Richmond 16.6-102 def by Collingwood 14.20-104
The VFL Tigers suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Collingwood on Sunday, going down by two points in a thrilling contest at the Swinburne Centre, Punt Road Oval.
After clawing back a 27-point deficit to take the lead at the final break, the VFL Pies made the most a strong fourth quarter breeze to regain the ascendancy and hold on for the victory.
Taylor Hunt impressed yet again at VFL level with a return of three goals, while Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Jacob Townsend (two goals) were also among the best performers.
Richmond VFL and development coach Xavier Clarke said there were plenty of positives to be taken from the close loss.
“It’s obviously disappointing that it went the way it did in the end,” Clarke said.
“We just needed a bit more composure when the game was on the line.
“But I thought we showed really good fight right until the end. Especially when we did go down by two points, some of the tackles and efforts from our guys were fantastic”.
The opening quarter provided a taste of how the match would be played out, as both sides traded blows in a tightly-fought contest.
Shai Bolton, fresh off a five-goal haul against Werribee last week, wasted no time in bringing the crowd to their feet.
Bolton produced a stunning goal from a near impossible angle in the forward pocket to get his side off to an ideal start.
While the Pies soon hit back, Hunt nailed his first with a classy effort on the run, before two goals to Todd Elton and a single to Sam Lloyd helped establish a nine-point lead at the first break.
The presence of Lloyd in the middle of the ground was telling, as he gathered nine disposals and provided relentless pressure on Collingwood’s midfield engine.
The dash of Oleg Markov was also proving a handful for the travellers, with the speedster gathering eight disposals and displaying quality ball use across half-back.
In a frenetic second term, the VFL Tigers were forced to play short after Ben Griffiths (shoulder) and Mabior Chol (ankle) were injured.
While Chol was able to return later in the quarter, Griffiths did not return, and the extent of his injury will be determined later in the week.
The Magpies made the most of the Tigers’ shorter rotation, getting two goals back before Stengle’s first of the day stemmed the flow of Collingwood pressure and got the Tigers back to within touching distance.
However, the Pies, desperate to keep their VFL finals hopes alive, rallied to take a 15-point lead into half-time, despite further scores from Hunt and Stengle.
While Collingwood maintained its momentum into the second half, a fierce Tiger comeback soon turned the match on its head, with seven consecutive goals giving the hosts a 16-point lead by the three-quarter time.
Stengle got the ball rolling after being found cleverly by Hunt in a vacant goal square, before a beautifully converted set shot from Tom Silvestro gave the Tigers the confidence boost they needed.
The ever-present Townsend, who had gathered 16 disposals and four tackles by half-time, then added two goals of his own, before singles to Stengle, Ben Lennon and Brandon Wood capped off a dominant quarter.
However, with a strong wind going heavily against the VFL Tigers in the final quarter, the Pies wrestled back the lead and held firm throughout the ensuing siege to emerge victors in an enthralling contest.
Hunt provided hope for his side midway through the quarter with his third goal, marking brilliantly from Bolton’s centre and kicking truly from a difficult angle.
A series of behinds saw both sides locked on level terms for a painstaking few minutes, before Collingwood’s Lachlan Tardrew landed the decisive blow with a few moments left on the clock.
With fifth spot on the ladder still intact, the VFL Tigers will continue their hunt for an elusive top four spot next week when they travel to face North Ballarat at Mars Stadium.
Goals: Stengle 4, Hunt 3, Townsend 2, Elton 2, Bolton, Wood, Lloyd, Silvestro, Lennon
Best: Hunt, Townsend, Batchelor, Ballard, Stengle, Coffield
