him and fires out the handball.
Pettifer waits just a split second, to grasp the ball safely, before running in and thumping through the goal.
He raises his hands in a mixture of delight, relief and salvation, before running to congratulate Schulz on his wonderful marking effort.
• 47 seconds to go . . .
Richmond in front.
Tiger fans celebrate.
www.yellowandblack.infohttp://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=featurestories&spg=display&articleid=224615
