AFLW: Richmond vs Essendon @ TIO Stadium --- Round 3, 2025

[one-eyed]

Bombers defeat Tigers in Dreamtime

Richmond compete hard but left to rue missed chances as Essendon stays unbeaten.

By Sarah Black
AFL Media
Aug 29, 2025, 9:28 pm

RICHMOND     1.0     1.3     3.6     3.10     (28)
ESSENDON     2.2     3.4     4.6     6.7     (43)

GOALS
Richmond: Scott, Brennan, Yassir
Essendon: Alexander 2, Gee 2, McLachlan, Clarke

BEST
Richmond: McKenzie, Conti, Grieves, Shevlin, Scott
Essendon: Nanscawen, Cain, Prespakis, Gaylor, Alexander

INJURIES
Richmond: Brennan (wrist/hand)
Essendon: Nil

Crowd: 5,892 at TIO Stadium

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Richmond has dropped to 0-3 to start the season, while Essendon has made it three from three, after a gritty 15-point win in the second edition of Dreamtime in Darwin on Friday night.

The Tigers were far better than last week's performance in the 21-point loss to Western Bulldogs, but 10 behinds for the match – including three crucial misses in the last term – put paid to any idea of a come-from-behind victory, despite recording 15-4 inside 50s in the last quarter.

Essendon defended grimly throughout, and set up its win through strong contest work and taking its opportunities in front of goal, with Sophie Alexander and Georgia Gee each booting their second in the final stanza of the game to secure the 6.7 (43) to 3.10 (28) victory.

Richmond skipper Katie Brennan remains an injury watch, nursing what appeared to be a jarred hand or wrist for the second half of the game.

Brennan had made quick work of the team's unwelcome record of zero marks inside 50 last week, locking one down in the opening minute, while Paige Scott slotted Richmond's first, coming against their former club.

At the other end of the field, Essendon key back Georgia Clarke – who featured up forward in another life at Geelong – showed off some sharp footwork in front of goal with a curling effort while running towards the boundary.

It was a hot start from the Bombers, until Richmond reasserted some control on the match, but Scott and Poppy Kelly blew crucial shots in the second term from directly in front to leave the margin at 13 points at half-time.

The Tigers had 21 more disposals in the third quarter, which was bookended by goals from Brennan and Emelia Yassir.

It left the margin hovering at just six points at the major break - with last year's Dreamtime draw on everyone's mind - but the Bombers were far more efficient in attack in the final term, despite the absence of suspended co-captain Bonnie Toogood.

Essendon was able to overcome Kelly's dominance in the middle against winger-turned ruck Matilda Dyke, winning the clearance count by three despite a differential of 17 in the hit-outs.

Richmond youngster Sierra Grieves (18 disposals and 406m gained) starred on debut, having bafflingly slid to pick No.11 in the draft last year, while Georgia Nanscawen was the Bombers' best, laying 12 tackles in the long sleeves despite Darwin's heat.

Last year's 11-round season required 7.5 wins to make finals, so it's fair to say this year's 12-round season will need a similar number of victories in order to make the eight. With Richmond now 0-3, next week's fixture with Narrm becomes a vital clash.

Dreamtime in Darwin
The second edition of Dreamtime in Darwin was held in the much cooler late August, compared to last year's stifling October, but the temperature still hovered just shy of 30 degrees at the first siren, with conditions a little slippery underfoot. Ice rooms behind the benches were in effect at every break, with team meetings held in the cool spaces, and half time was three minutes longer than normal. A healthy crowd just shy of 6000 attended the game, putting it in the top handful of crowd attendances so far this year.

Up next
Richmond faces Narrm in the first game on Saturday afternoon of Round 4 at Casey Fields.

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1879889/bombers-defeat-tigers-in-dreamtime

[one-eyed]

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/1879914/aflw-round-3-ferguson-post-match

[WilliamPowell]

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/1879914/aflw-round-3-ferguson-post-match

Listened

Blah, blah

 

[Tigeritis™©®]

"I'm really proud of the group by the way we applied ourselves, we just didn't get scoreboard nourishment"

 


This guy is delusional.

Girls don't have the basic skill execution and we are clearly way behind even the bulldogs in player development.

If players constantly try to offload the ball to an outnumber (which has happened consistently this season) by hand or foot literally causing turnovers you'd think this would be addressed by now.

Things that need to be addressed on field.
1) Consistent stupid brainless and mindless decision making.
2) Forwards that rarely present on a lead
3) Terrible skill execution ie. handpassing, kicking, marking and tackling. All that shouldn't be an excuse at this level by the majority of the team.
4) our team defensive structure is deplorable. Clearly our players have no idea what is expected when the ball is won on turnover.
5) player positioning and body craft ie. Grieser is a big girl but just doesn't use that to her advantage but she clearly has no idea and I'm not sure how Fev has helped as she seemed to have gone backward. She should be the female version of Plugger.
6) an increase in silly free kicks especially push in the back (see point 5)
7) player development is lacking compared to other teams in the league.
-8) our captain has been rubbish


Off the field
1) The club clearly doesn't take the program seriously.
2) Kate Sheahan
3) Player development
4) Coaching

[WilliamPowell]

"I'm really proud of the group by the way we applied ourselves, we just didn't get scoreboard nourishment"

 


This guy is delusional.

Girls don't have the basic skill execution and we are clearly way behind even the bulldogs in player development.

If players constantly try to offload the ball to an outnumber (which has happened consistently this season) by hand or foot literally causing turnovers you'd think this would be addressed by now.

Things that need to be addressed on field.
1) Consistent stupid brainless and mindless decision making.
2) Forwards that rarely present on a lead
3) Terrible skill execution ie. handpassing, kicking, marking and tackling. All that shouldn't be an excuse at this level by the majority of the team.
4) our team defensive structure is deplorable. Clearly our players have no idea what is expected when the ball is won on turnover.
5) player positioning and body craft ie. Grieser is a big girl but just doesn't use that to her advantage but she clearly has no idea and I'm not sure how Fev has helped as she seemed to have gone backward. She should be the female version of Plugger.
6) an increase in silly free kicks especially push in the back (see point 5)
7) player development is lacking compared to other teams in the league.
-8) our captain has been rubbish


Off the field
1) The club clearly doesn't take the program seriously.
2) Kate Sheahan
3) Player development
4) Coaching

I've  been a long time coming around to your way of thinking but sadly I now agree

I can't defend them anymore especially the off field

And TBBH, I'm shattered with what I'm seeing

[one-eyed]

Positives aplenty despite Darwin defeat

By Luke Sicari
Richmond Media
Aug 30, 2025

Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson has highlighted plenty of positives from Friday night’s Dreamtime in Darwin, despite the Tigers falling 15-points short of Essendon.

A quick glance at key statistical categories would suggest a Richmond victory, with the Tigers recording more disposals (287-275), inside 50s (40-29), hit-outs (23-6) and contested possessions (120-108), but it was inefficiency in attack that ultimately proved to be the decisive factor.

Richmond kicked just 3.10 (28), with the Bombers more damaging with their 6.7 (43) return.

Ferguson praised both teams for a high-quality game and believes in the brand the Tigers showcased on Friday night, but understands the importance of building scoreboard pressure to take advantage of the strong play.

“I’m really proud of our group of how we applied ourselves. I thought we got the game very much on our terms in the second half, but we couldn’t finish it off,” Ferguson said.

“I thought we played a great brand of footy, I know we didn’t get scoreboard nourishment, and we wanted to take more shots in front of goal and kick more goals and create more opportunities…3.10 and 10.3 looks a bit different.

“I thought we were over-running them in the second half and almost had them on the ropes, but we just couldn’t take those moments, and they were really good at taking some moments that took the energy back in their favour.

“I thought we were so tough, so mentally strong, played out every moment and when challenged, we just fought back. I thought we were really getting at them, but we just couldn’t get that finishing touch.”

Despite the encouraging signs, the result leaves Richmond with an 0-3 record ahead of next week’s clash with the unbeaten Demons.

Discussing the win-loss record, Ferguson explained how it is a balancing act of not getting caught up in how the campaign might play out and instead keeping the focus on executing a Richmond style of game.

“The challenge is to not worry about what that might mean or what that looks like going forward versus we play like this, and we continue to make subtle adjustments, and we can still get so much better,” he said.

“If we maintain that energy and that style of footy, and that hunt and that work rate, that togetherness, and that exciting (footy)…our game progressed and looked much more like the game we wanted.

“Invest in that and not get too worried about what that might mean or what might happen in the future.”

Ferguson confirmed there is no injury concerns for captain Katie Brennan, who was nursing what appeared to be a jarred hand or wrist in the second half, while adding Grace Egan (lip) and Bec Miller (soreness) should both be available for selection next week.

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1879939/positives-aplenty-despite-darwin-defeat

[WilliamPowell]

As I posted earleir blah, blah

" Almost had them on the ropes"      

[Tigeritis™©®]

“If we maintain that energy and that style of footy, and that hunt and that work rate, that togetherness, and that exciting (footy)…our game progressed and looked much more like the game we wanted."

Dropped chest marks? handball to the feet of a teammate? kick to an outnumber?  no system?
No forward motion?

What's the "energy"? Kick and hope?

What we've seen this year is anything but " exciting".


It's going to take a miracle to get this trainwreck back on track.

[Damo]

Only 11 rounds, so don’t stress if you do watch it

AFL and NRL finals and then it will really nearly be done