Media articles and stats: Tigers hang on in close win over the Cats

[one-eyed]

Match report: Tigers hang on in a close one

Nick Bowen
afl.com.au
Aug 3, 2018 10:58PM


RICHMOND  4.2   6.6  10.11  12.13 (85)

GEELONG     2.4   5.7   7.8    12.10 (82)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Castagna 2, Cotchin, McIntosh, Lloyd, Higgins, Townsend, Nankervis
Geelong: Menzel 3, Abbott 2, Menegola 2, Guthrie, Hawkins, Henry, Tuohy, Kelly

BEST
Richmond: Lambert, Riewoldt, Rance, Nankervis, Martin, Ellis
Geelong: Kelly, Dangerfield, Selwood, Duncan, Blicavs, Menzel

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil.
Geelong: Rhys Stanley (calf) a late withdrawal, replaced in selected side by Jackson Thurlow.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, O'Gorman, Meredith

Official crowd: 67,054 at the MCG

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RICHMOND has seen off another challenger at its MCG stronghold, but only after it survived a ferocious late surge from Geelong to hang on for a thrilling three-point victory at the MCG on Friday night.

The Cats threw everything they had at the Tigers, but the reigning premiers appeared to be safely home when Sam Lloyd goaled to put them 23 points up at the 16-minute mark of the final term.

However, the Cats were not done. Goals to Tom Hawkins, Cameron Guthrie and Sam Menegola brought them back within four points at the 26-minute mark.

Gary Ablett then had a chance to put them in front a minute later when he had an open shot on goal from 35m.

But the dual Brownlow medallist pushed his shot well right and the Tigers were able to hold Geelong at bay in the dying minutes to record a 12.13 (85) to 12.10 (82) victory that stretched their record run of consecutive wins at the MCG to 19.

Kane Lambert was outstanding for the Tigers with 31 possessions and was well supported through the midfield by Dustin Martin (26 possessions). 

Jack Riewoldt (four goals) continued his good form in attack, Alex Rance held the competition's in-form spearhead Tom Hawkins to just one late goal, while Toby Nankervis (18 possessions, 33 hit-outs and one goal) had the better of his duel with Cats' debutant Ryan Abbott.

In winning, the Tigers defeated Geelong twice in the same season for the first time since 1982, while they also recorded their third win in a row over the Cats for the first time since 1998-2000.

As dismal as the Cats were in last year’s qualifying final loss to the Tigers, they were courageous this time around.

However, the loss weakens their hold on eighth spot on the ladder. Ninth-placed Sydney will leapfrog them if it defeats Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday night, while North Melbourne, 10th, and Essendon, 11th, will draw level with them on 11 wins if they defeat Brisbane and Hawthorn respectively.

Patrick Dangerfield (39 possessions and eight clearances) and Joel Selwood (37 and nine) did all they could to will Geelong over the line, while Tim Kelly (36 possessions) was also a prolific ball-winner.

Mark Blicavs was a towering presence in defence, while Mitch Duncan (33 possessions) and Sam Menegola (29 possession and two goals) were also important contributors.

Geelong kicked the opening goal of the game through Daniel Menzel, but Richmond hit back hard, kicking four of the next five majors to go into quarter-time with a 10-point lead.

Tiger spearhead Jack Riewoldt was brilliant in the first term, kicking two goals and setting up a Jason Castagna major with a brilliant knock-on from the boundary line.

Richmond carried this momentum into the second term, dominating the opening 10 minutes to extend its lead to 25 points after goals from ruckman Toby Nankervis, via a classy left-foot dribble kick, and Jack Higgins.

The reigning premier looked set to kill the contest early, but a brilliant smother by Geelong captain Joel Selwood on a Connor Menadue kick led to a Tim Kelly goal and halted the Tigers' run.

Kelly's goal was the first of three in a row by the Cats – the last a Sam Menegola bomb from just inside the centre square – which brought them back within five points by half-time.

The Cats dominated contested possessions 97-82 and clearances 28-18 in the first half, but the Tigers' forward-half pressure was outstanding and allowed them to control the inside 50 count 38-21.

When Geelong seized the lead inside the opening minute of the third term via a Menzel goal, it seemed to have all the momentum.

Richmond then emphatically regained control of the contest to again go 25 points up late in the term, only for Geelong to respond with three consecutive goals that brought it within 10 points at the seven-minute mark of the final term.

The Tigers again responded and looked safe when they led by 23 points midway through the final term.

However, the Cats had one last surge in them. It came up just short.

MEDICAL ROOM
Richmond:  TBC. [our doc told BT we're okay].

Geelong:  TBC.

NEXT UP
The Tigers play Gold Coast next Saturday at Metricon Stadium, where they defeated the Suns by 33 points in round 19 last year. The Cats take on bitter rival Hawthorn at the MCG that same day, when they will try to avenge their one-point loss in round two.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-03/match-report-tigers-hang-on-in-a-close-one

[one-eyed]

Tigers stretch unbeaten run to 19 in thriller

Peter Ryan
The Age
4 August 2018

Richmond has hung on by thee points to maintain their unbeaten run at the MCG after Geelong failed to pull off another last-minute victory when Gary Ablett pushed a kick wide within the final two minutes.

It extended the Tigers’ winning run at the venue to 19 with Richmond winning the game in the third quarter when they applied fierce pressure to extinguish the Geelong challenge.

The Cats hit the front inside the first minute after half-time but were punished for their temerity with Richmond kicking the next four goals to open up a 21-point lead at the final break.

The version of Richmond doesn’t lose that type of lead and once again looked to have victory in hand until Geelong kicked the last three goals of the game to draw within four points with two minutes remaining.

Ablett, in his first Friday-night game at the MCG since the 2010 preliminary final, had a chance from the forward pocket to give the Cats the lead but he pushed the kick wide for a behind.

In an indication of Richmond’s changing fortunes, this victory meant Richmond defeated Geelong twice this season, the first time they have beaten the Cats twice in one season since 1982.

The margin flattered Geelong because the ball spent most of the time inside Richmond’s forward half with the Tigers dominating territory, eventually winning the inside 50 count 69-46 but such is the Cats’ ability to score quickly they nearly pulled off a miracle.

Defiant Cats' coach Chris Scott said belief remained high that they could compete with the best teams if they

"We're disappointed but we're not discouraged with the performance," Scott said.

"We had our chances to win."

He conceded they overused the ball at times by hand but said teams needed to be creative with their ball use to work their way through Richmond's defence when coming out of the backline.

Once again Richmond spread the load with Kane Lambert and Dustin Martin the only two players to collect more than 20 disposals whereas Geelong had eight players exceed 20 disposals.

Relieved Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said the Cats tested them at times with their aggressive ball movement so he was pleased they were able to get away with the win.

"We have had a tough eight week block, playing some really good sides over a long period of time and I thought we didn't look as fresh and vibrant as we normally do," Hardwick said.

"I think we had some really good learnings out of the game and we'll freshen up and go up to the Gold Coast [next week] and have a real crack at the Suns."

As usual, Geelong relied on their midfield stars Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield to keep them in the game, particularly with the Tigers’ defence keeping Tom Hawkins to just one late goal.

At half-time the margin was in Richmond’s favour by just five points but they were winning the territory battle and looked the better team. However, a Selwood smother changed momentum midway through the second quarter and the game became a genuine contest for Richmond. Up until that brilliant Selwood effort the Tigers were 24 points up and controlling the game in familiar style.

They were forcing the Cats to handball and swooping on the turnover when it inevitably came, spreading across the ground in all directions like brumbies entering a paddock.

Jack Riewoldt had kicked two goals and Hawkins had just a solitary behind to his name as he wandered up the ground in search for the ball.

The Cats looked as rough as the southern ocean and the Tigers’ winning run appeared set to continue without much trouble.

It was hard to disagree with the sentiment among Tigers fans that the umpiring was one of the few things going Geelong’s way.

However, Geelong started to believe they could rattle Richmond when they kicked the last three goals of the first half.

The Tigers did wobble momentarily with two defenders spoiling each other, gifting Jack Henry a goal and then Sam Menegola kicked a long bomb to bring the margin back within a goal.

Suddenly Richmond had a game with their premiership midfielders Martin, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards and Lambert forced to think as Dangerfield found a sense of urgency and Ablett began to win the ball in tight. The Tigers held on to take a five-point lead into half-time but it was a slender margin considering they had recorded 38 inside 50s to that point, the highest first half tally by the Tigers since round 22, 2012.

A frustrated Geelong will know they can match Richmond while the Tigers know other teams are getting nearer to them as they hit the final three rounds heading towards back to back flags.

RICHMOND
4.2 6.6 10.11 12.13 (85)

GEELONG
2.4 5.7 7.8 12.10 (82)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Castagna 2, Higgins, Townsend, McIntosh, Lloyd, Cotchin, Nankervis.
Geelong: Menzel 3, Abbott 2, Menegola 2, Guthrie, Henry, Hawkins, Kelly, Tuohy.

BEST
Richmond: Lambert, Rance, Martin, Riewoldt, Higgins
Geelong: Dangerfield, Kelly, Joel Selwood, Blicavs, Henry

CROWD
67,054 at MCG.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-stretch-unbeaten-run-to-19-in-thriller-20180803-p4zvgv.html

[one-eyed]

Gary Ablett misses shot with a minute left as Richmond hangs on for 19th straight win at the MCG

Jay Clark,
Herald Sun
August 4, 2018

IT’S a goal which Gary Ablett normally kicks in his sleep.

But for one of the few moments in the champion midfielder’s career, his running shot which would have clinched an incredible Geelong victory drifted only marginally right.

Instead, it was Richmond which rolled on to its 19th straight win at the MCG with a pulsating three-point victory.

The narrow triumph fortified the Tigers’ position atop the ladder with three home-and-away rounds remaining in its flag defence.

But it wasn’t without a significant scare and two crucial missed opportunities for the Cats, first from young Cat Jackson Thurlow midway through the last term and then later from Ablett within the last minute of this nailbiter.

Ablett could only look up at the scoreboard and shake his head after the uncustomary miss from 25m out on a reasonably tight angle.

He would love to have it again.

But Thurlow, 24, would have wanted the ground to swallow him up only minutes earlier.

The Cats had all the momentum when Thurlow took possession in the middle of the ground and a certain goal beckoned which would have cut Richmond’s lead to four points.

But, in one of those crushing, heartbreaking slip-ups, the Tasmanian’s butchered kick slipped off the side of his boot and trickled to an awaiting Tiger in the centre square and the moment was lost for Geelong.

Now the Cats wonder what could have been, and long for another shot at the premiership favourite sometime next month.

This was the biggest fortnight of Richmond’s season, and yet again they passed the test, if only just.

If ever a couple of cracks were going to appear in this gold-plated Richmond armour, surely they would have come to the fore either against Geelong or Collingwood the week before, but the home of footy is a winter wonderland for Damien Hardwick’s men as they charge towards another flag.

And they play the Suns, Bombers and Western Bulldogs, who are all outside the top-eight, on the run home.

“Dimma” would have to be happy, although this game showed the Tigers are not invincible.

Kane Lambert and Jayden Short were slingshots off half-back, Alex Rance won his battle with Tom Hawkins, Trent Cotchin got in the face of Ablett and Jack Riewoldt booted four goals in an engrossing battle with Lachie Henderson.

Unsurprisingly, the Richmond pressure and appetite for the contest was outstanding again and it was enough in the end, but things see-sawed in the second half.

Geelong challenged, kicking four straight goals either side of the halftime break to pinch the lead momentarily, but the Tigers responded with merciless precision to re-open a 25-point lead midway through the third term before Geelong’s last term comeback fell short.

Not for the first time this season, it felt like all too much rested on the shoulders of the Cats’ superstar midfield contingent in the first half, and we can include Tim Kelly in that bracket, incredibly, in his first year in the big league.

His quickness and courage around the contests make him the best first-year player in the AFL although the Tigers’ pressure blunted the effectiveness of some of his disposal.

The Cats looked their best attacking the game through the corridor and a second-term zigzag goal helped ignite the comeback.

Paddy Dangerfield launched the ball out to Henderson, who went inboard to Mitch Duncan who set up Sam Menegola from long range and the Cats had some mid-game momentum.

Dangerfield has been forward for big chunks this season but the Brownlow Medalist was as busy through the midfield as we have seen this season with 30 possessions at the last change.

After a slow start, Ablett also got off the chain and hit up Kelly with a low bullet.

Joel Selwood committed himself harder than most, as always, too.

First-game ruckman Ryan Abbott, who was playing local footy a couple of years ago, stood up for the Cats, booting two set-shot goals.

But the Richmond surge towards back-to-back flags continues.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/gary-ablett-misses-shot-with-a-minute-left-as-richmond-hangs-on-to-record-19th-straight-win-at-the-mcg/news-story/431ac9d2bed6f3b8685f42a6995ed2e8

[one-eyed]

‘Their appetite for tackling is brilliant’: Richmond pressure seals 19th win in a row at the MCG

August 4, 2018
Matt Balmer
FOX SPORTS

WHEN you look up Richmond in the dictionary, the words ‘tackling pressure’ appears in the definition.

The Tigers brought their A-game on Friday night, to capture their 19th consecutive win on the hallowed turf of the MCG and it was their tackling and pressure and stood out as a class above the Cats.

Although they hardly had it all their own way, with a nailbiting final 10 minutes seeing the Cats come from the clouds to nearly pinch it.

Chris Scott’s men kicked the last three goals of the game, with dual Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett missing a shot on the run in the dying seconds to steal victory.
Round 20Brought to you by sportsbet

Make no mistake, the Tigers are beatable — but it’s going to take a very disciplined performance and a very good team to do so.

Just when Geelong got a sniff in the third term — taking the lead with the first goal after half time — the Tigers put the foot down, winning three consecutive centre clearances and booting three goals from five inside 50 entries in the space of 10 minutes.

It was a patch that gave the Tigers the all-important momentum, before they hung on to win by just three points.

“That’s what the very best teams do, they respond quickly,” Melbourne great Garry Lyon told AFL Nation.

“They’re almost unstoppable, they just keep working.”

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The Tigers’ forward-half tackles were through the roof and at half time — despite leading by just five points, the Tigers had double the number of forward-half tackles, leading the Cats 31-14.

“It’s the pressure again, their appetite for tackling is brilliant.” St Kilda champion Danny Frawley added.

“They’re too good Richmond.” Lyon said, as the Tigers begun to get away from the Cats in the second term.

Richmond teased to run away with the match and make it a one-sided affair before half time, but the Cats stars stood up.

Patrick Dangerfield amassed 39 disposals, Joel Selwood had it 36 times, first-year sensation Tim Kelly collected 36 touches, while Mitch Duncan chipped in with 33 possessions.

“Dangerfield has been huge this quarter, he’s matching them blow for blow,” Lyon said.

“The superstars for Geelong stood up and said this is not getting away from us”

“There’s a reason why players separate themselves from the group. Dangerfield was simply stunning, his kicking wasn’t great, a couple of times he hacked it but his intensity in at the contest.”

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Scott was full of praise for the 24-year-old Kelly, believing he was the best midfielder on the ground - in a match that was full of superstars in the middle.

“I thought Tim Kelly was better than all of them. Easily. ” Scott said in his post-match press conference.

But the Cats were horribly overusing the ball in the opening half — having more handballs to kicks (109 to 103), with the Tigers (119-72) looking to get the ball long inside 50 to attack goal.

The Cats overuse was defined by a passage of player in the second term, when star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield burst through the middle of the ground — and rather than driving it long inside — looked for a short handball in the centre of the ground, resulting in a turnover.

“If you keep handballing the ball you are going to get tackled.” Lyon said.

The former Demons captain called for Geelong coach Chris Scott to send Tom Hawkins deep, questioning why he was being utilised up the ground in the opening half.

“Tom Hawkins has kicked seven and seven in two weeks, but he hasn’t played like a conventional forward yet,” Lyon told AFL Nation.

“When you’re on fire and you kick two bags on seven, leave him inside 50.

“I wanted violence in the Geelong forward line, but the violence is coming from the Richmond defence.”

The Geelong star forward finished the game with just one goal, with Lyon suggesting Geelong needs to “find other avenues” at goal if they are to be able to kick a winning score.

Tigers forward Jack Riewoldt was brilliant, adding another four goals and an outstanding assist to Jason Castagna in the opening quarter, knocking the ball onto the small forward.

“That’s the goal assist of the year from Jack Riewoldt!” Bruce Eva told 3AW Football.

For a side to knock the Tigers off the perch, they need to find a way to combat the pressure and tackling intensity the Richmond’s 22 players bring week in week out.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/live-afl-round-20-richmond-v-geelong-cats/news-story/9fd3653b0099c2b85e63b1e301dcc5eb

[Owl]

Now all we need is for the umpires to pay the stuffing tackles