Defensive pressure shapes as a critical element of Richmond’s bold bid to beat top-of-the-table Sydney in Saturday’s final home-and-away round clash at ANZ Stadium and grab a finals berth.

Over the past eight games this season, Richmond and Sydney are the top-two ranked defensive teams in the competition.  The Tigers have conceded an average of 69 points per match, while the Swans are averaging just 63 points against.

“It will be a battle of defences this week . . . that’s how they play.  And, when you look back about eight weeks ago, one area that we really concentrated on, was our defence,” Richmond assistant coach Danny Daly said on ‘Roar Vision’s Spotlight’.

“We’ve done a lot of training, and looked at a lot of vision, on how we could improve that, and we’ve certainly done that.

“It’s the all-over-ground defence . . . I think one of the (key) things is our ability to press in against the opposition and try and keep the ball in our forward half, which was a massive indicator for us last year.

“The first half this year we weren’t great at it, but I think having ‘whippets’ like Shane Edwards, Brett Deledio and ‘Red Dog’ Gordon down in the forward-50, allows us to put pressure on.

“But also, our defenders being able to press right down on their opposition, and not give them any space, has been critical for us as well.”

Daly also stressed the importance of the Richmond midfielders’ defensive efforts against their Sydney counterparts . . .

“It’s going to be really important for our midfielders, who are playing just as good a football as these guys (Sydney’s midfield), that we can beat them at contested ball, and not allow them to get some outside football.  But, more importantly, just take away their space,” he said.

“They like to get up the ground, and run hard forward, so we’ve just got to make sure that we don’t allow them to do that.”


Where:  ANZ Stadium
When:  Saturday, August 30, 4.40pm
TV coverage:  Fox Footy (live from 4.30pm)
Radio coverage:  3AW, SEN, Triple M, ABC


The Round 23 Richmond team
B:  Chaplin, Batchelor, Rance
HB:  Houli, Newman, Morris
C:  Foley, Cotchin, Miles
HF:  Conca, Griffiths, Deledio
F:  S. Edwards, Riewoldt, Gordon
R:  Maric, Ellis, Martin
IC:  Petterd, Vlastuin, Grigg, Grimes
Em:  Dea, Vickery, Lloyd
In:  Martin 
Out:  Lennon (omitted) 
Milestone:  Chris Newman (250 games)

The Round 23 Sydney team
B:  Smith, Richards, Rampe
HB:  Rohan, Grundy, Shaw 
C:  Malceski, Hannebery, McVeigh
HF:  Jetta, Franklin, Cunningham 
F:  Towers, Tippett, Goodes
R:  Naismith, K. Jack, Parker
IC:  Biggs, Lloyd, Mitchell, Reid 
Em:  Jones, Laidler, Nankervis 
In:  Naismith, Reid 
Out:  Pyke (illness), Laidler (omitted) 


Richmond v Sydney recent history

Round 14, 2014, MCG
Richmond            4.2          6.4          7.6          7.9  (51)
Sydney                 1.2          4.2          7.5          9.8  (62)
Goals – Richmond:  Miles 2, Riewoldt 2, Deledio, A. Edwards, Hampson.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Martin 36, Ellis 35, Cotchin 33, Houli 33, Miles 28, Chaplin 23, Foley 20.
Goals – Sydney:  Franklin 4, K. Jack 2, Reid 2, McVeigh.
Leading possession-getters – Sydney:  Malceski 26, Kennedy 24, Cunningham 22, McVeigh 21, Parker 21.

Round 18, 2013, SCG
Richmond            5.3          6.4          8.7          9.9  (63)
Sydney                 5.3          8.7          13.10     16.14  (110)
Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 3, Martin 2, Conca, Jackson, Vickery, White.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Cotchin 30, Martin 30, Grigg 26, Houli 22, Jackson 22, Conca 21, Deledio 21, Foley 21, Tuck 21, Vlastuin 21
Goals – Sydney:  White 4, Tippett 3, K. Jack 2, Mitchell 2, Bolton, B. Jack, Lamb, Pyke, Smith.
Leading possession-getters – Sydney:  O’Keefe 30, Hannebery 26, K. Jack 26, Mitchell 26, McVeigh 23, Kennedy 22, Parker 22, Bird 20, Smith 20.

Round 7, 2012, MCG
Richmond            5.6          7.9          8.11        13.13  (91)
Sydney                 0.2          2.7          6.9          8.14  (62)
Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 4, Grigg 3, Miller 2, Conca, Deledio, I. Maric, Martin.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Cotchin 27, Rance 27, Grigg 26, Houli 26, Deledio 25, Foley 25, Newman 25, Grimes 24, Tuck 24.
Goals – Sydney:  Kennedy 2, Dennis-Lane, Everitt, Grundy, Hannebery, McGlynn, Seaby.
Leading possession-getters – Sydney:  Kennedy 21, Jack 20, McVeigh 20, Bolton 19, O’Keefe 19.

Round 12, 2011, SCG
Richmond            2.3          4.7          6.7          9.11  (65)
Sydney                 3.8          5.14        5.19        9.21  (75)
Goals – Richmond:  Martin 2, Riewoldt 2, Vickery 2, Browne, Deledio, Nahas.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Deledio 27, Martin 24, Rance 24, Cotchin 23, Houli 23, Farmer 20, Grigg 20.
Goals – Sydney:  Jetta 2, Reid 2, Dennis-Lane, Kennedy, Malceski, O’Keefe, Roberts-Thomson.
Leading possession-getters – Sydney:  Kennedy 26, O’Keefe 26, Seaby 21, Grundy 20, Malceski 20.

Round 14, 2010, MCG
Richmond            3.0          5.0          9.3          14.5  (89)
Sydney                 3.3          6.6          10.11     12.13  (85)
Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 5, Collins 3, Newman 2, Farmer, Griffiths, Martin, Nason.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Deledio 28, Connors 26, Astbury 21, Cousins 21, Jackson 20, Moore 20, Newman 20.
Goals – Sydney:  McVeigh 3, Goodes 2, Moore 2, Dennis-Lane, Jack, McGlynn, Mumford, Pyke.
Leading possession-getters – Sydney:  Bolton 32, O’Keefe 29, Hannebery 24, Jack 21, McVeigh 21, Shaw 21.


Richmond v Sydney head-to-head
- Richmond and Sydney (formerly South Melbourne) have played 189 times, with the Tigers winning 103, losing 85 and drawing one.
- Richmond last defeated Sydney in Round 7, 2012 at the MCG – 13.13 (91) to 8.14 (62).
- Richmond has won three and lost seven of its last 10 games against Sydney.
- Richmond and Sydney have met in six league finals all-up, with the Tigers winning four and losing two.
- Richmond and Sydney have met in two Grand Finals, with the Tigers winning one (1934) and losing one (1933).
- Richmond’s best winning sequence against Sydney is 11, from 1970-75.
- Richmond’s longest losing sequence against Sydney is 8, from 1915-19 and 2005-10.
- Richmond’s highest score against Sydney is 26.11 (167) in Round 16, 1975 at the Lake Oval.
- Richmond’s lowest score against Sydney is 3.8 (26) in Round 15, 1909 at the Lake Oval.
- Richmond’s greatest winning margin against Sydney is 107 points in Round 16, 1975 at the Lake Oval.
- Richmond’s greatest losing margin against Sydney is 118 points in Round 7, 2006 at Etihad Stadium.
- The most goals kicked by a Richmond player in a match against Sydney is 12 by Jack Baggott in Round 9, 1928 at Punt Road.
- Richmond’s biggest-ever crowd against Sydney is 75,754 in the 1933 Grand Final at the MCG.