A recent winning run has kept alive the 2015 finals hopes of Richmond’s VFL side.
Impressive performances against North Ballarat, Northern Blues and Port Melbourne in the last three weeks have left the VFL Tigers in 10th position, two games outside the top eight, with six rounds remaining.
This weekend, Richmond comes up against third-placed Sandringham, with an injection of exciting young talent included in the team, including Corey Ellis, Todd Elton and Dan Butler.
Fellow AFL listed players Reece Conca and Jason Castagna will look to increase their game time, after returning last week and each playing a half.
In total, 16 AFL-listed players have been selected in the Richmond VFL side this Saturday, a significant increase in the average AFL-listed player representation so far this year, due to injuries.
For the non Richmond-listed players who have made a significant impact this season, Ryan Gale, Tyson Kruse and Ed Barlow have been permanent fixtures in the backline, captain Jaryd Cachia has played consistently high level football in the midfield, and James Wall and Nick Wynne have both played every game, in a variety of roles.
The form of 20-year-old Anthony Scott, who is part of the VFL Academy, has lifted him to potential AFL draft prospect, after he was recruited from Old Trinity in the VAFA.
This week, key forward Liam McBean will be looking to add to his haul of five goals, kicked against Port Melbourne last week.
McBean has booted 26 goals from 11 matches this season, and is trailing Box Hill’s Sam Grimley by two goals as the competition’s leading goalkicker.
Richmond would likely need to win at least four of their remaining five matches to make the top eight, something that seemed a remote possibility before the recent improvement in form and return of key AFL-listed players from injury.
Richmond VFL’s remaining matches:
Round 15 v Sandringham, Saturday July 25, 1:30pm at the ME Centre
Round 16 v Box Hill, Saturday August 1, 2pm at Box Hill City Oval
Round 17 – Bye
Round 18 v Coburg, Sunday August 16, 10:30am* at the ME Centre
Round 19 v Collingwood, 10:30am at Victoria Park (Channel 7 TV game)
Round 20 v Essendon, Saturday August 29, 1pm at Windy Hill
*Please note: the Round 18 match against Coburg could become a twilight fixture.
This Saturday’s match against Sandringham, at the ME Centre, will kick-off at 1.30pm, and is a curtain raiser to the Richmond v Fremantle clash at the MCG.
Live audio coverage of the VFL match can be heard via Richmond VFL Radio. Simply download the official Richmond app, and search for ‘VFL Radio’ in the menu.
Regular game updates can also be followed via the Richmond VFL Twitter account.
