Elimination Final - Richmond v Carlton - A Father & Son Journey

Finally, after 12 suffering years our beloved Richmond Football Club has made finals.

15 glorious wins and we finished 5th on the ladder, for me finishing 5th exceeded my expectations or this year - I had thought they would finish 7th or 8th. 5th meant we finished higher than Collingwood, Carlton and Port which was an awesome feeling.


Fans Leaving Messages for the players prior to game



The Elimination final for me meant far more than it did for most, for me it was my first ever live final - of course I watched their finals in 2001 & 1995 however it was the first time I had gone and watched them play it. Being in Adelaide its far harder for me to get to the games like a local melbourne sider would but I was determined this time, as soon as I knew they were in and what day they were playing - I would be there!

This in itself was huge but the proudest part of it all for me was sharing this first final experience with my son, Noah, who would also see his first ever final.

Monday morning came like a bang, the anxiety was huge and my stress levels were peaking! I had a heap of tasks to get done, firstly, book annual leave - whilst looking at flights Sunday night I realised getting there wouldn't be the problem, it was flying home the same night that would be. Not only was it very close to the end of the game (within 2 hours) but it was also going to cost over $350 each to fly home... I think not!

Second was getting the tickets, my son was previously a Cotchy Club member and not eligible for tickets, the team in the membership department suggested I sign him up for the $1 special that was happening - this way he could get tickets. Only problem, his sale went on @ 11am... I was stressing I wouldn't get any by then and they'd be all sold out!

Third on the list was flights, I knew I could fly in nicely with Jetstar for approx $100 each, the stress would be how to get home, we managed to score seats on Virgin the day after for $150 which was good.



Fourth and final was accommodation, I remember back 12 odd years ago I flew my wife and I over to Melbourne to not only watch a game but also take her out for dinner. Being I spent most of our cash on horse drawn carriages and dinner at the Windsor.. I spent less on accommodation.. we stumbled upon a place called the George Powlett, astonishingly it was 2 minutes walking distance from the MCG. I immediately looked it up for this trip, as really, all Noah and I need is a roof, 2 beds and thats bout it. Booked!

I broke the news to Noah later that night, we were all booked, he and I would fly out first thing Sunday Morning and would be on our way to the glorious home of football. His face was priceless, he loves his Melbourne Trips.



Crossing the bridge to Adelaide Airport



Speaking with alot of people via twitter one thing was common, the week was going just too damn slow!

Finally, Saturday night approached, we had our backpacks filled and our Richmond Flags ready to go. Before I knew it the alarm was going off and I snuck in and woke Noah up - 5 minutes to get ready and head straight for the airport.

The plane departed Adelaide nicely and it was clear skies toward Melbourne! Noah and I love flying and pretty much our favourite destination is Melbourne to watch our beloved Tigers, but this trip just meant so much more. I could sense Noah was extremely edgy about the game, 10 minutes in he announced there were no games to play on his DS... I said whats wrong with the 30 you have.. they're all boring...

Just like that we touched down in Melbourne, colder than normal but god it felt good to be back!

We arrived at our hotel, the George Powlett, which is a 2 minute walk to the MCG and about 5 mins to Bridge Road - awesome, the plan was to get our Guernseys on and have everything we were going to take to the game and go for a wander down Bridge Road to see what the shops had to offer..

 

That plan was quickly shelved as we stared out the window and saw one of the great Light Towers, we quickly got dressed, grabbed our flags and departed for the MCG. As we crossed the road we approached a bridge and noticed the train line in the picture opposite, I'm jealous of the public transport in Melbourne, it all makes sense and is so widely used - Adelaide we have a failing bus and train system and one Tram...

We made a quick detour as we noticed the gates weren't yet open, 3pm game and we were there @ 12.. is that too much to ask haha. The detour landed us at Punt Road Oval, more importantly, amongst the masses, we moved into the Tiger Den to see if any specials were available. Being we spent so much travelling to and from Melbourne we decided to not spend much on merchandise.. In the end I bought Noah a Dustin Martin hat which was on sale (Now I know why!!) and a player badge.

Before we knew it we were sitting at the G eating one of the most expensive souvlakis and hot dogs available, as we approached our seats (affectionately adorned as the "Nose Bleed" section), we sat down knowing 2 and a half hours to go..

Thankfully the MCG was playing the replay of the last time Richmond and Carlton played each other in a final, it was 2001 and what a glorious win and year we had!

We watched as the crowd slowly poured into the ground, the sea of Yellow & Black was starting to take shape. 

Suddenly - just like a switch had been flicked, the ground was full and Carlton was running onto the ground - the stadium filled with jeers and boo's as they crashed through their banner!

Like a flash of lightning the crowd lifted and watched as Richmond entered the stadium, the roar of the crowd was deafening as we all sang the song whilst clapping them. I took a moment and looked over at Noah, his face and jubilation was everything I wanted to see - there were nerves, just like me, but I wanted everything for him to see and witness what it would be like to sit and cheer along with 94,000 others. I must admit some happy tears started to form.

The siren sounded and like the whole world flashed before our eyes the game began.

Carlton made the first dent on the scoreboard but failed to execute early chances and our Tigers gained their feet and started to maintain the midfield well, Ivan Maric was dominating the taps early and you could see Martin, Cotch, Ellis, Jackson and Deledio all full of run and gaining good possessions.

The loss of Conca was mixed emotions, we just lost one of our key rotating midfielders but we saw early the addition of Shane Tuck who was earlier was listed as the sub.

At quarter time we held on to a minor lead of just 8 points.

Carlton again kicked an early goal in the 2nd quarter but after that it was all Richmond, the midfield completely dominated the 2nd quarter helping us pile on 7 goals to 4 and holding on to a handy 26 point lead at half time.

At this point Carlton looked a different team, body language was down and the Tigers and their supporters were full of roar!

Sitting there at half time though a sudden rush of nerve began to grow, we've been in this position before against Carlton, had awesome quarters then fallen asleep - god not today!

Just like that the switch had again been flicked, Carlton bounced into action. They applied massive pressure and hit the midfield running led by their former Captain Chris Judd, they dominated the 3rd quarter and all our players could do was scratch their heads and attempt to stem the bleeding...

By the 4th quarter the signs were there, Carlton had clawed their way back and not long into the final term had finally hit the lead. 50,000+ Tiger supporters all sat quietly in their seats as the unthinkable was starting to unfold, Carlton, boised by a huge running effort hit the lead and never looked back.

Sitting 3 goals down I think we were some absolute Maric brilliance brought one of the goals of the game, the roar from the crowd was second to none, we all stood screaming for joy as he too sprinted back to the middle trying to lift his team. But it wasn't to be as the next chance on goal went as one of our guns tripped over on the half forward and the ball spilled Carltons way as did the rest of the game.

Watching the time click over it was beginning to hit home, with a minute to go I sat in my chair, staring blankly at the ground - how and why the hell did this happen... The supporters were already on the march out of the ground, the Carlton crowd - along with some over the top drunk Tiger Supporters yelled abuse as they left early. 

The siren sounded and that was it, the Carlton crowd lept off their chairs and the sound was deafening, I looked to Noah who had tears flowing from his eyes - the look of a defeated 9 year old, the sadness and anger in his eyes were just too sad for me, I too had tears in my eyes (I'm starting to tear up again whilst writing this some 2 weeks after the fact...), I wrapped my arms around him and consoled him as best I could. The poor bugger!

Noah asked if we could leave and I suggested we stay to allow the crowd to die down a bit so easier to walk out. We both sat in our chairs staring blankly at the ground as the Tigers left for the changerooms but more importantly Shane Tuck received his final farewell, we stood and cheered him off then again sat quietly. Time seemed to pass slowly but before we knew it a considerable time had passed.. I gathered Noah up and said lets head back to the hotel, as we approached the stairs a sea of supporters were already waiting trying to leave also.

All I remember is just saying to Noah, 1) stay absolutely with me, 2) don't react to anything anyone says to you, 3) never leave my side.

An ocean of supporters both Richmond and Carlton ascended outside the MCG, some drunk and some abusive. We made our way peacefully and unscathed through the crowd and made it to the bridge we earlier crossed, we watched in shock as the train station which before was empty, was flooded with people all wanting to get the first train. It was madness and I was really worried someone could be hurt or killed.

We hit the hotel and sat on our beds still in shock. Later we peeled ourselves from the hotel room and made our way down Bridge Road to try and find something kid friendly for Noah and I to have some dinner. We stumbled a fair way down and came across a BBQ place with burgers and souvlaki - awesome, souvlaki is one of the best pick me up foods available! Noah and I sat, silently, as we waited for our food. Just after it arrived a shriek of horror came from Noah - a Carlton poster was on the wall... god dammit. I said its ok cos theres Richmond ones too as I pointed to the other side of the room.. Poor Noah, he was just so shattered.

After that we headed off in pursuit of dessert! On our quest we found the golden arches of Maccas - awesome - McFlurries all round!

Well this was our take on the Tigers finals push, I wanted to word this more so on the positives rather than the negatives, to do so would push me back into the stage of Anger I held onto tightly for many days. We returned back to Adelaide beaten, still angry but loved the experience. 

Ok the Tigers lost, but to me this game represented far more than just a final. To me, this was one of the moments in time I shared with my son which I will treasure for the rest of my life, this final was the first live final both he and I had ever been too. To share that moment with him, along with 94,000 others was electrifying. The sound, the atmosphere, the jubilation, the nerves, the gasping and finally the sadness and anger - it all created the trip of a lifetime for us despite the result.

I do hope this isn't the only time we'll be able to do this but for me this trip meant everything and meant much more than Richmond winning. 

Well I hope you liked our take on the Tigers Elimination Final, its hard I know but drawing your own positives from this extremely bad result has helped ease the pain in some way - but, the focus for us was always the experience and nothing more.

Regards

Bo_Gas

Richmond Tigers - Rounds 22 - 23

Hi All,

Well I intended on seperate articles for the two rounds however was very sick last week with the flu and barely moved from the couch at all...

Lets get started with Round 22 with the trip to Sydney to tackle GWS:

Shameful to say this I was a little worried heading to GWS for this game, not sure why in the end but thought geez we could be in danger - 2 and a bit hours later I knew that was a complete laugh. Actually prob 40 minutes in...

I was really pleased to see Aaron Edwards get another chance, he is a real force to have on our side as the third scoring option - I think he needs to be a regular if we are to be a team to go further in the finals than just the first round.

GWS to their credit started well getting some good score on the board early, but that was about it for the rest of the game, a good start and then fell apart from there.

Jeremy Cameron is touted as one of the best forwards in the game, only young too, any team in their right mind would go for him - I really hope he's a Tiger one day! Sitting not far from the potential Coleman Medal - Alex Rance has his work cut out for him.

By quarter time the Tigers held the lead by 10 points but the signs were there they were about to unleash.

And Unleash they did! They massed a huge 11 goal term for the 2nd quarter with Aaron Edwards amongst the goal kickers as the Tigers pushed out to an 80 point lead.

GWS put on 3 goals during the 3rd quarter but it was by far not enough as the Tigers added another 10 goals in the last half to secure a 121 point win, one of their biggest and best. Ok its against GWS but it was the way the Tigers controlled the ball in every area of the ground that was the noticeable factor.

Alex Rance was superb down back keeping one of the Coleman favourites goalless, Troy Chaplin was his partner in crime taking many marks down back and rebounding nicely. Dusty Martin, off the back of one of his worst games as a Tiger put in a real solid effort and for most was best on ground, Ellis and Conca were great in patches.

For me it was the emergence of Aaron Edwards, 5 goals but looked ominous up forward - as I said earlier, he will be a great addition heading into finals.

Cotch was subbed off in the 3rd quarter which was a wise move, why risk the captain when we are so far infront...

Best for me was Rance, Martin, Conca & Edwards

Really, most will agree, the Tigers weren't in full flight, most of the time they moved the ball around slowly like a training drill. It looked very half pace at times as they moved the ball with ease - almost resembling a circle work drill we do at trainings!

Final Scores:

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 3.0 3.1 6.4 6.6 (42)

RICHMOND 4.4 15.9 19.10 25.13 (163)

GOALS

Greater Western Sydney: Jaksch, Greene, Sumner, Shiel, Scully, Adams

Richmond: A.Edwards 5, Conca 3, Ellis 3, Vickery 2, Houli 2, Grigg 2, Maric 2, Petterd 2, Morris, Riewoldt, S.Edwards, King

BEST

Greater Western Sydney: Adams, Scully, Shiel, Tomlinson

Richmond: Martin, Conca, Grigg, Houli, Maric, Edwards, Rance, Chaplin, Vickery

INJURIES

Greater Western Sydney: Liam Sumner (Achilles)

Richmond: Nil

Official crowd: 12,314 at Skoda Stadium

Round 23 - Richmond v Essendon

This week the Tigers took on the much talked about Essendon team, the Bombers are satcherated in the media and everything social media with the Drugs controversy, In the end the AFL handed down a rather small punishment compared to what most were expecting.

No finals, $2m fine and some other small smacks over the backside. Hird is out for 12 months but in true AFL fashion they went soft, allowing him to coach if they make the finals in 2014. Noticeable thing was Hird is not banned from the club like they did to Trigg from the Crows.

What annoys me is Watson retained his Brownlow despite his admissions and the fact the AFL had evidence of the drugs used the year he won it. To me, he should have been stripped.

Demetriou's involvement too seems to have been whiped clean as the head with his exorborant salary gets out of jail, one might think the early plea allowed him to miss any information being released should it all go to court... Early acceptance by the Bombers looks to have kept him in his job, despite the poor performance he has had since his early tenure.

Ok enough of the Bombers and the sad state they are in.

Tigers were favourites which for me was suprising considering the Tigers were easing their way towards September and the Bombers still had alot to play for, respect.

But from the start of the game the Tigers controlled the ball, adding early goals and capitalising on poor turnovers and kicking for goal by Essendon, one missing from inside the goal square...

The Tigers however did enough to control the game and take charge in their way, not the Bombers. However the controlling environment made it for a scrappy event with the scoreboard not ticking over as much as the crowd anticipated.

The game opened up in the 3rd with the Tigers kicking 6 goals to the Bombers reply of only 3, the big winner though was Daniel Jackson and Dusty Martin, they were both fantastic in the 3rd amassing possessions and dominating their opposition players.

The third quarter also brought in the crowd favourite, Shane Tuck, who earlier had announced his retirement of AFL, hopefully this was his decision and not the clubs as Tucky, in my mind, could play another 2 years easily! He has been a favourite of our house for some time and all the supporters love him.

Over the coming weeks I'm going to put together a piece on Shane - also what he meant to my boy Noah!

The loss however was the hamstring injury of Matt White, Matty has his favourites in the Tiger army and he's had his doubters, I'll admit - I was one of the doubters at the start of the year and even suggested he should be trade. I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong.

Vickery was instrumental in the 3rd bagging three goals and really making problems up forward, it's good to see his is showing his value as alot of Tiger supporters around the traps tout him as the next Brad Ottens and one of our key players for the future.

With the siren going the Tigers went to the three quarter time huddle with a nice lead of 37 points, should probably be up by more though..

Being up by 37 I half expected the Tigers to apply the brakes and cruise to a victory but there was still a bit of fight left in both teams, Daniel Jackson and Jake King being the instigators, Jacko copping a knock from Melsham and the claret began to spill.

Edwards knocked in his 4th for the game giving him 9 in the last two games, lets hope this is enough to see him in the game against Carlton!

All in all it was a great game, Tigers, who most of us wouldn't have been dissapointed with the loss, came out on top by 39 Points. Edwards & Vickery were superb up forward kicking 4 a piece, whilst no Riewoldt.. Brandon Ellis was again showing how far he's come this year racking up 35 disposals, Jacko, who alot tip will be the Tiger Best & Fairest this year was also extremly valuable with 30 disposals and 2 great goals! Cotch, Martin & Deledio were all great collecting in the high 20's for disposals but were also instrumental in the midfield domination.

ESSENDON     2.4   3.6      5.8      9.11  (65)
RICHMOND      4.1   5.6   11.9    15.14 (104)

GOALS
Essendon: Melksham 2, Jetta 2, Hurley 2, Lovett-Murray, Howlett, Dalgleish
Richmond: Vickery 4, A. Edwards 4, Jackson 2, King 2, Martin, Grigg, Tuck

BEST
Essendon: Melksham, Hurley, Stanton, Hibberd, Lovett-Murray
Richmond: Jackson, Ellis, A. Edwards, Vickery, Martin

Official crowd: 60,979 at the MCG

Well, we now look to our first Final in 12 years, as I write this now the shivers down my spine, slight tear in the eye and nerves as we prepare for Carlton on Sunday at the home of football, the MCG.

Crowd expecting to be above 90,000 and near capacity, here's hoping the Tiger Army is in full roar and the weather god's bless us with a beautiful sunny afternoon!

Richmond Tigers Rounds 6 - 21 - Review

Ok I've been a bit slack in regards to my updates of the Tigers and the games I was hoping to cover on a weekly basis, sadly time got the better of me and suddenly I was not one or two games behind but 10...

So i've decided with 2 rounds to go, i'll write my blog about their games since I last covered against their narrow loss to Fremantle, a game i'll never forget when the goal umpire decided to "cover up" his mistake and pretend like it never happened, then the geese up in the review room also protected their umpire friend and too pretended like it never happened... Anyhow, no point dwelling on past indiscretion's...

Here's my quick take, Round by Round:

Round 6 - Richmond v Geelong

Sadly this is one of the games I was unable to see, a group of us have a syndicate we've formed betting on anything on TAB, however this day we had booked to go to Morphetville Racecourse and spend the day at the track.

I originally thought it was the copious amounts of ales I had consumed throughout the day as I checked my AFL App on my iphone as it showed the Tigers were infront and in contention for most of the first half!

Sadly, and as I returned home from a massive day, the Tigers then were outclassed & outgunned by one of the flag favourites as Geelong steadied the ship, built a good lead and then held off the tired legs of Richmond to run out 44 point winners.

Final result:

GEELONG          3.3   9.3   15.7   20.11 (131)
RICHMOND        4.1   8.4   11.7   13.9 (87)

GOALS
Geelong: Christensen 3, Bartel 2, Johnson 2 Smedts 2, Hawkins 2, Duncan 2, Stokes 2, Murdoch, West, Selwood, Enright, Blicavs.
Richmond: King 4, Riewoldt 3, Martin 2, Knights, McGuane, Ellis, Grigg.

BEST
Geelong: Christensen, Johnson, Duncan, Stokes, Selwood, Enright.
Richmond: Edwards, Jackson, Newman, Cotchin, Petterd.

Official crowd: 55,625 at the MCG.


Round 7 - Port v Richmond

Wow was I looking forward to this game, in my home state and against one of the teams I hate the most.

Grown up hating Port as a Glenelg Supporter and nothing changed when they joined the AFL!

This for me was a real gut wrenching game, I had real bad nerves circulating in me, worried which Tiger outfit would turn up and whether we could beat an unbeaten Port...

My son and I then watched in absolute shock and elation as the Tigers started their onslaught, controlled, maintained and held complete dominance in the midfield and piling on 8 first quarter goals. The entire Port crowd was in shock and awe as the Tiger army roared over the top of them.

Now, we've been in this position before - the worry was our legs were spent and they would come back. To our amazement that was further from the truth, Deledio, Martin & Cotchin were simply amazing, Shane Edwards quick hands and centre clearances were outstanding and big Jack booted 5 as the Tigers took the lead early and never looked back running out 41 point winners!

The sad note for me was the injury to Chris Knights, real shame as he was looking the goods in his return - lets hope he recovers and we give him another year! The loss of Tucky also with a shoulder was tough to watch as he stayed on the field and helped the midfields rotation whilst in absolute agony!

Final Result:

RICHMOND                8.2   11.5  15.6  18.6    (114)
PORT ADELAIDE      2.1   4.5    6.10   10.13   (73)                 
       

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 5, King 3, Grigg 2, Newman 2, Tuck 1, Nahas 1, Vlaustin 1, Knights 1, Martin 1, McGuane 1,
Port Adelaide: Schulz 3, Mitchell 2, Gray 1, Monfries 1, Moore 1, Wingard 1, Broadbent 1

BEST
Richmond: Deledio, Martin, Riewoldt, Stephenson, Ellis, Newman
Port Adelaide: Boak, Schulz, Wingard, Mitchell, Carlile Redden

Official crowd: 25,372 at AAMI Stadium

Round 8 - Richmond v Melbourne

Still feeling the high after knocking off Port @ AAMI Stadium there was a high degree of expectation that the Tigers should thump Melbourne by 100+ points.

Sadly this wasn't the case as the Demon's came out to play and the game was at a real stale mate for most of the game, to me, the Tigers looked the winners from the start of the game but just didn't take their opportunities in front of goal and put them away. Instead easy shots were squandered and this allowed the Demons to claw their way back and be in touch at each break until the Tigers put on the brakes and held them to the solitary goal in the final term.

The big winner for the day was the emergence of Brandon Ellis, his 39 possession game was well highlighted as he shot himself into the Tiger faithfuls cheer as one of our midfielders to watch, Vlastuin was another key to watch who was still only in his first handful of games. Either way you look at it, the youth of Richmond is a deep well of skill and will each help us to be a powerhouse in the near future.

So end result was Tigers by 34 points but it wasn't a convincing win:

RICHMOND            2.4   7.9   12.14   15.16 (106)
MELBOURNE         3.0   7.2   10.4     11.6   (72)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Martin 3, King 2, Deledio, Nahas, Ellis, Vlastuin, Morris, White, Chaplin
Melbourne: Davey 3, Dawes 2, Dunn 2, Nicholson, Bail, Howe, Evans

BEST
Richmond: Ellis, Vlastuin, S. Edwards, Deledio, Grigg, Houli
Melbourne: Davey, N. Jones, Magner, Terlich, M. Jones

Official crowd: 39,148 at the MCG

Round 9 - Richmond v Essendon

Dreamtime at the G is always a game both the Tigers & Bombers fans love to flock too, and this years game was no exception, over 80,000 turned up expecting a big upset by the Tigers.

Brandon Ellis was an early exclusion from the previous weeks leather poisoning and the Bombers hierarchy did their homework well as their troops placed some great tag's on the likes of Deledio, Martin and Cotchin who each struggled to get their dominance in the game.

Dimma summed it up well in the conference after the game, what was only a 20 point lead to Essendon at halftime, it felt more like the Bombers were 10 goals up as they controlled the game well in the first half with Watson dominating yet like the Tigers last week, didn't make the most of goal opportunities.

The best players really sum up how the game finished with 5 of the 6 listed all from the backline, Rance & Chaplin were pushed to the limit as the ball was constantly bombarded into the backline.

Matt White came into the game during the 3rd and provided some spark but one player was not enough to lift the rest of the team and sadly the end result was the Bombers by 29 Points:

RICHMOND               2.2      4.5      6.5       9.8 (62)

ESSENDON               2.3     7.7     11.9    13.13 (91)

GOALS

Richmond: Riewoldt 2, Cotchin, Edwards, King, Martin, McGuane, Nahas, Vlastuin

Essendon: Crameri 3, Watson 3, Zaharakis 2, Hibberd, Howlett, Melksham, Stanton, Winderlich

BEST

Richmond: Rance, Grigg, Chaplin, Vlastuin, Newman, Jackson 

Essendon: Watson, Zaharakis, Stanton, Goddard, Hibberd, Hocking, Dempsey 

Official crowd: 84, 234 at the MCG

Round 10 - West Coast v Richmond

The trip out west was one the Tigers wanted to make to show why it is they are a genuine top 8 contender, the Tenacious Tigers, still reeling from the previous trip out West, burst into Perth and, like the Port game, their midfield stamped their authority in the first half and never looked back.

The first quarter was closely guarded with both teams using possession well, it was the Tigers however who came out in the 2nd quarter and kicked 6 unanswered goals to lead by 5 goals at halftime.

But they didn't stop there, they continued to kick the next 4 goals without reply - the Eagles were shell shocked as they watched 10 straight goals go on the board.

Their midfield woke up late in the last but by then it was all over as the tigers ran out 41 point winners.

Deledio, Jackson and Cotchin were brilliant and Vlastiun nailed 3 goals as he continued his push for a regular gig in this already flushed Tiger outfit... 

WEST COAST      3.3   3.6   5.9      8.14  (62)                  

RICHMOND          2.3   8.4   14.5   16.7  (103)          

 

GOALS

West Coast: Kennedy 3, Hill 2, Darling, Kerr, S Selwood

Richmond: Vlastuin 3, S Edwards 2, Newman 2, Vickery 2, Riewoldt 2, Jackson, King, Martin, White, A Edwards

 

BEST 

West Coast: S Selwood, Naitanui, Kennedy, Shuey, Masten, Priddis

Richmond: Deledio, Jackson, Cotchin, White, Foley, Vlastuin, Martin

Official crowd: 37,781 at the Patersons Stadium

Round 12 - Richmond v Adelaide

Fresh off the bye (Still shake my head at why the AFL does this...) the Tigers were awaiting the Crows who were fresh off a 77 point thumping at the hands of Sydney.

Adelaide, still shell shocked, didn't do their homework and allowed the Tigers to roam free. Especially Brett Deledio who spent the majority of the first half roaming free and rebounding the ball off the half back with ease and zero pressure!

Despite the Crows making a late push the Tigers held them off and ran out to a 38 point win. Martin & Riewoldt were great up forward and Ellis and Conca continued their charge.

The Crows continued their free fall from grace after last year missing the Grand Final by one kick, now languish in the bottom 8 and don't look any real threat of moving upwards..

The Tigers on the other hand have a big next 4 weeks as wins over Bulldogs, Saints, Roos and Suns could cement their place in the top 8!

RICHMOND    5.2    9.7   11.10    16.14    (110)                 
ADELAIDE      2.1   5.4     6.10     10.12    (72)         

GOALS
Richmond: Martin 4, Riewoldt 3, Grigg 2, Ellis 2, Cotchin, Newman, Maric, King, Edwards
Adelaide: Dangerfield 2, Callinan, Jenkins, Lynch, Porplyzia, Jenkins, Thompson, van Berlo, Mackay

BEST
Richmond: Deledio, Riewoldt, Martin, Ellis, Conca, Chaplin, Houli
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Sloane, Porplyzia, Thompson, Rutten

Official crowd: 43,615 at the MCG

Round 13 - Western Bulldogs v Richmond

Any game against the Bulldogs is must win for me, not only does my brother in law go for them but I always hold a grudge for them stemming from the old days when the likes of Matthew Knights and Chris Bond were playing them. The old Liberatore hard hits on Knights always had the Tiger faithful up in arms as the claret poured from Knighters head...

This game is no exception! Both teams want the win but the Tigers want it more, we have one of the best lists in some time whereas the Bulldogs are struggling and have a handful capable of the big stage - harsh, but that is the simple reality.

From the start you could sense the Tigers would dominate, but as has been the case in recent games, The Tigers could simply not take advantage of their inside 50's and at quarter time had 8 points with only 4 majors nailed. This gave the Bulldogs the breathing space to keep up with the Tigers and be within 11 points.

Sadly, For the Bulldogs... that would be as close as they get as Richmond's midfield lifted their intensity and held the dogs at bay while they increased the lead. Lead strongly by the efforts of Martin, Conca and Grigg in the midfield and Houli & Riewoldt off the half back the Tigers then held the Bulldogs to just 2 points in the "Premiership" quarter as in turn they added 5 to be 53 points up at 3 quarter time.

In the end the Tigers held on to win by 60 points, a good solid win which perhaps with a bit better goal kicking could have been 100 but still helps our %!

WESTERN BULLDOGS      3.3    5.9    5.11    8.13 (61)     

RICHMOND                           4.8   8.13  13.16  17.19 (121)        

 

GOALS

Western Bulldogs: Stringer 2, Cooney, Jones, Hunter, Giansiracusa, Murphy, Boyd

Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Conca 2, Vickery 2, A Edwards, Foley, Houli, Grigg, Martin, White, Jackson, Vlastuin, Cotchin

 

BEST 

Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Boyd, Murphy, Macrae, Hunter, Roughead

Richmond: Martin, Conca, Houli, Jackson, Grigg, Riewoldt, Deledio

Crowd: 29,788 at Etihad Stadium

 

Round 14 - Richmond v St Kilda

Maybe its just me, but this is another team I love our team to beat and beat soundly, for years the Saints were a good side behind the likes of Dal Santo, Montagna and Goddard. Now they are hit with injuries, Goddard departed for the Bombers and the Saints are no longer the powerhouse they once were.

Led by one of our fan favourites, Axel Foley took control of the game and was at every exchange, his sleek skills, quick feet and hard at the ball attitude helped the team dominate early and again smash the opposition in the 2nd quarter to have a handy lead at the half time break.

I've said it before and i'll probably say this again, the Tigers kicking in front of goal has been terrible this year - funny I can say that yet we are winning and in the top 8... some can never be pleased hahaha

But in saying that, whilst we led by 41 points at half time, it quite easily could have been 60 or more... In the 2nd half we kicked 7 goals and 8 points whilst the Saints could only add 4.3. But in a season where percentage is everything I feel the Tigers let themselves down a bit by not going out 100 point winners, yes 64 point win is awesome don't get me wrong - I just feel they need a good solid goal kicking practice each week as kicking 17 points in a game is not good.

Aaron Edwards was awesome to watch, only kicked the one goal but his work rate and presence often has me calling for his inclusion rather than Vickery.. Vickery at times can be slow and lazy up forward, I just feel Edwards has alot to offer our team.

Jackson put in another stand out performance and has truly improved this season to be one of the premier taggers in the competition.

RICHMOND               4.4 10.9 15.13 17.17 (119)

ST KILDA                   3.2   4.4    7.5      8.7   (55)

 

GOALS

Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Jackson 3, Grigg 2, Foley 2, Deledio 2, Ellis, King, A. Edwards, Vickery, Conca

St Kilda: Dennis-Lane 2, Steven, Montagna, Jones, Murdoch, Dal Santo, Riewoldt

 

BEST 

Richmond: Foley, Vickery, Cotchin, A. Edwards, Jackson, Conca

St Kilda: Dennis-Lane, Armitage, Ray, Steven, Jones

Official crowd: 52,184 at the MCG

Round 15 - North v Richmond

I'm going to say this now, theres no real positives I can pull from this game.

The Tigers were simply out classed and out coached. Tigers looked awesome early on and hit the forward 50 nicely, but like a flick of the switch the Kangaroos stopped our inside 50's and piled on 8 goals in the 2nd quarter, all Richmond could do was stand in the path of the oncoming truck and stare at the headlights like a stunned Rabbit...

North certainly did their homework well, the Tigers with their backs to the wall went back to old ways of trying to bomb the ball into the forward line at every opportunity, only for their extra tall players to stand, mark and move it back down field.

Houli was omitted pre game and it was noticeable, his sleek skills and reliable presence was sorely missed!

I draw no positive from this game and will quickly end it here...

Final Result:

NORTH MELBOURNE             3.3      11.6     15.8     19.14   (128)                 
RICHMOND                                2.2       2.7       4.15       8.18   (66)         

GOALS
North Melbourne: Tarrant 4, Bastinac 3, Black 2, Mullett 2, Harvey 2, Ziebell 2, Petrie, Greenwood, Cunnington, Gibson
Richmond: Morris 2, White 2, Riewoldt 2, Ellis, Jackson

BEST
North Melbourne: Adams, Hansen, Greenwood, Thompson, Hine, Swallow, Ziebell, Goldstein
Richmond: Morris, Cotchin, Chaplin, Foley

Official crowd: 45,966 at Etihad Stadium

Round 16 - Richmond v Gold Coast

Blustery and wet conditions plagued the big clash between the Tigers and the Suns, worst fact is the Tigers have never beaten the Suns since they entered the competition. Another poor fact is they have never met on Richmond's home ground the MCG as for the past few seasons the club sold the rights and played them up in QLD...

The game was all about a couple of major factors, The wind and Gary Ablett.

Daniel Jackson secured some pretty handy brownlow votes in this game, he held Gary to only 26 touches and looked well held all game whilst Daniel racked up 30+ and kicked two important goals!

The wind was the other factor, The Suns and Tigers played the first half utilising the wind but it was the Tigers Tenacity in the 3rd holding the Suns to just the one goal in with the breeze whilst keeping the lead was a huge factor as the sky opened up and the rain fell.

As good as this third quarter mauling was, it wasn't enough to give the Tiger Faithful the frights late in the game as the Suns made a final push to snatch the win, in fact in the last few minutes I remember vividly remember not being able to watch as they had multiple shots on goal...

RICHMOND        1.3     4.10    5.13   6.17 (53)

GOLD COAST    3.3     4.4      5.6     6.8 (44)  

 

GOALS

Richmond: Jackson 2, Riewoldt, Arnot, Foley, Ellis

Gold Coast: Brown, O'Meara, McKenzie, Day, Bennell, Shaw

 

BEST

Richmond: Jackson, Martin, Cotchin, Ellis, Chaplin, Deledio

Gold Coast: McKenzie, Prestia, Ablett, Nicholls, O'Meara, Shaw

Official crowd: 11,197 at Cazalys Stadium

Round 17 - Richmond v Fremantle

Payback best describes my requirement for this game, the Tigers are firmly in the top 8 and I want revenge for the last time we played, where yes, I am still filthy about the goal umpire...

No Pavlich, Sandilands or Ballantyne I was sure a solid win would occur...

The first half was fought hard by both sides, the Tigers however seemed the dominant figure. Although only 2 goals up at half time it really felt like they were 6 goals up, again some poor misses in front of goal...

The Tigers midfield, led by our captain courageous, Trent Cotchin, pushed the ball inside 50 and increased the pressure on the Freo backline delivering pin point accuracy to Jumping Jack who finished with 4 for the day. Jacko continued his brilliant 2013 form and for me is one of the front runners for the end of year Best & Fairest, his unsung efforts are starting to be noticed!

End result was the Tigers winning by 27 points, a good hard fought win over one of the Top 4 contenders!

RICHMOND       3.3   4.6     9.9   12.12 (84)

FREMANTLE     2.2    2.5    6.6    8.9 (57)

 

GOALS

Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Deledio, White, Martin, King, S. Edwards, Vickery, Cotchin, Jackson

Fremantle: Mzungu 3, Mayne 2, Walters, Silvagni, de Boer

 

BEST 

Richmond: Cotchin, Rance, Ellis, Vlastuin, Jackson, S. Edwards 

Fremantle: Mzungu, Crowley, Dawson, Clarke, Johnson, Fyfe, Mundy

Official crowd: 40,125 at the MCG

Round 18 - Sydney v Richmond

A picturesque SCG was the birth place for what was an important game to Richmond, not only to see how we can match against one of the best but it was also important to get an away win and help secure the finals push.

The first half I think Richmond was awesome, they put it to one of the flag favourites and really had them worried.

The usual suspects in Martin, Cotchin, Grigg and Jackson stood tall and matched the likes of McVeigh, O'Keefe and Jack and sat within 15 points at half time, i actually believe we were good enough to be infront but sadly just fell behind them.

The question was always going to be, At the SCG can the Tigers match the Swans for 4 quarters. Unfortunately the answer was no as the Swans showed why they are Top 4 worthy and piled on 5 goals to 2 and stretched their lead at 3 quarter time.

Errors cost us dearly in the game and our legs fell off in the last half, Sydney ended up taking the points winning by 47 points.

The loss further dampened by the bad concussion of Ty Vickery.

A loss but alot to learn from it, hopefully we can repay the favour in September.

SYDNEY SWANS  5.3    8.7   13.10    16.14 (110)

RICHMOND            5.3    6.4    8.7         9.9 (63)

GOALS

Sydney Swans: White 4, Tippett 3, Mitchell 2, K. Jack 2, Lamb, B. Jack, Pyke, Smith, Bolton

Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Martin 2, Conca, Jackson, Vickery, White

BEST

Sydney Swans: O'Keefe, Jack, Mitchell, White, Bird, Tippett, McVeigh

Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Cotchin, Grigg, Jackson

Official crowd: 29,738 at SCG

Round 19 - Hawthorn v Richmond

Wow, just wow.

Storms circulate Adelaide as I returned home from watching my boy play soccer, he just booted a piercing cannon of a shot through the back of the net as they took the win 1-0.

High on emotion we returned home to find the Internet was down, 1 hour later and with 20 minutes to game time it was a lost cause as the last Telstra operator I spoke with, located not even in Australia, proceeded to be non helpful and suggest someone come and view my system...

Full of anger and disgust I retreated outside to begin sanding my pallet for the new pallet garden we were trying out (Check it out on Sustainability & Recycling article on my blog), my son was extremely worried as I was sanding that hard the Pallet could soon be a toothpick...

From what I heard the Tigers started well, led by our midfielders we put it up to the Hawks and showed why we are Finals bound, Quarter time the Hawks fought back quite hard led by their brilliant midfield - they showed why they are the top side of the competition...

Until that is, I returned inside and found the Internet was back on... I vividly remember us being down by just under a goal and then bang, the Tigers blitzed the last half booting 10 goals to 3 as Cotchin, Ellis, Grigg and Martin stamped their dominance.

Martin's efficiency was quite down but booted a jaw dropping bomb from outside 50 just before 3 quarter time.

The Tigers continued their stamp and dominance over the Hawks who appear to have had a stumble in their quest for the minor premiership, the Tigers nailed their 12th win of the season and stun Hawthorn by 41 Points.

Unsung hero is Alex Rance and Steve Morris who held Franklin and Rioli to just one goal between them, Franklin was full of confidence coming off a 8 goal game the week before against Essendon...

Final Score:

HAWTHORN      3.4    6.8    7.10     9.12      (66)

RICHMOND        6.4    6.6   10.10   16.11   (107)

 

GOALS

Hawthorn: Puopolo 2, Franklin, Lewis, Smith, Burgoyne, Guerra, Ceglar, Hodge

Richmond: Riewoldt 3, McGuane 2, Edwards 2, White 2, Jackson 2, Maric, Newman, Foley, Martin, Tuck

 

BEST 

Hawthorn: Smith, Lake, Lewis, Puopolo

Richmond: Rance, Cotchin, Ellis, Maric, Grigg, Chaplin, Martin, Astbury, Jackson

Official crowd: 64,324 at the MCG

Round 20 - Richmond v Brisbane

A win, the Tigers are in the finals and no one can dislodge us! Since 2001 we've been waiting for this moment, surely we can put the nail in the coffin...

Or can we, its only Brisbane who are languishing in the bottom 8...surely.

The story was the same for this game as it has been for us all year, mid's start great, we kicked 6 goals to 1 and really stamped authority on the game.

The Tigers however at times fail to slam the door shut on teams such as Brisbane and give them a faint sniff of a comeback, this was evident in the third quarter when Brisbane held us goalless and they crept 3 home to be within 4 at the main break.

The Lions continued to push led by strong efforts by Rich and Rockliff and got to within 16 points until the Tigers pulled determination out and put a few on the board to keep the win undeniably in Richmond's hands.

That's it - all we need now is the Bulldogs to beat Carlton and we are in, no doubt about it...

And win the Bulldogs did! They upset everyone and nailed Carlton in what was noted as the Blues worst effort for the year

But that's it - Tigers are in the Finals!!!!!!!!!! For the first time since 2001!

RICHMOND                      6.2   11.7   11.9   14.13 (97)
BRISBANE LIONS           1.3    4.4     7.7    11.8 (74)

GOALS
Richmond: McGuane 3, Conca 3, Vlastuin, Morris, Jackson, Grigg, Foley, Ellis, Riewoldt, White
Brisbane Lions: Mayes 3, Staker 2, Green 2, Hanley 2, Rich, Merrett

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Conca, Houli, Ellis, Maric, Foley    
Brisbane Lions: Rockiff, Hanley, Green, Mayes, Redden, Rich

Official crowd: 46,961 at the MCG


Round 21 - Richmond v Carlton

Oh god this one still burns, like salt added to a deep gash...

So confident was I of the win I ran down to the local TAB and put a wager on it, the Tigers by 25 points - I was sure.

The first quarter was beautiful to watch, 8 goals piled on and Carlton looked spent early - Jack was dominant with 4 early marks, Vickery was getting his hands to the ball also and Dusty, Cotch and Deledio were prominent. Foley and Ellis were the stand outs for me.

Just like it is yesterday, I remember turning to my son and saying "Geez hope we haven't used up all of our run in that quarter...", just like that I put the hoodoo on Richmond.

The boys returned to the pitch and put my worst fears out there, their legs were spent. Not completely but their effort on the ball, run off the half back and through the middle, delivery to the forward line... all were compromised. Carlton's attitude changed in the 2nd and they pushed and pushed, always looking to be first at the ball while Richmond started playing catch up footy...

It still pains me to say it but Mitch Robinson was the match winner, his over enthusiastic presence was the deciding factor for Carltons resurgence.

From the 2nd quarter onwards our leadership group was non existent, Cotch, Martin, Deledio all tried hard but could not break the shackles. Jacko and Ellis were good but lacked the support needed..

So in the end Carlton held on for a 10 point win, one they deserved and one we should never have dropped.

One positive came from this game for me, Matt McDonough debuting - I think the young lad did quite well and should retain his spot against GWS!

RICHMOND   8.2     10.3    12.7    14.12 (96)

CARLTON      3.2     9.4      13.4    16.10 (106)

 

GOALS

Richmond: Vickery 3, Riewoldt 2, Ellis 2, Petterd, Vlastuin, Grigg, Jackson, McGuane, Maric, Rance

Carlton: McLean 3, Henderson 3, Casboult 3, Gibbs 2, Menzel 2, Robinson, Simpson, Tuohy

 

BEST 

Richmond: Deledio, Jackson, Astbury, Conca, Foley

Carlton: McLean, Simpson, Jamison, Murphy, Robinson, Gibbs, Casboult, Armfield

 

Official crowd: 60,825 at the MCG

 

 

So that is my take of the season since Round 5, alot of it positive, you just have to look at the difference players such as Ellis, Jackson, Conca, Rance, Edwards, Chaplin are making to this team this year.

 

Jackson has always been the silent assassin, some (including myself) were asking for him to be traded, in my point of view at times, in fact alot of his disposal was ineffective and wasted. I'm gladly happy to sit here and eat my words with his performance this year, he has undoubtedly put all doubters in their place and full credit to him - he has pushed himself as one of the major players this year!

 

Ellis, has always been touted as supremely talented, has stepped up this year. His presence and attack on the ball has seen him as not only a crowd favourite but a regular inclusion in any Tiger lineup!

 

Conca is the same, may not be as prominent as a Cotchin or Deledio but wow, he just manages to turn up at the right time and do his job.

 

Rance & Chaplin are amazing this year, Chappy's inclusion to the side after transferring from Port has been one to watch, the two of them are our core in defence and run it like a tight ship! When Grimes can be injury free the three will be one to watch!

 

With 2 games to go its an exciting time at Tigerland, we're in the finals and very likely to get a home final in the first round, I expect it'll be against either Port or Collingwood. I doubt Essendon will miss out but suspect they will be knocked out in the first round anyway - sweet justice if you ask me.

 

GWS this week and then the Bombers the week after, GWS cannot be underestimated as I feel they still have a good side but providing conditions are good I feel we will run over them. Essendon will be another story, I feel we will win but will depend on whether our legs run out of steam early or if we fail to capitalise on our goal scoring opportunities...

 

Ok I think that's enough of my dribble, now lets sit back and watch the rest of the season unfold! To all my friends in Victoria, Noah and I look forward to seeing you in the 1st weekend in September!

**Photos courtesy of the Richmond website!**