Media articles & stats: Lions tame Tigers in Thursday night mauling

[one-eyed]

Lions tame Tigers in Thursday night mauling

By Michael Whiting
afl.com.au
29 June 2023 10:20pm

BRISBANE     4.6       9.7       15.13     20.14 (134)
RICHMOND   1.3       1.7       4.7         7.11 (53)

GOALS
Brisbane: Daniher 5, McCarthy 3, Neale 2, Hipwood 2, Cameron 2, Bailey 2, Wilmot, McKenna, Berry, Ah Chee
Richmond: Hopper 2, Short, Ross, Rioli, Cumberland, Clarke

BEST
Brisbane: McCluggage, Neale, McKenna, McInerney, Ashcroft, Dunkley, Coleman
Richmond: Balta, Vlastuin, Broad, Rioli

INJURIES
Brisbane: Dunkley (calf), Ah Chee (head)
Richmond: Short (hamstring)

LATE CHANGES
Brisbane: Nil
Richmond: Dustin Martin (illness) replaced in selected side by Noah Cumberland

SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Darcy Fort (replaced Josh Dunkley at three quarter-time)
Richmond: Hugo Ralphsmith (replaced Short in the second quarter)

Crowd: 30,022 at the Gabba

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HUGH McCluggage played his best game of the season and Lachie Neale ran riot as Brisbane kept the pressure on the top two with an emphatic 81-point win over Richmond at the Gabba on Thursday night.

Led by a dominant midfield, the Lions were harder, stronger, more composed and polished on the way to a 20.14 (134) to 7.11 (53) victory.

It kept their perfect record at home intact – now seven from seven in 2023 – and moved them to within a game of Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the top of the ladder.

McCluggage was superb, with his precision kicking a feature of his 34 disposals (at 82 per cent efficiency) that included nine score involvements.

He wasn't the only midfielder to star with Lachie Neale (34, 10 clearances and two goals) absolutely sublime and Josh Dunkley (20 touches) also influential before he was subbed out at the final change to ice his calf.

Joe Daniher kicked five goals to lead the way inside forward 50, including one bizarre effort in the final term when Noah Balta tried to touch the ball on the goal-line only to leave it there for Daniher to toe over.

The Lions looked on from the outset, dominating territory and the scoreboard to lead by 21 points at quarter-time, 48 at the half and 72 at the final change.

The loss halted Richmond's three-game winning streak under interim coach Andrew McQualter and ensured it was the ninth straight team to lose following its bye when up against a team that had played the previous week.

A hamstring injury to Jayden Short in the second quarter did not help the Tigers, but they were already in the midst of conceding eight consecutive goals and were thoroughly outplayed for the majority of the night.

Brisbane was able to pressure and force turnovers all over the ground as speedy half-backs Conor McKenna, Darcy Wilmot and Keidean Coleman squeezed up to intercept any loose balls.

Wilmot kicked a set shot from 50m on the quarter-time siren to give his team a lead it deserved and they never looked back.

McKenna added to the half-back feast when he hoisted one home from 50m, and minutes later he was instrumental in a Charlie Cameron goal that started from defence and had two involvements from the evergreen Ryan Lester.

Richmond could not win the ball at the source and when they won it back in defence, struggled to move it by foot or hand.

The 48-point lead at half-time was about as close as it could have been for the one-goal Tigers.

Was Rayner robbed?
Early in the match Cam Rayner took his shot at a Mark of the Year contender when he soared on to the shoulders of Jacob Hopper. The former No.1 draft pick juggled once and seemed to control the ball all the way to the ground before it bounced out on impact. Was it a mark or was it not? The adjudicating umpire thought not as Rayner bounced to his feet with an inquisitive look. This one will have to fall into the 'what might have been' basket.

Dunkley v Taranto
Two contenders for the unofficial Recruit of the Year title went head-to-head with Josh Dunkley and Tim Taranto squaring off in the middle of the ground. It was clear from the opening centre bounce that Dunkley was making it his mission to keep the red-hot Taranto quiet by matching up with him at every opportunity. Although the former Bulldog wasn't winning clearances himself, his body work to pave the way for Lachie Neale and Hugh McCluggage – and in the process keep Taranto at bay – was first class. The numbers ended up a wash (Dunkley with 20 in three quarters and Taranto 21), but the clear decision went the way of the Lion.

The post-bye horror show continues
Although Richmond entered the match heavy underdogs, the nature of its loss continued the trend of teams being poor following a bye. The record is now 0-9 for teams after the bye up against opponents that played the previous week. Just like Hawthorn, West Coast, Geelong, Fremantle, Gold Coast and Brisbane in previous weeks, the Tigers barely fired a shot.

https://www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/4912#match-report

[Diocletian]

Oh dear did the umps rob poor old Rayner did they? My heart truly bleeds....

[one-eyed]

Lions feast on Tigers as McQualter revival derailed

Andrew Stafford
The Age
June 30, 2023

Call it a dead big cat bounce. A month after their triple-premiership coach Damien Hardwick walked out, Richmond came into their clash against the Brisbane Lions knocking on the door of the eight, with three straight wins under stand-in Andrew McQualter ahead of the bye.

Ah yes: the bye. It’s possible the week’s break caught the Tigers napping. It certainly didn’t freshen them up. Whatever the case, the Tigers were ritually disembowelled by the Lions at their Gabba fortress. How many times does an era need to be officially declared over?

True, it all went wrong even before the start, with Dustin Martin withdrawn due to illness and Jayden Short pulling up with a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Short had kicked the Tigers’ only goal of the first half, after a mis-kick by Keidean Coleman fell in his lap.

But it was in the centre where Richmond’s problems really began. It was a slaughter at the clearances, where Josh Dunkley did a number on the red-hot Tim Taranto, blocking him at every opportunity, allowing Lachie Neale to go to work.

By half-time, Neale had seven clearances to Taranto’s nil. Dunkley had just the one, but that wasn’t his role. It was a selfless defensive performance that once again underlined why the Lions were so desperate to land him from the Western Bulldogs.

It wasn’t just Taranto who was buried in the Lions’ first-half assault. Shai Bolton looks a shadow of the player vaunted as among the best in the competition. Trent Cotchin wrote his own fairytale for his 300th game two weeks ago, but there was no sequel here.

All of the Tigers’ best players were defenders, and the margin would have been worse if not for the efforts of Nathan Broad, Nick Vlastuin and Noah Balta. But that was also a reflection of how often the Lions went inside attack: 68 inside-50 entries to 38.

The Lions, for their part, were queuing up to hit the scoresheet: 10 in total. With Neale distributing the ball at will, Hugh McCluggage cut the Tigers to pieces with his ball use. Will Ashcroft, again, was all creativity and class.

And despite the best efforts of the Tigers’ defence, the Lions shared the spoils in attack. Joe Daniher did Joe Daniher things, kicking five goals, pinch-hitting effectively in the ruck and making a few blues along the way. Eric Hipwood continued an excellent run of form.

In defence, coach Chris Fagan’s side is settling in a way that might break some hearts. Darcy Wilmot’s run and aggression is irresistible, and the kicking of Conor McKenna and Coleman is making it very hard for veteran Daniel Rich to reclaim a place in the side.

By the back of the third quarter, after the briefest show of resistance – it fell apart for the Richmond, who conceded four goals in the shadow of three-quarter time to be 72 points in arrears at the last change.

It was all academic after that. Dunkley, unfortunately, was substituted off the ground to make way for ruckman Darcy Fort with ice on his calf, but his job was done as the Lions waltzed to an 81-point win.

Richmond, of course, is not the first side to be belted by the Lions at the Gabba. But they remain 12th on the ladder, with the potential to fall further this weekend after losing a chunk of percentage. Surely, there’ll be no bouncing back this time.

BRISBANE LIONS 4.6  9.7 15.13 20.14 (134)
RICHMOND          1.3  1.7   4.7    7.11 (53)

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Daniher 5, McCarthy 3, Cameron 2, Hipwood 2, Bailey 2, Neale 2, McKenna, Berry, Ah Chee, Wilmot.
Richmond: Hopper 2, Ross, Rioli, Short, Clarke, Cumberland.

BEST
Brisbane Lions: McCluggage, Neale, Dunkley, Daniher, Ashcroft, McInerney.
Richmond: Vlastuin, Balta, Short, Hopper.

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Dunkley (calf), Ah Chee (concussion).
Richmond: Martin (ill) replaced in selected side by Cumberland, Short (hamstring).

UMPIRES
Foot, Stephens, Williamson, Mollison.

CROWD
30,032 at the Gabba.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/lions-feast-on-tigers-as-mcqualter-revival-derailed-20230629-p5dkkz.html