Richmond faces a huge Round 14 challenge against the form team of the competition, Sydney, on the big Friday night stage, at the MCG.
The Swans are flying, with eight consecutive wins, while the Tigers suffered another loss last Saturday, against Fremantle that, with a bit more poise, could well have been a victory.
While the duel between Sydney’s red-hot, superstar spearhead Lance Franklin and Richmond’s valuable key defender Alex Rance has attracted plenty of attention in the lead-up to tonight’s match, it’s once again more than likely that the two teams’ overall contested-ball battle will go a long way towards determining the outcome.
“I think it’s important with the way Sydney play that we can win contested football,” Richmond assistant coach Danny Daly said on this week’s ‘Roar Vision Spotlight’.
“We’ll get our ‘hard nuts’ around the contest – ‘Milesy’ (Anthony Miles), (Matt) Thomas, (Trent) Cotchin, Ricky Petterd, who played midfield last week – those type of players on the inside, and try and get some speed on the outside with Brandon (Ellis) and ‘Lids’ (Brett Deledio), Bachar Houli, Shane Edwards – these types.
“It’s really important that we win the footy on the inside or, if they win it on the inside, that we’ve got our outer ring, who cover their outer players . . .
“And, it’s also really important that our half-forwards get up the ground and really try and squash them in.”
Where: MCG
When: Friday, June 20, 7.50pm
TV coverage: Channel 7 (live from 7.30pm); Fox Footy (live from 7.30pm)
Radio coverage: 3AW, SEN, Triple M, ABC
The Round 14 Richmond team
B: Chaplin, Batchelor, Rance
HB: Houli, Dea, Morris
C: Foley, Cotchin, Petterd
HF: Martin, A. Edwards, Deledio
F: S. Edwards, Riewoldt, Conca
R: Maric, Ellis, Miles
IC: Grimes, Thomas, Vlastuin, Hampson
Em: Helbig, Gordon, O’Hanlon
In: Thomas, Conca
Out: Newman (groin), Lennon (omitted)
See the full team list and how Sydney will line-up, presented by Sportsbet.com.au
Richmond v Sydney recent history
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 at the 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 at the 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 at the 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.
Round 3, 2010 at the SCG
Richmond 0.4 1.8 4.10 7.14 (56)
Sydney 6.4 10.6 13.13 16.15 (111)
Goals – Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Deledio, Edwards, Nason, Simmonds.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond: Jackson 25, Martin 22, Deledio 20, Edwards 20, Connors 17.
Goals – Sydney: Bradshaw 4, McGlynn 3, Goodes 2, Bolton, Jack, Kennedy, Malceski, Moore, Mumford, O’Keefe.
Leading possession-getters – Sydney: Bolton 33, Grundy 33, McGlynn 31, McVeigh 30, Malceski 27, Kennedy 24, Shaw 23, Kennelly 22, Kirk 21, O’Keefe 21.
Richmond v Sydney head-to-head
- Richmond and Sydney (formerly South Melbourne) have played 188 times, with the Tigers winning 103, losing 84 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.
Fast Fact: Richmond has outscored its opposition in just four of 12 third quarters this season, but it has gone on and won three of those games – against Carlton, Brisbane and GWS – and lost to Geelong by five points.
