Richmond VFL suffered its first defeat of the season against Footscray at the Swinburne Centre on Saturday, going down by 23 points, 12.8 (80) to 8.9 (57).
The Bulldogs burst out of the blocks with the opening four goals, catching Richmond on its heels.
Foostcray was slick and potent in the first quarter, cashing in when conditions were at their prime.
The battle-hardened Tigers fought until the end, down three rotations for all the second half due to injuries to Robbie Tarrant, Kaelan Bradtke and Bigoa Nyuon.
The heavens opened in the second half, making it ever trying for Richmond to eat into the deficit, which hovered around five-to-six goals for most of the afternoon.
Coach Steve Morris prowled the boundary line after half-time, his voice booming and reverberating around Punt Road Oval.
Constant encouragement and instruction bellowed from Morris, “Good work ‘Steely’, I love it” as the tough midfielder pinballed from body to body.
“Keep stepping in boys”, referring to Richmond’s ability to exert manic pressure in the contest.
“Excellent Maxy!”, when praising a staunch defensive effort from debutant Max Clohesy the who travels the 384km twice a week to train at Tigerland.
Fresh off back-to-back wins to start the season, the Tigers entered the encounter in solid form whilst the Bulldogs were yet to register a win following admirable losses to Casey and Brisbane.
Sam Banks played in midfield role following time on a wing at half back, and the rangy Tiger showcased his class by foot with Richmond’s opening goal of the game.
Banks jagged two majors for the day, swapping between on-ball and wing.
Footscray fought back swiftly with two-goals-on-the-trot, securing a 31-point lead at quarter-time.
Richmond evened the ledger around the ball in the second term and slotted the opening goal via Cam Olden.
Olden was a welcome return, his neat skills handy through the midfield and up forward.
The Tigers injected speed into their ball movement, however, they were swimming against the tide due to their limited rotations.
Captain Lachlan Street’s iron will was on show for all to see. He gained reward for his unwearied efforts as he extracted a ball from congestion, and slid through Richmond’s third major on his trusty left boot.
As it had done for the majority of the first-half, Footscray quashed the Tigers’ momentum with back-to-back goals, as the Bulldogs extended their buffer to 40 points as the half-time siren sounded.
Jacob Bauer started his SANFL career as a key defender and showed that in his efforts in the first half against Footscray. The athletic big man’s piercing ball use by foot and pulverising spoils shone most in a mixed bag of conditions.
Bauer found himself forward of centre late in the final term, slid past a weary Ben Miller, who gladly handed the ball to his teammate, who pumped the ball through from just inside the arc.
RICH 1.2 3.2 6.6 8.9 (57)
FOOT 6.3 9.6 11.7 12.8 (80)
Goal Kickers:
Richmond: Banks (2), Olden (2), Street, Miller, Johnson, Bauer
Best Players: Street, Bauer, Ross, Bracher, Olden, Green
