Media articles and stats - Richmond dishes out a hiding for once

[one-eyed]

Richmond dishes out a hiding for once
12 August 2006   Herald-Sun
AAP

RICHMOND thrashed Brisbane by 82 points tonight as the Tigers relished the chance to be on the better side of an AFL belting for once.

After losing three games this season by more than 100 points, the Tigers dominated from the start at Telstra Dome and eventually won 21.16 (142) to 8.12 (60).

Key forward Matthew Richardson kicked six goals and took 11 marks in a commanding performance.

He had five goals to halftime and for much of the second term, the pro-Tigers crowd chanted ``Richo, Richo''.

Defender Patrick Bowden kicked the opening goal of the game and finished with 28 possessions.

A 100-point win beckoned for Richmond when it led by 93 points late in the last quarter, but the Lions kicked the last two goals to spare themselves that ignominy.

Richmond has not beaten a side by more than 100 points since 1996, when it handed now-defunct Fitzroy a 151-point hiding.

While it was a night out for the Tigers, the one-sided game underlined how quickly the Lions have slid from the all-powerful unit that won the 2001-03 premierships.

Brisbane, like Richmond, has suffered a bad run of injuries this year and tonight's Lions team was almost unrecognisable from the much-feared combination during their time as the AFL's best team.

Incredibly, Richmond led by 80 points at half-time as the Lions could manage just one goal for the opening two quarters.

At halftime, the Tigers had 211 disposals and Brisbane had managed just 127.

Richmond's play in the first half often resembled a training drill as players frequently took uncontested marks deep in attack.

After going on a scoring splurge of 14 goals in the first half, there was no way Richmond could sustain that intensity for the whole game.

Brisbane defender Justin Sherman had a game-high 35 disposals, Tim Notting also stood out and Daniel Bradshaw kicked three goals.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20109026%255E20322,00.html

[one-eyed]

Tigers maul Lions in rout
9:44:35 PM Sat 12 August, 2006
Paul Gough
Exclusive to afl.com.au

RICHMOND: 7.4, 14.7, 17.11, 21.16 (142)
BRISBANE LIONS: 1.1, 1.5, 2.12, 8.12 (60)

GOALS –
Richmond: Richardson 6, Krakouer 2, P.Bowden 2, Simmonds 2, Tambling 2, Stafford 2, Howat, Schulz, White, Deledio, Pattison
Brisbane Lions: Bradshaw 3, Roe, Sherman, Hooper, Power, Selwood

BEST –
Richmond: P.Bowden, Simmonds, Richardson, Hyde, Tuck, Deledio, Johnson, Howat, J.Bowden
Brisbane Lions: Sherman, Adcock, Notting, Copeland, Scott

INJURIES – Richmond: Nil
Brisbane Lions: Nil
CHANGES Nil
REPORTS Nil

UMPIRES - McLaren, Grun, Pannell
CROWD - 27,211 at Telstra Dome

Richmond fans must be wondering just what their team would have been capable of in 2006 had champion spearhead Matthew Richardson been fit for the entire season after the veteran full-forward guided the Tigers to their biggest-ever win over Brisbane on Saturday night.

The Tigers humiliated an injury-riddled Brisbane Lions' outfit 21.16 (142) to 8.12 (60) at Telstra Dome as Terry Wallace's team for once found itself on the right end of a thumping result, having suffered three 100-point-plus losses in 2006.

But against a Brisbane side missing Michael Voss, Jonathan Brown, Nigel Lappin, Chris Johnson, Jason Akermanis, Jamie Charman and promising youngster Michael Rischitelli, the Tigers were merciless.

And it was Richardson who led the onslaught with six goals including five in the first half as Richmond destroyed Brisbane with 14 goals to one.

While the win mathematically keeps alive Richmond's slim finals hopes, realistically the Tigers are set to miss the finals yet again in 2006 - as they have done in every season bar two since their last grand final appearance in 1982.

But after this performance it is easy to ponder just where the Tigers would have finished in a season in which they discovered so many exciting youngsters had Richardson been fit for the entire season.

Full article at: http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=288760

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Teams Stats

Kicks       215 - 199
Marks      119 -120
Handballs 139 - 135
Tackles      57 - 46
Hitouts       38 - 17
Frees        19 - 15

Individual Stats

Player K H D M HO T FF FA G B
P.Bowden       21  7 28 13 0 1 3 0 2 0
S.Tuck           13 12 25 4 1 5 0 3 0 1
B.Deledio       11 13 24 4 0 1 1 0 1 1
C.Hyde          13 11 24 9 0 4 0 1 0 0
M.Richardson 15  7 22 11 0 0 0 0 6 3
C.Howat         15  4 19 8 0 1 0 0 1 1
A.Raines         9 10 19 4 0 5 0 0 0 0
T.Simmonds   12  6 18 8 27 3 0 2 2 1
G.Tivendale    12  6 18 4 0 3 1 2 0 1
N.Foley           9  8 17 3 0 4 3 1 0 0
J.Bowden        9  6 15 3 0 1 1 1 0 0
M.Chaffey       8  6 14 5 0 1 1 1 0 1
A.Pattison       7  7 14 5 7 1 2 1 1 0
K.Pettifer       14 0 14 8 0 3 3 0 0 1
M.White         8  6 14 4 0 6 0 0 1 0
A.Krakouer     7  6 13 3 0 3 1 0 2 1
R.Tambling     8  5 13 1 0 0 0 0 2 1
R.Hall             7  4 11 6 0 4 0 0 0 0
D.Polo           2  8 10 6 0 4 0 2 0 1
K.Johnson     5  4  9  3 0 3 0 0 0 0
J.Schulz        6  1  7  3 0 4 3 0 1 1
G.Stafford      4  2  6  4 3 0 0 1 2 0
 

Top 5's

Ranking Points

P.Bowden          195
Richo                174
Sherman           148
Simmonds         120
Tuck                 107

Contested Possies

Tuck              12
Richo             10
P.Bowden       9
Hooper           9
Tivendale        9

Uncontested Possies

Sherman        27
P.Bowden      21
B.Scott          21
Power           20
Hyde             20

Effective Kicks

P.Bowden      17
Selwood         15
Stiller             14
Adcock          14
Howat            14

Inside 50

Tuck            8
Stiller           6
Tivendale     5
Pettifer        5
Simmonds   5

Rebound 50

Roe            6
P.Bowden   6
Hall             5
Copeland    5
White         5

[one-eyed]

Richmond finds drive
Chloe Saltau
The Age
August 13, 2006

Matthew Richardson kicked goals for Richmond and Brisbane Lions defender Jason Roe, among other Lions, found new ways to give them away.

The result, although probably academic for season 2006, was that the Tigers massacred the Lions by 82 points at Telstra Dome last night.

With a sense of purpose that took no account of their ladder position and practically non-existent finals prospects, the Tigers headed a jaded Brisbane side from the moment Patrick Bowden led, marked and slotted through their first goal in the first couple of minutes.

By far the most compelling chapter of this lopsided game, between two injury-afflicted teams placed 10th and 11th on the ladder, came late in the second quarter, when Roe made the mistake of handballing over the goal line from a kick-in.

The ball-up that followed allowed Richmond second-gamer Cameron Howat to emerge from the mayhem and scrub through his team's 14th goal from the goal square. Confusion, as the field and goal umpires conferred, and fisticuffs, as the Lions players remonstrated, followed and Richmond was awarded a second kick at goal, which Bowden promptly converted to stretch the already substantial lead to 79 points.

Ahead by 80 when the half-time siren blew, the Tigers players huddled together tightly before heading into the rooms, exemplifying an end-of-season hunger the Lions last night plainly lacked.

Roe, ironically, kicked the Lions' solitary goal for the first half, wandering from the back line to boom one through from outside 50 metres. But his finer moments were eclipsed by less glorious ones. Twenty minutes into the second term, he was running out of defence searching for teammates to kick to when he was gang-tackled by Tigers at centre half-back. Instantly, the ball was swept to Richardson, who kicked the fifth of his six goals for the game.

The mercurial Richardson, who had Daniel Merrett stationed next to him for most of the evening, only a few minutes earlier had marked on the boundary line, then made an impossible angle possible by running around to snap a goal.

The tone of this match was set early, Richmond coach Terry Wallace sent a couple of extra men to defence and Brisbane ruckman Clark Keating crumpled to the ground holding his ribs inside the opening minute.

Keating came back on later in the quarter, but his opponent Troy Simmonds resumed the powerful form he was showing before he was suspended, patrolling the ruck and, when he pushed forward, reaching over the head of reluctant full-back Mal Michael to mark and goal in the second quarter.

At the feet of Richardson and Simmonds was a very switched-on Andrew Krakouer, whose clean hands and pace resulted in two goals in the opening quarter. Up the other end, Joel Bowden closed down dangerous full-forward Daniel Bradshaw almost completely.

Brisbane, by contrast, was flat-footed from the start. In the first quarter, Brad Scott was mugged by Jay Schulz as he meandered out of defence, enabling Richard Tambling to provide the first of several exciting moments for Tigers fans looking to next year and beyond.

The Lions' last six goals came in a final-quarter avalanche, the last as Bradshaw twisted out of an opponent's grasp to squeeze through his third. But these, too, were all academic.

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/08/12/1154803149421.html

[one-eyed]

Tigers stay in hunt with mauling
13 August 2006   
Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Pierik

THE door may be slightly ajar, but Richmond coach Terry Wallace refused to talk about September action after an 82-point mauling of the Brisbane Lions last night.
 
Losses this round by Collingwood, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs have kept the Tigers, two games outside the eight, in the hunt with three rounds remaining.

Other results will have to fall their way, but the Tigers remain finals chances as they face cellar-dwellers Carlton and Essendon in the next fortnight and then West Coast at the MCG.

``All we really have been speaking about for the whole time is our improvement as a football club and as a team,'' Wallace said. ``That's where we have been and that's where we are heading. That's the only thing we are worried about in this whole situation.

``We sit there and say at the end of the year: `Have we improved or haven't we improved?'

``If that's enough to get you in, that's fine. If it's not enough to get you in, well that's fine.''

The Telstra Dome contest was over at quarter-time after the Tigers drilled seven goals to one. From there they did as they wanted, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Fuelled by Troy Simmonds's dominance in the ruck, a rebounding halfback line and Matthew Richardson's six goals, the Tigers equalled their greatest winning margin over the Lions, set 16 years ago.

Wallace said the Tigers had no intention of going through the motions in the final month of the season.

``We said to our supporter base during the week that we weren't going to be one of those clubs that was giving it away,'' he said.

``We needed to really show something tonight that suggested we were still really hunting after a strong end to the season.

``That was the pleasing factor - that the guys really understood that factor and really went after a win.''

The Lions' tactics were bewildering.

Time and time again they opted to kick long into their forward line, which allowed the Tigers to get back in numbers and Patrick and Joel Bowden and Andrew Raines to mount more counterattacks.

Patrick Bowden was in superb touch, collecting 17 first-quarter touches and 28 for the match, while Joel had 15.

Brett Deledio (24 possessions) was also dominant through the midfield.

The Tigers led by 80 points at half-time, leaving Wallace a little disappointed the final margin was only two points greater.

``We would have liked a stronger finish to our second half, there's no doubt about that,'' he said.

The Tigers expect to be boosted for next Sunday's match against the Blues by the return of Nathan Brown, who missed last night's match because of a hamstring strain.

Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews lamented his team's poor thinking and skill errors.

``You have got to think,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, they are not robots - you have to actually read the game and work out if we outnumbered somewhere, don't kick the ball there.''

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20110503%255E20322,00.html

[one-eyed]

Richardson lets loose
13 August 2006   
Sunday Herald Sun
Ken Piesse

THE Richo Appreciation Society was in full throat at Telstra Dome last night as their favourite son played like Superman, taking speccies and kicking impossible goals from any angle.

While the opposition was abysmal, the Tiger army celebrated their veteran star Matthew Richardson, with the "Richo, Richo" calls loud and sustained as Richmond handed out a hiding.

Richmond kicked 15 of the first 16 goals, including five straight to Richo, to bury the memories of several earlier losses by more than 100 points that derailed their September aspirations.

It may have been one-sided, but it was also exhilarating to see the champion turn back the clock with a vintage display.

Few in AFL ranks have been as consistently exciting or as loyal as Richardson, who, despite advancing years, still runs like a deer and marks as surely as anyone in the game.

With Troy Simmonds staking his claims for selection as All-Australian ruckman and Andrew Raines firming as the season's Rising Star, Richardson stood tall, marshalling a forward line and bursting away from opponents.

The hair may be shorter these days but his pop-star appeal remains, judging by the screams from the Tiger faithful draped in yellow and black at the Coventry end of the Dome.

With three goals in the first quarter, two in the second and another in the third, Richardson had the ball on a string.

He almost kicked another, a long bomb brushing the goalpost. It was Richo's only blemish in an otherwise perfect night.

Pitted against two kids in Joel Patfull and Daniel Merrett, Richardson cashed in on his team's midfield dominance as the Tigers moved towards a massive win.

With wooden spoon candidates Carlton and Essendon among Richmond's final three fixtures, the Tigers could at least finish 11-11 and secure their standing as the best team outside the finals.

And Richo?

He is only 30 and could play for at least two or three more seasons yet.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20109942%255E19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Lions legend laid to rest
13 August 2006   
Sunday Herald Sun
Mark Harding

IF this is what life without Michael Voss is going to be like for the Brisbane Lions, then the champion will surely heed his coach and pull his wounded body into harness for one more season.

The Lions might have been hopelessly undermanned against Richmond last night but they were disgraceful, the Tigers fully exploiting their opponents' weakness and disinterest to score an 82-point win.

The Tigers were led by an imposing display up forward by Matthew Richardson and a devastating ruck display by Troy Simmonds.

They were supported by a clinical tagging job from Kane Johnson on Simon Black, a great running halfback exhibition by Patrick Bowden and winning contributions from most of the other 18 players.

But they were helped by their Brisbane opponents, most of whom were either too young and raw or too old and sore.

The Lions played like they didn't want to be on the maligned Telstra Dome surface.

Mal Michael's commitment to the game will come into question again and, like Voss, he might also have to heed his coach's plea. But in his case it is to get serious or get out.

Briefly one of three opponents for Richardson, Michael had only one inefficient handball in the first half and finished with four short kicks and three handballs. He rebounded from the defensive 50m only once.

In the midfield, the Tigers ensured Richardson and company would have plenty of opportunities. Shane Tuck finished with 25 touches, while Johnson shut out Black and Dean Polo restricted Luke Power in the first half before the Lion got on top in the second half when the game was shot.

With Voss resting, Jonathan Brown injured and Jason Akermanis gone, the once mighty Lions were transported back to the bad old Bears days.

The signs were there early, 40 seconds into the match to be precise, when Clark Keating went down clutching his knee from the second ruck contest and had to leave the field, although he eventually returned late in the quarter.

By then Troy Simmonds was dominating replacement Cameron Wood as the Tigers got off to a cracking start with seven goals to one.

Terry Wallace made sure he made the most of the Lions' height deficiencies by pulling two big men off the bench and going even taller.

Greg Stafford joined Richardson and Simmonds also "rested" in the pocket to make triplet towers.

Later in the game, Jay Schulz went forward, meaning the four targets of Richo, Simmonds, Stafford and Schulz tallied 788cm between them.

The first quarter produced some stunning statistics. Patrick Bowden not only kicked the opening goal but picked up 17 possessions in the backline, including nine marks.

Brisbane's five-man forward line was young with the exception of Daniel Bradshaw, but that is the only excuse for their tally of two effective kicks between them for the quarter.

In contrast, Richardson was kicking goals from all angles. He got three of his six in the opening term -- one on the left-side boundary line, one on the right-side boundary line and one from in front.

The game was dead by the first break, but the slaughter continued in the second term. The Tigers added another seven while holding the Lions goalless to lead by 80 points at half-time.

Just before the long break the Tigers got two goals without a centre bounce when promising youngster Cameron Howat was credited with a goal from a kick off the ground.

An angry Power insisted it had come off his boot and while the umpires were deliberating, Patrick Bowden tried to pull Power away.

The frustrated Lion responded with a high jumper shove and had the indignity of not only having the first decision go against him but also being penalised again with a free kick and a second goal to Bowden.

The third term was notable only for Brisbane's second goal -- a free to Bradshaw.

The Tigers kicked only three goals, but all were quality -- Simmonds roved to Stafford to snap the first, Brett Deledio, who had been loose in the backline most of the night, snapped a great goal on the run and Richo marked strongly for his sixth.

He was denied a seventh goal in the final term when he took a screamer in the square, only for a free to be paid against Stafford for a push. A minute later, Richo gathered at half-forward and passed to Stafford, who kicked his second and Richmond's 21st goal.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20109939%255E19771,00.html

[one-eyed]

Wallace's Richo wish
11:41:01 PM Sat 12 August, 2006
Andrew Wu
Exclusive to ricjhmondfc.com.au

Richmond coach Terry Wallace was left lamenting Matthew Richardson's mid-season wrist injury after the star forward returned to his best form with a six-goal haul in the Tigers' mauling of the Brisbane Lions at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.

Wallace said Richardson, who missed five matches after fracturing his wrist in round nine, was struck down by injury at the worst time of the season but was starting to recapture his best when the season was all but over.

The glamour forward had three quiet matches in his return form injury, but his past three weeks have yielded 12 goals and an impressive 32 marks.

Full article at: http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=288772