Richmond has suffered a 44-point loss to Williamstown in the VFL Round 19 clash at the Swinburne Centre, with Reece Conca’s return from injury cut short due to a rolled ankle.
With the game in the balance, Williamstown put Richmond to the sword ending the day with a six-goal avalanche, finishing 18.12 (120) to 11.10 (76) to the good.
The Tigers welcomed back Reece Conca after a six-week stint on the sidelines and Derek Eggmolesse-Smith for his debut game in the yellow and black.
Conca provided zip and energy, collecting 17 disposals before leaving the ground with a rolled ankle—the opposite to the one he dislocated.
Eggmolesse-Smith entered the game after halftime, slotting in across half-back and providing penetration and drive with ball in hand.
Williamstown burst out of the blocks with the opening goal of the game and caught Richmond on the hop in transition a handful of times in the first term.
Williamstown had plenty of urgency and energy at the stoppages and streamed forward into space at will.
The Tigers defensive unit had its hands full in the first quarter, with Ben Miller, Dan Coffield and Ryan Garthwaite holding firm against the tide.
Corey Ellis was clean and industrious, while Sam Lloyd warmed into the game.
Patrick Naish highlighted his attractive traits, winning a disputed ball at half back, before sprinting forward in transition for the handball receive and finding Ryan Bathie free inside 50.
Bathie went back and kicked a very important goal in the shadows of quarter time.
Jacob Ballard ignited the Tigers with a duo of second term majors, taking his tally to three for the half.
Richmond fought and scrapped, arresting back the momentum and got the game back on its terms for the majority of the second term.
Callum Moore was stung into action in the second term, as he presented constantly and showcased his “wow factor” once again.
Moore skated after the ball and desperately stopped it from being rushed, before snaffling it up and snapping through his only goal for the day.
While Moore flexed his muscle up forward, Ben Miller was nigh impassable down back.
Miller’s confidence has risen steadily as the weeks have ticked on and has spiked in the last two weeks.
The budding defender was one of the Tigers best on a tough day down at Geelong last week, and bettered that performance against a barrage of Williamstown attacking forays.
A goal after the halftime siren saw Williamstown edge clear by eight points, carrying the momentum into the main break.
Scoring dried up at the start of the third term, until Tyson Stengle bobbed up for his first, cutting the deficit to two points.
Unfortunately, this sparked the Seagulls into action, as they took control around the scrimmages and peppered the goal, luckily, they didn’t inflict maximum damage.
However, as they did at the end of the half, the visitors slotted one after the siren to edge clear by a game-high 18 points.
Anthony Miles was the happy recipient of a 50-metre penalty, kicking the all-important first goal of the last quarter.
The Tigers found a bit of spark, but as they had done all day, Williamstown answered straight back and went on a six-goal tirade to put to bed a tough day out for the ladder-leaders.
RICHMOND 3.2 8.4 9.6 11.10 (76)
WILLIAMSTOWN 5.2 9.6 11.12 18.12 (120)
Goals
Richmond: Ballard (3), Bathie (2), Miles (1), Aarts (1), Stengle (1), Coleman-Jones (1), Moore (1), Mannagh (1)
Williamstown: Schultz (4), Marcon (3), Cavarra (3), Rodda (3), Jolley (1), Bewley (1), Jones (1), Dunnell (1), Schnerring (1),
