Football > Match reports and stats
Media articles and stats: Tigers vs Roos and Hawks
one-eyed:
Tigers go tall up forward
Michael Gleeson
The Age
February 18, 2012
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.3.1 0.7.2 (44)
RICHMOND 0.3.3 0.6.5 (41)
GOALS North Melbourne: Edwards 3, Swallow, Petrie, Ziebell, Tarrant. Richmond: Miller 2, Martin, King, Nahas, Derickx.
BEST North Melbourne: Ziebell, Cunnington, Edwards, MacMillan. Richmond: Martin, Nahas, Miller, Houli.
INJURIES North Melbourne: Grima (knee)
UMPIRES Meredith, Stewart, Mollison.
VENUE Etihad Stadium.
THE Tigers used three talls on the forward line with former WA mature-age recruit Tom Derickx, who stands 201 centimetres, playing deep to the goal square, and Jack Riewoldt and Brad Miller floating up field.
The Tigers looked more threatening with the arrangement as Riewoldt was less predictable. Miller booted two and took three grabs.
NO MINOR MORRIS
TIGER recruit Steven Morris, son of former player Kevin, and out of West Adelaide in the SANFL, looked like the known quantity they were expecting. He has good understanding and reading of the play, sitting behind the ball, is tough and clever but a little loose by foot on last night's showing,
NOT TOO DUSTY
Dustin Martin started in the middle, moved forward and began the second half at centre half-back.
He's versatile. He booted the first goal of the NAB Cup and finished with 11 touches.
CONCA'D
The new season was only just ticking over and Leigh Adams was seeing stars. The play had moved on but North's Adams had not. Reece Conca was the only man in the vicinity and clearly the pair had made some contact.
The North players were unhappy with what happened and went to the second-year Tiger who had to leave the ground with the blood rule. Adams was able to walk off.
On his return to the ground Conca was given a clip across the mouth by Brent Harvey and earned the free.
GAME ON
THE season's first off-the-ball incident came after just 10 minutes, North's Leigh Adams and Tiger Reece Conca coming together and leaving a groggy Adams subbed out of the game and Conca fending off a mob of angry Roos. Richmond jumped clear early with Dustin Martin lean and mean, Robin Nahas providing a spark and Brad Miller a target, and looked the better team for most of the journey. But North held its nerve and its structures, won the stoppages through Jack Ziebell and Andrew Swallow, and kicked three of the last four goals to pinch the game.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-go-tall-up-forward-20120217-1teqw.html#ixzz1mfMj9MmN
one-eyed:
Hawthorn, Richmond, North Melbourne share spoils in NAB Cup opener
by: Jon Ralph
From: Herald Sun
February 18, 2012
EDDIE McGuire's reputation as Eddie Everywhere must be slipping.
Just hours after he declared Fox Footy the most important technological breakthrough this century, Reece Conca had a brain explosion.
Eddie had promised cameras would cover every blade of grass on Etihad Stadium, but Richmond's Conca acted like it was an intra-club match behind closed doors.
His behind-play hit on Leigh Adams might not have been the most enthralling act in last night's round-robin between Richmond, North Melbourne and Hawthorn, but it might have the biggest long-term effect.
Last night was not the time to collect someone off the ball, given Fox Sports threw every possible resource and used every camera angle in its coverage.
It wasn't a king hit or a snipe, but Conca blocked Adams' path with enough force to drop him in an instant.
The Tiger is about to be hit by a perfect storm of tribunal rules from the past 18 months.
From this season on, any behind-play hit is automatically considered intentional, and we already know any hit to the head means the instigator must take full responsibility.
The only bonus is Conca is almost certain to be allowed to serve some of his potential ban in Richmond's two remaining NAB Cup games.
Why focus on one incident from 120 minutes of football?
Because while Conca's hit was at least definitive, it was impossible to be certain about anything else that unfolded last night.
In the first game Richmond seemed home when nine points up in the dying stages against North Melbourne then conjured an unlikely defeat.
Then Hawthorn's withering first half against North made the previous contest look every bit a curtain raiser before the real contender arrived on the stage.
Finally, Richmond outlasted a Hawks side with Lance Franklin in full flight despite Jack Riewoldt, Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin sitting out after playing against North. Pretty tough to make head or tail of any of that.
Of the youngsters and recruits, everyone showed something without dominating.
For Richmond, Ivan Maric will add crucial grunt and Steven Morris's ability as a small defender, but both took some of the gloss off solid debuts with late turnovers in the first contest.
For Hawthorn, Jack Gunston's second contest was more than encouraging, mixing seven possessions with one floating mark that showed a glimpse of his true potential.
North's contribution from the kids was more evenly spread, but the middle tier of Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington, and Ryan Bastinac looks to be on the march.
Former VFL midfielder Sam Gibson had nine possessions against Hawthorn, Robbie Tarrant looked sharp as a forward, and Hamish McIntosh took a pair of towering marks.
Of the stars, Sam Mitchell had 27 touches in 80 minutes, but you knew he would do something like that.
It was Martin and Franklin who showed they have another gear this year.
Franklin is a gazelle, and Martin a snarling pit bull, but both will be fun to watch this season.
It was far from the real thing - that is another month away - but it was a mouthwatering entree to the main course.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/hawthorn-richmond-north-melbourne-share-spoils-in-nab-cup-opener/story-e6frf9jf-1226274296981
one-eyed:
Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Richmond reveal new tricks
by: Warwick Green
From: Herald Sun
February 18, 2012
FOOTY was finally back as Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Richmond caught the eye with some new tricks and talented young blood. Warwick Green analyses the NAB Cup opener.
Richmond
NEW TRICKS
FORMER Crow Ivan Maric will bring a bit of presence - and a mullet - to the Tigers at centre bounces, but it remains to be seen if he's the answer to their ruck prayers.
Richmond used the first game against North to experiment with Jack Riewoldt pushing further up the ground.
Tom Derickx started as the goalsquare target, while Brad Miller was excellent doing the grunt work.
Reece Conca spent considerable time in the centre square, including tagging assignments.
YOUNG BLOOD
STEVEN Morris was impressive, expect him to play a lot of football this year. He has good pace and desperation, although his kicking looked a concern at times.
Brandon Ellis is another who may bring a dash of youthful pace and exuberance to the Tigers' backline.
Jake Batchelor, a second-round draft pick from last year, looked like he might be ready to step up a level.
SUPERCOACH
DUSTIN Martin ($536,200) looks poised to join the game's elite midfielders, but is not as expensive as them.
He is younger and less likely to be rotated than some of the game's biggest names, too.
Conca ($298,800) might be worth a risk, while Morris ($113,200) and Ellis ($126,600) look like potential bargains.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/hawthorn-north-melbourne-and-richmond-reveal-new-tricks/story-e6frf9jf-1226274328003
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page
Go to full version