With just 14 goals in the 207 games of AFL football he played at both Essendon and Port Adelaide, it’s no wonder Richmond coach Damien Hardwick had a special affinity for Tiger defender Troy Chaplin’s exploits up forward in Sunday’s impressive 20-point win against the Power at Etihad Stadium.

Chaplin was switched forward during the game as a match-up for Port’s talented ‘tall’ Justin Westhoff, who was playing an important role as a spare man in defence for the visitors.

The move worked like a charm with Chaplin kicking two crucial goals for the Tigers against his former team.

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It was a personal best goal return for the 28-year-old, in his 178^th game of league football.  He had scored 11 single goals before Sunday’s match.

“I was very surprised he kicked two goals . . . It’s always good to see a back kick a goal, said Hardwick, whose best goalkicking performance in a league game also was two, against Port Adelaide, while playing for Essendon, in Round 17 of the 1998 season.

“It was great for ‘Chappy’ to go forward.  Obviously, he’s come from Port and he’s a very proud man.

“He’s a great Richmond man now and part of our leadership group.  He’s very much loved by not only our players, but our supporters as well.

“Chappy, probably by his own admission, didn’t start the season overly well, but I think his consistency over the course of probably the last seven or eight weeks, has been very good.”

Chaplin showed plenty of raw emotion after kicking both his goals against Port.

“I don’t even know what it was.  I probably looked like an absolute idiot,” Chaplin explained to the ‘Herald Sun’ about his goalkicking celebrations.

“To the boys’ credit, we played a bloody good side and to get the win is great.

“I had the match-up on Westhoff and the call was made to go and tag him, and I was able to isolate at stages and it worked out pretty well.

“I was able to kick a couple at a pretty important time.  The first (celebration) was about emotion and the second one I didn’t even know I had kicked it.  I picked it up and put it on my (right) boot.

“The win meant a lot to me and the boys because of the way this year has gone.  We had built this game up to be a big game.”