Tigers make no excuses
15 May 2006 Herald Sun
Rebecca Williams
RICHMOND defender Joel Bowden has delivered a blunt assessment of his team's 118-point loss to Sydney, saying there was nothing positive that could be taken from the game.
Sydney reminded the football world of the form that took it to the 2005 flag when it produced the season's highest score to clinically dispose of the young Tigers at Telstra Dome on Saturday.
Already missing key backman Darren Gaspar, the Tigers were dealt a body blow before the match when they lost defenders Ray Hall and Andrew Kellaway.
The withdrawals turned a crack in Richmond's defence into a gaping hole, with late replacements – first-gamer Luke McGuane, 19, and 20-year-old Daniel Jackson – only adding to the inexperience in the team.
Despite the obvious lack of key defensive players, Bowden refused to make excuses for the side's performance that resulted in 28 goals kicked against them.
"We were depleted in our backline players. We've had a few injuries," Bowden said.
"However, we didn't go out there with only two backline players. We had six and we were just unable to compete adequately and be competitive enough.
"I tried not to look at the scoreboard in the end there, but I think we conceded 26, maybe more, goals so that's not a very good defensive game by us.
"They certainly played well, the delivery into their forward half was good, but we were disappointing."
In the absence of other defensive options, the Tigers were forced to give Bowden, generally one of the club's most attacking backline players, the job of containing Swans forward Barry Hall.
Hall finished the game with five goals and 14 marks.
While the role on Hall left Bowden unable to play his natural rebounding game, the veteran Tiger was critical of his effort.
"Terribly," was Bowden's assessment of how he played on Hall.
"I thought he was probably their key player. He kicked five goals, he dominated the game and I was beaten soundly.
"I would have liked to have kept him to two or three goals and not so dominant.
"I didn't do that basically."
After spirited wins against the Brisbane Lions, Carlton and Essendon in the previous three rounds, Bowden was disappointed the Tigers were not able to produce more of a contest against the Swans.
"That was a very bad performance and I don't think there's much we can really take out of it at all," he said.
The loss was the Tigers' second heavy defeat of the season after their 115-point belting by the Western Bulldogs in Round 1.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,19133159%255E19742,00.html
