WHERE RICHMOND WAS “EXPOSED” IN “SIGNIFICANT LOSS”By Alex Zaia
SEN
11 July 2022Richmond squandered a 40-point lead to lose to Gold Coast in dramatic circumstances at Metricon Stadium.
Noah Anderson’s after-the-siren goal handed the Suns a thrilling two-point win to keep them in touch with the top eight.
Injuries to Tom Lynch (hamstring), Toby Nankervis (PCL) and Ivan Soldo (broken thumb) further soured the Tigers’ night.
Richmond was already without Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin and Kane Lambert and Nick Vlastuin (suspended).
Kane Cornes says Richmond’s lack of depth was exposed on Saturday night.
“That was a significant loss,” Cornes told SEN Breakfast.
“There was momentum building and I never really thought they were in the premiership conversation this year, but they’d be a dangerous proposition if you play them at the MCG in a big final.
“They just don’t have the depth and when you take out a few of their key players, that depth is exposed.
“There’s a lot of players running around that have got big reputations, but aren’t delivering on those reputations for obvious reasons because of those battle scars.
“When Cotchin does play, would he be getting a game in any other side? I’m not sure. Would Shane Edwards be getting games in other sides if he wasn’t Shane Edwards? Would (Robbie) Tarrant be getting a game in other sides if he wasn’t recruited for that specific purpose?
“Their depth is a battle, and their midfield does get exposed as well.
“A lot of teams have got injuries, Gold Coast didn’t have Izak Rankine, who’s been absolutely on fire.
“These are injuries that Richmond have had for four or five years where they haven’t been able to get their players on the park.
“It’s a shame that they never will have their best 22 available, because if they did, it’s a different proposition.
“There’s no way they get overrun by a young side with a 40-point lead if they do have those leaders and that experience and the likes of Dustin Martin out there to make an impact and put the foot down in the last quarter.”
Despite the defeat, the 9-7 Tigers remain in eighth spot after St Kilda’s loss to Fremantle.
Damien Hardwick’s side next face lowly North Melbourne followed by two tough matches against the Dockers (Marvel Stadium) and Brisbane (MCG).
“They’ve got North this week, which makes it a bit easier for them to get back on track, but it gets a bit more difficult for them,” Cornes said.
“Do they make the eight? A few teams did them some favours on the weekend.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/07/10/where-richmond-was-exposed-in-significant-loss/
