Tigers shut down Suns Roy Ward
The Age
July 14, 2013 RICHMOND 1.3 4.10 5.13 6.17 (53)
GOLD COAST 3.3 4.4 5.6 6.8 (44)
GOALS
Richmond: Jackson 2, Ellis, Riewoldt, Arnot, Foley.
Gold Coast: Brown, Bennell, O'Meara, Shaw, Day, McKenzie.
BEST
Richmond: Martin, Cotchin, Jackson, Chaplin, Petterd.
Gold Coast: Ablett, Nicholls, McKenzie, Shaw, Brown.
UMPIRES Donlon, Pannell, Bannister.
CROWD 11,197 at Cazaly's Stadium.
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It took Richmond three seasons, but the Tigers have finally scored a win in Cairns. They held off Gold Coast to win by nine points in testing conditions at Cazaly's Stadium on Saturday night.
After three years of selling off their home clash with the Suns, the Tigers finally took some on-field joy from a venture that reportedly gave the club a much-needed financial boost but also cost it humiliating losses in 2011 and 2012.
A goal from Campbell Brown with less than 90 seconds left put the Suns within 10 points, then a set shot from Andrew Boston could have had them within four points with 20 seconds left, but he pulled it wide to allow Richmond to run out the clock.
Tigers ruckman Ivan Maric said the win was a relief for the club, which now looks within sight of a finals berth after notching 10 wins from 15 matches so far this season.
''We got the win, that was all we wanted to do,'' Maric said. ''This game [is] all about how far this group has grown, there was a perception they could beat us, we had to change that today.''
Starting the final term just seven points ahead, the Tigers put on their most convincing quarter of the match by keeping the ball locked in their own attacking end.
But despite having all the football, the Tigers struggled to convert before Jack Riewoldt kicked a left-foot snap from the right pocket to push their lead to 16 points.
Tigers stars Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin, in his 100th game, led their side from the front. Gary Ablett was a constant threat for the Suns, although his opponent, Daniel Jackson, had another good game with 24 touches and two goals.
Gold Coast's Rory Thompson was taken to hospital for scans after a heavy collision with Richmond midfielder Matthew Arnot.
''I think it's his shoulder or his chest, so we'll just wait on the scans,'' coach Guy McKenna said.
''He's gone to hospital and he walked to the car. I think that's a good thing. He's had a super season. At his age and with his experience as a backman, he's stood up under some fierce weight of numbers. With Travis Cloke next week, we'd be pretty keen on a very positive result from the scans, that's for sure.''
The late afternoon sun shone across the ground as play began but that sun was joined by a powerful wind, of which Gold Coast made good use.
With conditions against them, the Tigers looked more like a visiting soccer side rather than the ''home'' team as Troy Chaplin was planted behind the ball as a sweeping loose man, while Arnot was sent to half-forward, but clearly man-marking dangerous Sun Trent McKenzie.
Harley Bennell opened his side's account with a goal as the Suns pressured the Tigers who continually pushed the ball down the wing and rarely looked in position to attack.
Arnot kicked the Tigers' first goal with a neat finish but Matt Shaw responded quickly for the Suns with a well-taken 50-metre goal.
Tigers defender Matt White made a costly error when he cannoned into Brown after he kicked the ball from the defensive part of the right wing. Brown's kick floated into the forward 50 and was ruled a down-field free kick and subsequent goal to Suns forward Sam Day.
The Suns went into quarter-time up by 12 points but the Tigers looked content with the result heading into a wind-assisted second term.
But the Tigers could not warm to their home away from home and could well have given up two goals against the wind but for poor kicking from the Suns.
Indeed, it wasn't until the last eight minutes of the term that the Tigers kicked their first goal with the wind as Jackson converted a set shot.
PARKING THE BUSWith the wind howling towards one end, both sides went shamelessly to defensive tactics when kicking against the wind in the first half. The Tigers played Troy Chaplin behind the ball as a loose man while Matt Arnot was named at half-forward but clearly tagging long-kicking half-back Trent McKenzie. In the second term the Tigers struggled to adjust to a more aggressive mindset while the Suns pushed up to 16 players inside the defensive 50-metre line. The result was a low-scoring first half. This was not the spectacle the AFL needs to win more fans in Queensland.
UGLY INJURYGold Coast defender Rory Thompson is highly regarded as an emerging star but his match ended in the third term when he came off second best in a collision with Arnot. The muscular first-year player bumped into Thompson, with his shoulder pushing Thompson's elbow into his ribs. The Suns player was substituted with a suspected rib injury. The Tigers wasted no time in going to Jack Riewoldt and while he didn't take a mark, that kick led to a Daniel Jackson goal.
A-GRADERS ALL-ROUNDWhile Cairns is not the MCG, the A-grade midfielders on both sides showed their quality in trying conditions, with Gary Ablett constantly a threat and Jaeger O'Meara turning on some impressive moves. For the Tigers, captain Trent Cotchin was relentless in his ball-winning, while Dustin Martin showed the work-rate and driven play which the Tigers need from him. In years to come these duos could well face off in some memorable finals matches. Cotchin and O'Meara were matched up for parts of the match. It was one of the few attacking moves on the day.
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