Coaching great Mick Malthouse believes the double bye could cost Richmond against CollingwoodJON RALPH AND LAUREN WOOD,
Herald Sun
September 17, 2018 RIVAL superstars Dustin Martin and Jordan De Goey have been declared certain starters for Friday’s blockbuster preliminary final as 2010 premiership coach Mick Malthouse questioned Richmond’s extended preparation.
Tickets will on Monday go on sale for the most anticipated preliminary final in living memory, the Pies-Tigers clash tipped to top the 98,002 crowd that witnessed 2007’s Geelong-Collingwood preliminary final.
Semi-final match-winner De Goey on Sunday said he was ready to take on the Tigers after a rolled ankle suffered stepping on GWS midfielder Stephen Coniglio.
He could face a marquee matchup against five-time All Australian full back Alex Rance, who took him in Round 6 when he pushed forward from the midfield.
Richmond laughed off any concerns over Dustin Martin (corked leg) or Daniel Rioli (jarred finger) on Sunday, the Tigers boasting a fully fit list apart from small forward Dan Butler
“There is nothing wrong with them. It is the biggest non-story ever,’’ Richmond’s general manager of football Neil Balme said.
“We are in good shape. It’s only Dan Butler who is still having a go (at proving his fitness) but obviously it might be hard for him to push his way into the team.”
Richmond’s star-studded line-up had the weekend off and will return to training on Monday, following the same routine as last year’s march to the premiership.
Richmond premiership player and Pies 2010 coach Malthouse questioned whether the Pies might be better placed with two games in quick succession rather than a single game from August 25 to September 21.
“One team has had 15 days to think about their opponent and the other has six days and goes right, “Who do we play, OK, Richmond”. They haven’t had this overbearing load on their shoulders.
“I don’t say Richmond have but nonetheless they have had to sit and wait for their opponent. I think 15 days is a long time to work out you have a game of football.”
Richmond’s players did their own program off-site on Sunday with Balme happy to follow last year’s timeline of games.
“It’s pretty hard to think of it as a disadvantage. We have just trained normally. If that’s a disadvantage, we want them.”
Tyson Goldsack, who was instrumental in just his second game back from a knee reconstruction, said Collingwood would not use the short turnaround as any excuse.
“A six-day break in the modern era is not that tough,” he said on Channel 7.
“It may (have) used to be with heavier grounds, but these days we have the best facilities in the world.
“If you can’t recover in six days then you’re doing something wrong or you’re not really tipping in. I’m confident we can get our bodies right to go. You just have a slightly smaller training session during the week.”
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said the prospect of a preliminary final had always been planned for, but the getting there was always going to be a different story.
“Everyone has got designs on how they’re going to be at their best and trying to work out what that looks like and how you’re going to go about it,” he said on 3AW.
“There was a lot that we didn’t plan for. A lot happens that you can’t anticipate or that you might not think that you’ve got the answers for, which is why you need to live in the moment.”
Tickets are expected to be at a premium.
Richmond and Collingwood members will have access to purchase tickets between 9am and 1pm, with general public sales to begin at 2pm and AFL members able to purchase from 9am on Tuesday.
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