Tigers overpower Cats at the death to keep top four in sightA late Katie Brennan goal seals a seven-point win for Richmond over Geelong
By Phoebe McWilliams
afl.com.au
12 October 2024RICHMOND 0.2 2.5 3.6 6.10 (46)
GEELONG 1.3 1.6 3.8 5.9 (39)
GOALS
Richmond: Yassir 3, Conti, Sheerin, Brennan
Geelong: Parry 2, Surman, A.Moloney, Darby
BEST
Richmond: Conti, McKenzie, Sheerin, Brennan, Yassir
Geelong: A.Moloney, Crockett-Grills, Emonson, Parry, Prespakis
INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Geelong: Kearns (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 2,455 at the Swinburne Centre
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RICHMOND has kept its place in the top four with a thrilling seven-point win against Geelong in windy but sunny conditions at a sold-out Swinburne Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the fact that these sides sit at opposite ends of the ladder, it was an action-packed contest before Richmond came away with the four points from the 6.10 (46) to 5.9 (39) victory.
The lead see-sawed throughout a frantic final quarter, with the winner decided only in the final minute of the game when Tigers captain Katie Brennan kicked a goal to seal the win.
Geelong started the match with the breeze, but were only able to score one goal for the term despite doubling Richmond in inside 50s.
The goal came 10 minutes into the term when small forward Kate Surman, who returned to the side this week, converted from a free kick for high contact from Richmond defender Libby Graham.
Julia Crockett-Grills (18 disposals, five inside 50s) and Chantel Emonson (18 disposals, 455m gained) continued to propel the Cats forward into the wind in the second quarter, but once again, these forays forward didn't result in goals.
The Cats' inability to score kept the Tigers in the game and when Richmond's Emilia Yassir and Mon Conti scored goals in the second term, the home side went into the half-time break with a five-point lead.
It was only a matter of time until dangerous Geelong forward Aishling Moloney (23 disposals, eight score involvements) hit the scoreboard, with the Irish woman marking on the goal line before snapping her first.
Fellow forward Jackie Parry followed shortly after giving the Cats back the lead.
However, a quick response from Yassir kept Richmond in the game when she scored her second, with Geelong going into the final break with a two-point lead.
It was goal-for-goal to start the final term with Geelong's Parry kicking her second from a free kick, followed shortly by an Eilish Sheerin left foot snap from the boundary for the Tigers.
Veteran Geelong tall Kate Darby scored the next, but again Richmond responded when Yassir got her third.
As she has done all season, Katie Brennan stood up when her team needed, her kicking the sealer for the home side to give Richmond the win.
The heroOn a windy day when both teams were struggling to score majors, Richmond small forward Emilia Yassir kicked three goals straight. Goals were worth their weight in gold, and Yassir made the most of every opportunity that came her way. The sharp shooter kicked half of the Tigers' goals today, in what was her best game so far in season nine.
It was over when…As she has done many times before, Richmond captain Katie Brennan stood up when her team needed her. The Richmond captain sealed the game when she slotted a long-range set shot in tricky conditions. Tigers senior coach Ryan Ferguson said the 32-year-old has been trying to shift her focus away from being the hero, but in doing so has found herself ironically doing heroic things. "She's (Brennan) got so much better at understanding she doesn't need to be the hero as such. She's taken that anxiety away from 'I must do something special' and the funny thing is more special things have happened that way," Ferguson said post-match. We're enjoying watching her doing special Katie Brennan things.
Cats' tough run homeIt's nearly mathematically impossible for the Cats to make finals following Saturday's loss. To make things worse they have one of the toughest draws to finish the season. Next week they play reigning premier Brisbane at home, they then travel to Perth to play West Coast, and in their final game they have Adelaide at home again. You can bet the Cats will throw everything at these games, but the travel to Perth plus coming up against the two most dominant teams in the AFLW era, will certainly make things tough.
Up nextRichmond will play the Demons in a Saturday afternoon clash at Casey Fields, while Geelong plays Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday.
https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1242722/richmond-tigers-overpower-geelong-cats-at-the-death-to-keep-top-four-in-sight
