Media articles and stats: Saints savage toothless Tigers

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Match report: Saints savage toothless Tigers

afl.com.au
8 July 2017


ST KILDA     5.3  14.8  19.8  21.12 (138)

RICHMOND  1.3   1.4    4.9   10.11 (71)

GOALS
St Kilda: Membrey 5, Riewoldt 3, Bruce 2, Stevens 2, Gresham 2, Montagna 2, Ross, Billings, Longer, Steven, McKenzie
Richmond: Castagna 2, Cotchin, Caddy, Grigg, Martin, Butler, Lloyd, Ellis, Riewoldt

BEST
St Kilda: Ross, Steven, Montagna, Stevens, Steele, Membrey, Riewoldt, Sinclair, Longer
Richmond: Lambert, Grigg, Ellis, Edwards, Astbury

INJURIES
St Kilda: Longer (hamstring)
Richmond: Grimes (concussion)

Reports: Trent Cotchin (Richmond) was reported for striking Jack Lonie (St Kilda) in the second quarter.

Umpires: Schmitt, Ryan, Mollison

Official crowd: 47,514 at Etihad Stadium

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THE START was fitting, the first half staggering.

Nick Riewoldt's contested mark and goal two minutes into a game dedicated to his late sister – Maddie's Match 2.0 – heralded a St Kilda ambush that took no-one more by surprise than Richmond.

The Saints knew a loss would cost them their top-eight spot and they instead blitzed the bitterly disappointing Tigers early, then put them to the sword in a devastating second term that reaped 9.5 to 0.1.

It was St Kilda's best quarter ever at Richmond's expense and put an 82-point gap between the sides by half-time. That pace was never sustainable, but the Saints still inflicted an emphatic 21.12 (138) to 10.11 (71) thumping on Damien Hardwick's men.

They did it with aggressive ball movement – which Hardwick noted mid-week as a threat – and spread the ball wonderfully between a committed group that harassed its rivals with manic pressure.

The majority of St Kilda's goals came off Tiger turnovers, a trend set early from giveaways by stars Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin.

Saints Riewoldt, Seb Ross, whose highlight was a brilliant chase down that denied Jason Castagna a shot on goal, and Jarryn Geary started the rot. Then Jack Steven, Billy Longer, Jack Newnes and Leigh Montagna went ballistic in the second term.

The numbers in St Kilda's favour by the half-time siren were extraordinary: 248-142 disposals, 43-14 inside 50s, 23-9 clearances.

Steven's superb long-range finish completed the Saints' opening-half scoring, the 11th of 12-straight goals for his club and his 14th possession in the second quarter.

Incredibly, the damage would have been worse if not for Josh Bruce's pair of elementary misses from within 10 metres in scenes reminiscent of his errant kick from the goal square against Hawthorn in round six.

Bruce's 1.5 first-half haul edged Richmond by one behind.

The margin peaked at 92 in the third term, courtesy of Riewoldt's third goal. The 34-year-old was masterful, hauling in 12 marks and running the AFL's best defender, Alex Rance, ragged with his famed work ethic.

Rance had three touches to the main break and was not the only senior Tiger that failed to fire a shot. Martin had six possessions to that stage and Jack Riewoldt just two.

Captain Cotchin's numbers were comparatively gaudy and he slotted his team's sole goal in the first half, but was also guilty of a gut punch to Jack Lonie that gifted the Saints six points.

The Match Review Panel is sure to at least look at the incident, given the crackdown on punching, but St Kilda forward Tim Membrey (five goals) also faces a worrying wait.

Membrey's late hit in the second quarter on Dylan Grimes in a marking contest left the defender with an immediate shiner and he took no further part after half-time.

There was genuine doubt about the Saints’ finals credentials after Adelaide exacted a third-straight defeat on them by at least 40 points and a sixth overall from 11 matches.

What followed is four-consecutive victories of increasingly impressive fashion that crucially give St Kilda breathing room inside the top eight.

The Saints’ aspirations might be significantly higher now.

Richmond has now suffered two hidings in 2017 – the other a 76-point defeat to Adelaide – ahead of match-ups with the Brisbane Lions and Greater Western Sydney.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-07-08/match-report-saints-savage-toothless-tigers

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St Kilda cement top eight spot with demolition of Richmond after week of expectations

Scott Gullan,
Herald Sun
9 July 2017

THIS game was over last Tuesday.

That was the day the growing chorus about Richmond being a premiership contender reached its highest point.

By then all the weekly footy shows had devoted significant time pumping the Tigers’ tyres.

To be fair they deserved some loving given the way they’d stitched up Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval to move to fourth on the ladder.

But what was missed in all the hyperbole was one fact ... it’s Richmond they were talking about.

A tried and true Tigers fan must have surely sensed trouble as the experts queued up one after the other to laud their team as legitimate flag material.

As they knew so well the yellow and black brigade have had issues in the past dealing with expectation.

But even by their standards of drinking their own bath water, this was next level.

They were four goals down at quarter-time and then scored one point only in the second quarter as St Kilda suddenly looked like the Saints of 2009.

At half-time the margin was an incredible 82 points.

The stats sheet was remarkable reading.

St Kilda led the disposals 248-142, contested possessions 84-55, clearances 23-9 and inside 50s 43-14.

And if you wanted any more evidence of how bad the Tigers were going their three messiahs - Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt and Alex Rance - had touched the ball 11 times between them.

Nick Riewoldt had wound back the clock and took Rance to the goalsquare for a traditional one-on-one match-up.
Dustin Martin had a quiet game against St Kilda.

The Saints veteran led the game’s best defender a merry dance kicking two first-half goals and in the process set a new AFL record for the most marks in the history of the game (2913).

Martin’s Brownlow Medal march hit a roadblock in the form of Koby Stevens who was one of a few Saints who paid him some attention.

Stevens had 17 disposals and two goals to the main break compared to Martin’s six possessions.

Poor old Jack Riewoldt had his first touch at the eight-minute mark of the second quarter but it’s fair to say the ball wasn’t down his end too often.

So now let’s fast forward to next Tuesday when it’s St Kilda’s turn to be analysed as a prospective premiership hope.

In this crazy year where there are no stand-outs, they will be the focus for this week.

Saturday night’s 67-point victory saw them move to fifth and it was the first time they’d won four straight since 2011.

If the Grand Final was played at Etihad Stadium then they’re in the conversation.

When the Saints are buzzing and have their energy levels at maximum, they zoom around under the roof like men possessed.

The midfield spreads far and wide with the likes of Jack Steven, Seb Ross, and Jack Newnes serious ball magnets.

Stevens and Jack Steele are important additions while Jack Sinclair looked polished.

Richmond’s mosquito fleet has got a lot of good publicity in recent weeks but the Saints have a fairly decent set themselves in the forward half.

Jack Billings, Jade Gresham and Jack Lonie are very small and very good when they’re on, providing the perfect foil for the three tells - Riewoldt, Josh Bruce and Tim Membrey - who bamboozled the Tigers.

At the other end Nathan Brown and Jake Carlisle have given the defence a solid structure, Dylan Roberton provides the dash while veterans Leigh Montagna, Sam Gilbert and Jarryn Geary had their best game as a collective for a while.

So can St Kilda be the Western Bulldogs of 2017?

Well, given they’re going to be analysed as a premiership chance on Tuesday, we know what that means for next Friday night ... Essendon are good things.

www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/st-kilda-cement-top-eight-spot-with-demolition-of-richmond-after-week-of-expectations/news-story/1e768bc61ba89028eeb0b07b690ee95e

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Nick Riewoldt sparks Saints blitz

Warwick Green
The Age
9 July 2017

ST KILDA 5.3 14.8 19.8 21.12 (138)
RICHMOND 1.3 1.4 4.9 10.11 (71)

Goals:
St Kilda: T Membrey 5 N Riewoldt 3 J Bruce 2 J Gresham 2 K Stevens 2 L Montagna 2 B Longer D McKenzie J Billings J Steven S Ross.
Richmond: J Castagna 2 B Ellis D Butler D Martin J Caddy J Riewoldt S Grigg S Lloyd T Cotchin

Best:
St Kilda: Ross, Steven, Membrey, Stevens, Riewoldt, Geary, Montagna, Longer.
Richmond: Lambert, Grigg

Umpires: Justin Schmitt, Ben Ryan, Jacob Mollison.
Official Crowd: 47,514 at Etihad Stadium.

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All eyes were on the Riewoldts on this remarkable night. Almost 50,000 piled into Etihad Stadium for the purple-themed Maddie's (Riewoldt) Match, and fittingly the Lockett and Coventry ends were renamed the Maddie and Riewoldt goals.

And by five minutes into the second quarter, the respective fortunes of the two Riewoldts on the field told the tale of this match.

It was the moment St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt ran back with the flight of the ball and flew for a chest mark against his direct opponent, Alex Rance, and Tigers ruckman Toby Nankervis. That grab made it 2907 career marks for the Saints great, surpassing the AFL record held by Dogs/Roos ruckman Gary Dempsey. The ensuing kick was a goal to the "Maddie End", giving St Kilda a 36-point lead and effectively signposting a Saints victory. His was one of nine unanswered St Kilda goals during a second-quarter blitz in which the Saints could do no wrong, setting up an 82-point lead at half-time.

At the other end, Tigers spearhead Jack Riewoldt went into the break with just two possessions. His first disposal came midway through the second quarter courtesy of a free kick for an arm chop. He pushed his kick wide for a behind.

If Nick embodied St Kilda – intense, precise and damaging – then Jack's night reflected that of the Tigers – frustrated, inaccurate and struggling to touch the footy.

St Kilda blitzed  in the opening term, with fluid ball movement and an open and organised forward line.

Both Richmond and St Kilda came into this match ranked in the AFL's top four for pressure and tackles in the forward 50, but only one team played with urgency and intent in the first hour.

St Kilda dominated in the midfield, with Seb Ross and Jack Steven particularly damaging, and almost all of the play in the first quarter was in St Kilda's attacking half.

When the Tigers did manage to get possession they invariably panic-kicked under pressure, leading to intercept marks by the likes of Jarryn Geary and Jake Carlisle, who  was a commanding presence in his 100th AFL match.

Up forward, the trio of St Kilda talls – Riewoldt (as the deepest forward and opposed to Rance), Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce, combined intelligently and effectively.

At ground level, the likes of Jade Gresham and three Jacks – Lonie, Sinclair and Billings – not only created goals, but also applied tremendous pressure when the ball was in Tiger hands. In contrast, Richmond's much-vaunted mosquito fleet barely influenced the play. The first goal from any of them came midway through the final term when an untended Dan Butler was on the end of a centred pass from Josh Caddy.

Richmond's key players were well beaten. Skipper Trent Cotchin struggled to get involved and was frustrated by it. Eight minutes into the match he stabbed a dribble kick from traffic and was penalised for deliberate out of bounds. Exasperated, he threw a short jab into the midriff of Lonie and was reported.

He also conceded a 50-metre penalty which gifted Ross a goal.

If anything, Dustin Martin's game was worse. Koby Stevens not only shut him down in the midfield but was also a damaging player.

Numerous times he attempted to break tackles and was caught. One moment that summed up his night came just after half-time, when his handpass was intercepted on a wing by Lonie, who flicked it to Riewoldt for a long kick to an unmarked Membrey for a simple goal.

On the other hand St Kilda produced a complete team performance, and in doing so gained a vital boost in percentage and won four in a row for first time since 2011.

The only negative was that Membrey may face match review scrutiny after he clumsily clattered into Dylan Grimes in a marking contest.

VOTES

- Ross (StK) 9
- Steven (StK) 9
- Membrey (StK) 8
- Stevens (StK) 8
- Riewoldt (StK) 8

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/st-kilda-saints-v-richmond-tigers-nick-riewoldt-sparks-saints-blitz-20170708-gx7gnj.html