Richmond suffered a 38-point loss at the hands of Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. The Tigers started strongly as Sam Lloyd booted two early goals, but were ultimately out-ran by the Power.
Power skipper Travis Boak (26 disposals, 11 tackles, two goals) was best afield, while Matthew Broadbent (two goals, four clearances), Ollie Wines (10 clearances) and Brad Ebert (eight clearances) were forces on the inside and Kane Mitchell (24 disposals, one goal) curbed the influence of Tigers captain Trent Cotchin (14 possessions).
Anthony Miles (28 disposals, six clearances) did all he could for Richmond, as did Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt (four goals).
A stray boot flung by Justin Westhoff in a marking contest somehow delivered Port its first goal, but there was nothing lucky about Lloyd’s two replies at the other end, pushing the Tigers to an early, albeit narrow lead.
Cotchin didn’t take kindly to Mitchell’s close attention and the resulting physicality showcased just how much was on the line as the opening term drew to a close.
The scuffle sparked the Power into a rampage; seven goals later the game was theirs to lose.
Broadbent was sensational for Port on the inside, winning four clearances for the quarter - two of which resulted in goals.
Heavy rain may have improved the value of each Power major but did nothing to take the heat out of the contest, with niggle between Mitchell and Cotchin again bubbling over before Martin and Ebert turned their backs on a nearby stoppage to lock horns.
Down by 23 points at the main break on a saturated oval, Richmond required a monumental effort to pull itself back into the contest in the second half and Jack Riewoldt loomed a man capable of leading the Tigers out of the depths.
His powerful left-foot snap breathed a little life into his side, but any hope of a comeback was cracked early in the final term when Chad Wingard slammed home his second from the goalsquare, and it was long shattered by the time Mitchell capped a terrific return to senior football by snapping truly from under Adelaide Oval’s historic scoreboard.
PORT ADELAIDE 2.2 9.2 11.5 14.10 (94)
RICHMOND 3.2 5.3 7.6 8.8 (56)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Broadbent 2, Boak 2, Wingard 2, Westhoff, Young, Dixon, Impey, Trengove, R.Gray, Amon, Mitchell
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Lloyd 2, Vickery, Short
BEST
Port Adelaide: Boak, Trengove, Wines, Broadbent, Mitchell, Ebert, Neade
Richmond: Ellis, Miles, Riewoldt, Rance, Deledio
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
Richmond: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Nicholls, Hay, Harris, Ryan
Official crowd: 37,848 at the Adelaide Oval
