Richmond v Hawthorn PreviewAndrew Slevison
SEN
20 July 2023Despite winning five of seven under caretaker coach Andrew McQualter, Richmond has entered ‘must-win’ territory this season.
The Tigers, who sit 11th on the ladder and two points outside the eight, were made to work hard for their 38-point victory over West Coast in Perth last weekend.
They take on Hawthorn who occupies 16th position on the back of an inaccurate 48-point win over North Melbourne having dropped their previous three matches.
Richmond has seen an uptick in form from the likes of Dustin Martin, Shai Bolton and Dion Prestia over the last month with the likes of Tim Taranto, Dan Rioli, Nick Vlastuin and Liam Baker keeping on as their most consistent performers.
Sam Mitchell’s Hawks have been served well by their improving midfield unit consisting of Jai Newcombe, James Worpel, Will Day and Conor Nash, while Karl Amon has also found form of late. They will get Rising Star nominee Seamus Mitchell back for this.
Noah Balta appears a good matchup for the dangerous Mitch Lewis down one end, while Luke Breust is a constant source of goals for the Hawks and will draw a decent defender in the form of Dylan Grimes or Nathan Broad.
At the other end, the Tigers have not been reliant on a particular forward by frequently sharing the load and having midfielders get in on the goal kicking act.
With more on the line, their stars in good form and a better head to head record of late (winning three of the last four including a draw), the Tigers have enough in their favour to see off the Hawks in Saturday’s first game.
But it won’t be easy.
Tip: Richmond by 14 points.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/07/20/who-will-win-and-why-the-predictions-and-tips-for-round-19-1/