VFL coach Tim Clarke has labelled Sunday’s come from behind victory over Port Melbourne as “one of the best” he has been involved with in his three years at the helm.
A strong contingent of AFL-listed players played a large role in the win, which saw the home side down by 19 points late in the game, before slamming on six goals to two in the final term.
Clarke applauded his players on their resilience and ability to adjust to anything the game threw at them.
“The boys showed great character towards the end,” he said.
“The first half we only had two rotations because of a few late withdrawals and a guy going down because of concussion.
“For the boys to change positions, to adjust to what they hadn’t trained during the week, and then to finish the way they did, showed huge character.
“It was really pleasing because a lot of individuals played well, the team started to play well and we just kept fighting all day.”
The game was an arm wrestle early, with both teams struggling to create scoring opportunities despite constant forays forward.
The lead changed hands many times in the first half before Port Melbourne managed a goal on half time to see them take a seven-point lead into the main break.
Port Melbourne started to build a lead in the third quarter, but a third goal to Liam McBean and a magnificent goal from the boundary to Sam Lloyd swayed the momentum briefly back in Richmond’s favour.
McBean went on to finish the game with five goals, two of which came at crucial moments in the last quarter.
After a brief surge from Port Melbourne in the final quarter, Richmond managed to charge back and seal the win.
Matt Dea was a standout for the Tigers, collecting 35 disposals and taking 12 marks.
Clarke was quick to praise the efforts of the defender, who has performed at a consistently high level all year.
“He’s been banging on the door all year for senior selection. We keep hoping he’s going to get a senior game because he is playing AFL standard footy,” he said.
“Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to sneak into a backline that’s been really settled and that’s a really good thing for our footy club that he’s putting that sort of pressure on.”
Captain Jaryd Cachia lead the way in the midfield with 29 disposals and six clearances, and he was supported by Chris Knights (28 disposals) and Matt Arnot (26 disposals).
Richmond’s return to the ME Centre after several wins on the road was bolstered by the return of Reece Conca and Jason Castagna, who have both had lengthy stints on the sideline.
Each played a half, and Clarke commended the players for their efforts.
“They both played fantastically,” he said
“Reece had 15 disposals in the first half and Jason had 15 in the second half so they combined to be a great player for us.
“Reece is really important for our footy club, and to see him with his movement around the ball today was terrific.
“And Jason, the way he goes about his footy and the way he takes the game on, we’ve got a real player in him, and we’re really excited about what he’s going to bring in the future. He’s a very good footballer.”
Richmond will face Sandringham next Saturday afternoon at the ME Centre.
FINAL SCORES
Richmond 2.0 4.7 8.9 14.11.95
Port Melb 1.0 6.2 11.4 13.9.87
GOALS
Richmond: McBean 5, Lloyd 2, McQualter 2, Arnot, Wall, L.Conca, Dunkley, Soldo
BEST
Richmond: Dea, Cachia, Knights, Arnot, R.Conca, McBean, Lloyd, Astbury, Castagna
