A strong all-round team performance and five-goal haul from Liam McBean helped the VFL Tigers to a convincing 35-point win over Casey at the ME Bank Centre on Saturday afternoon.
McBean impressed with his versatility up forward, converting from open play, set shots and stoppages. A clinical goalkicking display saw him kick his five goals from just seven kicks after what has been a tough few weeks for the young Tiger.
“It’s been a bit of a challenge up forward,” McBean said. “I haven’t really impacted as much as I would have liked. It’s good to finally get on the end of a couple of goals.”
“We’ve had a couple of tough losses but we came back and responded really well. We were confident going into the game and it’s really good to get a win.”
Hard-running Matt McDonough was a standout in an efficient Richmond midfield. A consistent four-quarter effort saw him collect 24 possessions, six clearances and kick two goals.
Ben Lennon also impressed with another solid display through the midfield and worked hard all over the ground to finish with 20 disposals and a goal.
The Tigers came out firing with McBean booting two majors inside the opening ten minutes of the game. Casey responded to level the scores before the Tigers slammed through five unanswered goals on either side of the quarter-time break.
Richmond’s forwards excelled both individually and as a unit. Aaron Edwards got back to provide an option for defenders, Sam Lloyd presented and marked well and Ben Griffiths regularly beat two opponents. The trio all managed to impact the scoreboard, with Richmond’s 15 goals all coming from AFL-listed players.
Lloyd’s figures of 2.4 could have been considerably better had he taken his chances in front of goal, but he impressed with his ball-winning ability and finished with 20 disposals, 15 of which were contested.
Resolute defending, as well as the Scorpions wayward goalkicking, saw Casey go goalless in the third term while the Tigers extended their lead. Nathan Batsanis and Nick Wynne (27 disposals) again found a lot of the ball while rebounding defenders Ed Barlow and James Wall continued their strong seasons.
The Tigers were never threatened in the final term and would have registered a bigger win if not for three late Casey goals.
RICHMOND 4.5 9.9 12.13 15.16 (106)
CASEY 2.3 4.5 4.9 10.11 (71)
Goals: McBean 5, McDonough 2, Lloyd 2, Lennon, Gordon, Stephenson, Griffiths, A. Edwards, Darrou
Best: McBean, McDonough, Lennon, Stephenson, Lloyd, A. Edwards
