HOW THE TIGERS WERE ABLE TO “COMPARTMENTALISE” AND “GO BANG”Andrew Slevison
SEN
17 May 2021Garry Lyon was impressed with how Richmond was able to put everything behind them and will themselves to a come-from-behind win on Saturday night.
The Tigers were at the centre of a media storm last week after Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton were involved in a nightclub incident which resulted in a black eye for the former and a broken wrist for the latter.
Add to that comments from CEO Brendon Gale relating to Marvel Stadium and there was no shortage of Richmond coverage in the lead-up.
At one point in the third quarter, Damien Hardwick’s side trailed GWS by 28 points but were able to fight back to conjure a last-gasp four-point win against the odds.
Lyon feels it was the ability to focus on the job at hand rather than be distracted by off-field happenings which worked wonders for the Tigers.
“They’re able to compartmentalise these issues,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“They can deal with Rioli, they can deal with the fallout, they can deal with the nightclub, they can deal with picking fights.
“But then they go bang and win when they almost shouldn’t win.
“I flicked over for the last 20 minutes and it just looked to me like the Giants got overwhelmed by Richmond’s heat and pressure.”
Kane Cornes agreed with Lyon’s sentiment, rating it as a “magnificent” display from the reigning premiers.
“Time in forward half, repeat entries, they had some things go their way but that’s what good sides do,” he said.
“It was a magnificent performance that kept their season alive.”
David King also had Richmond on his agenda, highlighting their current injury list which consists of key players such as Trent Cotchin, Dion Prestia, Kane Lambert, Shane Edwards and Bolton.
King likes the fact those types are due back over the next month or so, readying the side for a tilt at the top four in the second half of the season.
“I just had a good look at Richmond, because nobody knows where they’re at with Richmond,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.
“We’ve got so much respect for them.
“In four weeks, the week after the bye, they’ll get all their players back. They’ll have an ‘ins’ sheet that will read like the salary cap pecking order. Which we’ve seen before.
“We’ve seen this movie, haven’t we?
“I wonder if they can hang in and then they can get a clear run like they did a couple of seasons ago and bank on that next six weeks (late in the season) qualifying them for top four.
“This is where having a more difficult draw helps them because they play those top four teams.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/05/17/how-the-tigers-were-able-to-compartmentalise-and-go-bang/