DUSTY OWNS THE DREAMTIME GAME
Tigers star delights Top End fans at TIO
VOTE 1 Richmond and Indigenous Round games in the Northern Territory.
In the first Dreamtime Game away from the MCG – a special night for NT football and election night in the Territory – the Tigers overcame stifling humidity, early inaccuracy and a plucky Essendon to secure a 10.13 (73) to 10.1 (61) victory in their historic clash in Darwin last night.
Richmond was the better side all game but booted 1.8 to start and could not put the match away until the fourth term.
Fittingly, four of the game’s first six goals were kicked by Indigenous players: debutant Irving Mosquito (two), Shai Bolton and Daniel Rioli.
Essendon made a whopping seven changes going into the game, dropping six players, and the Bombers stayed with the Tigers slotting three consecutive majors in the final term.
Richmond made its run either side of the main break, kicking five goals in a row before James Stewart broke the streak.
Bolton (28 disposals) won the best-on-ground medal after a sizzling performance.
The last goal of the match was kicked by Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, who drew the biggest cheers all night.
Essendon has found a player in Mosquito.
Excuse the pun but there was a buzz about the Halls Creek, Western Australiaraised small forward ahead of his debut match and he delivered with two goals.
Mosquito, who turns 20 tomorrow, booted a goal with his first kick, 16 minutes into the match, to register the Bombers’ opening major.
It prompted a huge roar from the crowd but the best was yet to come.
In the second term Mosquito swooped on a ball at halfforward at pace, took a bounce then finished smoothly on his left foot.
Essendon was able to hang around because it was far more efficient in attack than Richmond, but it was always going to be difficult for the Bombers to win when they were on the wrong end of a big inside 50 discrepancy.
Richmond led the statistic 29-9 after the second term, 43-16 at the last break and it finished 66-24.
The Tigers eventually overcame their early inaccuracy after starting 1.8 then nailing their next six shots in a pivotal stretch of the game either side of halftime.
Tiwi Islands products Rioli and McDonald-Tipungwuti were the faces of the preDreamtime Game promotion and they were crowd favourites last night.
McDonald- Tipungwuti kicked the first goal of the last term to trim the margin to nine points.
Earlier, he brilliantly chased down an unaware Oleg Markov to win a holding-the-ball free.
Rioli kicked the last major of the first half and should have had another one or two in the final term but passed the first off then missed the second.
McDonald- Tipungwuti kicked his second goal just before fulltime.