Media articles and Stats: Tigers tame the Lions after tough battle

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Tigers tame the Lions after tough battle
Callum Twomey 
afl.com.au
July 5, 2014 4:15 PM

RICHMOND            5.2    7.3    10.4    12.7 (79)   
BRISBANE LIONS    3.3    4.5    6.10    7.12 (54)                 

GOALS
Richmond: Vickery 4, Riewoldt 2, Edwards 2, Arnot, Batchelor, Petterd, Conca
Brisbane Lions: Zorko 2, Mayes, Green, Taylor, Close, Bewick

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Ellis, Jackson, Rance, Vickery, Riewoldt, Martin
Brisbane Lions: Hanley, Rockliff, Maguire, Gardiner, Zorko, Martin, Taylor
 
INJURIES
Richmond: Rance (ankle)
Brisbane Lions: Zorko (ankle)

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Matt Arnot replaced by Brett O'Hanlon in the third quarter
Brisbane Lions: James Aish replaced by Ash McGrath in the third quarter

Reports: Nil
 
Umpires: Fleer, Fisher, Findlay

Official crowd: 34,560 at the MCG

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TYRONE Vickery might have been the difference in more ways than one with his four-goal haul for Richmond as it beat the Brisbane Lions by 25 points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The marking forward's equal career-best tally helped separate the Tigers from the Lions in a tight battle as Damien Hardwick's side claimed its fifth win of the season, 12.7 (79) to 7.12 (54). 

And Vickery's effort – he finished with 16 disposals and four marks – also highlighted the stark lack of tall forward options for the Lions. 

While Vickery and Jack Riewoldt, who competed well for two goals, combined to be dangerous for the Tigers, the Lions' fleet of smaller types manufactured most of their scoring opportunities. 

Recently retired captain and champion forward Jonathan Brown looked on in the coaches' box as the young and developing Michael Close and Daniel Merrett, better suited as a defender, took on the key forward responsibilities.

It was a game where nothing came easy for either team, with plenty of effort but not a lot of polish.

Vickery had slotted two goals before the Lions had registered their first kick in the opening two minutes, and early on the Tigers capitalised on the visitors' poor skill level. When that lifted, so did the Lions.

Their more crafty players got involved – Pearce Hanley, Sam Mayes and Lewis Taylor – and by the first break they trailed by 11 points, but the game was evenly poised.

The evenness continued in the second term, with only a goal apiece until Jake Batchelor shifted forward to kick a major with less than 30 seconds to go.

The Lions responded after the main break, getting back to within a point, before three quick Tiger goals stretched the gap to 18 points at the last change.

For the first seven minutes of the final term the Lions had their chances, with substitute Ashley McGrath missing two shots and Hanley another after waves of attack. It was a lack of finish that was costly.

The ball swung down the other end of the ground, ended in Riewoldt's hands and he walked into an open goal, all but sealing the win. Even still, Hardwick wasn't satisfied.

"All credit to Brisbane, they came to play, but I thought we were poor today," he said.
 
"We overused the ball through hands which was really disappointing. I don't think we played anyway near the standard that we require."

Lions counterpart Justin Leppitsch, who was an assistant at Richmond before winning the Lions' senior role, said it was a lost opportunity.

"We had our chances, didn't we?" Leppitsch said post-game.

"When two teams have the same amount of scoring shots it sometimes comes down to those little things. We weren't clean, we chopped up the footy a bit. There's some lessons learned out of that. Our use of the ball was probably the big one to stand out."

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and Pearce Hanley spent periods of the game going head-to-head, and the statistics reflected it. Cotchin finished with 37 disposals, while Hanley collected 34 at 74 per cent efficiency.

Dustin Martin was busy with 34 but his effectiveness was down, Brandon Ellis' run shone with 33 disposals and seven marks, and Alex Rance completely shut down Merrett in a dominant defensive game.

Tom Rockliff was his usual self, picking up possessions at the stoppages, with 17 of his 36 being contested, while Stefan Martin continues to improve as a mobile ruckman, tallying 20 disposals and 32 hit-outs.

First-year defender Darcy Gardiner was solid, while Taylor (18 disposals and six inside-50 entries), Zorko (21 and two goals) and Claye Beams offered some zip and zest for the Lions.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-07-05/match-report-richmond-v-brisbane

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Team Stats



Individual Stats

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Richmond beats Brisbane Lions by 25 points at MCG

   Rohan Connolly
      The Age
    July 6, 2014

RICHMOND         5.2  7.3  10.4  12.7 (79)
BRISBANE LIONS 3.3  4.5  6.10  7.12 (54)

Goals:
Richmond: T Vickery 4 J Riewoldt 2 S Edwards 2 J Batchelor M Arnot R Conca R Petterd.
Brisbane Lions: D Zorko 2 J Green L Taylor M Close R Bewick S Mayes.

Best:
Richmond: Ellis, Rance, Cotchin, Edwards, Vickery, Martin.
Brisbane: Rockliff, Hanley, Clarke, Martin, Zorko, Maguire

Injuries:
Richmond: Nil.
Brisbane Lions: D Zorko (ankle)

Umpires: Robert Findlay, Craig Fleer, Leigh Fisher.
Official Crowd: 34,560 at MCG.

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For a young list, AFL football has to be as much about learning as winning and losing. Which is what Brisbane coach Justin Leppitsch must be hoping his charges have at least got out of Saturday's loss to Richmond, a lesson in not taking chances while an opposition nails theirs.

Last week, the Lions had three pretty ordinary quarters against North Melbourne, but one good enough to earn them a stirring victory. Against the Tigers, Brisbane's effort was much more consistent across the afternoon. But effort without efficiency equalled little other than a 25-point defeat.

Richmond, whose fifth win of the season was the first time  it had strung two victories together, will hardly be turning cartwheels over the quality of its performance, either. But, unlike the Lions, the Tigers made their chances count, always seeming to find an answer via a goal, or a couple for that matter, when Brisbane seemed be coming.

Key forward Ty Vickery, who kicked four goals, was a good example. He had two on the board in under three minutes, a third late in the first half just when the Lions had nudged within four points, and another at critical stage in the third term when Brisbane had closed within two points and had all the momentum.

He might have looked ungainly and clumsy at times, but he got the job done, even with a few hiccups along the way. Like his second goal, when he and Jack Riewoldt almost managed to collide in the square as they raffled an open goal. Or in the second term, when Riewoldt had popped a handball over the top for Vickery to run on to, the big man instead preferring to wait for the bounce and Brisbane's defenders pouncing on him instead.

Yet, with Riewoldt very effectively held by Brisbane defender Justin Clarke, Vickery gave Richmond some sort of forward presence. Which was more than the Lions could boast, with both Daniel Merrett and Michael Close both failing to get warm, indeed Merrett beaten pointless in a terrific performance from Tiger key defender Alex Rance.

Six of Brisbane's seven goals came from smaller types. And even they had enough trouble hitting the scoreboard. The situation came to a head early in the final term when, the Lions, desperately needing a goal to stay in touch, couldn't buy one.

Brisbane had completely dominated the first seven minutes of play, Ash McGrath hitting the post, another behind added besides, and the Lions having had no fewer than eight inside-50 entries to Richmond's zero for the return of 0.2. Sure enough, the first time the Tigers got close to goal, Vickery shot a handball over to Riewoldt, and with the margin now 22 points in a low-scoring contest, that was effectively that.

In some respects, the Lions' efforts deserved better. After being jumped at the start, Brisbane had ground its way back into the contest, its army of willing runners looking more and more dangerous, Pearce Hanley racking up the touches enough for Richmond eventually to have to send Daniel Jackson to mind him, Tom Rockliff as conspicuous as ever, and Matt Maguire winding the clock back more than a couple of years with a great game out of defence.

The Lions looked just as good around the ground as their opponent for large chunks of play, but that toil ended up counting for little. In the second term, they successfully turned what had been a free-scoring contest for a quarter into a dogfight.

They'd score the only goal in 23 minutes of football. But then undid the work by allowing Richmond two goals in four minutes. And again after half-time. Brisbane came out looking much the better team.

Close dragged down one of his two marks for the day, converted from 45 metres, and the gap had been reduced to single figures. Then the always-bustling Dayne Zorko slammed one through on the run and it was just two points the difference. But again Brisbane gave up two goals in a matter of a few minutes.

And as if to underline their capacity to do so at the wrong times, another to Reece Conca shortly before the three-quarter time siren, a bouncing ball that Hanley tried desperately but failed to touch just before it crossed the goal line.

You might be able to afford that sort of largesse if you're kicking enough goals of your own. Not when you're banging the ball in there more in desperation than hope, let alone any sort of realistic expectation that you're going to make those opportunities count for something other than just wasted energy,

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/richmond-beats-brisbane-lions-by-25-points-at-mcg-20140705-zsxjy.html

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Richmond forward Ty Vickery kicks four goals as Tigers scrape their way past plucky Brisbane outfit
Sam Edmund
   Herald-Sun
   July 06, 2014

LIKE just about everything else for Richmond this year, it was bloody hard work.

The Tigers may have saluted against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG, but despite making it consecutive wins for the first time in 2014, this is far from a dramatic late-season resurgence.

Indeed, they may have been lucky.

Richmond lead at every change — by 11 points at quarter time, five at half-time and 18 at three-quarter time — but weren’t safe until the last few minutes.

Brisbane will consider this a missed opportunity, having controlled this contest for long periods only to hack their way to 7.12 (54) without a viable marking target. They finished with the same amount of scoring shots, the Lions, yet they lost by 25 points.

But for a couple of exceptions, the Tigers were what they have been all year — hesitant with the ball and sloppy when they tried to execute. Countless times they ran around in happy-handball circles, finishing with 225 handballs to 211 kicks.

So tired were the Richmond fans with the merry-go-rounds they burst into bronx cheer in the last quarter when Dan Jackson finally put boot to ball.

Dustin Martin fell back into old habits, going at just 68 per cent disposal efficiency. Trent Cotchin and Nathan Foley also chipped lazily into enemy hands in the defensive half. Jack Riewoldt kicked two goals but was beaten by Justin Clarke, while Bachar Houli was kept to 15 touches.

When they weren’t mucking around with the ball, the Tigers were regularly cut open through the middle because they have a shyness when it comes to tackling, this time laying only 45.

As we hear ad nauseam, it was good they got the four points, but it was a performance that fooled no one, including Damien Hardwick. The coach hauled his team behind closed doors after the game where he gave them a dressing down.

One of the few shining lights was Alex Rance, who towelled Daniel Merrett. The best-afield Tiger stopper held Merrett to two kicks — the first coming in the third quarter — and one behind.

Hardwick last week claimed he was the AFL’s best one-on-one defender and yesterday he did nothing to make his coach look silly. But with his vantage point from the last line of defence, Rance didn’t mince words when it came to the team’s performance.

“I’m not sure we would label it fantastic, but it was one of those scrappy affairs. We were just a little off,” Rance said afterwards.

“We know that we can play at such a high standard, but the frustrating part about that is holding each other accountable.

“It is hard to put a finger on what is hurting us at the moment. It is one of those ones which you are just lucky to get the four points out of.”

Ty Vickery goaled twice in the first two minutes of the match, but it was his second half that proved he his capable of a long career at this level. Vickery finished with four goals and the direct assist for Riewoldt to kick the sealer in the last term.

Shane Edwards was clean when the vast majority of his mates were not, finishing with 27 disposals, nine clearances, six inside 50s and two goals. He was excellent.

For the Lions, there was admirable effort without the weapons to capitalise. Their best moments again came when speedy trio Lewis Taylor, Dayne Zorko and Josh Green were breaking into space, but rarely — if ever — is it a method sustainable to winning regular games in the absence of an effective tall goalkicker.

Tom Rockliff and Pearce Hanley were their best players. Matt Maguire turned back the clock and Clarke won his battle with Riewoldt.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-forward-ty-vickery-kicks-four-goals-as-tigers-scrape-their-way-past-plucky-brisbane-outfit/story-fndv8t7m-1226978877554