Richmond great Matthew Richardson highlights six key points from the Tigers’ Round 17 victory over Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium last Sunday.
1. Jack Riewoldt and Alex Rance celebrated their milestones in grand style.
It’s always great to have a win in a milestone match, and even better if you can be a valuable contributor to the success. That’s exactly what Riewoldt and Rance were able to do in the clash with Port. Riewoldt, in his 150th game, produced his most complete performance of the season, against top-class opposition. He got crucial touches at crucial times, took important, contested marks, won the ball impressively at ground level, unselfishly helped out his teammates, and really stood up when needed most, kicking a clutch goal in the frantic final few minutes of the game (his third for the day). Rance, in his 100th game, restricted the Coleman Medal leader Jay Schulz to just two goals and even those, which came late in the piece, weren’t the fault of the key Tiger backman. Coach Damien Hardwick declared Rance the best contested defender in the competition a couple of weeks ago, and it’s hard not to agree with that right now. Rance is the mainstay of Richmond’s backline with his bravery, boldness and sheer determination.
2. Bachar Houli was excellent in his rebounding role out of the backline.
Houli has had a fairly consistent season, generating good run for the team from defence. Last Sunday, however, I thought he also had his best game for the year. His first priority was to defend and ensure his opponent couldn’t cause damage. He then initiated attacking moves for the Tigers with penetrating rebound. But what I really liked about Houli’s performance, was his desire to keep pushing himself to propel the ball inside 50. It takes courage to consistently run off your opponent to try and create, and it’s something Houli did extremely well against the Power. The fact he finished with a team-high seven rebound-50s, as well as six inside-50s, highlights his first-rate rebound work throughout the course of the match.
3. Brett Deledio is recapturing his on-field potency.
As Deledio said on last week’s edition of the Club’s official podcast, ‘Talking Tigers’, he is starting to regain faith in his body after a frustrating year being hampered with an Achilles injury. Deledio, to his credit, has remained upbeat throughout, and you could sense over the last few weeks that he was working back to his best form. Last Sunday, he took another significant step, finishing with 26 disposals, including a highly-impressive 15 contested possessions, a team-high 10 inside-50s and seven clearances. The goal he kicked early in the match from just outside the 50-metre arc, on an angle, was a beauty, and it set the tone for a terrific Tiger afternoon under the roof. I’ve got a feeling Brett Deledio is going to have a strong finish to the season.
4. Ricky Petterd just gets on with the job.
I really like the way Petterd goes about his football, with a minimum of fuss, but maximum effort. He spilt some blood on the training track during the week, in the lead-up to last Sunday’s game, which, to me, highlighted his playing style. Petterd is hard at it, and always willing to take a whack in his pursuit of the ball. He strikes me as a player that will do whatever is asked of him by the coaches, without whingeing, and he seems to be a popular team member. With 22 disposals, four marks, a team-high nine tackles and two goals last Sunday, Petterd again was a valuable contributor for the Tigers.
5. Anthony Miles has been a revelation in the Richmond midfield.
Port Adelaide paid Miles the ultimate compliment when it set veteran lockdown specialist Kane Cornes on to him after he’d racked up 10 first-quarter disposals. It was the first time in his brief AFL career that the young inside midfielder had been tagged, but he showed he’s a quick learner by finding a way to still have a major impact on the match. Miles finished with 28 disposals, including 13 contested possessions, a team-high eight clearances and six inside-50s. The key to Miles managing to maintain a high level of consistency is his exemplary attitude and fierce desire to keep winning his own ball. He doesn’t try to do too much, he keeps it pretty simple, but he’s certainly been very effective in the six games he’s played with Richmond so far. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that since Miles forced his way into the Tigers’ line-up, they have played their best football of the season.
6. The Tigers will gain plenty from this win.
I mentioned in last week’s Six-pointers that Richmond, having beaten only teams below it on the ladder this season, needed to take a big scalp, and the match against Port offered a prime opportunity to do that. The Power had slipped a bit, but they remained quality opposition and went into the clash with Richmond as warm favorites. It was great to see the Tigers seize the early initiative and then answer every challenge from Port right through to the final siren. I firmly believe that victory will do plenty for the self-belief of the Tiger players, who now know their best football is still good enough to beat the best teams going around.
