Media articles & stats: Cousins, Tigers grab victory No.1 for Rawlings

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Jade's Tigers grab win over Eagles
richmondfc.com.au
By Jason Phelan 9:46 PM Sat 13 June, 2009

Richmond       5.6   8.8   10.12   13.14 (92)
West Coast     2.0   6.2   9.7     11.11 (77)

GOALS
Richmond: Morton 5, Hislop 2, Edwards 2, Deledio, Graham, Vickery, Riewoldt
West Coast: Kennedy 4, LeCras 3, Priddis, A. Selwood, Brown, Rosa

BEST
Richmond: Tambling, Morton, Cousins, Foley, Jackson, McGuane, Deledio
West Coast: Wirrpanda, Priddis, Kennedy, A. Selwood, LeCras, Cox, Masten

INJURIES
Richmond: Thursfield (concussion)
West Coast: Nil
Reports: Nil

Umpires: Margetts, Nicholls, Jeffery

Official crowd: 30,117 at Docklands

-------------------------------------------------------------

JADE Rawlings has engineered Richmond's third win of the season in his first game in charge with his side dispatching West Coast by 15 points at Docklands on Saturday night.

The fresh approach breathed new life into the Tigers, who jumped the Eagles with their best first quarter of the season before holding their nerve to see off a late challenge for the 13.14 (92) to 11.11 (77) victory.

For a match that threatened to be completely overrun by sub-plots – Rawlings, Ben Cousins pitted against his former side and debuts for Eagle Nic Naitanui and Tiger Tyrone Vickery – the contests around the ground were absorbing.

Even so, Cousins was prominent – particularly early in the last quarter – with his 28 possessions a major factor in the victory.

Richard Tambling was also outstanding for Richmond with 28 possessions and Nathan Foley (31) and Shane Tuck (30) found plenty of the ball.

Daniel Jackson got the job on Daniel Kerr and he won a spiteful-at-times battle in keeping West Coast's dangerman to 18 largely ineffective disposals.

Ex-Eagle Mitch Morton booted five goals for Richmond while Josh Kennedy was West Coast's leading scorer with four.

David Wirrpanda was influential for the visitors with 23 possessions and got plenty of support from Matt Priddis (33) and Chris Masten (29).

Gun youngsters Vickery and Naitanui showed plenty of promise. The Tiger finished with eight touches and a goal and the Eagle gathered 11 possessions and took a towering grab late in the game.

In the first quarter, the Tigers were many things they haven't been so far this season – quick to play on, accurate by foot and able to mark the ball inside 50 – and it paid off handsomely.

Angus Graham was an unlikely first goalkicker after he made the most of some poor defence to mark Tambling's pass. When Morton added the next two, Richmond was away.

Naitanui trotted onto the ground at the 10-minute mark and took up a position in attack, but it was Kennedy who registered his side's first goal soon after.

However, the Tigers were their worst enemies in front of goal and a run of four behinds in succession ruined an otherwise magnificent start to Rawlings' coaching tenure.

They soon got the radar working, however, with Morton and Brett Deledio giving their side an imposing 30-point lead. But Priddis, with a nice assist from Naitanui, dragged it back to 24 points shortly before the first break.

Kennedy took over from Morton as the most dangerous forward on the ground in the second quarter with the former Blue banging through three goals to reignite the Eagles' challenge.

But while the Tigers weren't able to move the ball at the same pace in the second term, they still managed to maintain a handy lead. Shane Edwards, Jack Riewoldt and Tom Hislop did the damage, but when Mitch Brown bounced through a goal from a Richmond turnover inside the last minute of the half there were only three goals in it.

Richmond managed to keep West Coast at arm's length for most of the third term, but despite Hislop's second, inaccuracy was again an issue.

Vickery converted a free kick and received the congratulations of the entire side to edge the margin out to 24 points, but the Eagles finished the quarter strongly with goals to Matt Rosa and Adam Selwood to draw within 11 at the last change.

West Coast looked the fresher of the two sides going into the last, but Morton – fed by Cousins, then Jackson – burst back onto the scene with two goals inside three minutes, making things difficult for the Eagles.

Naitanui climbed high but sent his checkside set shot crashing into the post. LeCras kept his side in it with his second, but Edwards answered late in the game to start the celebrations in the stands.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/78753/default.aspx

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Coach scores first-up victory
Glenn McFarlane | June 13, 2009

RICHMOND caretaker coach Jade Rawlings made a statement at the selection table on Thursday night and the reinvigorated, youthful Tigers players made one of their own at Etihad Stadium.

Fielding the club's youngest side in the past 15 years, the Tigers turned on one of their best performances of the season to down a persistent West Coast by 15 points.

It was the club's third win of what has been a wretched season, and the first in the post-Terry Wallace era.

And while the Tigers rejoiced in the way in which many of their younger players shone out, it was also the performance of the oldest man on the field, Ben Cousins, who set the example for his teammates.

In an intriguing match of plots and sub-plots, this match was always going to make news regardless of the standard and the result.

Cousins and Rawlings made sure of that. The former West Coast captain turned on one of his best displays since his return to the game and timed it to perfection against his former team.

The 30-year-old had 28 touches - 10 in the first term and a critical eight in the final quarter - in what was his best statistical yield in his six games in yellow and black.

Rawlings, too, was a part of the theatre. Only a year older than Cousins and the youngest man to coach an AFL side since Mick Malthouse in 1984, the caretaker coach scored a win in his first game at the helm, with the promise of more to come.

He instructed his team to run, carry and use the ball at every opportunity and it resulted in a blistering first term that gave the club its highest opening to a game this season.

The subplots kept coming with the double debuts of dreadlocked high draft picks, Tiger Tyrone Vickery and Eagle Nic Naitanui.

Both gave glimpses of the future, with Vickery kicking an important goal that was celebrated by every Tiger on the field while Naitanui displayed some incredible agility for such a big man.

Likewise, two players who have been much maligned through a fair slice of Wallace's tenure - Richard Tambling and Mitch Morton - turned in exceptional performances in the Tigers' impressive win.

Tambling had 14 touches to set the scene in the opening term and finished the game with 28. While he tired later, his running and fine use of the ball gave the Tigers the ascendancy.

Morton was as crucial to Richmond last night. He kicked three goals in the first quarter - two of them set up by Tambling -- and finished with five for the match.

Morton's two goals early in the last term helped swing the tide back in Richmond's favour just when the Eagles were mounting a serious challenge.

Nathan Foley and Shane Tuck gave the Tigers plenty of run through the middle of the ground, having 61 touches between them, while Luke McGuane was strong in defence.

One of the key battles for the night was between Daniel Kerr and Daniel Jackson, with Rawlings opting to use the latter on the dangerous-but-increasingly frustrated Eagles midfielder.

Kerr was kept in check for most of the first half and Jackson gave him plenty of attention.

Several times they scrapped on the ground. Kerr fought back in the third term to help the Eagles get a bit of a run on, but Jackson clearly took the points on the night.

Kerr may have had two more touches than him (18 to 16), but the way in which Jackson kept Kerr away from the ball added plenty to Richmond's ledger.

Josh Kennedy booted four goals in a positive display for the Eagles, Mark LeCras kicked three in the second half, but they had to rely too much on too few.

Matt Priddis worked very hard on the night gaining a game-high 33 touches, while Chris Masten had 29.

Fuelled by a clear coaching direction to run and possess the ball at every chance, Richmond produced a stunning first quarter that set up a four goal lead late in the term.

But the Tigers gave up one in red time when Priddis goalled, courtesy of some nice work from Naitanui, to close the quarter with a 24-point margin.

West Coast managed to slow the game down a little in the second and some wasteful disposal on the part of the young Tigers cost them.

The Eagles had pegged the difference back to only 18 at half-time, thanks to another red-time West Coast goal, this time to Mitch Brown. It must have frustrated Rawlings in the coaching box.

The third term was a stalemate, though West Coast looked the more steady and got a run on through the hard work of Priddis and Kerr.

But early goals to Morton in the last term gave the Tigers a break, and while they were challenged for the first half of the quarter, they responded gamely.
 
SCOREBOARD

RICHMOND 5.6 8.8 10.12 13.14 (92)
WEST COAST 2.0 6.2 9.7 11.11 (77)

Goals: Richmond: M Morton 5 S Edwards 2 T Hislop 2 A Graham B Deledio J Riewoldt T Vickery. West Coast: J Kennedy 4 M LeCras 3 A Selwood M Brown M Priddis M Rosa.

Best: Richmond: R Tambling M Morton N Foley B Cousins D Jackson R Nahas S Tuck. West Coast: M Priddis D Wirrpanda C Masten J Kennedy D Glass S Hurn.

Umpires: Scott Jeffery, Mathew Nicholls, Dean Margetts.
Official Crowd: 30,197 at Etihad Stadium.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25630843-19742,00.html

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Team Stats

Disposals:        404 - 395
Efficiency%:       76 - 78
Kicks:              207 - 185
Handballs:        197 - 210
Con. Marks:       15 - 10
Uncon. Marks:  107 - 88
Tackles:            53 - 48
Clearances:       36 - 25
Clangers:          28 - 37
Hitouts:           24 - 39  ( Graham 13, Tuck 6, Vickery 4 // Cox 27, Naitanui 7 )
Frees:              15 - 11
Con. Possies:   114 - 104
Uncon. Possies: 285 - 290 
Inside 50s:         47 - 55
Assists:             21 - 13

Individual Stats

player              D EFF% K H G B CM UM T CL C 

Foley, N          31   90 15 16 0 1 0   7 3 5 1
Tuck, S           30   70 11 19 0 1 1   5 4 0 0
Cousins, B      28   75   9 19 0 0 0   4 2 5 1 
Tambling, R     28   96 19   9 0 0 1 13 2 3 1
Polo, D           24   88 10 14 0 0 0   9 1 3 1 
Deledio, B       23   61 11 12 1 2 2   9 3 2 1 
McGuane, L     23   83 11 12 0 0 2   6 3 0 2 
Collins, A        21   76 12   9 0 1 0   4 7 2 0 
Cotchin, T       19   47 12   7 0 0 0   5 3 5 2 
Morton, M       18   78 14   4 5 3 5   7 3 2 0
Newman, C     18   94 12   6 0 0 0   7 2 1 1 
Edwards, S     17   82 10   7 2 0 0   2 6 1 0
Nahas, R        17   65 10   7 0 1 0   7 2 1 4 
Jackson, D     16   69 10   6 0 0 0   0 4 1 3
Rance, A        15   93   5 10 0 0 1   3 0 2 0 
Riewoldt, J     15   53 11   4 1 3 1   5 2 0 2 
Hislop, T        14   64   6   8 2 1 0   1 3 1 3 
Moore, K        14 100   8   6 0 0 0   7 1 0 1 
Pattison, A     13   31   7   6 0 0 0   3 1 1 3 
Graham, A       8   75   1   7 1 0 1   1 0 1 2 
Vickery, T        8   88   3   5 1 0 1   2 1 0 0 
Thursfield, W   4 100   0   4 0 0 0   0 0 0 0

player             FF FA CP UP I50 A    
   
Foley, N          1 1 8 23 2 1       
Tuck, S           0 0 8 22 3 2     
Cousins, B      1 0 9 19 3 0       
Tambling, R     0 1 6 22 6 5     
Polo, D           1 0 8 16 2 1       
Deledio, B       0 0 6 16 5 1       
McGuane, L     2 0 9 14 0 0       
Collins, A        1 0 4 16 6 3       
Cotchin, T       2 0 6 13 1 0       
Morton, M       0 0 6 12 2 1     
Newman, C     1 1 2 14 0 0     
Edwards, S     0 0 5 12 1 0     
Nahas, R        2 1 6 11 3 1       
Jackson, D     1 3 4 12 2 2       
Rance, A        1 0 5 10 1 0       
Riewoldt, J     0 0 3 11 4 1       
Hislop, T        1 2 6   8 2 2       
Moore, K        0 0 1 13 1 1       
Pattison, A     0 0 5   8 2 0       
Graham, A     0 2 2   6 0 0       
Vickery, T      1 0 4   4 1 0     
Thursfield, W 0 0 1   3 0 0

http://superstats.heraldsun.com.au/gamestatslive/5015500.html

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Jade Rawlings brings out the beast
Jay Clark | June 14, 2009

IF Jade Rawlings can maintain Richmond's intensity at this level for the rest of the season, it would take a brave man to take the Tigers' coaching job off him.

As far as AFL coaching debuts go, Rawlings made a dream start last night, turning the basket case that was the Richmond team back into a snarling, desperate beast.

The 15-point win over West Coast at Etihad Stadium had all the hallmarks of a team wanting to play fast and effective football.

No messing around, no tricks or over-complicating elements, only utter desperation for the ball and a desire to move it forward, long and quick.

More than anything, the Tigers took risks, opening up the forward line to present the type of marking opportunities the team's forwards have been craving.

Mitch Morton and Jack Riewoldt, the two key prongs in attack, have averaged 15 inside-50m marks a game this year but had 12 up to half-time, largely thanks to Morton, who played the best game of his career against his old club.

Morton, the man who copped the spray from Terry Wallace about ending his career, booted three goals in the first term, and two in the last term to seal what would have been a sweet victory.

In terms of polish, Richmond's efficiency was at a much higher standard, having 10 clanger kicks for the match, six fewer than their season average.

Tackles were down by one, and inside-50s the same on their season norm.

But the Tigers played with a free spirit, a willingness to break the lines, combined with a defensive tenacity to restrict the opposition whenever they posed a threat.

The move to drop veterans such as Jordan McMahon, Troy Simmonds and Joel Bowden appeared to have worked. There was no lagging off, no cheap kicks - only accountability.

Fitting to the script, Richard Tambling, a man burdened by high expectations in the past four years, was dynamite early.

If Rawlings was thrilled with the start, as he should have been, he would have been delighted with the way his troops fought off the West Coast challenge last night.

From 30 points down, the Eagles got within 11 in the third term and, at the point Richmond has wilted in games past, they responded.

There was character in the victory, and relief, as the players threw their arms in the air and launched into emotional hugging at the final siren.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25632862-5015500,00.html

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Gritty win a boost for Richmond
Martin Boulton | June 14, 2009

RICHMOND showed glimpses last night of what could be achieved in the second half of the year with a gritty 15-point win against West Coast at Etihad Stadium.

In caretaker coach Jade Rawling's first game, the Tigers played with confidence and dash, with former Eagles star Ben Cousins collecting 28 touches in his best game since arriving at Punt Road.

Cousins shone in his 244th game, while top-10 picks Tyrone Vickery and Nick Naitanui were unveiled for the Tigers and West Coast respectively.

Eagles forward Josh Kennedy kept his side in the contest with four crucial goals, including three in the second term, but the Tigers were desperate to chalk up a win and breathe life into the rest of the season.

On last night's evidence the past few days had a profound impact on the players.

The Tigers dominated the opening stages and had 14 possessions before West Coast even touched the football.

Mitch Morton kicked three goals and had six marks in the first term, while Brett Deledio had five marks and a goal at the first break.

Richmond went into quarter-time with 41 more disposals, 25 more marks and nine more tackles than the Eagles, who within minutes looked like returning home with their 17th consecutive loss away from Subiaco.

Rawlings' first game started well, but the stand-out statistic was the 14 disposals Richard Tambling accumulated in the first term.

The much-maligned 22-year-old started forward, pushed into defence and sprinted up the wings, picking up touches and using the ball cleanly.

His teammates played the early stages with confidence, desperate to shake off the disappointment of 11 miserable weeks.

Will Thursfield was an early casualty after clashing heads with Eagle Mitch Brown. The Tigers defender was helped from the ground by two trainers and looked likely to remember little of the club's third win this year.

Naitanui, the highly rated No. 2 pick, started on the bench in his debut and jogged to centre half-forward 11 minutes into the game. The 19-year-old, wearing the No. 9 jumper previously worn by Cousins, misjudged his first marking attempt, but used the ball cleverly and took a screamer in the goal square in the final quarter.

At the other end, Vickery, in Tiger legend Kevin Bartlett's old No. 29, had five disposals by half-time and kicked his first goal in the third term. Vickery is 27 days younger than Naitanui and their arrival last night heralded new beginnings at both clubs.

In his sixth game this year Cousins started on a wing. The 2005 Brownlow medallist has averaged 23 disposals over the past month and quickly set about building his numbers. His first quarter laid the foundation and his influence grew as the match unfolded.

In just his 15th game Scott Selwood started on Cousins and worked hard to limit his impact.

By contrast former midfield mate Daniel Kerr, back for the Eagles after a one-match suspension, had little impact and looked frustrated.

The Tigers opened a 19-point lead with Morton's second goal before Kennedy's first goal cut the margin back to 14 points. A four-goal lead at the first break could have been greater if Richmond was more accurate — Deledio and Morton both missing set shots before Morton kicked his third goal for the term.

Just before the quarter-time siren sounded, Rawlings strode purposefully to the boundary line, where he met Cousins and back-up ruckman Adam Pattison. Spirits were high, the signs were all good, but it was "old" Richmond that turned up in the second quarter. The clean delivery by hand and foot dropped away as the Eagles tightened up. Kennedy was strong overhead and showed good composure in front of goal.

Matt Priddis' eight disposals (and 33 for the game) kept West Coast in striking distance, but in the final term Richmond's determination was enough to fend off the challenge and it heads to the break with a morale-boosting win.

RICHMOND     5.6 8.8 10.12 13.14 (92)
WEST COAST 2.0 6.2   9.7  11.11 (77)

GOALS Richmond: Morton 5, Edwards 2, Hislop 2, Graham, Deledio, Riewoldt, Vickery. West Coast: Kennedy 4, LeCras 3, Selwood, Brown, Priddis, Rosa.

BEST Richmond: Foley, Tambling, Cousins, Morton, Deledio, Tuck, McGuane, Hislop. West Coast: Priddis, Kennedy, Masten, Wirrpanda, LeCras, A Selwood.

INJURIES Richmond: Thursfield (concussion).

 UMPIRES Jeffery, M Nicholls, Margetts.

CROWD 30,197 at Etihad Stadium.

MAIN MEN
Richard Tambling's 14 disposals in the first term would have given caretaker coach Jade Rawlings, the fans at the ground and the player enormous satisfaction after months and years of talk outside the club about his ability. Former Carlton forward Josh Kennedy kicked three crucial goals in the second term when the Eagles desperately needed a target up forward.

TURNING POINT
Ten minutes into the first term the Tigers led by 19 points, Tambling had already had six touches, Ben Cousins was dominating the midfield and the fans were ready to start singing the song. The Eagles fought back bravely, but it was those opening 10 minutes that set the stage for victory.

THE UPSHOT
Rawlings emerges from his first test with a valuable win under his belt and two weeks to plan for one of the toughest assignments in football — the undefeated Saints. The Eagles head home with 17 consecutive losses on the road, but at least play reigning premier Hawthorn at Subiaco next.

THE REACTION
"The most pleasing thing for me was we were challenged a couple of times, particularly in the second half, and we were able to react. I thought we looked a bit shaky in the third quarter and at three-quarter-time we said to the players we need to score. We weren't going to hang on to the game because they (West Coast) were coming with a rush." JADE RAWLINGS (Richmond)
"We didn't get our hands on the ball early. They thrashed us at stoppages. We've been pretty good in that area." JOHN WORSFOLD (West Coast)

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/gritty-win-a-boost-for-tigers/2009/06/13/1244664900125.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

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Tiger cubs relish the fresh start
Dan Silkstone | June 14, 2009

WHATEVER Jade Rawlings, 31, latterly of the Coburg Oval, said to the fighting men of the Richmond Football Club this week, it appeared to have some effect. The question now is, how long will it last?

Richmond was a new team last night. Literally this was true, six inclusions from the ranks of Rawlings' alma mater came into the side, including first-gamer Tyrone Vickery. Six men made way for them, and with those "dead men walking" went 795 games of AFL experience. A harsh judge might note that 795 games of mostly losing experience can be largely done without.

"This is the start of a new season for us," Rawlings had told his men before the match, midfielder Daniel Jackson said afterwards. If so, they are one-from-one and flying.

They started, too, in a new manner — direct and exuberant, running and carrying as their coach had asked them to and doing it quickly, before pumping the ball long to key forwards Mitch Morton and Jack Riewoldt. Suddenly in space, they marked it.

This was the youngest Richmond line-up since 1994. That team had featured a 19-year-old Matthew Richardson. Yesterday he watched from the stands.

They played, admittedly against poor opposition, with echoes of the competitive zeal that in 1997 had Tiger fans clamouring for the club to "Unleash the Giesch". Much more of this and the calls will begin: "Do not trade in Jade." The faithful certainly cheered him at match's end.

Beforehand, there were more storylines than at a Neighbours script meeting. Four months ago this match loomed as a big one, the club knew the focus on former Eagle Ben Cousins would be massive as he took the field against his old side. But the football world moves fast and Cousins ended up as afterthought, sharing a nice moment with old mate Daniel Kerr.

Once Cousins wore the Eagles' No. 9. Last night, it was sported by that club's new hero, debutant ruckman Nick Naitanui. He showed glimpses of the athletic talents that led to him being drafted at No. 2, but more than that, the crowd lifted each time he went near the ball. Already, it is clear he will be that sort of player. The Tigers had a first-gamer too, 19-year-old Vickery: draft pick eight, hair suitably unorthodox. In truth he was largely overawed, a trifle tentative, though he hinted at reservoirs of class.

While two top draft picks were relishing their first chance, another was contemplating what might have been his last. Few have been so maligned during the Wallace era as Richard Tambling. Whatever Jade Rawlings had told him, it worked. Tambling began the match a man possessed, possibly by fear at the rumoured cleanout coming at Punt Road.

He was a new player, racking up 14 exquisite disposals in the first quarter and finishing with 28. He got them at half-forward, half-back and on the wing. He ran hard, hit teammates on the chest from 55 metres away, carried, bounced and generally played like the player he has long been castigated for never becoming.

On the end of much of it was Mitch Morton. This was supposed to be the night a fallen Eagle exacted revenge. The man earmarked for the part was Cousins. Fellow West Coast discard Morton had something to say about that. He finished with five and should have kicked more.

At quarter-time Rawlings was down to the line early, relaxed but enthused, projecting a friendly authority as he gave encouraging pats. In the second, as the Eagles zoned off and blocked the midfield, Richmond fell into old habits, slow-chipping and repeatedly turning over the ball. At half-time he told them so and they responded.

Richmond's poor kicking for goal kept the Eagles in it; inaccuracy relates to skill rather than endeavour. It cannot be turned around in a week. At three-quarter-time, as the Tigers clung to an 11-point lead, Rawlings went straight to Cousins. Then followed an animated discussion, featuring much waving of hands. Would the young coach command authority over senior charges, many had wondered? Here now was proof.

Moments later, the final term started, Cousins beat four men and gave it to Hislop, who quickly moved the ball to Morton. Goal. On the siren, Vickery and Tambling embraced, a new player and a new man.

If you wanted to know how Jade started off you could have consulted a geology book: hard and green when first unearthed but full of exciting potential. But to get the glittering finished product, though, you need to add a little polish. We must wait and see.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/tiger-cubs-relish-the-fresh-start/2009/06/13/1244664899985.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[one-eyed]

Joy for Cousins as Tigers beat Eagles
13th June 2009, 19:30 WST

Richmond have given Ben Cousins a dream victory in his first game against his former club with a gritty 15-point win over West Coast at Etihad Stadium tonight, a result that handed the Eagles their 17th consecutive loss away from Subiaco Oval.

After an eventful week at Punt Road where Jade Rawlings took over as caretaker coach to replace Terry Wallace, former captain Kane Johnson retired and the Tigers dumped a host of their senior players for the match, Cousins amassed a season-high 29 possessions as his team ground out a 13.14 (92) to 11.11 (77) result.

Both teams went into the match unchanged, with West Coast coach John Worsfold springing a surprise by pitting Scott Selwood, instead of his more seasoned brother Adam, against Cousins on a wing.

But it was another former Eagle, Mitch Morton, who had the biggest impact in the opening term. Morton's clever positioning and clean hands were causing havoc for his old team's defence, who got plenty attention from Worsfold at the first break.

Morton had three goals by quarter-time, with the often criticised Richard Tambling playing possibly the best term of his career with 14 possessions, including three inside-50s and three rebound-50s as he dominated all over the ground.

West Coast's manning up was poor in defence, they refused to put their body on the line and did not work hard enough to get numbers to the contest, particularly to the feet of key forward Josh Kennedy.

After five minutes Richmond had earned 18 possessions to just one and by the end of a lop-sided opening term, they had taken 13 marks in their attacking 50-metre zone to just one. They had grabbed 43 more possessions, worked hard for 23 more handball receives, smashed the Eagles 12-2 in clearances and gone inside 50 six more times.

If the Tigers had kicked more accurately at goal, the result could well have been decided at that point.

Luckily for West Coast, Kennedy cut loose to keep his team in the match in the second term and at one stage he had booted four of his team's five goals as the Eagles battled to stay in touch.

Matt Priddis, David Wirrpanda and Chris Masten started to get their hands on the ball through the midfield and their defence also began to plug the leaks and a lead which had grown to 30 points late in the first term had been sliced back to 18 at the main break.

Cousins had won 15 possessions to prove a key player in the Richmond midfield machine along with Tambling, Nathan Foley, Shane Tuck and Brett Deledio. Conversely, Daniel Jackson had kept Daniel Kerr to just three possessions by half-time and although Dean Cox was clearly winning the hit-outs, the Eagles continued to lose the clearance decisively, 22-9.

West Coast debutant Nic Naitanui provided several first-half highlights with his speed, leap and agility and his left-hand pick-up and handball to Matt Priddis for his team's second goal in the opening term was all class. Richmond would also have been happy with the return from their first-gamer and high draft pick Ty Vickery, who presented and competed strongly.

“There were a lot of good signs from Tyrone,” Rawlings said, adding: “We jumped out of the blocks and could have put more goals on the board in the first quarter.”

The Eagles had lost their previous 16 matches away from Subiaco Oval and had not beaten Richmond in Melbourne since round eight in 2002, losing their past three matches against them in Victoria by an average of 38 points. But they had beaten the Tigers in seven consecutive games until a shocking 77-point thumping at Subiaco Oval last year.

The two teams had never met in a round 12 clash in any season but Richmond had won the only two battles between the teams at Etihad Stadium in 2000 and 2001. West Coast had lost their past four games at the venue since recording their past interstate win against St Kilda in round 21, 2008, and looked as though their on-the-road losing streak was set to continue.

Neither team could wrestle a clear advantage with two goals each through the majority of the third term before Adam Selwood finally cut the lead to just 11 points with a quarter to play after marking a kick from his brother Scott and running into an open goal.

Richmond appeared to be tiring significantly with several of their players coming from the ground to have their legs rubbed and Kerr started to have a significant impact with several driving runs through the middle of the ground as West Coast started to dominate the uncontested possessions and play in the open field.

Adam Selwood and Brad Ebert both had costly misses but that was balanced out by a poor miss by Jack Riewoldt from a set-shot in front of goal which would have restored Richmond's lead to 22 points late in the quarter.

The Tigers had swamped Vickery when he kicked his first AFL goal midway through the term to give his team a 24-point lead, but they could not sustain their running effort and the final break could not come quick enough for them.

Morton again gave his team a commanding edge when he booted two goals in the first three minutes of the final term to take his personal tally to five and put Richmond back to 23 points in front.

Naitanui set the crowd alight when he took a screamer of a mark in the forward pocket and while his resulting shot at goal slammed into the goal post, Mark LeCras booted his second goal soon after to give the Eagles a sniff. But on a low-scoring night, they just never seemed to be able to string enough goals together to get out of the trouble they put themselves into earlier in the game.

The Tigers defence held their nerve impressively under pressure late in the match and helped their team to a well-deserved victory, which was sealed by Shane Edwards' left-foot snap on the run at the 22-minute mark.

Worsfold said his side fought out the match but pointed to the one-sided first quarter as the pivotal period.

"We certainly didn't get our hands on the ball early, they thrashed us at stoppages, we've been pretty good in that area," he said.

"It was a game where it went their way early, we couldn't get our hands on it.

"We fought back well but that was the key thing, they won the stoppages early, and comfortably, and used the ball well going forward."

Worsfold was excited by the promise Naitanui showed and also believed Scott Selwood would benefit from trying to tag Cousins.

"It was a great opportunity for him tonight, I'd be confident that he'll have the running abilities of a Ben Cousins fairly quickly in his career and learning about that tonight, that gives him something to aim for," he said.

"Cuz works very hard and got a bit of the ball, but Scott, we're pretty happy with the way he went about it."

But Worsfold would not divulge his thoughts about Cousins' game, or if he had a message for his former player.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=4&ContentID=147954

[one-eyed]

Mr Rawlings becomes 'Jade the Blade'
Jeff Wortman | June 14, 2009 02:55pm

WHEN did Mr Nice guy Jade Rawlings become 'Jade The Blade'? It can happen so quickly.

When George Bush senior came to power he was called a ‘whimp president’. Pretty soon after that he started military operations in Panama and The Persian Gulf. Now I’m not equating Joel Bowden’s omission with a large scale military initiative but it did make me re-think Jade Rawlings’ conviction.

History will show that it was a successful decision to axe Joel and four others for Saturday’s game against the Eagles. The Tigers’ fans finally got to sing the song again although, why does the sound engineer at the ground always mute the song when it gets to the famous ‘yellow and black’? I think this is sacrilegious for a couple of reasons. One, it is widely regarded as the best club song in the AFL. It’s like muting your car stereo and the part of Bohemian Rhapsody that goes ‘for meeee’. Two, if you’re a Tigers’ fan, you don’t get to hear the song all that often. I would want to savour every bar.

I was late for this game but ran the last two blocks of La Trobe Street because I was interested in two things mainly. Nic Naitanui’s first game. Is he really going to jump over five defenders and set my world on fire? Or will he ‘Jack Watts’ it and get his face rubbed into the grass? (To a lesser extent I was interested in seeing Tyrone Vickery’s debut though he just didn’t give me the impression I’d be recounting his debut to my grandchildren in the same way as I might be for Nic Nat.) Also Ben Cousins vs his old team. This is the final frontier for Ben. It’s the last of his comebacks. There’s nothing left to come back from after this and I had to hear how the crowd and his old teammates would react.

Here’s how I saw some of the key moments from the game unfold.

1st quarter

4:00 Jack Riewoldt misses a set shot from 40 metres out on an angle. Shouldn’t really be surprised, his surname is Riewoldt. He seems to me to be a player that’s lucky to have avoided Jade’s blade. He must be fearing it. If his current form continues I imagine he’ll be taking a shower at Punt Road today and Psycho will get re- made a third time!

9:30 Richard Tambling seems to have had more stats in ten minutes of this game than he has had all year.

12:00 Nic Naitanui gets his first sight of the ball. He misses a golden opportunity to take an overhead mark at the top of the goal square. He moves with great agility though and looks such an imposing figure, even form the top level of Etihad Stadium where I am sitting.

28:30 Nic Naitanui seems to have a taste for things now and he roves the ball and hand passes to set up a West Coast goal. He does kind of look like a 200 cm David Rodan.

2nd quarter

The thing that strikes me about Ben Cousins early in the second quarter as he starts to impact the game a bit more is that he doesn’t seem to be sledged by anyone. He seems to escape it from opposition fans and opposition players. For someone as controversial and high profile as him, I find this amazing. There seems to be this feeling even amongst the players on opposition teams that they are just relieved to have him out there.

Cousins was meant to be the icing on the cake for Richmond. The Brains Trust seemed set on Kade Clemke but the fans just about rioted, believing that with Foley, Deleidio, Tuck, Cotchin and Jackson, Cousins would just be the bit of polish required to ascend to greatness. It did seem plausible at the time but a lot has happened since that happy first training session where I posted a video of Cousins’ touches at training which rated higher than my hilarious skit with Matthew Lloyd where I presented him with a bum bag of grass clippings to save his back. I still find this a painful stat.

12:30 Vickery backs into a pack with courage to win a free kick 50 metres from goal. Getting up gingerly he handpasses the ball off to Jack Riewoldt who takes a flying shot at goal. Vickery simply can’t be allowed to wear the number 29 guernsey if he’s going to do stuff like that

28:30 The Tigers have led and dominated the game to this point but the Eagles are back in the contest now, especially after Mitch Brown scores a goal from a turnover. It’s a puzzling goal though for two reasons. He gets the ball in 10 metres of space with only Adam Pattison in pursuit and rather than running in kicks the ball from 45. C’mon, Pattison is a big man. If he was running in the Stawell Gift his handicap would be 85 metres. Secondly he kicks it end on end. Like Dennis Cometti and Rex Hunt on 3AW this makes no sense but seems to work.

As the Eagles close the gap, the Tigers’ mini revolution appears to be over and they revert to chipping the ball around and not running when they don’t have it. Terry Wallace’s legacy lives on. I wonder if he is comfortable with his footballing legacies being ‘flooding’ and ‘basketball crap’?

3rd quarter

7:44 Cox to Cousins – the old combination. This seems to happen a little too easily. Is Cousins’ voice familiar or did Ben use the secret Eagles codeword?

11:45 Naitanui and Vickery are now in the ruck against each other. Tap outs are inconclusive due to that fact that there is so much hair flying around in there. Shane Tuck takes advantage by being the third man up several times in the second half. He is the premier third man up in the league in my opinion.

4th quarter

1:10 Some vintage Cousins results in the ball moving quickly forward for the Tigers who kick an early couple of goals to effectively ice the game against an impotent West Coast.

10:30 Deleidio lets his man get away from him and have a flying shot at goal. He has the ability to run really fast which would seem quite a valuable asset to me. Why is he so reluctant to use it these days? He could be off scratch in the Stawell gift!

18:45 The Eagles fight epitomised by Selwood getting another hit in the head. I’m starting to think this is a contractual arrangement

23:00 Tigers have looked very unconvincing in the closing moments. They have completely given up on scoring and stopped running off the ball all together. Except for Nathan Foley. I reckon you could use that phrase every week when dissecting the Tigers performances. He uses his pace to get clear from a stoppage, handpasses to Shane Edwards and then lays a heavy shepherd to make sure he has a clear path to goal and the game is won. I wonder if Nathan Foley was excused from Terry Wallace’s post match bakes after a poor showing. ‘Get in there. You guys are a disgrace… except you Nathan. You can go take a shower. And we’ve warmed your towel on the hand rail for you.’

The Tigers win but not with any great conviction. It’s pretty hard to be elated after such a lacklustre second half against an opponent who never really offered much resistance. There’s not a lot of gusto in the yellow and black part of the club song but maybe that’s just because the AV guy keeps muting the music.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25633955-5017671,00.html

[Infamy]

At least I wasn't the only one thinking the win wasn't very convincing

[cub]

Yep reality check is just around the corner 
As long as they stick at taking it on and having a go I will be .... hmmm, I will be? ... As long as they have a go 

[one-eyed]

New-look Tigers make the running with Tyrone power
Courtney Walsh | June 15, 2009 | The Australian

SHORTLY after posting a win on debut as a senior coach, Richmond caretaker Jade Rawlings said the quintet of senior Tigers dropped in his initial cull would be considered for a return within a fortnight.

It scarcely seemed reconcilable with the moniker he was given following Thursday night's mass axings.

"Jade the Blade" conjures a grim-faced assassin, not a youthful coach seen by his contemporaries as a considered decision-maker.

Given 795 games of experience disappeared when Rawlings dropped players including Joel Bowden, Mark Coughlan and Troy Simmonds, it is understandable the interim coach is not yet prepared to banish them for good.

That two are Richmond best-and-fairest winners and Bowden a former All-Australian indicates class at peak form.

There is little doubt the trio, along with former Bulldog Jordan McMahon and erratic forward Kayne Pettifer, would have also celebrated a victory on Saturday night if selected, such is the Eagles' lamentable travelling record since 2007.

West Coast coach John Worsfold, though undoubtedly pleased with the debut of the exciting Nick Naitanui, must have pondered what might have been given the best two players on the ground, Mitch Morton and Ben Cousins, are former Eagles.

Given competition leader St Kilda and the rejuvenated Adelaide are Richmond's next two opponents, Rawlings may be tempted to turn to at least one of the five, particularly if they respond well with Coburg in the VFL, as he outlined on Saturday night.

"They are strong characters ... and I am sure there will be games (for them) in the next few weeks to get back in," he said.

"To their credit, their energy has been really good. There was no bitterness."

Yet to think the five will return in favour of those who replaced them seems unlikely immediately, given their respective performances on Saturday, even given the struggles of the once mighty Eagles.

Debutant Tyrone Vickery earned an early touch when marking on the wing in a passage of play featuring three of the incoming five players selected by Rawlings, with Shane Edwards passing to the impressive Robin Nahas, who was Richmond's eighth selection in last year's national draft.

In the third term, with West Coast edging back into the contest, Vickery received a free kick when infringed by an opponent no less credentialled than dual All-Australian full-back Darren Glass, who was forced into the error after being outpositioned by the 18-year-old.

The dreadlocked Vickery, who was opposed to fellow debutant Naitanui at times, showed poise to kick accurately from 40m to record his first goal and finished the match with eight touches, three marks, four hit-outs and a tackle.

Naitanui was even more impressive in both hairstyle and performance, with his agility and big leap a feature, particularly late in the match when he took a spectacular mark deep in the Eagles' forward line.

On another occasion, he stunned observers by roving to himself after winning a centre rucking contest, yet it was Vickery who departed with a win on debut.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," the Tiger said after the game. "To start the new coach off with a win is a very good feeling.

"I had a go at it in the NAB Cup, but it was a lot more physical at the contests (on Saturday) and Darren Glass didn't give me a lot (of space)."

While Vickery provided a cameo and will almost certainly return to Coburg to continue his education at some point before he cements a senior position, Rawlings was pleased with the debut.

"I thought the selection was vindicated," Rawlings said.

"We were really hoping to give him a bit of time in the ruck (and) he competed well against Dean Cox and I thought he laid a big tackle in the last quarter ... that settled the game.

"I thought the signs were good."

No less pleasing were the performances of Nahas, Edwards and the two other selections, Essendon reject Tom Hislop and young ruckman Angus Graham.

The diminutive Nahas, who weighs just 67kg, has been a revelation this year after earning elevation from the rookie list.

In his 10th match for the year, Nahas showed poise with the ball and a desperation to harass opponents when defending and finished the match with 17 disposals and a career-best seven marks.

Edwards, the most experienced of those to regain a spot in Richmond's side on Saturday night, showed competence in both defence and attack in his 36th match.

The 20-year-old finished the game with two goals, including a snapped effort off his left boot late in the final term that sealed Richmond's third win for the year.

Hislop, recruited by Terry Wallace for his hardness at the ball, certainly proved the sacked coach was right when laying a heavy bump on star Eagle Daniel Kerr in the first term.

Playing across half-forward in a defensive role on classy veteran David Wirrpanda, Hislop kicked two goals from 14 touches in producing his best game as a Tiger.

While Cox understandably dominated rucking contests against Graham, who received support from Adam Pattison and even Vickery, the young Tiger kicked the opening goal and competed hard, finishing with 13 hit-outs against his rival's tally of 27.

"There's huge scope for improvement in this group," Rawlings said.

"We have to be seen to be doing something slightly different but it doesn't need a massive overhaul."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25635636-5012432,00.html

[one-eyed]

Nick Naitanui only positive for West Coast Eagles
Mike Sheahan | June 15, 2009

ONE of us - John Worsfold or me - has the West Coast seriously wrong. When the Eagles trudged from Etihad Stadium Saturday night after a 15-point loss to Richmond, my view was: "Thank God for Nick Naitanui."

The mop-top pogo stick was the solitary highlight from a team that couldn't overcome (a) its insecurities outside of Perth or (b) the youngest Richmond team in 15 years.

Yet when Worsfold fronted the media after the game, he talked of finals as early as next year, a premiership within three years.

The West Coast coach saw a lot of upside that escaped my attention.

From where I sat, the Eagles were grossly disappointing, bordering on abysmal.

Apart from the fact it was the club's 17th loss in a row on the road, it was a lamentable effort all round.

The ultimate irony was the best two players in the game - Ben Cousins and Mitch Morton - both were West Coast discards, albeit for different reasons.

Richmond deserved its win because of its greater intensity and persistence, and lust for the contest.

The Tigers kept messing up near goal, but they kept trying to get it right, and, in the end, that was sufficient.

Richmond scored 11 times to two in the first quarter. Had it kicked 8.3 instead of 5.6, as it should have, the game would have been over.

West Coast's early attempts to tackle and spoil were pathetic, Daniel Kerr was as sour as a lemon - how can he be held to three possessions in half a game? - and the kicking all night was sub-standard.

Remove Shannon Hurn and David Wirrpanda and the Eagles were no better than a 50-50 chance to find a target, although Mark LeCras knows how to kick a goal.

The only story we hear regularly out of Perth is the debate about the length of the coach's next contract: two or three years. Why the urgency?

Surely it's not in fear of Fremantle showing an interest in the former South Fremantle youngster who went on to lead the Eagles to two premierships as a player and one as a coach?

The Eagles have won seven games out of their past 34, Kerr seems to wish he were elsewhere, Dean Cox is a shadow of the game's premier ruckman of recent years, Tyson Stenglein is labouring in vain, and Quinten Lynch is having minimal impact. Cox didn't take a contested mark Saturday night.

Tyson Vickery did. Angus Graham did. Naitanui took a couple.

Worsfold's post-match optimism was amazing. Particularly from such a committed, aggressive player after what his men served up.

Yes, lots of coaches like to feed the chooks at media conferences, but Woosha should have said what he really thought.

As ugly as it might have been.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25635969-19742,00.html