Tigers wary of Cats’ two-pronged attack
RICHMOND’S defence will have to do a lot more than just blunt the Tomahawk in tonight’s blockbuster against Geelong.
While Tom Hawkins’ barnstorming form means he is the player to watch at the MCG, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick warns there is much more to the Cats’ attack than their star key forward (right).
Hardwick said the Cats were now a more attacking side than the one that pushed Richmond for three quarters in Round 13.
Hawkins has kicked bags of seven in his past two games, putting him second on the Coleman Medal leaderboard,
“Obviously I feel like I am playing some pretty good footy, some pretty consistent footy.
“On the other hand, I never felt like I was entitled to a game.
“I did realise the hard work does have to be done and that was done last year and this year. “It’s been a long grind.” Abbott was the dominant ruckman in the GFL during his time at that level, consistently tearing teams to shreds in the middle of the ground.
He did do a pre-season with Geelong’s VFL side under Matthew Knights before missing the cut.
But he would return with Shane O’Bree in charge and score a place on the list.
By the end of 2016 he was on Geelong’s AFL list after being taken with pick 69 in the national draft.
That is when the hard work started for Abbott. He had to repay Geelong’s faith in him.
“I had a pretty injury interrupted first pre-season which obviously didn’t help,” Abbott said.
“To really build up a big tank, to be able to run out games. I spent some time working on forward craft, marking craft (this pre-season).
“Being able to work with the other rucks day in and day out helped us all hone our ruck craft.
“Having Brad Ottens as well, he has been a massive impact on my ruck work and my follow up work after the contest as well.
“It’s a really big range of things that have helped me, I feel.”
Abbott says tonight’s debut is a dream. It is also a chance to prove he has what it takes to play at the highest level.
“To get the opportunity to do it against a really good quality premiership ruckman in (Toby) Nankervis. I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. but teammate Daniel Menzel also kicked three goals last week in his third game back from injury.
Hawkins and Menzel will be crucial for Geelong, with Richmond’s key defensive trio of Alex Rance, David Astbury and Dylan Grimes in top form.
“He only needs five or six kicks to damage a game — that’s what good players do,” Hardwick said of Hawkins.
“Then Menzel is another guy who gets under a lot of sides’ guards.
“We have some players there who we’ll back in — obviously with Dave and Alex, who will play there around Tom, depending on where he lines up.
“Then we have Grimesy … we’re really happy with the mix of our back three.”
In a quirk of the draw, this will be the fourth time Richmond and Geelong will have met since Round 21 last year.
The Cats had a big win at home, but Richmond easily beat them in a qualifying final and then pulled away in Round 13 after an even three quarters.
“They did some things that troubled us. We’ll go to work on a few of those things,"’ Hardwick said of the sides’ most recent clash.
“They probably have changed a little bit, the way they’ve played, as well.
“They’re probably a little bit more attacking now, than I think they have been.”
Meanwhile, muchimproved Richmond defender Jayden Short has become the latest player to sign a new contract with the defending AFL premier. Short was unlucky to miss out on last year’s flag-winning team, having played 16 successive senior games before being dropped late in the season.
But the long-kicking 22-year-old is now an integral member of the Tigers’ back six.
Short’s previous deal wold have run out at the end of this season and he would have attracted interest from rival clubs had he chosen to test his value in the market.
Rance, forward Jack Riewoldt and exciting first-year midfielder Jack Higgins have also agreed to new deals.