Media articles & stats: Tigers bare teeth in total eclipse of the Suns

[one-eyed]

Massacre at Metricon: Tigers bare teeth in total eclipse of Suns

AFL.com.au
Michael Whiting
Jul 6, 2019 4:48PM

GOLD COAST      2.1    3.1    7.2   9.4 (58)
RICHMOND        9.2   16.7  19.9  23.12 (150)

GOALS
Gold Coast: MacPherson 2, Brodie, Witts, Swallow, Day, Weller, Martin, Miles
Richmond: Castagna 5, Lambert 3, Lynch 3, Cotchin 2, Bolton 2, Rioli 2, Chol, McIntosh, Prestia, Ellis, Stack, Soldo

BEST
Gold Coast: Witts, Joyce, Weller, Swallow, MacPherson
Richmond: Cotchin, Lambert, Castagna, Ellis, Bolton, Prestia, McIntosh

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Powell (knee)
Richmond: TBC

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stephens, Whetton, Harris

Official crowd:  16,031 at Metricon Stadium

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RICHMOND racked up a century by half-time and ran itself back into form, moving Gold Coast a step closer to the wooden spoon with a 92-point shellacking at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.

It was one-way traffic from the opening two minutes when former Suns skipper Tom Lynch took a contested mark and converted from adjacent to the goalsquare.

The Tigers were as brilliant as Gold Coast was woeful.

They kicked five goals in the opening 10 minutes, nine in the first quarter and 16 in the first half on the way to a 23.12 (150) to 9.4 (58) victory.

With Jack Riewoldt close to a return, experienced players back in form, and seven matches at the MCG in the run to September, Richmond is ominously poised in sixth place.

Lynch didn't have a heap of work to do upon return to face the club he spent eight years at, but still kicked 3.2.

His small-forward teammates ran amok, with Jason Castagna kicking three of his five goals in the first term and Kane Lambert all three of his in the second.

Lambert typified Richmond's selfless nature – and embarrassing ease of the first-half route – when he took an uncontested mark 20m from goal, just off centre, and squared a pass to Shai Bolton instead of taking the simple shot himself.

The Tigers were too quick and constantly found space through the midfield and in the forward line, taking 23 marks inside 50.

They led by 43 points at quarter-time and 84 at the half in a clinical and ruthless showing.

Skipper Trent Cotchin (27 and two goals) was terrific, while Bolton (26 and two goals) and Dion Prestia (28) also had big days.

Gold Coast was deplorable, losing its 11th straight match and hitting rock bottom on the stroke of half-time.

Not only did Brandon Ellis' running goal from 45m bring up the ton for Richmond, but the nature of it summed up the Suns' day.

Ellis was awarded a 50m penalty at half-back, and as he ran ahead, no Sun manned the mark, allowing him to play on and take another 10m before kicking accurately on the run.

Gold Coast kept the score in check during the second half, but the horse had long bolted.

The Suns had played the final three quarters with one player less after teenager Wil Powell was carried off with a knee injury.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-06/match-report-gold-coast-v-richmond

[one-eyed]

Tigers bombard woeful Suns and win hefty percentage boost

Andrew Stafford
The Age
6 July 2019

Any inkling that the Gold Coast Suns would put any extra heat on their former co-captain Tom Lynch against his new club, Richmond, began to dissolve within two minutes of this game’s first bounce. With no opponent big or strong enough to hold him, Lynch took the game’s first contested mark and had the first goal.

It set off an avalanche, Richmond kicking nine goals to two in a rampant first quarter, five straight in the game’s first 10 minutes, to put this contest to bed. The final margin was 92 points, giving the Tigers’ lagging percentage a significant boost as their injury-blighted season gains momentum ahead of the finals.

With a little luck that so far has eluded them this year, top four isn’t beyond them, and don’t forget that Jack Riewoldt was not so much pressing for selection as nagging coach Damien Hardwick for it. Alex Rance aside, Richmond have close to their best side back on the park. That will give the entire competition pause for thought.

Not that they were up against serious opposition, as the Suns slumped to their 11th loss in a row. They’ve rarely given a less than honest account of themselves this season, despite their obvious deficiencies. But this was a rollover, as they submitted meekly to the Tigers’ wrath.

As weak as the Suns were, it shouldn’t take away from Richmond’s first-half intensity. They worked for each other, laying half a dozen effective smothers in the first half, backed each other up, and despite their weight of possession, still out-tackled and out-worked the Suns when they didn’t have the ball.

Jason Castagna lit up the first quarter, kicking three goals – none of them easy, either, the best a superbly measured checkside from 35 metres on the boundary. In the second quarter, it was Kane Lambert, who likewise kicked three for the quarter as the Tigers piled on another seven goals to make the margin 84 points at half-time.

One can only presume Suns coach Stuart Dew gave his side a deserved rocket during the break, and they did respond, winning the next quarter with five goals to three, one each to David Swallow and ruckman Jarrod Witts, two of their team’s few solid four-quarter performers.

It must have been difficult for the Tigers to maintain their earlier intensity, having finished the match so far ahead of the final siren (whatever their theme song might say). But Castagna finished the game as he started, rounding out a fine game to finish with five goals, as the Sun set over the Coast.


Gold Coast 2.1  3.1   7.2   9.4 (58)
Richmond  9.2 16.7 19.9 23.12 (150)

Goals –
Gold Coast: MacPherson 2 Weller Day Swallow Brodie Martin Witts Miles.
Richmond: Castagna 5 Lambert 3 Lynch 3 Bolton 2 Cotchin 2 Rioli 2 Prestia Stack McIntosh Ellis Chol Soldo.

Best –
Gold Coast: Swallow Witts MacPherson Weller.
Richmond: Castagna Lambert Prestia Cotchin Broad Bolton.

Injuries –
Gold Coast: Powell (knee).
Richmond: Nil.

Umpires: Stephens Whetton Harris.
Crowd: 16,031 at Metricon Stadium.

VOTES

J Castagna (R) 8
K Lambert (R ) 8
D Prestia (R ) 7
T Cotchin (R) 7
N Broad (R) 7

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-bombard-woeful-suns-and-win-hefty-percentage-boost-20190706-p524s9.html

[one-eyed]

AFL or BBL? Tigers hit Suns for six in Lynch’s return

Andrew Hamilton,
The Courier-Mail/Herald-Sun
July 7, 2019

Not since the Big Bash game played here over summer has the scoring at Metricon Stadium been so frantic.

Richmond didn’t get the weather they hoped for but everything else about their 92 point win over the Suns resembled a weekend of R and R on the Gold Coast to refresh for a crack at the top four.

The only concern for coach Damien Hardwick came in the final quarter when Kane Lambert was taken from the field with a leg injury.

Gold Coast played the second half a man short after losing Wil Powell to a knee injury.

The Tigers booted 16 goals in a ruthless first half scoring blitz to crack the ton by the main break.

It was the type of performance that would normally send the fans of the losing sides ducking for the exits but judging by the noise and prevalence of yellow and black in the stands, Tigers supporters were in the majority of the season high crowd of 16 031.

The Tigers 23.12 (150) to 9.4 (58) win over a disappointing Suns outfit saw them move to sixth place on the ladder with nine wins.

Ominously for rival clubs this was their last time on a plane until possibly September with their next seven matches to be played on their own deck at the MCG.

A handful of Gold Coast players, led by skipper Jarrod Witts, engaged in some push and shove with former skipper Tom Lynch before the first siren but that was the last sign of passion or aggression from anyone in red until coach Stuart Dew delivered a spray at quarter time.

The game started exactly how the Suns had dreaded it would with Lynch out marking Jack Hombsch and duly converting.

When he kicked a second soon afterwards it appeared a repeat of Gary Ablett’s return to Metricon Stadium last year, where he torched the Suns in a best on ground display, was on the cards.

Lynch missed two more shots in the second quarter before adding another in the final term to finish with 3.2 from eight possession and six marks.

It was the Tigers’ fleet of dangerous small forwards and goal kicking midfielders who did the damage.

Jason Castagna booted 5.2, Kane Lambert 3.0 and Shai Bolton, Daniel Rioli and skipper Trent Cotchin each kicked two apiece.

Votes

Cotchin 3, Castagna 2, Prestia 1.

Best

Richmond:

Cotchin, Castanga, Prestia, Lambert, Edwards, Bolton

Gold Coast:

Swallow, Witts, Joyce.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/gold-coast-suns-on-the-end-of-92point-smashing-from-richmond/news-story/2f5041dae91beece0b8fa716bd385f1b