What they got rightShowed much more intentRichmond showed much more intent on Thursday night against Carlton than they did the week prior against Gold Coast.
From the outset the Tigers had a fair dinkum dip which was in stark contrast to the first half in the Suns loss. To do that off a five-day break and then stay in the game until the end was a monumental achievement.
While some of their skills left a lot to be desired, you cannot question their intent - particularly through the midfield - which kept them in the game until the very end.
Clearance and contested possession gameThe Tigers are usually beaten around the footy but managed to better the Blues in some key areas.
They won clearances (35-29), centre clearances (13-10) and contested possessions (142-131) against a Carlton side who has been dominant in those areas in recent times.
It was a good sign considering they lost one of their better clearance players in Dion Prestia early.
What they got wrongSkill errors proved costly
The Tigers fumbled a bit in the clinches when the game was there to be won.
They also chose the wrong option a few times when entering 50 late in proceedings, which denied them the chance to conjure a potential match-winning goal.
As mentioned, the effort was there but it was just a lack of clinical skills and decisions which in the end denied them from pinching the points from the Blues.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/03/18/what-they-got-right-and-wrong-each-clubs-wins-and-woes-from-round-1/
