Tigers run of the Mills
HAVING made five forced changes from the team that defeated Melbourne last week, it probably shouldn’t come as a shock that Richmond battled for cohesion on Sunday.
Even when rain began to sweep across the Gabba from the second quarter onwards — conditions that often suit the frenetic Tigers — they struggled to put the dogged Swans away.
Playing with an undersized backline, Sydney locked up Richmond’s forwards by using Callum Mills as a spare defender, constantly blocking the Tigers’ path.
It made for dull football but Richmond could not solve the riddle.
However, its own organised defence was rarely tested, conceding just 11 scoring shots, and two wins on the trot now puts the premier back into the top eight with plenty of room for improvement.
TOM TURNS TIDE
TOM Lynch had quite the week. After breaking his finger against Melbourne seven days earlier, he made a late dash to Queensland to join his teammates in their hub.
The former Gold Coast captain looked like he might be in for a big day when Sydney decided just prior to the match to replace key defender Aliir Aliir with the smaller Robbie Fox.
It wasn’t to be, though, as Fox kept Lynch without a touch in the first half, effectively halving any aerial balls that came their way.
However, with his team struggling to score, Lynch stood tall in the third term, taking a powerful contested mark against Dane Rampe and converting from 45m.
It turned the tide and Richmond never looked back.
NEW-LOOK MIDFIELD
LOSING three of their midfield prime-movers was always going to change the dynamic in the middle of the ground for the Tigers.
No Dion Prestia (ankle), Trent Cotchin (hamstring) or Shane Edwards (left in Melbourne for family reasons) exposed some younger, less experienced heads to the coalface.
Shai Bolton took his chance with both hands, compiling 14 touches and a goal, although he faded as the game wore on.
Jack Graham was strong (16 touches), despite giving away a reversed free kick for slinging Will Hayward to the turf, while Marlion Pickett (11) also had his moments.
Dustin Martin kicked an early goal but had little further influence.
MILLS AND BOOM
THE Tigers kicked the first three goals of the match and the scoreboard looked like getting out of hand for the Swans.
With Mills failing to get near it in the first quarter, coach John Longmire threw him behind the ball in the second as the spare defender.
For the next two quarters Richmond proceeded to kick it to Mills again and again … and again.
Not only did he sweep up ground balls, but he took intercept marks, and along with Isaac Heeney looked the most likely source of anything positive from the Swans.
Mills finished with a gamehigh 29 disposals, 15 of which were intercepts.