In their penultimate pre-season match, the VFLW Tigers were defeated 1.0 (6) to 11.22 (88) by an all-star Hawthorn Hawks contingent on Saturday afternoon at the Swinburne Centre.
Two matches scheduled within four days meant the Tigers were without a number of key players, who were resting up for the Anzac Day Eve match against the Australian Defence Force.
The Hawks team, which featured a number of AFLW recruits, were commanding as they led the game from start to finish. The ball resided in their 50-metre-arc for the majority of the first half, and they shut the Tigers down each time they snuck the ball into their forward line.
Richmond’s tackling work was strong, spearheaded by defenders Louise Bibby and Ellie George, but when the visitors broke free they took control.
The Tigers came back fighting in the second half. Their defensive layers gelled as they put pressure on the Hawks and reduced them to just five scoring shots for the third term.
They produced some promising passages of play headed by utility Beth Lynch and midfielder Alana Woodward.
The tall figure of Louise Bieniara proved handy both in the ruck and defence as she led the team for tackles.
Jacqui Graham made herself known in defence as she stuck to her role and racked up top possession numbers.
Late in the third quarter, a snap out of the pack by former Melbourne AFLW player Elise Hogan soared through the big sticks to score the Tigers’ only goal for the match.
But a few late efforts from the Hawks in the final term proved too strong for the Tigers and resulted in an 82 point loss.
Coach Tom Hunter said the match gave girls who are not going to play as much VFL football this year the opportunity to play against a strong side like the Hawks.
“Being able to play on Sarah Perkins or Meg Hutchins, they’re not going to get that experience playing locally, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to see where the level is and see where they want to be,” Hunter said.
“In the second half, we saw our process start to stand up. The way we wanted to move the ball and our pressure around the ball.”
Around nine to 12 of Saturday’s players will double up for Tuesday’s clash at Tigerland.
Coach Hunter said the Anzac Day Eve match against the ADF is set to be a hot contest.
“The ADF will be really strong on the inside and we’ll just have to match them on the inside and then get our balance right around the outside,” Hunter said.
