At the midway mark of season 2018, we present the top five match-day moments from a Yellow and Black perspective (in chronological order)...
1. Dustin Martin’s brilliant, banana-bending, last-quarter goal v Carlton, Round 1, MCG
With Richmond holding a slender one-point lead midway through the final term of the season-opener against Carlton, it’s superstar midfielder Dustin Martin who again steps up in inimitable style to provide the spark for the Tigers’ victory. The ball is driven inside Richmond’s forward-50 at the Punt Road end of the ground, where Martin swoops, gathers possession, delivers a trademark ‘don’t argue’ fend-off, and then steers a banana kick through for a superb goal that sends the Tiger Army into raptures.
2. Trent Cotchin’s desperate goal-line save that results in a match-sealing Tigers’ goal v Collingwood, Round 6, MCG
Late in the last quarter of this blockbuster encounter, with the match still hanging in the balance, Collingwood surges forward. Jordan De Goey delivers a clever, little dribble pass to teammate Tom Phillips, who is on his own in the goal-square. Trent Cotchin, however, displays impressive closing speed and lunges at a falling Phillips, somehow managing to spoil a seemingly inevitable six-pointer for the Magpies. The ball spills to Richmond defender Nathan Broad and the Tigers subsequently swiftly sweep it forward, all the way to Dan Butler, who puts the finishing touches to a classic piece of play and ices the game with a running goal.
3. Bachar Houli’s great individual effort on the wing, which leads to a Jacob Townsend goal v Fremantle, Round 7, MCG
Richmond’s last-quarter rout of Fremantle at the ‘G’ starts with a tremendous passage of play by rebounding defender Bachar Houli. The Dockers, having fought their way back into the contest to trail by 26 points at three quarter-time, are bringing the ball down the Great Southern Stand side of the ground early in the final term, only to be thwarted by a strong Houli intercept. Houli then forces the ball forward for the Tigers along the boundary line, keeping it in play and warding off several Freo opponents, before firing off a handball to a teammate. The ball eventually finishes off in the hands of Jacob Townsend, via a mark, and he slots through the first of eight Richmond goals for the last quarter (8.4) to Fremantle’s 0.1.
4. Shane Edwards’ clever toe poke to Josh Caddy, who capitalises with a big goal v Essendon, Round 11, MCG
The highlight of talented Tiger playmaker Shane Edwards’ excellent, Yiooken award-winning performance in the annual blockbuster Dreamtime game comes late in the second quarter. With the ball heading towards the Richmond forward line from a centre clearance, Edwards produces a deft toe poke that lifts the ‘leather’ into the hands of teammate Josh Caddy, whose running, long bomb from just outside the 50-metre arc sails through the big sticks for his third goal of the match.
5. Daniel Rioli’s running, knock-on effort on the wing, chase-down tackle and goal v Geelong, Round 13, MCG
Rising Richmond star small forward Daniel Rioli caps a fine, first-up senior performance for the year, with a sensational string of efforts emanating from the members’ wing late in the final term of a tight contest. Rioli beats opponent Zach Guthrie one-on-one, keeps the ball alive, and pushes it forward to teammate Jack Riewoldt. He then follows up his work with a crunching tackle on Geelong’s Mitch Duncan to win a free kick for holding the ball and coolly slots the set shot to seal the game for the Tigers.
