Tigers on top from get-go Matt Murnane
April 15, 2013 RICHMOND 4.9 7.11 13.14 20.15 (135)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.1 3.3 6.5 10.8 (68)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 5, Deledio 3, McGuane 3, Martin 2, S. Edwards 2, Houli, Knights, Jackson, Maric, Tuck.
Western Bulldogs: Jones 4, Cooney 2, Giansiracusa, Stevens, Dahlhaus, Griffen.
BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Martin, Deledio, King, Edwards, Newman, McGuane, Jackson, Grigg.
Western Bulldogs: Jones, Young, Morris, Griffen.
INJURIES
Richmond: Batchelor (ankle) replaced in selected side by Knights.
Western Bulldogs: Wood (hamstring), Dickson (ankle), Cordy (back) replaced in selected side by Campbell.
UMPIRES Stewart, Kamolins, Leppard.
CROWD: 44,045 at Etihad Stadium.
There are games when you just don't know what twist the story will take next.
This was not one of them. It took all of 10 seconds for Brett Deledio to set the scene. A perfect hitout from ruckman Ivan Maric put the Tigers star in an ideal position to burst from the first centre bounce. Deledio rushed to 60 metres and drilled the opening goal with the skill and explosiveness you would expect from a player of his class.
From that moment, Daniel Cross' 200th game for the Western Bulldogs was going to be one to forget.
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Whatever will be made of Richmond coach Damien Hardwick's men in the coming days - when commentators debate whether it is too early for the Tigers to lift the lid - one thing can't be debated: when its midfield unit seizes control of a contest, it is hard to stop.
From the moment Deledio stamped his authority, he, Dustin Martin, captain Trent Cotchin and the rest of the yellow-and-black midfield machine owned this game.
So it was no surprise to hear Cotchin reveal after his team's third-straight victory against the Bulldogs on Sunday: ''We made it a real focus during the week. We knew the Dogs' midfield would bring the heat. We wanted to open them up through the middle. But first we had to win the ball and tackle hard, which we did. We got beaten in the midfield last week, so it was our turn to step up.''
The knock on the Tigers so far this year, and last, is that they don't appear to have the know-how to slow their frenetic pace when it is time to catch their breath. They are always helter-skelter, pedal to the metal.
It was all they needed against the Bulldogs on Sunday. They started in top gear and just kept going and going and going.
This was possibly Martin's best game for Richmond. He had 35 disposals and kicked two goals. He ran forward of the ball to be dangerous and pumped the ball inside 50 seven times. He did all the things he is good at, but this time he did it for longer. For some reason it seemed more complete, more polished.
''Funnily enough, he only played 76 per cent game time, too,'' Hardwick said. ''We've been working on his rotations; he has been going for too long over periods. I think his consistency over the course of the day was a lot better.''
Between him and Deledio (27 disposals, three goals and nine inside-50s), the Tigers got five goals and 16 inside-50s. They had a big impact.
Cotchin played more the role of the general, while the other two scorched their opponents and bombed away.
Cotchin seems to be relishing the leadership. He wants to become untaggable. Bulldog Nick Lower had Daniel Rich and David Mundy on his list of scalps coming in and was gunning for the Tigers skipper. He didn't get him. Cotchin racked up 36 touches and four direct score assists.
''He's very, very hard to tag around the contested situation, he hunts the ball so well,'' Hardwick said.
The Tigers looked hungry. They won the contested ball, the clearances, the tackle count, everything. They should have been eight goals-plus up at half-time, such was the midfield dominance and pressure around the ball. From an inside-50 advantage of 34-14, the Tigers produced 18 scoring shots to six in the first half, but only led by 32 points.
Certainly, the 67-point final margin should have been far more.
But this wasn't just about the star triple threat, either. It is easy to overlook Shaun Grigg's job on Tom Liberatore for the flash of Martin and company. Remember, the key Bulldog was the league leader for clearances before round three. He had just two on Sunday and 10 disposals, while Grigg had two and 26.
Daniel Jackson's influence was best summed up by Hardwick after the game when he said he thought the blue-collar midfielder had been the team's best player through the first three rounds.
And then there was Maric, who beat the in-form Will Minson and gave Tom Campbell a lesson on what it takes to be really good at this level.
The Tigers lost the hitouts, but when Maric was in there and won the tap it almost always set up a Richmond breakaway.
YOU WOOD NOT BELIEVE ITEaston Wood can't take a trick. In his first game back from a hamstring injury, he lasted just 16 minutes. He grabbed for his leg after running into a Richmond player near the boundary line. The Dogs had to activate substitute Clay Smith late in the first quarter. Richmond was able to hold back substitute Brandon Ellis until early in the last quarter.
PAPERWORK ERRORBoth teams had late withdrawals. The Dogs' ruck-forward Ayce Cordy complained of back soreness in the warm-up. Fellow big man Tom Campbell came in as his replacement, despite not being one of the emergencies. The club said Campbell was meant to be one and it was an administrative mix-up. However the Dogs are expected to cop it from the AFL. Jake Batchelor was the Tigers' late withdrawal, replaced by former Adelaide forward Chris Knights.
MILESTONE MANDaniel Cross in his 200th game was one of his team's hardest triers, as usual, with 23 disposals, three inside 50s and one score assist.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-on-top-from-getgo-20130414-2htez.html
