Media Articles and Stats: Tough Tigers run over Blues

[wayne]

Tough Tigers run over Blues
8:50 PM Thu 20 March, 2008
(afl.com.au)

RICHMOND has opened the year with an impressive 30-point come-from-behind win over Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.

Led by the brilliant Matthew Richardson, who booted five goals, the Tigers kicked nine of the last ten goals of the match to secure the 17.7 (109) to 11.13 (79) win.

Richmond       4.3   8.5   11.5    17.7  (109)
Carlton           4.3   9.6   10.10   11.13  (79)

GOALS
Richmond: Richardson 5, Brown 3, Deledio, 2, Pettifer, Foley, Tuck, Pattison, Polak, Tambling, Jackson.
Carlton: Betts 2, Fevola 2, Scotland 2, Stevens, Houlihan, Edwards, O'hAilpin, Murphy.

BEST
Richmond: Richardson, King, Foley, Johnson, Thursfield, Tuck, McMahon.
Carlton: Murphy, Thornton, Simpson, Stevens, Edwards, Judd.

Umpires: Margetts, Meredith, McBurney.
Official crowd: 72,552 at MCG.

Full Article: http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=56604

[one-eyed]

Richo makes the difference
Jake Niall | March 21, 2008 | The Age

THE loser of this match was always going to feel sick and the winner not so much euphoric as relieved. And, not for the first time, there was more riding on the result for Richmond.

The Tigers were favourites for a wooden-spoon repeat that would end their coach's tenure, and no matter how much Terry Wallace or Greg Miller spruiked about the young list, there was widespread external pessimism about their prospects in 2008. From most prognostications, they would do well to finish 13th.

Carlton, meanwhile, had, via the acquisition of the game's premier player, seemingly lifted itself from a six-year dark age in one summer. The Blues had another No. 1 draft pick, Richard Pratt's financial fortress, a decent administration and a sense of optimism that contrasted with the gloom — admittedly much of it external — about Richmond.

Last night, the perceptions of pre-season — Carlton is back, the Tigers are stuck in the doghouse — were rendered irrelevant, quite possibly incorrect and definitely premature.

For the first time in a while, Carlton was actually shattered by a loss. No tanks this time.

The Blues have a capable midfield, boasting an underdone Chris Judd, a not-quite-right Nick Stevens and some very promising kids, headed by Marc Murphy, but there is precious little down back and, without Brad Fisher, even less in the way of marking targets, outside the highly eccentric and less-than-bankable Brendan Fevola.

Richmond had a more viable and complete structure: Joel Bowden, Graham Polak and an improving Will Thursfield down back, Richo and Brett Deledio up front, supported by Nathan Brown, Troy Simmonds in the ruck. The Tigers had size where it counted.

Did the Fevola and Tony Liberatore imbroglios distract the Blues last night? To even pose the question is to deprive Richmond of its deserved credit. The Tigers were not polished. They were not brilliant. But, they played, in Tommy Hafey's word, "Tigerish" football. They fought and fought and won.

Trailing by 25 points in the middle of the second quarter, the Tigers just gradually wore Carlton down, running harder late in each quarter. If the midfield names were less impressive — Nathan Foley, Shane Tuck, Jake King and Kane Johnson aren't the fab four — they ran harder.

Carlton officials would later mutter that the Blues had run out of legs. Sometimes, this means you've run out of players.

Richmond actually won the stoppages, and the hard-balls, more than neutralising a Carlton strength. But the player who most shaped this contest was not one of the dozen rotating midfielders or runners.

Richmond has not won often enough during Matthew Richardson's 15-year reign as his club's champion, but what is also beyond dispute is that Richo, for all his flaws, has been responsible for a sizeable proportion of those infrequent victories.

For the umpteenth time in his 257-game career, Richardson was the central figure in the match. He finished with 5.2 — including the sealer — having earlier threatened to finish with a Richoesque 1.6 or 2.5 that would have been Richmond's ruin, and Wallace bunkering down for the fallout.

Fevola was unable to get away from Thursfield, who received more support from his defensive teammates than Fev did from his less-seasoned colleagues in the Carlton forward 50-metre arc. Fevola's green supporting cast consisted of Setanta O'hAilpin, who spent last season in defence, Adam Hartlett and Jake Edwards.

Carlton's second-quarter lead had been built on a quick burst of four unanswered goals, when Judd, Murphy, Simpson and co held sway and the Tigers temporarily revisited their 2007, especially with their foot skills. Even in victory, field kicking remains an issue for Richmond. Effort, though, was not. King and Richard Tambling personified the Tigers — their run and endeavour were flawless, and they contributed plenty, despite some shonky ball use.

Surprisingly, Judd was manned by Daniel Jackson, in what Wallace acknowledged was an admission "that Juddy was well and truly underdone".

The champ had two touches — a handball and a kick — within 10 seconds of the season's opening bounce. Thereafter, he was solid, playing at the about the level one would expect of a thoroughbred, first-up, following a limited preparation, finishing with 22 touches.

He will get better, and so will the Blues. They must.

Richo isn't getting any worse, all these years later. Last night, he was handed an appetising mismatch, on lightweight Carlton defender Michael Jamison, listed at 87 kilograms, compared with Richardson's 100-plus. Richo marked almost at will.

Two days after his 33rd birthday, he's still the difference when Richmond wins.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/richo-makes-the-difference/2008/03/20/1205602582671.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[one-eyed]

Blue night for Carlton crew
Jon Ralph | March 21, 2008 | Herald-Sun

FIRST Carlton stole Richmond's priority pick, and then it took Chris Judd from under the Tigers' noses. Last night, in the only forum that really matters, the Tigers got the most emphatic revenge possible by winning by five goals.

All summer Terry Wallace's side had quietly witnessed Carlton's summer of good vibes and vowed the Navy Blues would run into a Richmond brick wall in Round 1.

Like so much out of Punt Rd, it seemed like idle talk.

But last night against a fast-starting Carlton outfit, the Tigers finally harnessed the talent, development and poise Wallace had been spruiking for so long.

He takes some upstaging, but by the final siren the Tigers had rained on, then extinguished, Chris Judd's welcome parade.

Stunned by a five-goal burst led by a resurgent Nick Stevens and Carlton's new posse of midfielders, Richmond not only held firm, but returned that heat with interest.

Down by 25 points halfway through the second quarter, Richmond kicked 13 of the next 16 goals.

It was only Round 1 and it will likely be forgotten within the month, but for success-starved Richmond fans, it was everything they had hoped for.

For Richmond, the architects of the 30-point win were a mixed bunch of two rejects and a Tiger blueblood.

Former rookies Nathan Foley and Jake King stemmed the flow early on, then assaulted Carlton with hard running and the sort of precise disposal that their teammates lacked.

Then came Matthew Richardson, whose pushed pair of early shots at goal were as comical as any in his career.

He found the nerve to slam home his last five shots at goal, including the sealer, followed by a quartet of double-fist pumps to the adoring crowd.

Everything Wallace tried in the second half worked: Nathan Brown and Brett Deledio were quiet but contributed five goals, and Richard Tambling and Jordan McMahon were horrible early but then came to the party.

Kane Johnson started last season kicking the ball the wrong way, but it was his tackling pressure as much as his 26 disposals that led the way for Richmond.

When a post-siren umpiring adjudication saw a second-quarter behind deleted from Richmond's tally, it mattered little.

Carlton's effort mirrored the last half-dozen games in 2007 that drew so much scrutiny: fast start, hold firm, then cough up telling late goals.

But there were positives.

At times Kade Simpson, then Nick Stevens, then Marc Murphy looked likely to tear Richmond to shreds.

But for coach Brett Ratten, still chasing that elusive first win, the Bret Thornton-Nathan Brown contest said plenty about the result.

Thornton smashed Brown comprehensively, yet Brown kicked the goal that halted the Blues' momentum, then two key second-half goals.

We have learnt not to get carried away, but for the first time in many moons, Richmond has a positive win-loss record.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23410614-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Winning ugly is fine for Tigers
Mike Sheahan | March 21, 2008 | Herald-Sun

IN GOLF, it's not how, it's how many. In football, when you're Richmond, it's much the same thing -- winning ugly is just fine, thank you very much.

After finishing last in 2007 with just three wins, and pitted against an under-manned Carlton, it was a must-win game, even if it is March.

The Tigers were absolutely terrible for the first 40 minutes at the MCG last night, yet clawed their way back and finally over-ran the Blues in the opening match of the new season.

They retrieved a 25-point deficit from the 18-minute mark of the second quarter to win by 30 points.

The amazing Matthew Richardson was the hero yet again, kicking five goals, including the one that put Richmond in front just before three-quarter time.

Yep, he stuffed up again early with his errant kicking, but kept persisting.

His work ethic and marking were as admirable and reliable as ever.

He covered 14.2km for the night, extraordinary for a key forward.

After two early misses, he came up with a novel solution: avoid the set shot by playing on, no matter how congested the scene. And it worked, producing his first goal just before quarter-time.

In a remarkable coincidence, he took his career goals to 748 in his 257th game, identical statistics to those of former Collingwood and North Melbourne full-forward Sav Rocca.

They are equal 12th in AFL history, with Richo now just 30 shy of Richmond great Kevin Bartlett.

As odd as it may sound, Richmond simply had to win last night. The Tigers were at full strength, while Carlton had Chris Judd and Nick Stevens underdone and seven youngsters with barely more than 50 games between them.

Judd and Stevens stood out in the first three quarters with their ability to win the ball and, equally important, put it to advantage.

When Richmond players won possession, it was as if a 20m wall visible only to those in black and yellow forced them to kick the ball higher rather than longer.

Coach Terry Wallace conceded after the game: "Our use of the ball just wasn't up to standard in the first half."

In the modern game, if you can't kick, you can't win. Yet they persisted until things started to come together. Until Carlton wilted.

They had the irrepressible Jake King in the back half and Richo forward.

At 174cm and 74kg, King is a little beauty. He's got spunk and dash, and he's brave and tough.

The Tigers finally got what they wanted and now have 10 days to prepare for North Melbourne on Sunday week.

In truth, they will need to improve quite a bit if they are to topple North. But their confidence, so often in short supply at Punt Rd, got a valuable boost last night.

For the Blues, they definitely are going to improve.

While they conceded more than 100 points yet again, they, too, scored 24 times, but were more wasteful.

Judd looked sharp and sure. As if scripted, he had both the first handpass and first kick of the game.

He was quick, decisive and typically strong on his feet.

Stevens was a class above the rest with his disposal. He has his critics, Stevens, but he has extraordinary stamina and the purest disposal.

Oh, yes, Brendan Fevola. He continually looked threatening, but had just a fair night.

He set up Carlton's first goal through Marc Murphy and then converted from a free kick 10 minutes into the contest in an ominous start.

He also broke the deadlock after halftime, kicking the first goal for the quarter at the 15-minute mark, but that was it for the Blues.

He, like his team, will be better for the run.

Winners all round last night: a crowd of better than 72,000, premiership points for the Tiges and the promise of better to come for the Blues.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23410603-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Richmond Stats vs Carlton

Team Stats

Disposals     371 - 324
Efficency%    78 - 75
Kicks           186 - 210
Handballs    185 - 114
Con. Marks    12 - 11
Uncon. Marks 77 - 99
Tackles         32 - 33
Clangers       31 - 27
Clearances    55 - 45
Frees            22 - 27
Con. Disp.   109 - 100
Uncon. Disp. 262 - 226
Inside 50s      50 - 48
Assists           14 - 16   

Individual Stats

Player        D EFF% K H G B CM UM T CL C
   
Foley, N           26 81 12 14 1 0 0 0 1 3 3
Johnson, K       26 85  8  18 0 0 0 4 5 2 3
King, J             24 96  8  16 0 0 0 4 3 0 4
Bowden, J        22 77 10 12 0 1 0 5 1 0 2
McMahon, J      22 77 11 11 0 0 0 7 0 2 3
Raines, A         22 77 14   8 0 0 0 2 1 2 3
Pettifer, K        20 75 15   5 1 1 0 4 2 3 2
Tuck, S            20 75 10 10 1 0 0 2 2 2 2
Newman, C      18 72  8  10 0 0 1 3 2 2 3
Polak, G          17 100 8    9 1 0 0 6 2 1 2
Simmonds, T    17 59 10   7 0 0 1 6 0 2 4
Jackson, D        15 73  6   9 1 0 0 1 0 5 2
Richardson, M   15 60 13  2 5 2 7 4 1 0 4
Schulz, J          15 73   7  8 0 0 0 4 2 0 1
Tambling, R      14 71  6   8 1 0 1 1 5 3 2
Brown, N          13 85  9   4 3 0 0 4 0 2 3
Deledio, B        13 69  5   8 2 0 0 3 1 1 1
Moore, K          13 85  6   7 0 0 0 5 0 0 1
Howat, C         12 75  7   5 0 0 0 1 2 0 2
Thursfield, W   11 91  4   7 0 0 0 6 1 0 2
Hughes, C       10 50  7   3 0 2 2 4 0 0 4
Pattison, A        6 83  2   4 1 0 0 1 1 1 2

Player            FF FA CP UP I50 A   
   
Foley, N           0 3 8 18 2 0   
Johnson, K       2 3 9 15 4 0   
King, J            3 1 11 12 2 1   
Bowden, J        0 0 4 18 2 3   
McMahon, J      1 1 2 20 3 0   
Raines, A         4 2 8 16 3 0   
Pettifer, K        1 2 4 16 4 1   
Tuck, S            1 1 8 12 4 1   
Newman, C      0 2 5 12 3 0   
Polak, G           0 1 0 17 0 2   
Simmonds, T    1 1 7 11 2 0   
Jackson, D        0 1 4 11 1 0   
Richardson, M   1 3 10 5 3 1   
Schulz, J          2 1 4 13 2 1   
Tambling, R     1 0 5  9 3 1   
Brown, N         0 1 4  9 4 0   
Deledio, B       1 0 6  6 0 0   
Moore, K         0 1 1 11 1 0   
Howat, C         0 0 1 10 3 1   
Thursfield, W   2 1 2 11 1 1   
Hughes, C       1 0 4  6 2 1   
Pattison, A      1 2 2  4 1 0   

http://superstats.heraldsun.com.au/gamestatslive/5015445.html#

[mightytiges]

As odd as it may sound, Richmond simply had to win last night. The Tigers were at full strength, while Carlton had Chris Judd and Nick Stevens underdone and seven youngsters with barely more than 50 games between them.

If you cross the white line you are fit. We didn't play Cogs, McGuane, Edwards and Connors because they were underdone. The media sure didn't make same excuses for us last year  .

The Tigers finally got what they wanted and now have 10 days to prepare for North Melbourne on Sunday week.

In truth, they will need to improve quite a bit if they are to topple North. But their confidence, so often in short supply at Punt Rd, got a valuable boost last night.

For the Blues, they definitely are going to improve.

Winners all round last night: a crowd of better than 72,000, premiership points for the Tiges and the promise of better to come for the Blues.

When you cough up a 25 point lead and lose by 30 it's hardly winners all round Mike. We kicked 12 of the last 14 goals of the game for crying out loud. The Blues were favourites going into the game too.

[wayne]

When you cough up a 25 point lead and lose by 30 it's hardly winners all round Mike. We kicked 12 of the last 14 goals of the game for crying out loud. The Blues were favourites going into the game too.

I don't know if Mike noticed, but Carlton had no defenders, forwards apart from Fev and a ruckman 

[Francois Jackson]

sounds like a article coming from a blues supporter to be honest.

mate last year we got pumped week in week out with no ruckman and no one spared us in the media but now the blues are underdone.
give me a break.

u select players that are fit so in my book they had 22 fit players out there. stuff them.

it will get so much better if we beat the kangas next week and the saints smash the blues.

go saints!!

[{X}]

if dudd was not the blues captain, the journos would be hitting them hard, but they still have this delusional idea that carlton will improve and that richmond will self destruct .

well our list is far better than the blues, with or without dudd, stevens and smurphy

if terry coaches us properly and selects the right team each week and we have mimimal injuries, we have a team that can push for the eight, i have no doubt in that

tambling does not get the credit he deserves aso, he worked his arse off in the second half, and his inside work was awesome, yet we here not much about it . at the terry acknowledged his work after the game.

wait til buddy plays, he will get 7 touches kick 2 freaky goals and will get front page publicity. the medai are fos

[blx]

i agree about tambo. his second half effort was first class.

The way he haggled, the way he persisted, the way he kept his head over the ball to earn the free, his courage to back into a rampaging richo and his quickness and hardness in tight.

I have never seen Franklin do that in one half.

We have alot to look forward to in Tambling.

IMO, his graph is about halfway but its going in the right direction...UP!!!

at least we can all laugh at the media for falling for the Carlton Juddmania Wagon. What a bunch of sucks! They still believe carlton are a good side.

Even though they dont have a forward line and a weak as **** backline not to mention theyre as slow as a sloth
 

[one-eyed]

Tigers beat Carlton grit by bit
Herald-Sun
Mark Robinson
March 21, 2008

THE season was just 40 minutes old and, by anyone's reckoning, it was to be death by a thousand skill errors for Terry Wallace.

The Tigers trailed by 25 points, and the strut was back at Carlton and the stumble remained at Richmond.

This is the fourth year of a five-year contract for Wallace, and the earliest of crows was that a fifth year appeared unlikely.

Like a broken record, the Tigers missed targets, missed goals, popped the ball on to teammates' heads and handballed to teammates in trouble.

If we didn't live by a calendar, you could have sworn it was July last year.

But perhaps these Tigers are made of sterner stuff.

Wallace changed the game plan.

He demanded one-on-one all over the ground, and while the game wasn't pretty, at least the Tigers made it a contest.

Blues runners Marc Murphy, Andrew Carrazzo, Kade Simpson, Nick Stevens were closed down.

The Tigers lifted their tackling and harassment, and three goals in the last seven minutes of the half got them back within six points.

The turnaround possibly will be a "statement" period for the Tigers.

Indeed, Wallace had been on the hustings this past week, publicly putting on his players.

In essence, his message was simple: the time for wimp footy was over.

The time had come to be men.

Last night's win was against a team high on energy and low on experience. But for Wallace and players, 2008 had to start with a victory.

Once again, the Tigers lived and died by Matthew Richardson, with a little help from a group of players who, after being passengers in the first half, were heavily influencing in the second.

Skipper Kane Johnson bettered any of his performances in 2007 with a standout effort in the midfield.

Long-time the whipping boy of the leadership group, Johnson was steady when the game had to be won.

He's slow, his kicking is questionable, but last night his creativity came by hand.

Eight kicks and 16 handballs helped carve up a tiring Carlton midfield in the second half.

Wallace also found massively improved efforts after halftime from Chris Newman; Kane Pettifer, who played high/midfield; Jordan McMahon, who played back, forward and then back; Nathan Brown; Andrew Raines; and Graham Polak off the pine.

Yet it was Richo who kept Wallace on anxiety pills.

The big fella kicked five goals, missed two and fell short on another.

If the Tiges had lost, Richo would have been heavily scrutinised.

The Tiges won, so Richo's the hero.

It's tough playing footy like that, let alone coaching.

Still, 15 touches, 11 marks, seven contested, meant it was smiles all-round.

Richo stands 195cm, but perhaps two blokes who stand just 177cm (Nathan Foley) and 174cm (Jake King) were the symbolic Tigers last night. Foley will be a star, if not already.

The other bloke is beauty.

King might not have a 10th of Richo's natural talent, but most players won't have a 10th of King's substance.

In him, and Foley, the Tigers have spirit.

For the Blues, all the hoo-ha throughout summer was pricked in 120 minutes.

Chris Judd's impact stopped in the third quarter. He had the willpower but not the body, and his inability to explode off the mark and break into and from packs, and into space, made it easier for tagger Daniel Jackson to keep him in check.

The Blues skipper easily won the first half. But symbolic of Jackson's gradual climb to equal standing was when he kicked the first goal of the last quarter, a booming drop punt from 48m that gave the Tigers an eight-point lead.

Judd was good, without being great. His last 45 minutes showed that he, indeed, is not match-fit.

Brendan Fevola, too, lost energy at halftime.

Fevola was super from the start, but as the game wore on, so did his frustrations.

Not with his teammates, but with the game.

He kicked a goal 13 minutes into the third quarter to give the Blues a two-goal lead and, by rights, they should have gone on with it. They didn't.

The Tigers kicked the next seven and the game was over.

For Fevola, it was supposed to be a night of redemption.

It was anything but.

The two biggest names at the club  -- Judd and Fevola -- finished on the bench.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23411169-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Belated birthday present delights Richo
Sydney Morning Herald
March 21, 2008 - 3:20PM

The sight of Richmond's midfielders streaming down the ground towards him was the sort of birthday present for Matthew Richardson that money cannot buy.

A day after the Tigers' beloved key forward turned 33, Richardson kicked 5.2 as the Tigers opened their AFL season with a badly-needed 30-point win over Carlton at the MCG.

In front of more than 72,000 fans, last year's bottom side ran over the top of the Blues in the last half and Richardson reaped full benefit.

Typical of "Richo", it was a mixed night - two bad misses to start with and then late in the first term, he marked 50m from goal.

Richardson went to handball, decided to play on and then - of course - turned a moment of near-disaster into a booming goal.

"It was pretty disappointing, the first two shots, the third one, I nearly buggered it up but it went through, so I probably gained a bit of confidence out of that," he said.

"More importantly, I was able to kick the ones in the last half, which probably counted more.

"You want to kick them all, but you want to kick them when you need them."

Richardson's fist-pumping when he goalled in the last term not only showed his elation, but also reflected a feeling of relief among the Tigers after a tough 2007 season and a very long off-season.

"It's always something that I wanted, to win in round one, so I'm pretty happy with that," Richardson said when asked about his birthday 'present'.

"We had a tough year last year and when you're down, people want to knock you and bag you.

"They've done that all pre-season and that's fair enough.

"We've performed very ordinary last year and you can't expect people to pump you up.

"In saying that, it is nice to win and feel good about your footy."

Richardson praised his midfield teammates, saying they had isolated him perfectly with their use of the ball.

"As a forward, you need inside 50s and we gained some dominance in the last 40 minutes of the game in the middle," he said.

"We had plenty of opportunities and then it's up to us to do the job, as a forward you just want one-out chances and we got plenty of those tonight."

For Tigers coach Terry Wallace, it was a simple equation - if they give Richardson enough of the ball and give him plenty of open ground, he will score heavily.

Blues coach Brett Ratten said young key defender Michael Jamison had worked hard on Richardson, but noted the Richmond legend was perhaps even improving with age.

"As Matthew has gotten older, he's stayed a little closer to home and that probably makes him even more dangerous," Ratten said.

"He's been one of the great players for Richmond and he'll go down as one of the great forwards."

http://news.smh.com.au/belated-birthday-present-delights-richo/20080321-20v4.html

[Lozza]

Coach Terry Wallace conceded after the game: "Our use of the ball just wasn't up to standard in the first half."


http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23410603-19742,00.html

 

Look, i would be the first to admit that a win is a win and i was rapt to see the crowd go up (as i did in front of the tv) when Richo nailed his fifth goal and sealed the game well and truly. However we still display the same frustrating traits in our skill levels that just make you wonder how some of these guys get through junior football, get scouted and then make their ultimate dream, to play at the top level in the AFL.

Time after time our boys do something courageous only to undo the good work with a terrible mongrel punt that either results in a turnover or gives Richo no chance when leading in one direction and the ball goes in another. How can this happen when you have specialist coaches with these players 24/7. If an apprentice carpenter couldn't tap in a nail with a hammer continually then he would be given his marching orders, surely this simple skill of kicking a ball and hitting a target over 20 metres should be something they should be able to do in their sleep. What is going wrong, surely from watching all the replays that the clubs coaches utilise for tactics week to week should also be used to rectify these obvious skill deficiences. Perfect example was the fantastic exhibition of courage by Cleve Hughes where he would have heard footsteps backing to a pack but kept his eyes on the ball, took control and then ran towards goal, i am sure everyone who saw the game knows what happened next. If that was a Geelong youngster he would have nailed that goal from 40 metres! Why cant young tigers do the same, is this something our skills coaches at RFC are addressing or is it just put down to the pressure of the moment or bad luck. We won last night however deep down we all are aware that against a better side those skill errors would have cost us dearly, we need to address this problem and quickly or the courageous efforts of all will be wasted by a few costly blunders.

[Fishfinger]

But symbolic of Jackson's gradual climb to equal standing was when he kicked the first goal of the last quarter, a booming drop punt from 48m that gave the Tigers an eight-point lead.

Hey, Robbo. Those lines marked "150" last night are 50 mtrs out, not 40 or 45.

[Hellenic Tiger]

But symbolic of Jackson's gradual climb to equal standing was when he kicked the first goal of the last quarter, a booming drop punt from 48m that gave the Tigers an eight-point lead.

Hey, Robbo. Those lines marked "150" last night are 50 mtrs out, not 40 or 45.

It was beyond that. Jacko was in the centre square when he unleashed that bomb.