VFL Tigers tough it out in loss to Werribee
Richmond ended its practice match series with a 15-point defeat at the hands of Werribee.By Brenton Mann
Richmond Media
10 April 2021Rioli gathers the ball at half-forward, darts in and out of traffic and handballs off to Rioli as Richmond thrusts the ball inside 50.
You could get used to having that ring in the ears as the years tick by, Tiger Army.
It was a case of keeping up with the Riolis at Chrinside Park on Friday night as Richmond was hosted by Werribee in the final practice match of 2021.
Daniel and Maurice were the headline act as Richmond sought to topple Werribee on its home deck, but unfortunately for the Tigers of the Richmond-variety, the home side got the better of them by 15 points.
Werribee had the edge in polish but the Tigers more than matched the more seasoned hosts with their toughness and pressure, with the final scoreboard reading 8.14 (62) to 6.11 (47).
Richmond has shown it’s made of true grit, and with a little more polish in attack could have walked away with the victory.
It’s hard enough escaping a tackle from one Rioli, let alone two, as Daniel and Maurice enjoyed each other’s company whilst they hunted anyone in a yellow jumper with a black W.
The pair wrapped up a Werribee defender in a Rioli sandwich, drawing the opening free kick of the game.
Daniel, following his omission from AFL level, looked a cut above from the opening bounce, showcasing his poise, speed and skill through the midfield.
The senior Rioli started at the centre bounce and was involved in the opening passage, helping clear the ball and getting it going the Tigers’ way.
Maurice picked up from where he left off last week, splitting his time between forward and midfield and looks to be growing in confidence with the greater minutes he plays.
The younger Rioli’s strength as a midfielder is his clean hands and timing at stoppages, as he flashes through congestion, gathering the ball with one touch and bursting clear.
Another player who didn’t make the trip to Adelaide Oval this week was Derek Eggmolesse-Smith, as the dashing defender applied his lessons learnt from last week’s loss to Sydney against Werribee.
Eggmolesse-Smith controlled the defensive-half, chiming in with perfect timing to either spoil or intercept mark, transforming defence into attack in a heartbeat with his sure hands and raking left-boot.
The rebounding half-back was the best Tiger across the four quarters, as he worked himself to the bone to ignite and inspire his side.
Werribee kicked the opening goal of the night before Richmond’s twin towers in Callum Coleman-Jones and Samson Ryan hit the scoreboard.
Coleman-Jones kicked the Tigers' first goal of the night after drawing a free kick in a marking contest, with Ryan following suit soon after.
The pair teamed well in attack.
Even though they have played minimal games together, they seem to have developed a solid understanding of where each needs to be positioned to create the required separation to create one-on-one chances inside 50.
Richmond led by a goal before Werribee hit back late in the first quarter with back-to-back goals and took an eight-point lead into the first change.
The game tightened up further in the second term, with both sides’ defensive structures hard to penetrate and ball movement was stifled.
The ball was thrust from contest-to-contest as the game was played in the clinches rather than through slick transition.
Both sides kicked a goal apiece, as Werribee led by just four points at the main break.
Werribee kicked the first goal after half-time and began finding targets inside 50, as it kicked another shortly after.
The Tigers’ pressure and intensity around the ball couldn’t be questioned, but they were let down by their ability to control and maintain the ball when in transition.
That changed as Richmond kicked its fourth goal via the sure right boot of Coleman-Jones.
It was just reward for the Tigers’ best passage of ball movement up until that point, as they won the ball back in their defensive 50, pierced it down the outer wing, with Riley Collier-Dawkins driving the ball long and deep to Coleman-Jones at the top of the goal square.
The big man converted for his second goal of the evening.
Werribee hit back again, extending the margin to 20 points, and eventually led by 18 points as the three-quarter time siren sounded.
After eight minutes of the ball living between the arcs, Richmond broke the deadlock and kicked the first goal of the final term.
The Tigers scrubbed through another goal in quick succession as they were able to lock the ball in their front-half and put Werribee under some serious heat for a prolonged period.
The margin was back to a goal as Richmond continued to surge.
However, it failed to capitalise fully on its field position as Werribee sealed its win with the final goal of the game.
Richmond would take comfort in the fact that it stuck to its task from siren-to-siren as the Tigers never dropped their head or looked out of the contest.
They end their practice match series 3–2 and displayed the traits that will carry this young group through the upcoming VFL season.
The Tigers kick-off their campaign at lunchtime on Friday, April 16 against Sandringham at the Swinburne Centre.
WERRIBEE: 3.3 4.4 7.8 8.14 (62)
RICHMOND: 2.1 3.6 4.8 6.11 (47)
Photos: Belinda Vitacca photographyhttps://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/901636/vfl-tigers-tough-it-out-in-loss-to-werribee
