Media Articles and Stats: Tigers too strong for Bombers

[one-eyed]

Tigers too strong for Bombers
richmondfc.com.au
10:19 PM Sat 24 May, 2008


Richmond     5.3   10.8   12.10   16.14 (110)
Essendon     0.5   2.6   8.8   10.12 (72)

GOALS
Richmond: Brown 3, Edwards 3, Pettifer 2, Deledio, Foley, Hyde, Johnson, Richardson, Pattison, White
Essendon: Lloyd 4, Hille, Neagle, McVeigh, Monfries, Nash, Stanton

BEST
Richmond: Foley, Deledio, Brown, Pettifer, White, Edwards, Richardson
Essendon: Hille, Lloyd, Watson

INJURIES
Essendon: Ricky Dyson (suspected appendicitis) replaced in selected side by Jay Nash
Richmond: Graham Polak replaced in selected side by Kayne Pettifer

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Vozzo, Ryan

Official crowd: 60,333 at the MCG


RICHMOND has worked emphatically to post its third win of the season, holding off a gallant Essendon in the Dreamtime at the 'G clash on Saturday night.

The Tigers found their feet in the fourth quarter to win by 38 points -- 16.14 (110) to 10.12 (72), despite a third term dominated by the Bombers that had the ingredients to force a thrilling close.

Fifty points down at the main break, Jobe Watson (20 disposals) encouraged Essendon's threat to dominate the second half by starving Richmond at the stoppages.

Earlier, the Tigers had all of the answers in that facet of the game and many others, mostly through best-on-ground Nathan Foley (32 disposals) who punished the Bombers with almost every touch.

But that changed and, after kicking the last goal of the first half through Mark McVeigh, the Bombers found a new intensity to kick the first four goals of the third term that began with Jay Neagle.

Angus Monfries booted a nice goal from deep in the pocket before captain Matthew Lloyd added two in little more than a minute -- the first from a free kick 10m out.

His Richmond counterpart Kane Johnson replied and, when Nathan Brown (24 disposals) kicked his second, Essendon's momentum seemed snuffed.

However, Bomber Brent Stanton had other ideas, kicking his side's seventh, before ruckman David Hille brought fans to their feet with another to keep the gap at 26 points at the final change.

Brown kicked an important steadier to open the final term yet Richmond's defence -- led by Joel Bowden, Will Thursfield and Jake King -- worked to arrest another Essendon fightback.

Still a quick reply came from the Bombers came through Jay Nash, a late replacement for Ricky Dyson (suspected appendicitis), until Richmond found its attacking strengths once again.

Opportunities went beckoning after Matthew Richardson and Jordan McMahon slewed shots, though Deledio and Shane Edwards converted theirs to put the game beyond doubt.

Richardson made amends to kick his second while Essendon's efforts concluded with Lloyd's fourth.

The Tigers' victory was emphasised by its start, when first blood came through Brown, who crumbed a Richardson contest to goal after two earlier behinds within 20 seconds.

Matt White added another as the Bombers showed the worrying signs of recent weeks, and they continued.

Neagle and Lloyd missed chances to convert, then Richmond goaled through Foley, Edwards and Kayne Pettifer -- the latter a big bomb from outisde 50m.

Essendon small Leroy Jetta could have rewarded his side with two minutes remaining, but a shaky effort saw Richmond enter the first change with a 28-point lead.

Pettifer, a late replacement for key defender Graham Polak, kicked another to open the new term and was followed by Edwards who nailed his second after missing a chance moments earlier.

Twelve minutes into the term, Lloyd kicked the Bombers' first from 40m but there was little reason to celebrate as Richmond returned fire through Richardson; an average kick off the boot did all it needed to.

Adam Pattison kicked the Tigers' 10th major, before McVeigh's goal lifted his side's spirits despite the huge challenge it faced in the second half.

Formalities preceded the contest as a healthy crowd built to celebrate the relationship between the game and Indigenous Australia.

http://www.afl.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=60083

[one-eyed]

Team Stats

Disposals:      382 - 258
Efficiency%:     76 - 64
Kicks:            211 - 149
Handballs:      171 - 109
Con. Marks:        6 - 5
Uncon.Marks:  107 - 45
Tackles:           64 - 55
Clearances:      31 - 31
Clangers:         46 - 37
Frees:              21 - 27
Con. Possies:  114 - 116
Uncon.Possies: 265 - 132
Inside 50s:        51 - 39
Assists:             21 - 10

Individual Stats

player        D EFF% K H G B CM UM T CL C
   
Foley         32   63 13 19 1 1 0   3 8 5 6
Deledio      29   72 11 18 1 0 0   7 3 2 2
Brown        23   70 18   5 3 4 1   4 4 1 0
McMahon    22   82 14   8 0 2 0   6 4 1 2
Pettifer       22   86 14   8 2 0 0   8 3 3 2
Newman     19   84 11   8 0 0 0   6 2 0 3
Richardson  19   63 18   1 2 2 3 11 0 0 6
Simmonds  19   79 10   9 0 0 0   7 2 2 1
Bowden      18   94 11   7 0 0 0 10 1 1 1
White         17   82 11   6 1 0 0   2 6 3 0
Moore         16   81   9   7 0 0 0   2 4 0 1
Schulz        16   88   8   8 0 0 0   4 0 0 1
Tuck           16   75   5 11 0 0 0   5 2 3 3
Edwards     15   53 13   2 3 3 2   6 2 2 3
King           15   87   7   8 0 0 0   2 8 1 4
Johnson      14   64   8   6 1 0 0   4 3 1 2
Cotchin       13   77   4   9 0 0 0   3 1 1 0
Riewoldt     12   75   6   6 0 1 0   4 2 0 0
Tambling    12   58   7   5 0 0 0   4 3 1 3
Hyde          11   82   2   9 1 0 0   1 3 2 4
Pattison      11 100   6   5 1 0 0   4 1 2 0
Thursfield   11   64   5   6 0 0 0   4 2 0 2

player    FF FA CP UP I50 A   
   
Foley        3 2 13 19 2 1   
Deledio     1 1   8 20 5 2   
Brown       5 0   9 13 2 1   
McMahon   0 1   5 17 4 1   
Pettifer      0 2   5 17 5 3   
Newman    0 2   3 15 3 1   
Richardson 1 2   7 12 5 1   
Simmonds 0 0   3 16 4 2   
Bowden     2 0   4 14 2 1   
White        0 0   3 14 2 2   
Moore        1 0   3 12 1 0   
Schulz       1 0   7   9 2 1   
Tuck          1 2   8   8 1 0   
Edwards    0 2   3   9 1 0   
King         1 4   2 14 0 0   
Johnson    2 1   3 12 1 0   
Cotchin     0 0   5   7 1 3   
Riewoldt   0 0   4   8 3 0   
Tambling  1 2   6   8 4 2   
Hyde        1 4   7   5 1 0   
Pattison    1 0   4   7 2 0   
Thursfield 0 2   2   9 0 0   

[richmondrules]

Tackles:           64 - 55

Good to win the tackles.

Clangers:         46 - 37

Disappointing.

Con. Possies:  114 - 116

Surprised we lost this stat

Inside 50s:        51 - 39
Assists:             21 - 10

Good to win these two.

[one-eyed]

Pics from the game:

http://www.gspimages.com.au/photography/results/?q=collection:AFL%202008%20Rd%2009%20-%20Essendon%20v%20Richmond&sub_code=all

[one-eyed]

Tigers finally turn good form into a win
Karen Lyon | May 25, 2008

LAST year the annual Dreamtime match ended in heartbreak for Richmond and Matthew Richardson as a late and controversial free kick allowed the match to be snatched from their grasp.

The nightmare was exorcised last night as the Tigers and their superstar took to centre stage and strutted their stuff.

The Tigers' 38-point victory over the Bombers in front of 60,333 people could have been more after a dominant first half left the match well in their control.

The Tigers had all the run, Nathan Foley, Brent Deledio, Matthew Richardson, Jordan McMahon and Chris Newman were getting plenty of the ball and they were creative, helping to set up attack after attack for Richmond.

They had winners all over the field and, in the opening half at least, the only thing lacking for the Tigers was a contest.

While the lopsided scoreboard meant the game was always in Richmond's favour the match did become a more entertaining contest in the third quarter when the Bombers, trailing by 50 points, decided to throw caution to the wind.

They sent their best players into the middle of the ground and started finally to win some contested possession. They had been smashed in the first half by the Tigers, and in the third quarter David Hille became valuable in the ruck.

Mark McVeigh started showing his muscle in the middle of the field and a crunching tackle from Leroy Jetta had the Bomber faithful cheering.

Goals from Jay Neagle, Angus Monfries and two from the skipper Matthew Lloyd — including the goal of the night, where he backed away from Will Thursfield, turned and sliced through a grubber goal — remarkably had the Bombers within 26 points of Richmond and finally turned a pedestrian stroll into a solid contest.

Richmond had started the third quarter like a team with the four premiership points already in its pocket. It looked like it was content to sit on its substantial lead and not get dirty but Essendon's lift in intensity forced Richmond into a new gear. Kane Johnson's snap from close to the boundary line and a goal from Nathan Brown less than a minute later pushed Richmond back out to a 38-point lead. Late goals to Essendon courtesy of Hille and Monfries had underlined the Bombers' dominance in the third quarter. Richmond's lead had been cut in half in just one quarter of the match and a game that had threatened to end in a whimper at least had an element of contest at the last change.

Challenged for the first time in the match, Richmond was not to be denied. When Henry Slattery gave away a free kick to Brown 20 metres in front of the Tigers' goals, the classy forward went back and slotted through the goal — his third of the night — to re-establish a 31-point lead.

The Bombers continued to show the tenacity that had been lacking early and responded with a goal through Jay Nash. But while to prepared to run harder than they had shown earlier in the night, they could not get any closer than 24 points. The Tigers always had the answers and when the hard-working Deledio kicked his first goal of the night at the 13- minute mark of the final quarter, he took the lead out to 34 points and shut the door on the Bombers.

Essendon fans are entitled to ask why their team could not play with that level of intensity in the opening half of the match. Richmond had kicked the opening eight goals of the night and dominated every line of play. After conceding the last 13 goals of their match against Sydney last week, such an opening robbed Essendon of what little confidence it had left and by half-time it looked like a shell of a team.

The Tigers' dominance of the opening half showed up in just about every statistic. They had the ball on 217 occasions compared with Essendon's 126 touches. Richmond had taken 73 marks to Essendon's lowly 20 grabs. They had gone inside their 50-metre attacking zone on 27 occasions compared with Essendon's 17, and what was impressive what their scoring ability. They were making Essendon pay for their many mistakes.

The Bombers' lack of defensive pressure was evident from the first minutes of the game. The Tigers' forwards had just too much space.

Much has been made of Richmond's improved football so far this season but for all the accolades, the Tigers had not won a match for more than a month.

Last night they converted that improvement into four premiership points.

BEST:
Richmond: Foley, Deledio, Richardson, Brown, Moore, Edwards.

THE UPSHOT
With yet another cracking midfield performance, Nathan Foley won the boomerang for best on ground in the Dreamtime at the 'G match. Come Brownlow night, teammate Matthew Richardson will know that he missed out on votes.

TALKING POINT
Early on fans were pondering the record for the number of consecutive goals a team had conceded. The actual figure will be one for the statisticians, but Essendon conceded 21 when you combine the 13-straight kicked by the Swans last week to close out their match, and the eight majors the Tigers opened with last night.

HOT AND COLD
Pretty much both teams at different stages. The Tigers looked set for a massive win, only to fall asleep in the third term, while Essendon seemed unlikely to muster a goal, only to get within a few kicks as it surged in the third.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/tigers-turn-form-into-victory/2008/05/24/1211183193653.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[one-eyed]

Richmond breaks through
AAP | May 25, 2008

AFTER a month of playing decent football, Richmond broke through for a victory against struggling Essendon without having to play particularly well.
 
The Tigers, who led by as much as 54 points during the second quarter after the Bombers started the match in dismal fashion, won the Dreamtime at the G encounter 16.14 (110) to 10.12 (72).

While the Tigers worked hard and tackled strongly, their early dominance was as much to do with the dreadful first half display by Essendon as with any brilliance of their own.

The Tigers kicked five goals to none in the first quarter, most of them coming as a result of Essendon mistakes.

Two of Richmond's first three goals came after Bombers players spilled uncontested marks, while their fifth came after a Kyle Reimers kick out of defence picked out Tigers ruckman Troy Simmonds.

The Tigers were dominating possession, going harder at the ball in the packs and tackling with more vigour, with Essendon at times letting Richmond players run past them with the ease of a training drill.

Richmond added three simple goals in the first six minutes of the second quarter to have eight majors on the board by the time skipper Matthew Lloyd kicked the Bombers' first midway through the second term.

Essendon came out showing much more desperation in the second half, no doubt after some stern words from coach Matthew Knights, and gradually cut into Richmond's 50-point half-time lead.

When Lloyd kicked two goals about a minute apart the Bombers were back within 26 points some 18 minutes into the third term.

After Richmond kicked the next two, the Bombers again reduced the margin to 26 after Brent Stanton and David Hille both threaded through quality shots from near the right-hand boundary.

They had the chance to cut the margin to 20 points nearing the last change, but Angus Monfries missed a set shot from about 20m after being handed a 50m penalty.

While they never threatened the Tigers in the final term, they at least kept the margin more respectable than the 10-goal plus beltings they have copped in the past three rounds.

Midfielders Nathan Foley and Brett Deledio were standouts for Richmond throughout the night, winning plenty of the ball as well as kicking a goal each, while Matthew Richardson put in another strong-marking performance.

Zippy Aboriginal half-forward Shane Edwards also played well in a match created to celebrate the indigenous contribution to the AFL, finding plenty of space in attack for three goals, although he could have had plenty more if not for some poor kicking.

Nathan Brown, with 3.4, also let himself down with inaccuracy, while Kayne Pettifer kicked two goals as well as working hard further up the ground in a solid return in his first game in the senior side since round three.

For the Bombers, senior players Mark McVeigh, in the midfield, and Lloyd at full-forward worked hard to get them back into the match after their poor start, with Hille also good.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23754275-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Dons 'disgraceful'- coach
Jon Pierik | May 25, 2008

ANGRY Essendon coach Matthew Knights last night savagely ripped into his team for 30 minutes behind closed doors after blaming a "disgraceful" first-half effort for a 38-point defeat against Richmond.

The Dreamtime at the 'G quickly became a nightmare as the Bombers were mauled in dropping their sixth-straight match on a night dedicated to the impact Australia's Indigenous players have had on the game.

The Bombers conceded the opening eight goals and took until the 12-minute mark of the second term to log their first major.

This meant they had given up 21 straight goals, if the final 13 kicked by the Swans last week at ANZ Stadium was taken into account.

Trailing by 50 points at half-time, the Bombers outscored the Tigers by four goals in the third term but the contest was already over.

"We need to improve and develop because we weren't good enough in a number of areas in the first half," Knights said. "It was a poor, disgraceful effort in the first half.

"When you look at the statistics, there were 37 uncontested marks to Richmond in the first quarter.

"When we put the screws in and decided to play, 11 in the third quarter. I thought it was the worst half for the year definitely."

The future doesn't look any better for the Bombers who play Adelaide and the unbeaten Hawks in the next two rounds.

Knights said the efforts of struggling skipper Matthew Lloyd, who kicked three of his four goals after halftime, and fellow veteran Dustin Fletcher were symptomatic of what went wrong.

"It was two halves. If you look at the skipper, I thought in the first half he was a little bit down, it wasn't what we liked," Knights said.

"I thought in the second half he provided a big target, he stayed in the contest, he was really animated.

"Fletcher a bit the same. He started slowly but in the second half he was better on his coverage, he was competing better in the air."

The Tigers' third win of the season ensures they remain in top-eight contention, but Terry Wallace's men face a major test against Sydney at the SCG on Sunday.

Midfielder Nathan Foley continued his fine season in the midfield and was judged best afield, while the likes of Jordan McMahon and Brett Deledio also provided plenty of drive.

Matthew Richardson ignored the knee soreness and put in another dominant performance, while reborn Joel Bowden was a fine contributor.

Kayne Pettifer was a late inclusion and was impressive with two goals.

"Our attack on the ball and man was excellent," Wallace said.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23754209-19742,00.html

[mightytiges]

Dream on Dons, growing Richmond is well ahead
Martin Blake | May 25, 2008

THE strains of the beautifully simple, profoundly evocative Paul Kelly song From Little Things, Big Things Grow rang out around the MCG before last night's Dreamtime game.

The song is about the Gurindji stockmen who went on strike for better wages at Wave Hill in WA in the 1960s. But Kelly and Kev Carmody and Peter Garrett (among others), who belted it out from the middle of the colosseum last night, could just as easily have been singing about Richmond.

The Tigers are in the course of building something substantial themselves under Terry Wallace, and last night, they made some more progress.

Precisely how much progress, it's difficult to say, because the opposition, Essendon, is confirmed as a basket case for 2008. The Bombers were so inept in the first half last night that they went to the long break 50 points down. Right now, with Scott Lucas out of the side, it is close to the worst team in the competition.

But Richmond did what it had to, securing a 38-point win before 60,333 people, grinding away at the frail bodies of its opponents and pushing hard into space.

The Dreamtime game was a little flat, which probably is no surprise since the combatants are both bottom-eight teams. Richmond is moving, and may be on the way back. Essendon is in the initial stages of that process and bleeding badly. It was the Bombers' sixth consecutive defeat.

The Tigers managed to set the tone early, and it was Matthew Richardson who showed there would be no beg-pardons. He launched himself into a marking contest in the goal mouth so manically that bodies were strewn everywhere afterward, the scene resembling a road crash. His teammate Nathan Brown waltzed in to kick the goal.

Richmond proceeded to kick the first eight goals of the match, and at this point what is meant to be a big occasion was shaping as a major embarrassment. Since Sydney had booted the last 13 goals of the previous weekend's game against Essendon, it meant the Bombers had conceded 21 consecutive goals without bothering the scorers, an astonishing statistic.

It took until the 11-minute mark of the second quarter for Matthew Lloyd to break the drought with a straight kick from 40 metres. Essendon's disposal skills were so woeful that the crowd grew restless — one of the biggest cheers of the night came 27 minutes into the second quarter, when David Hille hoofed the football forward after a string of about 10 dreadful handballs, generally to players already manned up, or along the ground, or on the wrong side of a running player.

Yet Essendon hung in, conjuring a good third quarter when Lloyd intervened. He had spent much of the first quarter getting cold at full-forward while his teammates butchered the football up the field, but when they used it effectively, he looked dangerous. The Bombers kicked six goals to two for the third quarter and momentarily threatened to make it a contest.

Then Richmond steadied, through the work rate of Nathan Foley and Brett Deledio around the ball and the opportunism of Nathan Brown and Shane Edwards up forward. Edwards, in his 23rd game, booted three in an encouraging performance. It is not widely known he has indigenous heritage, with an Aboriginal grandmother.

He was one of the young players best-afield Foley praised later. "There are a lot of players starting to feel comfortable at the level," he said. "They're starting to play a pretty exciting brand of football."

Essendon bordered on the respectable, at least not conceding a poultice of goals. But this will be cold comfort to Matthew Knights, who coached against his old team for the first time. Knights stuck with his mantra, not putting numbers behind the ball, not employing any hard tags. But the Essendon fans were on their way up the aisles halfway through the last quarter; they know they are in for a long wait.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/dream-on-dons-growing-richmond-is-well-ahead/2008/05/25/1211183201031.html?page=fullpage