Richmond and Collingwood have the two best defences in the leagueJeremy Howe has noticeably made drastic improvements to his game over the off-season, with two stunning performances to open his 2020 campaign.
The Pies’ back six stood up big time in the second half, holding on for their lives during Richmond’s swarming onslaught, which many teams have failed to do in the past. The collective unit of Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, Howe and Jack Crisp were immense last night.
Moore’s shut-down role on Jack Riewoldt was nothing short of incredible, with the young Pies defender proving his worth ahead of the free-agency period. If any players on the Collingwood list could walk off with their heads up after last night, is was certainly those five.
Richmond’s defence has been among the game’s elite for the last three seasons, and last night proved no different. All Australian Dylan Grimes was fantastic at fullback, with goal-saving spoils all night long.
Nick Vlastuin and David Astbury controlled the airways, with 11 intercept marks between them. Nathan Broad continued in his regular fashion, with another under-the-radar shut-down of the Collinwood small forwards.
The collective unit deprived the Magpies of any opportunity in the second half, with the Magpies’ last goal coming at the seventh minute mark of the second quarter.
The battle of the defences was definitely fun to watch, and was a potential sign of things to come on the last Saturday of the season.
https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/06/12/five-things-we-learnt-from-richmond-versus-collingwood/