Richmond vs West Coast @ Optus Stadium, Rnd 9, 2018 - Top of the Table clash!!!

[Assange Tiger 😎]

I don't know why we particularly care that people are tipping WCE to beat us. They're in great form and 2nd only to us by %. Had some great wins and are playing us in their home state on a ground we've never played on.

It should be a ripping game.

[Rampsation]

 I Didnt know the AFL give out Premiership Cups in May lol. Hardwick will have us firing when it counts.

[Slipper]

I Didnt know the AFL give out Premiership Cups in May lol. Hardwick will have us firing when it counts.

Adam Simpson is unimpressed by Premiership talk at this stage of the season for any team.

Reckon he'd rather keep a lid on things. Seen him a couple of times in the media during the week and I don't think he likes the hysteria.

[strongandbold]

REECE CONCA WILL BE BEST ON GROUND

[tdy]

Big danger game for us for sure. Could easily get done like in Adelaide.

[one-eyed]

Pics and videos from training at Optus Stadium:



https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC/status/997756214980182017

A warm welcome from the Tiger Army of WA 🐯💛
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC/status/997758941860802560

When you get @DustinMartin4’s signature 😆✍️
https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC/status/997774278958317568



https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/west-coast-eagles-v-richmond-optus-stadium.1194162/page-31#post-55797128

[one-eyed]

West Coast Eagles captain Shannon Hurn shuns any talk of premiership tilt.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/west-coast-eagles-captain-shannon-hurn-shuns-any-talk-of-premiership-tilt-ng-b88841028z

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

The Tigers clung to favouritism for the heavyweight bout yesterday, with the reigning premiers returning $1.87 and the Eagles $1.94 as the teams prepare to put their winning streaks on the line.

However money continues to come for the home side and TABtouch’s David Shortte predicted the teams could be locked at $1.90 each come bouncedown.

Currently fifth in premiership betting at $8.50, West Coast are expected to jump to equal second favourites for the flag at $7 if they win. Richmond are clear $3.75 premiership favourites with TABtouch.

Richmond premiership ruckman Toby Nankervis has shaken off a wrist problem and will lead the ruck against Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett.

Travelling emergency Shaun Grigg joined a 23-man squad for a light session in front of several hundred local Tigers fans at Optus Stadium late yesterday, where Nankervis trained freely.

It will be the first 1v2 showdown staged in Perth since West Coast upset Fremantle in the 42nd western derby at Subiaco Oval in round 20, 2015.

About 60,000 tickets have been sold and the Eagles believe there is a strong chance the crowd will beat the round six derby attendance of 56,521, which would set a new record for a WA football match. Today’s forecast is sunny with a top of 25C.

Richmond’s 22 includes 18 players from last year’s premiership triumph, while the Eagles welcome back Naitanui from suspension as well as Jeremy McGovern, Dom Sheed and Lewis Jetta from injury.

Hurn predicted the contested ball battle and the ability to be efficient in front of goal would be the decisive factors.

“I don’t think either side potentially will have any dominance in any area,” Hurn said.

“But it will just be making the most of your opportunities.”

[Owl]

Bit hard to win over there with the umpiring unless they have had a recent policy change

[WilliamPowell]

Bit hard to win over there with the umpiring unless they have had a recent policy change

So true

Doubt there has been a policy change. Will let you know 

[mat073]

This is the closest a home and away game can feel like a grand final .Pumped !!!!

[Tigeritis™©®]

This is the closest a home and away game can feel like a grand final .Pumped !!!!

We are counting on you to get us over the line Matty. 

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Isn't claw in WA?

[big tone]

This is the closest a home and away game can feel like a grand final .Pumped !!!!

Matty do yourself a favour and come and watch a real “Grand Final like” home and away game at the home of footy in front of a Tiger crowd.
That crap you will have to put up with today (crowd wise) is nothing like what it felt like last September.
It’s only a short (ish) flight away buddy.
Richmond v Collingwood home game on a Saturday afternoon at The G in 69 days would be a good start if the Pies can keep up their current form.
Plenty of time to organise someone to cover the shop.
 

[one-eyed]

Five key questions: Eagles v Tigers

Travis King
afl.com.au
May 20, 2018

TOP SPOT will be at stake when the AFL's form teams West Coast and Richmond clash in an Optus Stadium blockbuster to close out round nine.

The Tigers head west brimming with confidence after a six-game winning streak, which has cemented the reigning premiers' standing as the team to beat in 2018.

But the Eagles have put together a seven-match unbeaten run and, against all expectations, are being touted as a premiership threat.

Can West Coast prove its flag credentials, or will Richmond deliver a reality check?

AFL.com.au has delved into the five key questions ahead of Sunday's showdown.


Is West Coast the real deal?
If the Eagles knock over Richmond it will be difficult to deny Adam Simpson's outfit is a genuine contender. The Eagles have answered every challenge since going down to the Swans in round one, defeating finals hopefuls Geelong, Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney along the way. There is obviously a long way to go in 2018, but West Coast boasts arguably the AFL's greatest home ground advantage, a potent forward line (AFL No.2 points for), experienced defence (No.5 points against) and dominant ruck combination (No.1 hit-outs). There is a youthful vibrancy about the new-look West Coast and, like Richmond before them, the second tier Eagles are playing roles to perfection to support their stars in a system that is stacking up so far.

Will the Eagles tag Dusty?
Ben Jacobs proved the Richmond superstar can be handcuffed last round, limiting Martin to just 16 touches as North Melbourne pushed the Tigers all the way in a 10-point loss at Etihad Stadium. Jacobs is probably the best tagger in the game, but the Eagles do have run-with specialist Mark Hutchings up their sleeve. Whether Hutchings has the power to go with the Brownlow medallist, especially when he pushes forward, is questionable, with Martin six centimetres taller and six kilograms heavier. Elliot Yeo shapes as the perfect match-up around clearances or one-out inside 50, and has done the job before keeping an eye on the AFL's elite, including Patrick Dangerfield and Nat Fyfe. Could Hutchings be better suited to a role on Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin after his stellar 37-disposal, one-goal game?

Should Alex Rance go to Jack Darling?
Damien Hardwick has some tough decisions to make. Darling is clearly the Eagles' in-form forward, showing hands of steel (AFL No.1 contested marks) and finishing off his work (third for goals with 22), but dual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy (15 goals) is due for a big game and looms large as a match-winner. Lock-down defender David Astbury often goes to the opposition's most dangerous forward, leaving Rance to back himself to balance attack and defence in a supporting role, but which Eagle should Astbury pick up? At 195cm, he is also the tallest of Richmond's three key defenders, including Dylan Grimes, so Astbury might be needed when Scott Lycett and Nic Naitanui rest forward. How much impact the Eagles talls have will be pivotal to the outcome.

Will Richmond be exposed in the ruck?
Despite speculation he could be sidelined by a sore wrist, Richmond has named Toby Nankervis for the toughest ruck task in football against West Coast's tag-team Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett. The Eagles' combo has ignited a workmanlike midfield, and West Coast has boosted its clearance and contested ball numbers, while the Eagles are back dominating the territory battle. Interestingly, the Tigers haven't picked makeshift ruckman Shaun Grigg, so duties relieving in-form Nankervis could fall to Josh Caddy. Naitanui promised he and Lycett would try to work over whoever they face and, assuming Nankervis plays, the Richmond big man has a mammoth job ahead quelling their influence on the game.

Can the Tigers perform out of their MCG comfort zone?
Richmond has won a club record 13-straight games at the home of football and would take some beating at the 'G come finals, but Hardwick's men looked vulnerable at Etihad Stadium last Sunday and their only loss for the season was a six-goal defeat on the road to Adelaide in round two. The way Richmond (AFL No.1 for fewest points against) defends its wide home ground with frantic pressure and surges the ball forward at pace (AFL No.1 scoring) should be transferrable to the similarly-sized Optus Stadium, but the Tigers will be walking into as hostile an environment as they will encounter all year. No interstate team has won in Perth since round one, although Richmond had success at Subiaco Oval in recent years, winning five of the last six games.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-05-20/five-key-questions-eagles-v-tigers

[one-eyed]

Mick Malthouse unpacks the match-ups that will decide West Coast vs. Richmond

MICK MALTHOUSE,
Herald Sun
May 20, 2018

THEY come from opposite sides of the country and their game plans are an extreme contrast, but Richmond and West Coast are the current kings of the AFL jungle.

And I don’t see that changing.

My pre-season predictions had Richmond finishing the home-and-away season outside the top four, but still with a chance of a second consecutive premiership.

For West Coast, I thought the absence of Brownlow medallists Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell would be too greatly felt. With the added uncertainty of how Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy returned from injury, I saw the Eagles missing the final eight in a rebuilding year.

I am happy to have been proven wrong on both counts.

Richmond has maintained its intensity and is perhaps playing even better football than last year, while West Coast displayed unified talent when it totally dismantled GWS last week.

Not much has changed for the Tigers since their premiership triumph. There have been few injuries, their game structure is virtually unaltered, and their hunger is ferocious. They have several superstars who are prepared to share the workload, and in this, there is a self-belief within the team in one another’s ability to impact the game.

The biggest change for the Eagles this season is their ability to win on the road. Several key players who had been found wanting in previous years when travelling have matured greatly. Jack Darling is one — he was outstanding last week. And Kennedy is getting better with every game back from injury.

The surprise packet is Mark LeCras, who at 32 I thought was on the cusp of being done, but is excelling.

Without three stars last week — Naitanui (unnecessarily suspended), Jeremy McGovern and Luke Shuey (both injured,) Tom Barrass, Scott Lycett and Jack Redden all stood up brilliantly.

The contrasting game plans will be intriguing.

Richmond is a totally different prospect compared to the Giants.

There’ll be no slow plays entering Richmond’s forward line. The Tigers move the ball deep and quick, with a lot of room to move inside the 50m arc.

Though small, Richmond’s forward line generates enormous pressure on the opposition backs, so Shannon Hurn will need to lead well. He is capable of that.

West Coast’s discipline has been its making this year. The Eagles’ forwards generally hold their ground and their backs don’t get sucked up into the play.

This should deny the Tigers an open forward line.

Toby Nankervis’s best-on-ground performance against in-form Magpie Brodie Grundy in Round 6 was one of the best ruck displays you’ll see. On Sunday the giant Tiger against Naitanui will be worth the admission price on its own.

Alex Rance and David Astbury on Kennedy and Darling, Barrass on Jack Riewoldt — the match-up potential of this clash is incredible.

But, as we all know, it’s the midfield battle that is most likely to determine the outcome.

Will Dustin Martin have two quiet games in a row? I doubt it.

Trent Cotchin, Nankervis and Kane Lambert are a match for any midfield against Andrew Gaff (an unbelievable supplier to his forwards), Naitanui and Redden. It will be a battle within a battle.

It is a test for West Coast against the reigning premier and a wonderful opportunity to find out where it needs to tinker its game plan — if at all — to get better.

How will young players Tom Cole, Willie Rioli and Jake Waterman handle the Tigers’ heat?

There is no such test for Richmond. It is already aware of exactly where it stands in the competition. On current form it will finish first or second, with the chance to play two MCG finals to progress to the Grand Final. I know that’s jumping the gun a bit, but that’s how much better the Tigers are playing than 16 other teams.

The Eagles should also be eyeing off two home finals. If they win today, then we’ll have found Richmond’s equal.

We’ve seen some tight contests this year, but whether they lived up to the billing of a great game is debatable. Today’s game will be spectacular.

It is only early days — Round 9 — but already there is a considerable divide in the league. Whoever wins this game will be footy’s monarch and it will be damn hard for anyone to catch them.

Clash of the titans
Stat                             Richmond   West Coast
Points for                  102.8 (ranked No.1)   99.6 (ranked No.2)
Points against                   68.8 (No.1)   74.4 (No.5)
Score per inside-50              49% (No.1)   47.1% (No.3)
Opp score per inside-50          37.8% (No.2)   41.6% (No.5)
Points differential turnovers    +32.9 (No.1)   +20.5 (No.2)
Points differential stoppages    +1.5 (No.9)   +7.0 (No.1)

Source: CHAMPION DATA

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/mick-malthouse-unpacks-the-matchups-that-will-decide-west-coast-vs-richmond/news-story/a7ab1064094c318a30d069d3f8da545e