I began to experience nightmares at three-quarter time last Sunday night. It didn’t matter anymore that Richmond played a promising first half that was plagued by missed opportunities. The reason it didn’t matter was simple,
Third. Quarter. Bad.
Within a thirty-minute period, all that relentless work was brushed aside and suddenly, Richmond were gone. An issue that needs to be addressed in time for next season is preventing the opposition from demolishing our team whilst possessing the momentum. The Tigers had it for most of that first half, but Melbourne managed to not only match that in half the time, but they surpassed it - by 8 points. It freakishly resembled our round 16 contest against Essendon up until that point in time.
After such an unbelievable momentum shift against Richmond, it became increasingly likely that another match would have been coughed up after sustained periods of promising effort. Melbourne has shown, once they get their tails up against us, we’re gone.
Brett Deledio must of only remembered Jordan McMahon’s match winning goal against the Dees however.
He seized the moment with two phenomenal tackles. One came with only fifteen minutes remaining in the contest, Melbourne was holding onto a slight lead at that point. This play involved Stefan Martin hacking a kick deep inside their forward fifty, with Pettard running on the end of a certain goal. Deledio positioned himself brilliantly to the right side of the young Demon, making it difficult for him to convert on the run. It was an absolutely stunning move that could only be made by an elite footballer. The ball dribbled through for a behind and thankfully gave the Tigers another chance to reset their defensive transition of play. Fox Footy’s commentators commended on the importance of the tackle, Danny Frawley calling it “one of the best tackles you’ll ever see”. Deledio’s ability to understand the importance of the play, and step up with such a unique counter to what was a certain goal, allowed Richmond to halt Melbourne’s momentum and regain their composure.
Deledio’s next move occurred moments later, Melbourne were beginning to build momentum at that point, piling on a few more behinds and setting themselves up for another goal. Houli lost his composure largely contributed by Jarrah’s ability to chase him down, Scully cleared the ball right down the guts, and it bounced towards Brad Green’s advantage. Green began to muster any ounce of strength and collect possession, looking for the handball to their loose man - Colin Sylvia. Deledio continued to run with Green, allowing the Demon’s captain absolutely no space to clear possession. The ball was held tight onto Green and the umpires called for a bounce.
If Deledio didn’t use his footy smarts to trap in the football, his tackle could have hit and the ball would have dribbled towards the most dangerous man on the ground. This would have surely resulted in a Melbourne goal due to Richmond’s turnover. The momentum would have shifted drastically at that point, and the result could have been vastly different. That’s defensive pressure at its best, Deledio saved two goals in four minutes. Hardly a minute later Cotchin nailed the goal Melbourne was pressing for. Our entire team contributed to that fantastic victory, but those two crucial defensive efforts by Deledio got us over the line. Hopefully the Tiger faithful can continue to witness match changing defensive plays like those two for years and years and years to come.
Eat THEM’ Alive!
Con Bouliopoulos
