A blue day for Richmond
5:01:15 PM Sun 31 July, 2005
Paul Gough
Exclusive to afl.com.au
Carlton has ended its longest losing streak in a season for more than a century in the sweetest of fashions, significantly harming Richmond's finals chances at Telstra Dome with a 35-point victory.
The Blues had lost their past 11 matches dating back to round six - their worst losing run in a season since 1901 - but turned it all around on Sunday by overcoming Richmond 22.9 (141) to 16.10 (106).
And to cap off a bad day for the Tigers, champion spearhead Matthew Richardson was carried off the field on a stretcher in the first quarter with concussion after bravely backing into a pack and being crunched in a marking contest.
While Richardson was well enough to be on the ground for the Tigers' three-quarter-time huddle, he took no further part in the game and without their leading goalkicker - plus knee victim Nathan Brown and full-back Darren Gaspar - the Tigers were not like the team which has performed so well in Terry Wallace's first season as coach in 2005.
The Tigers went into the game with everything to play for, knowing a win could have put them in seventh place and a game clear inside the top eight with just four rounds remaining.
Richmond needs to win three of its last four games to make the eight but has tough trips to Fremantle and Geelong plus a clash against the in-form Western Bulldogs still to come.
Even before Richardson was carried off on a stretcher at the 19-minute mark of the first term, the Tigers were three goals adrift as they played poorly in the first term for the second successive week.
It was the Blues' ability to win the ball out of the centre and make far better use of it that was the difference in the vital first term in which Carlton jumped Richmond to give itself a sniff of a rare victory.
The Blues kicked seven goals straight to Richmond's wasteful 3.5 as the Tigers found themselves 19 points down at the first change despite having 31 more possessions for the term and one more scoring shot.
Troy Simmonds missed two set shots goals from directly in front late in the term which seemed to sap the confidence out of all of his teammates already shaken by the loss of Richardson.
In contrast, Carlton simply could not miss and at one stage had 12.1 on the board.
The Blues had actually shown signs of improvement in the previous fortnight by at least scoring 100 points while losing to Fremantle and Hawthorn, the first time they had reached the century mark in a game since round four.
But against the Tigers, the Blues' forward line suddenly clicked and Denis Pagan's team had goal-scoring options everywhere with Brad Fisher, Troy Longmuir and Jarrad Waite all kicking two in the vital first term.
And by game's end the Blues had seven multiple goalkickers with even out-of-form spearhead Brendan Fevola showing a welcome return to form with four goals.
However it was Nick Stevens who was the architect of the win, with his ability to not only win the ball out of the centre but finish off his good work making him the game's stand-out player.
Stevens, who was thrashed by Mark Coughlan when these teams met earlier in the season as the Tigers won 85 points, had his revenge as he finished with 23 disposals and four goals.
The Blues' other big guns also played well with skipper Anthony Koutoufides constantly winning the hard ball as well as kicking two goals while Lance Whitnall was superb in defence with his smart ball use enabling the Blues to set up many attacks out of defence although he was aided by the early loss of Richardson.
Richmond's attack offered little after Richardson went down and its midfield was soundly beaten and about the only positive on a costly day was the promising form of Brent Hartigan, the club's rising star last year who has missed most of this year through injury.
CARLTON: 7.0 12.4 18.6 22.9 (141)
RICHMOND: 3.5 8.8 11.8 16.10 (106)
GOALS – Carlton: Stevens 4, Fevola 4, Waite 3, Fisher 3, Longmuir 2, Koutoufides 2, Morrell 2, Scotland, Bryan Richmond: Simmonds 3, Stafford 2, Tambling 2, Deledio 2, Moore 2, Pettifer 2, Coughlan 2, Hilton
BEST – Carlton: Stevens, Koutoufides, Whitnall, Simpson, Scotland, Carazzo, Fisher, Waite Richmond: Pettifer, Hilton, Hartigan, Tuck
INJURIES – Carlton:
Richmond: Richardson (concussion), Tivendale (hip)
CHANGES - Carlton: Sporn replaced in selected side by Bryan Richmond: Gaspar (hamstring) replaced by Moore, Chaffey (groin) replaced by Hartigan
REPORTS None
UMPIRES Quigley, Ellis, Nicholls
CROWD 34,925 at Telstra Dome
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=219067
