Richmond v Essendon Dreamtime match thread

[mightytiges]

SEN just said that both Richo and Kingsley will play  ???. I could believe that if Tuck is out and that's forgetting about Richo's eyesocket.

[julzqld]

Oh the 3AW guys are terrible to listen to

[julzqld]

Well that's just shattering!  Commentators reckon you shouldn't pay a 50 penalty so close to the end of the game.  Pity Richo pushed in the back, otherwise we would have won.

[julzqld]

They are saying on PRE that Hird was BOG!  What the?   Excuse me?   You've got to be joking!!!!!  As I haven't seen the game, only heard it on the radio (the indigenous station at that), it's hard to say who should have got it but one thing for sure it wouldn't have been Hird.  I would have chosen Richo, just for the sake that he risked a lot to play tonight, literally put his body on the line.  Jackson played well too as did Lids, Tuck, Polak.  But Hird - give me a break

[Ramps]

Just got home ... what can i say. theres nothing to say. everyone will blame the umpires but when your winning by 18 with 5 or 6 minutes to go you dont lose. Deledio showed us that he deserved to be taken 1. Outstanding tonight. Polak was good also although Lucas got away and Richo deserves better than to play for us- he really does.

[mightytiges]

Ignoring "that" decision and the emotion around it and the loss, deep down it was a pretty poor standard albeit exciting game by both sides. Stacks of errors especially dumb unenforced turnovers by us which you just can't make. From memory the errors were 14-7 at quarter time and 39-24 at 3/4 time. It's this which costs us games. Just gifting open possession to the opposition which costs goals.

Once again our first quarter proved costly in the end. We actually started the better but Lids and Tambo missed gettable set shots and then that shocker of a turnover through overuse of handball gave Essendon the momentum and a 3 goal start. Thankfully they were off target too and we were able to work ourselves back into the game and stay in touch at quarter time despite our errors.

The game continued in that pattern for most of the second until about 10 minutes to go when we stopped making so many errors and made Essendon pay for theirs and their misses to grab the lead. A good team against either side tonight would've have been 6-7 goals up at half-time.  

It was good to see us burst out after half time and snag a few goals in a row in our best period of the game but we just couldn't get that killer gamebreaking goal for the rest of the match and Essendon would always score quickly once we jagged one from halfway through the 3rd. One more goal after we got our 12th would've have done it but in the end we went back into our shell slowing the game down with short too safe passes instead of winning it. Skill errors again proved costly and Essendon were winning the ball from every stoppage in the last 5-10 minutes.

[2JD]

Well I need to put my 2 bob in, I for one think we DID deserve to win the match, I saw a lot of good stuff out there last night, we had some stupid turn overs, they had some stupid turn overs. I truly believe the difference on the night were the umpires. We had some soft ones paid, but the ones that werent and the momentum we had going when they werent was very telling. Notably the 2 fifties that were paid for stopping the play on,the Richo goal, there was a head high tackle which turned into in the back in our forward line and Polak dragging a guy down and making him spill the ball, and play on being called. Its a joke!!! And what made me realise it was a huge farce is Hird getting the award, there were times I cringed when he got the ball because he is always damaging but even the great untouchable stuffed up heaps, Lucas , Deledio, Richo, there were many others more worthy.
One last word on our illustrious leader....Excuse me Mr Johnson, if you wouldnt mind stepping over here for the coin toss, we cant actually start the game until we do that!!!

[Tigermonk]

l'm sure Johno only won 1 coin toss & he stuffed that up
Captain softy step aside

[WilliamPowell]

Taking out "the decision" I thought we erred when we went defensive at around the 15 minute mark. When you have a team on the ropes you keep attacking and go for the jugular. With 5 minutes to go is when you go "tempo".

We have unfortunately forgotten how to win and that showed in those final 6-5 minutes.

Did "the decision" cost us the game - most probably.

We deserved a fairytale but more than anything Richo deserved the fairytale because his effort just to play was nothing short of inspirational

[mightytiges]

Taking out "the decision" I thought we erred when we went defensive at around the 15 minute mark. When you have a team on the ropes you keep attacking and go for the jugular. With 5 minutes to go is when you go "tempo".

And when you go "tempo" the whole team sticks to it. Not most playing tempo and  maintaining possessions while a couple of others (hello Kayne) bomb it long to 50/50 contests which allowed Essendon to gain possession and run it up the other end down the fat side.