Richmond vs GWS @ Marvel Stadium --- Round 9, 2021

[one-eyed]

AFL Round 9

RICHMOND vs Greater Western Sydney

Saturday, 15th May @ Marvel Stadium

Start time: 7.25 pm


Odds (Sportsbet):
Richmond   $1.32
GWS          $3.41

https://www.afl.com.au/matches/3084

[one-eyed]

Finlayson has been suspended for a week. So he'll miss for the Giants.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/611054/match-review-port-ruck-sent-to-tribunal-giant-and-sun-banned-fines-galore

[one-eyed]

GWS defender Lachie Keeffe is out as well. Poor bloke did his ACL in the last minute of their Essendon game.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/05/10/veteran-giant-tears-acl-in-final-minute-of-essendon-win/

[one-eyed]

Odds (Sportsbet):
Richmond   $1.32
GWS          $3.41

Odds have quickly changed since the news tonight.

Richmond  $1.47
GWS         $2.68

https://www.afl.com.au/matches/3084

[Francois Jackson]

so okeefe, findlayson and haynes are all out.

our forwards need to wake up this game, they have hardly a defence to compete against.

[pmac21]

We've got a heap out but we still have a lot of quality players available.

[Simonator]

Ive thought that our injuries would be too much for us before and time and time again the tiges have proved me wrong. Even Hardwick said that our midfield has been destroyed.
This is when we can win off our pressure alone ! And I think we can steal the win against gws.
Prove them wrong again boys !!

[Knighter]

We've got a heap out but we still have a lot of quality players available.

We got smashed last week and have Bolton (our best player this year) and Edwards out from that team.  Grimes back in is a big advantage but I still expect us to struggle and lose.

[one-eyed]

HOW DEEP do Richmond's midfield stocks run? We're about to find out.

The two-time reigning premier is staring down the barrel of what is effectively an entire starting midfield sidelined and will be coming up against a GWS engine room that's growing in confidence after a slow start to 2021.

On Saturday night, they'll be coming up against a midfield that boasts contested-ball specialists Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto, Callan Ward, Josh Kelly and Tom Green.

After a surprise period of clearance dominance during the 2020 finals series, the Tigers have reverted to a side who have struggled in that area, a common theme across its flag run.

They sit 13th in average clearance differential and 16th for average clearances, above only the lowly Hawthorn and North Melbourne.

A further two players will need to join a midfield that's already being held together by a decent-sized roll of strapping tape, with last Friday night's centre bounce attendees as follows:

Dustin Martin, 69 per cent of centre bounces
Shane Edwards, 66 per cent
Shai Bolton, 59 per cent
Marlion Pickett, 53 per cent (some in his role as a second ruck)
Jack Graham, 41 per cent
Riley Collier-Dawkins, 28 per cent

Expect Graham and third-gamer Collier-Dawkins to spend greater time in the middle, but there are still two significant holes which need to be filled.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/612193/kids-in-the-mid-wounded-tigers-put-depth-to-the-test

[one-eyed]

Both sides with lengthy injury lists:



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

GWS forward Jesse Hogan is expected to return this week to take on reigning premier Richmond on Saturday. Hogan now looms as the most likely replacement for Jeremy Finlayson.

Matt Buntine has recovered from concussion he sustained in the 67-point win over the Crows in round seven and may be called on in part due to his past experience playing on Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt.

Jake Riccardi is another tall defensive option for the Giants, though he had mostly been used as a forward until gathering 40 disposals and 19 marks in the VFL a couple of weeks ago.

The Giants will again have a decision to make on which ruckman to select, which seems especially crucial after Geelong exposed Richmond's ruck set-up last week and its use of Marlion Pickett as the main support for Toby Nankervis.

Veteran ruckman Shane Mumford has played in the past two matches and the team has a 4-0 win-loss record when he's featured this season. But Cameron has been open all season that the 34-year-old can only play two or three games in succession before needing a break.

"Mummy will train, it depends how much he trains. It's not just about this week, it's the week after and the week after that," Cameron said.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/612310/giants-confident-on-hogan-return-but-rule-out-shift-to-injury-hit-defence

[one-eyed]

It's a big week for: Tigers

Ash Browne
SEN
13 May 2021

The Tigers are teetering at 4-4 and the last thing they needed was for one of their few remaining stayers, Shai Bolton, to get himself into trouble at a nightclub and break his wrist. He is becoming a magical player and he’ll be sorely missed.

The Tigers aren’t a club that jumps out of the gate every season. Often it is not until July that they start to flex their considerable muscle while their opponents start to flounder. But they are showing every sign of a club that might not have the wherewithal – mentally and physically – to climb the mountain once again.

The Giants have won four of their last five games, but apart from a comeback win over Sydney, their scalps have been among the bottom-feeders of the AFL so far in 2021, Collingwood, Adelaide and Essendon. Richmond at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night represents a significant increase in class, as injury-hit as the Tigers are. A win here would be the club’s best for the season and perhaps put them ahead of the chasing pack if any of the teams in the eight take a tumble.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/05/13/its-a-big-week-for-tigers-bulldogs-sam-weideman-and-more/

[one-eyed]

Young ruck Kieren Briggs will be making his debut for the Giants.

Does that mean Mumford won't play or are they planning to play two rucks against us?

https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/homegrown-giant-briggs-to-make-afl-debut-c-2832278

[georgies31]

I'll be fuming if they go with 2 rucks and CCJ doesn't come in Pickett last week in ruck was a poor decision.

[one-eyed]

Foxsports preview: Round 9

RICHMOND v GWS GIANTS (Anthony Miles Cup)

Tigers’ burning question: Are teams starting to open them up on counter-attack?

The warning signs were there in Round 1 — and Geelong exposed them in Round 8. As pointed out on Fox Footy’s On The Couch, Carlton scored 35 points from scoring chains starting in their defensive 50 against Richmond in Round 1. Last weekend, Geelong scored 49 points from that source. Overall, the Tigers are the second-worst team in the competition at defending ball movement from end-to-end — a stat, according to Jonathan Brown, suggesting “that’s not a premiership team”. The Tigers have relied so heavily on their system, but when five of your best six midfielders are missing due to injury, the soldier-out-soldier-in success rate is hard to maintain.

Giants’ burning question: Are they getting the Tigers at a good time?

Yep. In fact there mightn’t have been a better time in the past four years to play the Tigers. No Bolton, Cotchin, Edwards, Lambert or Prestia — that’s essentially five of Richmond’s top six midfielders unavailable due to injury. There’s also the fact Richmond has lost two of its past three games, in which its lost the clearance count on all three occasions. Then you have to consider the Giants’ recent form. They’ve won four of their past five games off the back of strong contested possession numbers and much-improved form from Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper, Josh Kelly and Harry Perryman. Boilover alert.

Fox Footy experts’ verdict: Richmond 12 — GWS Giants 3

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-round-9-2021-tipping-fixture-preview-the-blowtorch-tips-predictions-fox-footy-commentators-analysis/news-story/0c6c45f4799535d8f22dd03e32e81c48

[pmac21]

In this day and age with press conferences you would think they could work out a way we could hear the journos's questions?