Tigers banish improved Dees
IT took longer than expected and yet a Richmond victory always seemed inevitable.
A combination of Tiger waste, particularly inside the forward 50, and Melbourne’s improved intensity maintained the intrigue until early in the last quarter at the MCGyesterday.
Really, Richmond’s winning margin should have been more pronounced than 34 points. The Tigers’ 14 extra scoring shots told a stark tale of their dominance for large slices of a contest that rarely induced more than spirited applause from the 39,148 fans.
Richmond should have put the game beyond reach early in the third quarter – four misses from as many set shots in as many minutes kept the dogged Demons alive.
But the warning signs were flashing as several telling Tiger moves started to stretch Melbourne’s elastic-like resistance to breaking point.
Midfielder Dustin Martin went forward to show how it’s done with three goals, the last early in the final term that effectively sealed the deal.
The Demons desperately needed that first goal themselves, but the depleted forward set-up just couldn’t find a way.
Pacy Aaron Davey had provided hope with three goals in a sparkling third-quarter display. But he didn’t get a sniff when rugged Tiger defender Steven Morris trotted to his side for the start of the second half. Morris even ran hard to create a target deep inside 50 to help himself to a telling goal when the match was still in the balance midway through the third term.
And Richmond infused even more run when Matt White was subbed on to replace taller forward Luke McGuane early in the third quarter.
The Tiger’ belief that they really are on the rise this time was buoyed by the continued improvement from young players like midfielder Brandon Ellis and rebounding half-back Nick Vlastuin.
Ellis hunted the ball in a manner as effective as Hawk ace Sam Mitchell to rack up a staggering 39 possessions. Not a bad day’s work for a teenager who hasn’t reached 30 AFL games yet. THERE are moments in footy games that mean more than others.
When Richmond’s Nick Vlastuin goaled in the 21st minute of yesterday’s second quarter you knew for all of Melbourne’s efforts, it was going to fall short.
A minute earlier Aaron Davey was fed the ball from a forward pocket pack. The veteran had time to slot what would have been his third goal for the quarter and put Melbourne in front. Instead he did the team thing and centred it.
Neville Jetta dropped the mark and Tigers captain Trent Cotchin won the hard ball. He handed off to Jake Batchelor, kept running, cleared off half-back to Vlastuin in
And Vlastuin similarly displayed composure far beyond his years and experience with 25 touches and admirable influence in the back half.
Throw in the steady form of Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio and the Tigers can prepare for Saturday night’s Dreamtime at the G with confidence and genuine belief.
To no one’s surprise, Melbourne players attacked the ball and the ballcarrier with renewed vigour, a vast improvement on the previous week’s meek effort. And most tackles stuck this time in the heartening show of competitiveness.
The Demons stayed in the contest for so long through their work ethic. They ran and spread well when they had possession.
Richmond was wasteful in the first half with just two goals from 15 inside entries in the first term.
‘‘If you don’t take those chances and the other side kicks reasonably straight, they just hang around,’’ Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said.
He said he spoke to his players after the game about conceding easy goals.
‘‘When you’re giving away 50-metre penalties and undisciplined frees like ‘Kingy’ (Jake King) did, it’s disappointing,’’ Hardwick said.
Hardwick said the Tigers (5-3 winloss) played OK in spurts against tough opposition.
A push and shove involving almost every player after the half-time siren reflected the tone of the day – neither team was going to take a backward step in this one. But the sheer weight of scoring opportunities for the Tigers meant they were always going to have the last laugh.