VFL Tigers win battle of the big cats Brenton Mann
AFL media
Jun 15, 2019 3:58PMRichmond VFL hits the mid-season bye with a record of 9–1 after streaking past Coburg by 84 points at Holm Park Reserve, Beaconsfield on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers stamped their authority on the contest from the get-go with AFL aspirants, Shai Bolton and Jacob Townsend leading their side to an 18.15 (123) to 6.3 (39) win.
Townsend split his time between forward and midfield, slotting a game-high five goals, while Bolton put in a midfield masterclass, finishing with 36 disposals, nine clearances, five tackles and a goal.
Riley Collier-Dawkins showcased the traits that made him extremely desirable on Draft night, as the big-bodied midfielder burst away from stoppages, marked strongly, was sharp with his hands and penetrating with his ball use.
Collier-Dawkins also hit the scoreboard, kicking the opening and closing goals of the game.
Richmond’s success this year has been built on the back of connection, fight, strengths & celebration and this win was no different.
“An inspirational act can shift a game," VFL coach Craig McRae said.
Last week, Blake Grewar’s dogged determination in the final term willed his side to victory over Geelong on the back of a seven-goal avalanche.
Much like Muhammad Ali’s “rope-a-dope” tactic in Zaire in 1974, Richmond absorbed all Geelong could muster, then countered with ferocity, as Ali did when conquering George Foreman.
This week, the Tigers faced another member of the feline fraternity, welcoming Coburg Lions to their home away from home, at Holm Park in Beaconsfield.
Coburg is a side chock-full of spirit and fight, and Richmond knew the Lions would be keen on knocking-off the current No.1 seed in the VFL.
From the opening, Richmond was urgent and attentive in defence, trapping the Lions in its forward half for most of the first term, and capitalising up-forward.
Collier-Dawkins recorded the first inside-50 of the game and from the ensuing forward-50 stoppage, he snapped his debut goal in the Yellow and Black.
His smile was bigger than Luna Park, as an ambush of Tigers closed in on him to show their love for the budding tall midfielder.
The Tigers spread the Lions’ to all expanses of Holm Park and picked their way through the visitors' defensive zone with patience and precision.
Shaun Mannagh showcased his poise and selflessness when his squaring ball inside-50 pin-pointed Jacob Townsend 20 metres out in the corridor; Townsend eased through the goal and Richmond had two goals in quick succession.
The Tigers then peppered the goals until emerging utility, Lachlan Street swung around on his left and snapped truly from close range.
Richmond blitzed every Coburg possession and had the Lions searching for alternate avenues to exit their defensive half.
Stand-in skipper Jacob Ballard goaled in the shadows of quarter-time after drawing a too-high free kick as he attacked a 50-50 forward-50 ball with his trademark brutishness.
The Tigers have been kings of holding its opponents goalless in quarters so far this year, and they tightened the screws even further, with Coburg unable to register a score in the opening term.
It took the electrifying, Shai Bolton all of 49 seconds to stamp his imprimatur on the second term, crumbing and goaling with effortless ease.
The Tigers looked dominant before the Lions grit their teeth and swung the momentum their way.
Coburg kicked back-to-back goals, trimming the margin to 22 points.
Callum Coleman-Jones, fresh off a break last week, had the majority of the ruck duties lumped on his young shoulders, which swelled with confidence as the game progressed.
The burgeoning ruckman’s genuine pack mark and goal in the second term shifted the flow of the game back in the Tigers’ favour, as the hosts kicked two of the last three goals before half-time.
Richmond secured a handy 33-point buffer, which it added to at a rate of knots in the second half.
Mav Weller and Townsend highlighted their evolving on-field chemistry, combining for three goals in the second term and one in the fourth.
Townsend slotted four goals up to three quarter-time, and always loomed large deep in attack.
Dan Coffield led a staunch defence, with the intercept defender proving harder to avoid than Melbourne traffic on a Friday night.
Derek Eggmolesse-Smith and Chad Harris provided the bounce and dash off half-back, the pair proving more impenetrable as the weeks roll on.
Oleg Markov looked more vibrant after recovering from a couple of weeks of illness, showing glimpses of his attacking best from the back half.
There were a few trademark Markov scorching runs which would have pleased the shivering Tiger Army.
The Tigers held the Lions goalless in the third term whilst slotting five of their own, opening-up a 67-point lead heading into the final term.
Luke Nelson has kicked a lot of goals on this ground and added three more to his tally, two coming in the final term, and looks more acclimatised in the Richmond system as the weeks roll on.
Defender turned forward, Brenton Credlin found himself deep in attack in the final term and pounced on the opportunity to kick his debut goal for the club and was besieged by Tigers keen to celebrate his feat.
Bolton glided across the Holm Park turf in the final term racking up possessions at will and setting up his teammates with craft and creativity.
It was fitting that another potential gun Tiger cub capped off the win, with Collier-Dawkins' telescopic arms rising above his opponent to clunk a mark in the goalsquare and kick a goal.
Richmond has earnt its break and will gain some respite over the bye week and attack the second half of its year with fight and vibrancy.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2019-06-15/r11-vfl-match-report
