Media articles and stats: Dusty's six-goals destroys two-goal Lions

[one-eyed]

Match report: Dusty destroys two-goal Lions

Ashley Browne
afl.com.au
Apr 14, 2018 5:41PM

RICHMOND     5.5     8.10     11.12     16.14     (110)
BRISBANE       0.2       0.4         1.4         2.5         (17)

GOALS
Richmond: Martin 6, Castagna 3, Townsend 3, Lambert 2, Riewoldt, Caddy
Brisbane: Zorko, Rayner

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Lambert, Rance, D. Martin, Conca, Grigg, Riewoldt
Brisbane: Zorko, Rayner, Robinson, S. Martin, Witherden

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Brisbane: Nil

Reports: Jack Graham (Richmond) for rough conduct against Dayne Zorko in the third quarter

Umpires: Meredith, Harris, Wallace

Official crowd: 32,870 at the MCG

---------------------------------------------------------------

BRISBANE'S promising start to 2018 has come to a grinding halt after it kicked just two goals in a horror 93-point loss to a rampant Richmond at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

With Dustin Martin kicking a career-best six goals, the Tigers prevailed 16.14 (110) to 2.5 (17), but the game was all over at half-time, when the home team led by 54 points, having kept the winless Lions goalless in the process.

Brisbane’s score equalled the record lowest by the Brisbane Bears, who kicked 2.5 (17) against Hawthorn in 1988. And it was the first time since round six of 1962 that a team was held to fewer than 20 points on the MCG. The unfortunate team on that occasion was South Melbourne.

The Tigers were ruthless and it wasn't until the 27-minute mark of the third term that the Lions kicked their first goal of the game when Dayne Zorko crumbed the pack and snapped truly.

But the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs on Saturday were illustrated a few minutes before when the Lions had the two-on-one edge 20m from goal, but desperate Tigers defender Dylan Grimes effected a spoil and negated the contest, much to the delight of the yellow-and-black clad fans at the Punt Road end.

Brisbane came into the game having been super-competitive in three narrow losses to open the season against St Kilda, Melbourne and Port Adelaide, but this was the reality check to remind coach Chris Fagan and his men of the mountain of work ahead of them to climb up the ladder.

Despite the pre-game focus on winning contested footy, they were thrashed in that area in the first half of the game, down by 20. With 29 inside 50s to 17, the Tiger forwards were just queueing up to have shots on goal.

And the Lions couldn’t even blame the weather. Torrential rain fell on the MCG in the hours before the game but cleared up before the opening bounce. By the time the game started, the ground was bathed in sunshine.

It even resembled September and the Tigers wound the clock back to last year's finals, with their pressure game forcing the Lions into repeated disposal errors. Six of Richmond’s first seven goals came from Brisbane turnovers, but if the Lions' poor care of the footy was one issue, their lack of pressure was another and by three-quarter time, 12 of their players had laid one tackle or less for the afternoon.

The lack of intensity around the footy allowed the Tigers the luxury of playing Martin primarily out of the goalsquare. Jason Castagna kicked three for the Tigers as did Jacob Townsend, while Trent Cotchin (26), Reece Conca (26) and Kane Lambert (26) won plenty of the ball. But to be truthful, this match resembled a training drill for most of the afternoon.

"If you’d said to me before the game we would win by 93 points, you’d be really happy with it," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said. "I thought the guys showed really good intent early, set the standard and the way we wanted to play with their contested ball and pressure around the contest. "We walk away really happy with the four points, acknowledge Brisbane probably weren’t at their best today, but we have a really good challenge next week against a good footy club in Melbourne."

The Lions had barely a winner. Youngsters Alex Witherden, Jarrod Berry and Cameron Rayner kept presenting, while Luke Hodge tried to give some drive and direction from defence. But it was a frustrating for the former Hawks captain. At one stage in the third quarter he was penalised for a deliberate out of bounds just in front of the interchange bench. Hodge was then rotated off the ground and after directing some choice words towards the umpires, had to be shepherded back to the Lions bench by emergency umpire Justin Schmitt.

"We have been really, really competitive for the last three weeks but for some reason the bubble burst today," Fagan said. "I thought we got a lesson from Richmond with contested ball and intensity."

MEDICAL ROOM
Both teams seemed to come out of the game with any injury concerns.

NEXT UP
The Tigers ‘visit’ Melbourne on Anzac Day eve at the MCG in what is the AFL’s new blockbuster. With the Commonwealth Games over, the public buses are running in Brisbane once more so people can get to the Gabba to see the Lions host a QClash against Gold Coast in a twilight game next Sunday.

Brisbane's horror day

- 2.5 (17) equalled Brisbane's lowest ever score in Brisbane Lions/Bears history - round 12, 1988 they also kicked 2.5 (17).
- Richmond's 93-point win was its biggest win at the MCG since round 21, 1996 when it beat Fitzroy by 151 points.
- 2.5 (17) is the lowest score by any team at the MCG since South Melbourne kicked 1.11 (17) in round six, 1962.
- It's also the lowest score in general since 1.7 (13) by Fremantle in round 15, 2009.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-04-14/match-report-richmond-v-brisbane

[one-eyed]

Roaring effort: Tigers tame Lions in MCG massacre

Jon Pierik
The Age
15 April 2018

Dustin Martin would have two first-term goals and finish with a career-high six. He would begin at centre bounces and then push forward, having his way with whoever went to him. While he had a modest 17 touches, he was dominant.

"It was a great team performance ... we wanted to try and smother the opposition and not (let) them score," Martin said.

Jack Riewoldt would claim mark of the day with a big grab on the edge of the goal-square - but even that highlighted the Lions' inexperience for Riewoldt had been able to fly at the ball unencumbered. Little wonder Lions coach Chris Fagan was full of anger at quarter-time.

Fagan had spoken about the need to match the Tigers' contested "brand", noting they prefer to go down the line and work from contest to contest. He had wanted the Lions to switch play whenever possible. But the problem was the skill level of his men were poor, they didn't match their opponents in contested possession and they were even out-tackled. Three weeks of competitive defeats finally gave way to a shocker.

If the Lions were to lift, that had to come early in the second term. Instead Trent Cotchin, dominating on the inside and when in space, Shaun Grigg, Reece Conca and Jayden Short found plenty of the ball, with only Allen Christensen doing enough for the visitors. Skipper Dayne Beams was quiet, Zorko, clearly sore, was unable to lift, while Charlie Cameron was no-where to be seen. Ruckman Stefan Martin, so often the physical leader of this young unit, was negated by Nankervis.

This left the Lions with only four points to their credit by half-time - equalling their second-lowest score to half-time, having also had only four points to the main break against Geelong in 2007.

For the Tigers, it was a matter of remaining true to the game plan and being selfless on a day when the party tricks could have flowed.

Riewoldt felt Conca had erred in this regard when the latter attempted a long left-foot dribbling goal. Riewoldt's displeasure was obvious. But the Tigers responded with what was almost a training drill of handballs from defence, leading to a Martin major from the goal square. They would add only three goals for the term. It should have been at least five but it did not matter.

The Tigers were guilty of over-possessing the ball in the third term but it was hard not to, for too often they found themselves with time and space. The Lions lacked vigour, although draftee Cameron Rayner worked hard. When Zorko goalled, there was a sense of relief but the Tigers weren't done. Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia, returning to the side, were able to build match fitness, while Alex Rance controlled the defensive unit.

Rayner would deliver the Lions' second goal, in the final quarter, but this was a match they will quickly want to forget.

RICHMOND          5.5 8.10 11.12 16.14 (110)
BRISBANE LIONS 0.2   0.4   1.4      2.5 (17)

Goals:
Richmond: D Martin 6 J Castagna 3 J Townsend 3 K Lambert 2 J Caddy J Riewoldt.
Brisbane Lions: C Rayner D Zorko

Best:
Richmond: Cotchin, Martin, Grigg, Rance, Conca, Lambert, Riewoldt.
Brisbane: Christensen, Robinson, Rayner


Umpires: Simon Meredith, David Harris, Brent Wallace

Official Crowd: 32,870 at MCG


Votes:

8: Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
8: Dustin Martin (Richmond)
8: Shaun Grigg (Richmond)
8: Reece Conca (Richmond)
7: Alex Rance (Richmond)

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/roaring-effort-tigers-tame-lions-in-mcg-massacre-20180414-p4z9ku.html

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Reece Conca - 8 votes........ 

[Tigeritis™©®]

Reece Conca - 8 votes........ 

Not a fan 

[Diocletian]

Grigg 8 votes as well...and both apparently on par with Cotchin & Martin....'nuff said...

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Grigg 8 votes as well...and both apparently on par with Cotchin & Martin....'nuff said...

I thought he rucked well... 

[¾ T!geɹ]

Reece Conca - 8 votes........ 

Not a fan 

Not a fan either, but when someone plays well, credit where credit is due.

[Assange Tiger 😎]

Reece Conca - 8 votes........