RICHMOND 1.2.8 9.5.59 12.6.78 16.9.105
SCORERS - Collingwood: Cloke (3.1), White (2.3), Elliott (2.1), Crisp (2.0), Swan (2.0), De Goey (1.1), Blair (1.0), Broomhead (1.0), Witts (1.0), Grundy (0.1), Oxley (0.1)
BEST - Collingwood: Swan, Cloke, Adams, Crisp, Williams, Pendlebury
INJURIES - Collingwood: Alan Toovey (knee)
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Patrick Karnezis replaced Alan Toovey (knee) in the second quarter
REPORTS: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 59,034 at the MCG
| 1. Leadership personified from Deledio and Cotchin Richmond has often been criticised for a perceived lack of on-field leadership in the past. But with the game in the balance, it was skipper Trent Cotchin and vice-captain Brett Deledio who took the reins and delivered when it mattered most for the Tigers. Cotchin had 11 disposals in a pulsating final term, working from contest to contest and leading from the front as a captain should do. Deledio kicked two crucial goals in the final term and battled through the calf complaint that has limited him early this season. It was the kind of individual efforts that Richmond has been crying out for after it started the season with two wins and four losses. Deledio told Channel 7 after the game that the players were to blame for their sluggish start and that they all wanted to pull through for a memorable victory to get behind under-the-pump coach Damien Hardwick. 2. Hardwick's first-quarter gamble doesn't pay off When things aren't working, try something new. At least that was the motto Damien Hardwick decided to adopt in the first quarter. Hardwick threw caution to the wind and started second gamer Todd Elton in defence on Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke. That meant Alex Rance, arguably the best full-back in the League, spent the bulk of the first quarter playing as a tall ruck rover. Forward Jack Riewoldt also started in the centre square for one centre bounce. Rance, who at times was the third-man up at stoppages, had just three disposals through the midfield while Cloke took six marks and kicked one goal to be the most influential forward on the ground in the first term. Hardwick's decision was gutsy, but it's fair to say the experiment didn't work as the Magpies dominated the first term to kick four goals to Richmond's one. 3. Back to basics works wonders for the Tigers Needing to weather the first quarter Collingwood storm, it was a more conventional Richmond that came charging back into the contest in the second term. The Tigers went back to basics, sending Rance down back to go one-on-one against Cloke and stacked their forward line with Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin (at times), Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin. Their pressure lifted around the ball and they forced the Magpies' defenders, who had an abundance of time and space to deliver the ball forward in the first term, into mistake after mistake. The Tigers slammed on six goals in a row in the second quarter, before Jesse White stemmed the tide with a goal at the 12-minute mark of the second term. The Tigers ended the quarter with three goals in a row to take a 12-point lead at the major break and turn the game on its head. |
4. Cloke steps up and delivers Collingwood players Nathan Brown and Tyson Goldsack suggested in interviews during the week that Travis Cloke was "not far away" from grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck. It turned out they were right on the money, as Cloke had his best game for 2015 against the Tigers. The Pies spearhead kicked 3.1 for the day – a fair improvement on his recent accuracy in front of goal – but it was his work-rate to keep presenting that was the most impressive facet of his game. With Elton for company early and then Rance later on, Cloke hauled in a team-high 10 marks. The Magpies spearhead has had plenty of doubters early in the season, but he took some big steps to silencing those commentators who have been critical of his game. 5. O'Neal eases the pressure on Hardwick After a lacklustre start to 2015, in which his side fell to two wins and four losses after the first six rounds, the blowtorch was quick to hone in on Richmond coach Damien Hardwick. With the external noise surrounding Hardwick, who is contracted until the end of the 2016 season, picking up in recent weeks, O'Neal used her president's speech to reiterate the club's united front: "We don’t make reactive decisions based on the latest view in the media or in the vocal minority," she said. The Tigers president went on to say that Richmond would not be deterred from its overall plan, "It’s a strategy that requires us to stay the course for a very long time." A win against fellow powerhouse Collingwood on Sunday is also a welcome sight. Collingwood players Nathan Brown and Tyson Goldsack suggested in interviews during the week that Travis Cloke was "not far away" from grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck. It turned out they were right on the money, as Cloke had his best game for 2015 against the Tigers. The Pies spearhead kicked 3.1 for the day – a fair improvement on his recent accuracy in front of goal – but it was his work-rate to keep presenting that was the most impressive facet of his game. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Richmond's leaders have made a stand and reinvigorated the club's season, spearheading a spirited five-point win over Collingwood in one of the games of the season at the MCG. In a thrilling contest full of lead changes and momentum shifts, senior Tigers Trent Cotchin and Brett Delediotook control in the big moments to deliver a memorable 16.9 (105) to 15.10 (100) win. With less than five minutes to play, key forwards Ty Vickery and then Jack Riewoldt sealed the result with back-to-back goals, giving the Tigers one of their best wins under coach Damien Hardwick. Labelled a week-to-week proposition by Hardwick as he battles a calf problem, Deledio underlined how valuable he is to the Tigers with two clutch goals in the fourth quarter. He finished with 30 possessions (10 contested) and 13 marks, spending significant time deep in the forward line. He was only shaded by Cotchin, who willed the Tigers over the line in a captain's performance, finishing with 32 possessions (18 contested) six clearances and two goals. The game had it all, with hard tackling from both teams, 10 lead changes and big goals from power forwards Travis Cloke (three) and Riewoldt (four). There were moments when Collingwood looked set to break the match open and cruise to their fifth win for the season, but every time Richmond responded. The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Tigers and ensured their season remained alive after a 2-4 start to the year that heaped pressure on Hardwick. Defender Alex Rance also stood tall in a number of roles, starting on-ball but finishing on Cloke when the Magpies' spearhead got himself rolling. Making the win more significant was the fact the Tigers did it without their best player this season, Shane Edwards, who was a late withdrawal. They also got over the line while blooding debutants Connor Menadue and Liam McBean. Cloke started opposed to second-gamer Todd Elton and by the first break he had taken six marks and kicked one goal as the Magpies built a 20-point lead. The Tigers needed their leaders to respond and that's exactly what happened in the second term, with Cotchin and Maric getting on top in the middle and each pushing forward to kick goals. Rance won a number of crucial contests as a loose man and after the Tigers kicked five goals in nine minutes in the second quarter the Tigers had a 10-point lead. The Magpies' loss was soured by what appeared to be a minor knee injury for defender Alan Toovey. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has slammed the treatment of star forward Travis Cloke following his side's five-point defeat to Richmond, suggesting that "he dead-set gets nothing from the umps". Cloke received one free kick and conceded four during his 10-mark, three-goal game. Asked after the match how he thought Cloke had played, Buckley raised umpiring. "I don't know what it is. He gets nothing when it looks like he's been infringed, and he only has to sniff to give a free kick away," Buckley said. While Buckley stressed that it was not the major issue stemming from the MCG encounter, and praised umpires boss Wayne Campbell, he expressed frustration at what he felt had been a recurring theme. "I think Cambo and those guys are doing a fantastic job; I really admire the job the umps are doing but we need to understand what's gone wrong, because it's not working for him." "It's not the issue of the game, can I be clear. But it's something ongoing, and Trav's issue has been first-class. The way that he carries himself this year has been focusing on the next contest and really going at the ball, trying to create some space for himself. I'm not saying that he never gives a free kick away but it's just not great." Buckley otherwise believed Cloke's game was "pretty strong" and commended his forward's effort. The coach lamented numerous stretches throughout the game in which the Tigers took control, notably a 10-minute stretch at the start of the second quarter during which Richmond kicked five goals. "I thought we were dominant early ... Second quarter was really, really disappointing." "It was a see-sawing game, and we just happened to be behind when the siren went. We've had those periods in almost every one of our games. That's our challenge, to become a 120-minute football side." He added that the team had been let down in two major areas, including an inability to stick tackles. "We couldn't stop them on turnover, and it's been a strong point, we've been defending sides '1 in 7' turnovers, and they scored from '1 in 2' or better I think. It was a breakdown of the way we want we to pay. "We had 110 tackle efforts. We stuck 51, so we're 25, 30 shy of what we wanted to do, that came down to technique." Richmond coach Damien Hardwick praised the work of his leaders after a win which snapped a three-game losing streak. In particular Hardwick lauded the performance of captain Trent Cotchin, who had 32 disposals and kicked two goals. "Trent Cotchin's game was unbelievable. He stood up when it counted. He was trying to come to the bench at the end, we sent him back on with four minutes to go. I think he willed us over the line, it was a great captain's game." But Hardwick said that all of his senior players had stood up. "They took a lot of the meeting this week and demanded more of each other. To see them perform like they did today was really impressive. I think the big thing for us is that needs to continue going forward. The consistency of performance we spoke about last week ... we know our good's good enough. We just have to make sure we maintain that consistency for four quarters." |
COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley has again complained about the umpires’ treatment of Travis Cloke, insisting his key forward isn’t judged fairly. Buckley insisted the issue had nothing to do with yesterday’s dramatic five-point loss to Richmond, but was bemused by how Cloke was viewed by officials. “He dead set gets nothing from the umps. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know what it is,” Buckley said. “He gets nothing when he looks like he’s being infringed and he only has to sniff to give a free kick away.” Cloke was given one free kick against the Tigers, but was penalised four times — the most among the 44 players in the match. Buckley started by describing Cloke’s three-goal, 10-mark performance as “pretty strong” before pausing and making a deliberate decision to share his frustration. “I think ‘Cambo’ (umpires boss Wayne Campbell) and those guys are doing a fantastic job. I really admire the job that the umps are doing, but we need to understand what ‘Clokey’ has done wrong because it’s not working for him,” Buckley said. “It’s not the issue of this game, can I be clear? But there’s something ongoing and Trav’s attitude has been first-class. The way that he carries himself this year, he’s been focusing on the next contest and really going at the ball trying to create some space for himself. “Now, I’m not saying he never gives a free kick away, but his ledger isn’t great.” It is the third time in three years that Buckley has complained about the deal Cloke gets from umpires. In 2013 the Pies approached the AFL for clarification and last year Buckley also said he wanted more free kicks for Cloke. Pressed further, Buckley would only say: “I’ve had my say”. He said Collingwood’s second-consecutive loss was caused by a poor second quarter in which the Pies couldn’t land a tackle and were outscored 8.3 to 3.1. “The second quarter was really disappointing. Our tackle efficiency was poor, we didn’t stick a lot of tackles, we couldn’t stop them on turnover and that’s been a strong point,” he said. “It came down to technique, just being able to find the handle and we would have given seven or eight free kicks away for high tackles.” Buckley said lapses in games had been a common theme all season. “That’s our challenge, to become a 120-minute football side, but even early this year we’ve given sides a look for a period and taken the foot off the throat and been able to fight our way back,” he said. “But the seesaw nature of today didn’t have us getting back over the top of the opposition.” When Noel Judkins read out Dane Swan’s name with the 58th selection in the 2001 National Draft, the Collingwood recruiter would not have expected that the 17-year-old would go on to win 30 or more disposals in a game 100 times. In fact, in the known statistical realm, only one other man has. In 383 VFL/ AFL games for St Kilda, Robert Harvey won 30 or more disposals 118 times. Harvey, whose career spanned the years between 1988 and 2008, is now Collingwood’s senior assistant coach. He won a career-high 45 disposals on a muddy day at Princes Park against the Western Bulldogs in round 19, 1999, and still managed to collect 30 disposals in his final season at the age of 36. AFL Tables, the Internet’s most comprehensive statistical database, features individual player statistics that date back to the opening round of the 1965 season. In that time, only Harvey has won 30 or more disposals more often than Swan. It took Swan four years and 31 senior games to crack the 30 disposal barrier, but since he reached it against Adelaide in the opening round of 2006, there has been no stopping him. It’s remarkable to think that Swan has won 30 or more disposals in 100 of his past 213 games. Sure, we live in a time in which players are returning higher disposal numbers than ever, but the fact that the 2011 Brownlow Medallist has reached this mark remains worth noting. It’s indicative of his remarkable consistency and durability – he has missed just 12 of the 225 games the Magpies have played since that season opener against the Crows in 2006. Against Richmond, Swan chalked up 32 disposals (14 kicks, 18 handballs), took five marks and laid three tackles. It’s a far cry from his first meeting with the men from Tigerland. In only his second senior game, a 19-year-old Swan (the youngest man on the ground) won 13 disposals in a hefty 69-point win. On Sunday, Swan was Collingwood’s oldest player on the ground. But it didn’t stop him from performing as he has week in, week out, since that night in 2006. "I don't know what it is. He (Travis Cloke) gets nothing when it looks like he's been infringed, and he only has to sniff to give a free kick away .... We need to understand what's gone wrong, because it's not working for him. It's not the issue of the game, can I be clear. But it's something ongoing, and Trav's issue has been first-class ... I'm not saying that he never gives a free kick away but it's just not great."
Nathan Buckley
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