ROUND 7
Richmond 5.6 7.9 8.11 13.13 (91)
SYDNEY 0.2 2.7 6.9 8.14 (62)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Grigg 3, Miller 2, Conca, Martin, Deledio, I. Maric
Sydney: Kennedy 2, Dennis-Lane, Everitt, Grundy, Hannebery, McGlynn, Seaby
BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Grigg, Foley, Tuck, Grimes, Martin, Deledio, I. Maric
Sydney: Kennedy, Jetta, Bolton, O’Keefe, Hannebery
Crowd: 40,352 at the MCG
Summary: The Tigers made it two wins in a row, claiming a top-four scalp against Sydney Swans by 29 points. It was an excellent victory, set up through a brilliant opening quarter, with Richmond racking up 81 uncontested possessions to Sydney’s 25, and scoring 5.6 to 0.2. Dylan Grimes was a class act in defence, and Jack Riewoldt was a valuable contributor, with a four-goal haul.
Damien Hardwick: “It was really pleasing to see that when our players were challenged they responded and got the game back on our terms. We went in with a plan to control the ball as much as we could, to spread the defence, and it actually worked quite well. It was good to dominate that first quarter. It certainly gave us the break for the game.”
ROUND 8
Essendon 6.2 12.7 16.9 19.14 (128)
RICHMOND 4.2 6.8 11.16 15.1 (109)
GOALS
Essendon: Ryder 4, Stanton 3, Monfries 3, Watson 2, Jetta 2, Davey 2, Crameri, Howlett, Lovett-Murray
Richmond: Cotchin 3, Edwards 3, Grigg 2, Martin 2, Deledio, Jackson, Miller, Nahas, Riewoldt
BEST
Essendon: Watson, Stanton, Crameri, Ryder, Jetta, Bellchambers, Heppell, Zaharakis
Richmond: Deledio, Cotchin, Grigg, Foley, I. Maric, Tuck, Jackson
Crowd: 80,900 at the MCG
Summary: Richmond staged a stirring fightback against Essendon in the 2012 Dreamtime at the ‘G clash, coming from 42 points down early in the third term, to hit the front by two points at the 10-minute mark of the final quarter. But the Bombers rallied and were able to edge the Tigers out by 19 points. Trent Cotchin, with 29 touches and three goals, provided the team with plenty of midfield drive, while Shane Edwards provided a spark up forward, with three second-half goals.
Damien Hardwick: “When you come from that far back… it’s always going to be an enormous struggle to hit the front in the last quarter. You’re always going to expend a certain amount of energy to try and get over the top, and we just ran out of legs in the end. Essendon played it very well… that’s why they’re up where they are.”
ROUND 9
Richmond 4.4 8.8 13.9 21.11 (137)
HAWTHORN 1.3 4.9 8.10 10.15 (75)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 6, King 3, Edwards 2, Martin 2, Jackson 2, Morris, Cotchin, Tuck, I. Maric, Nahas, Deledio
Hawthorn: Breust 3, Rioli 2, Roughead 2, Young, Smith, Franklin
BEST
Richmond: I. Maric, Tuck, Cotchin, Morris, Foley, Rance, Griffiths, King
Hawthorn: Burgoyne, Lewis, Roughead, Breust, Gibson
Crowd: 51,617 at the MCG
Summary: Richmond smashed the in-form Hawthorn outfit by 62 points at the MCG. Leading the Tiger charge was the new cult hero, Ivan Maric, along with midfielders Trent Cotchin, Shane Tuck, Brett Deledio and Nathan Foley, who dominated the clearances. Jack Riewoldt booted six goals and was ably assisted by Jake King, three goals, and Shane Edwards, two goals. Alex Rance restricted ‘Buddy’ Franklin to just one goal and it was the first time for the season the Tigers had won all four quarters in a match.
Damien Hardwick: “I thought the way we hunted the ball was really impressive. We were playing against a side that’s very, very good in that area; I think they were No.3 overall in contested possession differential.”
ROUND 10
Richmond 3.7 9.8 12.11 18.13 (121)
ST. KILDA 3.4 9.6 10.14 16.17 (113)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 8, Edwards 2, Nahas 2, Deledio, Tuck, I. Maric, Martin, Vickery, Ellis
St. Kilda: Saad 3, Riewoldt 3, Armitage 2, Milera 2, Gram 2, Goddard, Dal Santo, Koschitzke,
Milne
BEST
Richmond: Riewoldt, Deledio, Nahas, I. Maric, Cotchin, Grigg, Newman, Tuck
St. Kilda: Armitage, Saad, Gram, Riewoldt, Goddard, Montagna
Crowd: 49,337 at Etihad Stadium
Summary: Jack Riewoldt booted eight goals in his 100th league game, to help clinch Richmond’s first win against St Kilda in nine years. It was a thrilling, finals-like clash, with ‘Jumping Jack’ kicking two goals in time-on, and dishing off another one to Brandon Ellis to seal victory. Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin also made a strong impact in the midfield.
Damien Hardwick: “I think now our guys have got that steely resolve and the mental resilience to get the game back on our terms and deliver the result we’re after. For our guys to overcome an experienced side and to get back in front was a really good sign of a side that is improving.
There are some areas of the game that we can fix up to get us even better, so that’s the exciting thing for us.”
ROUND 11
Richmond 5.2 6.3 8.8 9.12 (66)
FREMANTLE 4.1 7.3 9.6 12.6 (78)
GOALS
Richmond: Edwards 3, Riewoldt, Vickery, Martin, Nahas, Cotchin, Tuck
Fremantle: Pavlich 6, Ballantyne 2, Crichton, Griffin, Mayne, De Boer
BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Edwards, Tuck, Grigg, Morris
Fremantle: Pavlich, De Boer, Crowley, Hill, Mayne, Ballantyne
Crowd: 43,801 at the MCG
Summary: In a low-scoring match played in wet conditions at the MCG, Richmond found Fremantle’s lockdown game too hard to handle, going down by 12 points. The Tigers had 15 more inside-50 entries and three more scoring shots than their opponents, but couldn’t make the most of their opportunities. Trent Cotchin worked tirelessly in his efforts to lift Richmond, and he received solid support from noted ‘wet-tracker’, Shane Tuck, Shaun Grigg, Steven Morris and Shane Edwards, who kicked three goals.
Damien Hardwick: “We just didn’t go in hard enough. They were smashing into packs; we were sifting off. On a day like today, that’s not going to cut it. We knew we were in for a tough game, there’s no doubt about that.”
ROUND 12
Richmond 4.2 6.7 9.14 11.20 (86)
GWS 2.0 5.1 8.1 12.2 (74)
GOALS
RICHMOND: Riewoldt 3, Connors 3, Edwards 2, Cotchin, Deledio, Jackson
GWS: Cameron 3, Greene 2, McDonald, Palmer, Patton, Phillips, Schulz, Shiel
BEST
Richmond: Deledio, Conca, Edwards, Houli, Martin, Ellis
GWS: Cameron, Davis, Cornes, Greene, McDonald, Ward
Crowd: 7,358 at Skoda Stadium
Summary: For the second week in-a-row, Richmond encountered dismal, rain-soaked conditions, in its inaugural match against AFL newcomer Greater Western Sydney at Skoda Stadium. Despite again dominating the inside-50s, and having more than double the scoring shots, the Tigers struggled to shake off a determined home side, but eventually ran out 12-point winners. Brett Deledio was a standout in the wet, with 31 possessions, while Jack Riewoldt and Dan Connors kicked three goals each.
Damien Hardwick: “I don’t think a side would have played in those sort of conditions for two weeks in-a-row, in the last five years. It was a tough game, we just didn’t get the scoreboard dominance we needed, and they just kept coming.”
