Ruck duel key to result
14 July 2006 Herald-Sun
Michael Stevens
MELBOURNE ruckman Jeff White holds the key to tonight's much-anticipated clash against Richmond at the MCG.
Last season, when the Demons accounted for the Tigers by 57 points, White was the standout performer.
So much so that when he was off the ground, Richmond kicked eight of its 11 goals, a damning statistic.
The major difference tonight is that White will have to contend with Troy Simmonds, lauded by coach Terry Wallace as being in All-Australian form.
After losing weight, Simmonds has excelled on the ball this season, and has also drifted forward to kick 18 goals.
By comparison, White has only eight goals to his credit, but in nearly every other area it is hard to split them.
White has had 238 disposals to Simmonds' 230, 85 marks to 95 and 303 hitouts to 252, with 22.1 per cent of those hitouts to his team's advantage, compared with Simmonds' 21.8 per cent.
White leads the clearances 41 to 31 and contested possessions 85 to 68, while Simmonds has a slight edge in uncontested possessions, 161 to 154.
While the ruck duel appears a 50-50 proposition, the Demons might have an edge when White is off the ground.
His ruck partner Mark Jamar looms as a wildcard against the relatively inexperienced Adam Pattison.
Jamar's support is one reason why White has averaged 78.9 minutes a match this year to Simmonds' 103.1. Both have played all 14 games.
Richmond forward Nathan Brown broke his right leg against the Demons in Round10 last season.
Brown trained lightly at Punt Rd yesterday and it would not surprise to see Matthew Whelan tag him again.
Melbourne's other wildcard is captain David Neitz, a late withdrawal from the corresponding game last season because of a hamstring injury.
Neitz kicked 15 goals against the Tigers in two outings in 2004. Darren Gaspar is likely to have first crack at him tonight, giving Joel Bowden a free rein to set up attacks from defence.
At the other end, Nathan Carroll is likely to get the chance to redeem himself against Matthew Richardson, after conceding eight goals to Brisbane Lion Daniel Bradshaw last week.
Match-ups in the midfield are also likely to determine tonight's result.
Demon playmaker Travis Johnstone, who has had 170 effective kicks this season, will need to be shut down if the Tigers are to prevail.
Richmond captain Kane Johnson looms as his likely minder after his sterling effort against Port Adelaide's Shaun Burgoyne last weekend.
Cameron Bruce, who has 331 disposals and 112 marks this year, will need stopping.
Perhaps the Tigers will entrust Greg Tivendale with the task of containing him.
Tivendale leads the club in tackles (53) and has the pace and height to match Bruce.
This would leave the clubs' best clearance exponents, James McDonald (Melbourne) and Shane Tuck (Richmond), to go head-to-head at the centre bounces and stoppages around the ground.
They have 55 clearances apiece, while McDonald has a slight edge out of the centre, 33 to 30.
Without the injured Mark Coughlan and Chris Newman, the Tigers look to be slightly undermanned to tackle the Demons' fleet-footed runners including Brad Green, Adem Yze and Aaron Davey.
Yze proved a trump with five goals last year, while Davey is always capable of producing a freakish goal, as evidenced by his World Cup-like efforts of the past two weeks.
Green has been the Demons' most capable performer of the past month with 41 marks (second in the AFL), 63 effective kicks (second) and 39 short kicks (sixth).
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