Media articles & stats: Tigers stun Swans with Lloyd's post-siren winner

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Match report: Tigers stun Swans with Lloyd's post-siren winner

AFL.com.au
13th May 2016

RICHMOND has secured the drought-breaking win it needed in extraordinary circumstances, with Sam Lloyd kicking the match-winning goal from 50m to pinch a remarkable one-point win.

Lloyd marked just inside 50 with seconds remaining and kicked after the siren, falling to his knees as the ball sailed through to seal the 14.17 (101) to 15.19 (100) win at the MCG on Saturday night.

The final quarter produced some of the most thrilling football of the season as the Tigers threw out the conservative style they'd played for three quarters and put their foot to the floor.

The Swans had appeared destined for their seventh win of the year as they trapped the ball deep in their forward line with less than a minute to play, but the Tigers launched one final challenge and were rewarded.

One of the club's best wins for years, it was a coming-of-age match for tall forward Ben Griffiths, who kicked five goals, including a crucial dribble goal with five minutes left to make the win possible.

First-year Tiger Daniel Rioli also stamped himself on the contest with two final-quarter goals, including a brilliant running goal after taking three bounces down the MCG wing. 

It was a win that will release pressure on coach Damien Hardwick after six straight losses, with his players rewarding their coach's unwavering faith in difficult circumstances this season.

And it was achieved without injured skipper Trent Cotchin and important half-back Bachar Houli.

Brett Deledio was outstanding in his third game for the season, racking up 34 possessions, while Dustin Martin (31 and five inside 50s) and Anthony Miles (31 and nine clearances) stood up in the midfield.

Key forward Jack Riewoldt was a steadying influence all night, finishing with nine marks and six inside 50s.

Swans superstar Lance Franklin kicked five goals to move to the top of the Coleman Medal race, winning an enthralling battle with nemesis Alex Rance, who lost no fans despite his opponent's bag.

Midfielder Dan Hannebery, who gave the Swans the lead halfway through the final quarter with an important goal, finished with 33 possessions and two goals in a superb game. 

The Tigers could have set up their win in the third quarter, but made things difficult for themselves with poor kicking in front of goal.   

Hardwick's men went inside 50 seven straight times early in the term, but walked away with just 1.5, with Lloyd, Deledio, Martin and Ty Vickery all missing gettable set shots.

It would have made a loss impossible to stomach.

For the first time since round two, Richmond took a lead into half-time on Saturday night.

It was a hard-earned lead too, having started nervously and fallen 15 points down early in the second quarter, with the Swans appearing in cruise control.

The Tigers got themselves back into the game in two ways – they started playing a careful, high-possession style, and they got on top in the contested areas.       

At the main break they had racked up 68 more possessions and 38 more uncontested marks, working hard for each other to make sure they held onto the footy.

They also did the hard things, laying more tackles (25-16) and winning more clearances (17-9) to half-time, laying down the challenge for the Swans.

The Swans pounced when they had their chances, but so did Lloyd, erasing all the Tigers' wastefulness with one brilliant set shot.


RICHMOND              3.5   6.10    7.15   14.17   (101)                 
SYDNEY SWANS      5.3   6.5      11.9   15.10   (100)         

GOALS
Richmond: Griffiths 5, Lloyd 3, Riewoldt, Martin, Miles, Ellis, Rioli
Sydney Swans: Franklin 5, Hannebery 2, Heeney, Towers, Hewett, Tippett, Lloyd, Jack, Papley

BEST
Richmond: Deledio,Martin,Rance, Riewoldt, Edwards
Sydney Swans: Hannebery, Franklin, McVeigh, Jack, Tippett

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Sydney Swans: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stephens, Nicholls, Harris

Official crowd: 36,014 at the MCG

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-05-14/tigers-postsiren-stunner-gets-win-over-swans

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Richmond v Sydney: Against all odds, Tigers beat Swans by a point

Larissa Nicholson
The Age
15th May 2016


RICHMOND 3.5 6.10 7.15 14.17 (101)
SYDNEY      5.3 6.5 11.9 15.10 (100)

Goals:
Richmond: B Griffiths 5, S Lloyd 3, D Rioli 2, A Miles, B Ellis, D Martin, J Riewoldt.
Sydney: L Franklin 5, D Hannebery 2, K Tippett 2, D Towers, G Hewett, I Heeney, J Lloyd, K Jack, T Papley.

BEST:
Richmond: Griffiths, Deledio, Martin, Riewoldt, Miles.
Sydney: Hannebery, Franklin, Jack, Lloyd.

Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, David Harris, Andrew Stephens.
Official Crowd: 36,014 at MCG.

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With a Sam Lloyd goal after the siren, Richmond at once beat a top-four side, saved a season on death's door and gave their fans a performance to take pride in.

The Tigers made mistakes against Sydney, they kicked poorly for goal, missed their targets and early in the game seemed thoroughly outclassed at the MCG on Saturday night. But they showed tenacity and desperation and when they won they celebrated like it had been a grand final.

Sydney was ominous early, led by the strength and class of  Lance  Franklin.

Alex Rance conceded a free kick to the omnipresent forward just three minutes into the first quarter and Franklin kicked it from 45 metres out, on a 60 degree angle.

Isaac Heeney got one from about 15 metres out on the run, with no Richmond defenders in sight, then Franklin booted his second from 65 metres, a beautiful soaring kick that Troy Chaplin could not quite get a hand to before  the line.

Meanwhile the Tigers  mis-kicked,  fumbled and too often left their teammates with no one to kick to in their forward half.

It looked like being a blow-out, but Richmond showed grim persistence. Club leaders Brett Deledio and Jack Riewoldt were bright spots and after going into the second quarter only 10 points down, the home team lifted. Their game still had  flaws, but Richmond wanted it more and they gained confidence as time went on.

Ben Griffiths kicked two and against all odds went into the main break five points up, while Tigers fans cheered as if their team had won the game.

All their hard work could have been undone in the third, when Deledio, Sam Lloyd and Jayden Short all missed kickable shots in quick succession, before Lloyd got another shot and snapped a goal from 40 metres out.

But in a strange change of fortunes, suddenly the Swans seemed to struggle to hit their targets.

Franklin booted one, but Jarrad McVeigh and Tom Mitchell missed – champagne football this was not.

Back at the other end of the ground, Dustin Martin was only 15 metres out on a slight angle when he missed his own shot at goal and he must have known if his team lost that night, this would be one of the many opportunities they would regret.

Consecutive goals to Hewett, Tippet, Franklin and Lloyd saw the visitors break 18 points free of the Tigers.

When all seemed lost, the Tigers came roaring out of the blocks for the final quarter, showing the kind of fight their fans have been begging them for all season.

Within two minutes Lloyd and Griffiths had kicked a goal apiece, thanks largely to the ferocity of Richmond's midfielders out of the centre.

Then with a pass from Riewoldt and Daniel Rioli sprinted into the Tigers' forward line, bouncing once, twice, three times and just metres out goaled to level the score against Sydney early in the last quarter.

The Swans are a genuinely good team and despite being well short of their best, laid on enough goals to hit the front.

But Lloyd was there after the siren to win the match  for the Tigers by a point.

One of the more intriguing contests of the night was between Franklin and Rance, both excellent in attack and defence respectively.

Franklin has been in frighteningly good form this year, after finishing 2015 on the sidelines as he struggled with mental illness.

Meanwhile, a contrite  Rance was returning to the Tigers after serving a two-week suspension for striking Jack Watts in the back of the head while the Melbourne player was on the ground.

Franklin was brilliant in front of goal, even from more than 50 metres out he rarely looked like missing. But as is often the case, his Sydney teammates looked for the big man time and again and Rance laid on plenty of pressure, at times beating him to the ball and forcing mistakes.

The 26-year-old Tiger battled hard and did more than his fair share in trying to curtail the Swans.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/richmond-v-sydney-against-all-odds-tigers-beat-swans-by-a-point-20160514-govclx.html

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Tigers stun Swans after siren

Herald-Sun
15th May 2016


NO club does drama like Richmond.

A club which has found new and inventive ways to torture its fans, last night took them on one of the sweetest rides of all.

If any side was going to snap a six-match losing streak with an after-the-siren winner, it was going to be the Tigers.

Just when it looked like Richmond was going to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, its dominance of Sydney was rewarded in the most spectacular fashion.

With the Swans clinging to a five-point lead as time ticked down, Jack Riewoldt gathered a wildly bounding ball in the middle of the ground and found the excellent Ben Griffiths.

Griffiths had the poise to locate Sam Lloyd 50m from goal and he lined up after the siren.

Weeks of unbearable pressure was forgotten as Lloyd’s crisp drop punt sailed through at post height at the Punt Road end of the MCG to send the yellow and black hordes into dreamland.

“I always dreamt of doing that as a kid,” Lloyd said later.

“’Griff’ came up to me and said ‘Deep breaths’. I just put my head over the ball ... it was the only good kick I did all night.

“I’m really proud of the boys. We fought it out; it’s been a tough few weeks.”

This was an incredible game, punctured by huge momentum swings and a glut of wasted chances that threatened to inflict more pain on Richmond.

Sydney screamed out to a 19-1 lead in the first term and there were fears for the Tigers. Yet they showed grit, fortitude and resilience.
Sam Lloyd celebrates kicking the winning goal. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

The Tigers led by 13 points early in the third quarter, Sydney replied with five in a row before Richmond got the next five. The Swans got four in a row to lead by 18 points at the last change before a 7.2 to 4.1 last 30 minutes got Richmond the most dramatic four points.

Griffiths came of age. A player who has teased and frustrated, kicked five goals — three coming in a pulsating final term. Here is the second key-position option this club has been crying out for.

Daniel Rioli came with him, providing another exciting glimpse into the future with two last quarter goals — one after he ran 70m into an open goal to level the scores at 75.

Brett Deledio was enormous. He had 25 touches at halftime and while Harry Cunningham blunted his influence in the second hour, he finished with 34 and was full of poise when many were not.

Anthony Miles had 31, Dustin Martin 28, Shane Edwards ran himself into the ground with 25 and Riewoldt was again influential with 18 and three contested marks.

Yet it could have all counted for naught. The Tigers will breath a sigh of relief its kicking for — and around — goal didn’t cost it another result.

They kicked 8.11 from set shots to Sydney’s 10.3, despite outworking, out-tackling and out-hunting the Swans.

The Tigers had 48 more uncontested marks and 48 more uncontested possessions, yet won the tackle count in a performance that will delight Damien Hardwick.

The Lance Franklin-Alex Rance match-up was a joy. Franklin kicked 5.0 and was at the heart of the Swans’ clinical nature. The fact that Rance could still be classified as a solid contributor tells you everything you need to know about Buddy’s game.

But aside from Dan Hannebery he had few friends. Tom Mitchell (16 touches), Isaac Heeney (18), Luke Parker (20) and Jarrad McVeigh (20) were well down.

RICHMOND 3.5 6.10 7.15 14.17 (101)

SYDNEY SWANS 5.3 6.5 11.9 15.10 (100)

GOALS

Richmond: Griffiths 5, Lloyd 3, Riewoldt, Martin, Miles, Ellis, Rioli

Sydney Swans: Franklin 5, Hannebery 2, Heeney, Towers, Hewett, Tippett, Lloyd, Jack, Papley

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-tigers-defeat-sydney-swans-by-one-point-at-the-mcg-in-round-8/news-story/cbb96740f44be7b977179122b2763475