The Tiger challengers ariseAshley Browne
afl.com.au
Sep 9, 2018 12:05PMTHE BIG question heading into the opening weekend of the 2018 finals series was whether a genuine challenger to Richmond would emerge.
The answer? Maybe.
The Tigers comfortably disposed of Hawthorn on Thursday night and while several of the better-credentialled Hawks had absolute shockers, there was ample evidence on display to suggest the Hawks aren’t in Richmond’s league, at least not this year.
And we suggest Alastair Clarkson would agree.
However, over the remaining three games of the weekend, we saw glimpses from each of the victors to offer hope that maybe, just maybe, the flag isn’t signed, sealed and delivered to Punt Road just yet.
On Friday night, Melbourne swamped Geelong early, kicking five unanswered goals in the first term, winning the contested possession and clearance count, and also winning the tackle count by a whopping 22-11. Alex Neal-Bullen had five tackles, Jack Viney laid four and it set the Cats back on their heels.
The Demons’ pressure was immense throughout and while they still have their work cut out just to make it through two more matches before any possible clash with the Tigers, what was abundantly clear is that Simon Goodwin is assembling a team made to win in September. Close to four quarters of what they delivered against Geelong would hold them in good stead against the Tigers.
Here’s what Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron would have loved in the win over Sydney on Saturday — 163 contested possessions to 124. The Swans are the most blue-collar team going around and on Saturday they were monstered in every category that mattered.
The feeling with the Giants is that they have finally added the right degree of grunt to go with their undoubted polish. The 2017 model fell short against Richmond in the preliminary final, but the 2018 model would have pushed the Tigers right to the wire.
West Coast’s final quarter against Collingwood on Saturday night, in which it kicked 5.3 to 1.1 to surge to victory, will give it encouragement going forward. The Eagles were strong in the contest throughout and Elliott Yeo, with 24 contested possessions alone, was herculean.
However, what the Eagles will need later this month is for Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling to rediscover their magic, and both were superb in the final term on Saturday night. They’re the twin towers who helped pilot the Eagles to their 10-1 start and if they can get to the final day of the season against Richmond, they could cause the Tiger backmen some headaches.
The key word here is ‘could’, because what the remaining five clubs for 2018 will need to overcome is the MCG factor. The Tigers have now won 22 straight games at their home ground. That is the equivalent of an entire home and away season worth of wins at the home of football. It is a streak that will be written into the annals of the history of the game and spoken about forever.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-09/after-the-siren-the-challengers-emerge
