Richmond great Matthew Richardson highlights six key points from the Tigers’ narrow Round 7 loss to Geelong at the MCG last Sunday.
- Alex Rance showed how badly he had been missed in the team’s back half.
Rance was excellent in his first game back for Richmond, since the opening round clash with Gold Coast, after recovering from a broken foot. The agile key defender picked up the tempo of the match straight away and displayed his trademark anticipation and interception skills. He finished with 18 disposals (nine contested possessions), including a game-high six rebound-50s. Rance instinctively plays on when he gains possession, which creates run for the team. His decisive spoiling and courage are further attributes that help bolster the Tigers’ backline.
- Richmond’s midfield is much better balanced with Brett Deledio in it.
Deledio also made a first-rate return after several weeks on the sidelines with an Achilles injury. The dual Jack Dyer Medallist showed that run-and-carry the Tigers had so sorely missed in his absence. He ran with the Cats’ champion skipper Joel Selwood for a period during the match and managed to nullify him, while still finding plenty of the ball himself. With 23 disposals, including nine contested possessions, five inside-50s, and a goal, Deledio could be well pleased with his comeback performance. He’s only going to get better with that run under his belt, too.
- Sam Lloyd plays a vital role in the Tigers’ line-up.
Richmond lacks small-medium sized goalkickers, so Lloyd’s ability to hit the scoreboard is really important. In two of the four games he’s played for the Tigers so far, in his debut league season, he’s been their leading goalkicker twice (with three goals against Collingwood in Round 4 and three goals against Geelong last Sunday). Lloyd doesn’t seem to miss when he’s having a shot anywhere within range, so he just needs to find the ball a bit more inside 50 to cause some real damage. I’ll make a prediction that he’ll kick at least one bag of five goals before his debut season with Richmond is over.
- Tiger youngsters Reece Conca, Brandon Ellis and Nick Vlastuin all took a step in the right direction.
Much was expected of this talented trio in 2014, and they had shown some good signs, without all of them clicking together at the same time. On Sunday, however, I thought they did just that. Conca and Ellis provided the team with really good run throughout, while Vlastuin continued to do the right thing at the right time, as he basically has done since making his AFL debut 12 months ago. The continued development of these three young players will be a crucial factor in Richmond’s quest for sustained success in the future. They clearly have the ability to become very influential members of the Tigers’ team over the next decade or so.
- Shaun Hampson’s impact in the ruck should not be underestimated.
Hampson again was terrific with his ruckwork. I thought he dragged the Tigers back into the game with his dominance at the all-important centre bounces and around-the-ground stoppages. He finished with 37 hit-outs, seven contested possessions, six clearances (the second most by a Richmond player in the match), and an equal-game high three centre clearances, which underlined his impressive work-rate right throughout the match. The ex-Blue is certainly proving to be a valuable pick-up for the Tigers.
- This match could prove to be a turning point for Richmond’s season.
It looked like the Richmond players grew in confidence as the game wore on, and they became fully aware that the quicker ball movement and bolder playing style they employed was having such positive results against such quality opposition. The challenge now is for the Tigers to play this way each time they step out on the field. If they can, I have no doubt they can still win plenty of games before this season is over.
