Saints win arm wrestle but Tigers earning their stripes
Lyall Johnson at Telstra Dome | July 1, 2007 | The Age
ON PAPER, last night's match probably should not have been much of a spectacle.
The Tigers, notwithstanding a thumping first win in the previous round, were sitting at the bottom of the ladder. St Kilda, notwithstanding an on-the-road win over West Coast, had not often played the type of football many had wanted to watch this year.
But on the night of Robert Harvey's 351st game, the two sides put on a fine show that would have had even many of the losing supporters going away satisfied.
In the end, the Saints won by 17 points — seemingly a comfortable margin. Yet the game was as closely fought as any this year and either side was in contention at three-quarter-time, with four points the difference in favour of the Saints.
It's not unfair to suggest the impression many had was that it was more likely going to be Richmond's game, with the question of whether the Saints could match the Tigers' run after their trip to Subiaco and with Max Hudghton leaving them a man down with a hamstring injury.
Somehow, the Tigers had seemed to have the better of the Saints; they had outrun, out-bodied and out-thought St Kilda, but tellingly, they hadn't out-scored it. But within a minute-and-a-half of the opening bounce in the last quarter, Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna had slammed on two goals and the margin had extended to 16 points.
Yet as had been the case all night, the side that was behind kept coming and as if on cue, Richmond's gutsy midfielder Nathan Foley raced through the centre of the ground yet again, bounced and fired through a long-range goal from 50 metres. It wasn't his first such effort, either; in the first term, he staked his claim for goal of the year when he grabbed the ball on the defensive side of the centre circle, sped past all comers, bounced twice and drove the ball home from outside 50.
Like the entire match, the last quarter ebbed and flowed, the young Tigers never giving up but the Saints always doing enough to have their measure.
Montagna was a standout, and his second-half efforts in the midfield provided a matchwinning lift. The evergreen Harvey also was everywhere the ball was. At the end of the game, he was rewarded with three cheers from the crowd.
Criticised widely for their lack of run and slow ball movement, the Saints last night were a stark contrast and although at times it was probably not exactly the way Ross Lyon would have them play, it was a more determined, free-flowing display.
Leaving the Richmond forward line far too open in the first half and not capitalising on the size mismatches it had in its own forward line — with Andrew Raines and Will Thursfield picking up Nick Riewoldt and Fraser Gehrig, respectively — St Kilda moved the ball better through the midfield in the second half and tried to exploit the size advantage with longer balls going inside 50.
Gehrig showed no worries from his hand injury and played his best game of the season, kicking 5.3 from 15 touches, while Riewoldt was below his best but still managed to beat two opponents and collect four goals, one a miracle mid-air volley.
The third term was probably the most dynamic of the night, the lead changing half a dozen times as both sides engaged in an entertaining arm wrestle. St Kilda had upped its work-rate and while Richmond appeared to have the better of the contest, the Saints were able to nose ahead as Lenny Hayes and Aaron Fiora began to see more of the ball through the centre.
Despite their 11th loss of the year, there was plenty to like about the young Tigers.
What the side lacks in height — and it is a serious deficiency despite Adam Pattison's fine match and Troy Simmonds being back in the side — it more than makes up for with a run-and-carry style that is both exciting and difficult to combat when it works.
Coach Terry Wallace would have been pleased no doubt with the efforts of Cam Howat, who continues to improve, Foley, who is fashioning himself into a damaging midfielder, and Jake King, who is small yet fearless.
Richmond would be far inferior without Matthew Richardson, who worked hard all night for 18 possessions, but he is even better with Nathan Brown in the side. Brown might not have found his best form, but his 19 touches and three goals were a reminder of how good he is.
BEST: St Kilda: Montagna, Harvey, Hayes, Gehrig, Riewoldt, Gram.
Richmond: Foley, J Bowden, Richardson, Pattison, King, Brown.
REPORTS: Richmond: Pettifer for allegedly striking L Fisher (St Kilda) in the first quarter.
http://realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/saints-win-arm-wrestle/2007/06/30/1182624246666.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
