Breakout Tiger’s teammate, coach pay tribute to ‘incredible’ response to AFL heartbreakDavid Zita
Fox Sports
July 31st, 2022 9:40 pmCometh the moment, cometh the Cumberland.
It would’ve been incredibly easy for Noah Cumberland to stay down on himself after last week’s agonising ‘play on’ call saw him denied the chance to win the game after the siren for the Tigers.
Instead, the 21-year-old kicked a game-high five goals against the Brisbane Lions, helping to drag his team back from a 42-point deficit and catapult them back into finals contention.
“He was very flat on himself last week, but he didn‘t cost us the game, he probably kept us in it,” Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin told Fox Footy post-game.
“Today he wins us the game with those five goals. He keeps putting himself in those good positions to win the ball ... we’re a better team with him in it.”
Cumberland has now kicked 11 goals from his first five AFL games and looms as one of the great steals from the 2019 draft.
In a twist of irony, it was the Lions who could’ve snared Cumberland as an Academy product, but they instead opted not to match the Tigers’ bid at pick No.43.
Cumberland’s performance on Sunday may’ve been a surprise to some watching on, but not for those inside the club who know the tenacious youngster.
“He‘s a pretty carefree kind of guy. You hang s**t on him and he hangs s**t back on you,” Vlastuin said.
“We hung s**t on him a bit but with a good laugh because we knew he was going to take it well.
“You almost have to laugh about it instead of not talk about it at all. We got around him and he’s a good kid.”
His performance not only earned him the praise of his teammates, but also a glowing comparison from coach Damien Hardwick.
“That first goal I think he kicked when he ran through about three players, I thought he was Leigh Matthews there for a minute bursting through the pack,” he said wryly.
“I’ve got to give the kid credit, he has been incredible since he’s come in. He came in a little bit raw, he’s put the work in, he’s self-driven, he’s responsible for his own development and that to me is the mark of him as a player.”
Asked to expand on the improvement made by Cumberland, Hardwick added: “He was always a beast of a player, athletic traits, but probably like most Queensland kids a little bit slow in the general footy IQ stuff, but he has worked incredibly hard on that part of the game.”
“He‘s diligent, he’s got his notepad, he does the work, he watches tape and he just loves it.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/richmond-tigers/afl-news-2022-richmond-win-over-brisbane-lions-noah-cumberland-highlights-draw-against-fremantle-damien-hardwick-press-conference/news-story/84ca92e8544f038500eb26ce666b48d7
