TIGERS TOPPLE EAGLES
Richmond brought the high-flying West Coast Eagles back to earth at Metricon Stadium last night, winning their round 14 AFL clash by 27 points.
EXACTLY two months ago there were question marks about Richmond’s premiership defence when the Tigers fell to a 1-2-1 record after a 26-point loss to St Kilda on June 27.
Now Damien Hardwick’s side is well on track to win a third grand final in four seasons, having disposed of fellow flag fancy West Coast by 27 points at Metricon Stadium on Thursday night, making it eight victories from its past 10 matches and five of six.
In a clash between fourth and fifth, and the past two grand final winners, both sides brought fierce tackling pressure from the outset and only a goal separated them at halftime.
But Richmond broke the game open during the second quarter via four consecutive goals, highlighted by from moments of brilliance by Dustin Martin and Jack Riewoldt, who assisted a Jason Castanga major.
West Coast answered, thanks to three goals from Jack
Darling, including one after the three-quarter time siren, which cut the lead to 14 points and gave the Eagles a sniff. But once Tom Lynch and Noah Balta, who shone again at fullback, kicked the first two majors of the last quarter, the result was sealed, the loss ending West Coast’s eight-game winning streak.
Richmond was able to blunt West Coast’s aerial game, only coughing up two contested marks and having 10 itself.
A week after he had five contested marks in the Eagles’ win over GWS, Jeremy McGovern had none against the Tigers. With McGovern, Richmond made a contest every time he flew for the ball and trying to avoid lofting the ball for inside 50 entries.
West Coast lost spearhead Josh Kennedy to concussion midway through the first quarter after he copped an accidental knee to the face from Noah Balta during a marking contest, while the Tigers were without defender Dylan Grimes from the second term due to a hamstring injury.
Richmond also faces a wait to determine the severity of Dylan Grimes’s injury.