Australian Football

Match Report

Bringing back bitter memories of many past nail-biting losses, Richmond has given up a 17-point time-on lead to go down to Collingwood by the narrowest of margins at the MCG on Friday night. As wonderful a win as this was for the Magpies, it's hard to get away from a sense that this was more a game that the Tigers threw away than which Collingwood won. The term, "snatched defeat from the jaws of victory", certainly rings true for this match.

A slow opening to the match saw neither side score in the first four minutes before Kane Lambert broke the deadlock with a goal from just inside 50 to put Richmond ahead. The defensive hold of both sides on the match continued after that and it was another eight minutes before the next score of the game. That score was the first goal to Alex Fasolo after a mark and pass from Travis Cloke. Cloke marked again a few minutes later but his shot missed. A strong mark from teammate Darcy Moore put the Pies six points clear but a goal with his first kick in the AFL to Jayden Short had scores level at the 23-minute mark. A behind to Shaun Hampson gave the Tigers a lead by that margins at quarter time.

Goals proved even harder to come by in the second term, the two sides trading in behinds only until Jordan De Goey kicked Collingwood's third at the 11-minute mark. More misses from both sides - mainly Richmond - ensued before Short's second gave the Tigers an even one-goal lead early in time-on. The only further score before the long break was a point to Collingwood's Greenwood and and uninspiring first half ended with Richmond leading 3.8 to 3.3.

Thankfully the game opened up and improved as a spectacle in the third quarter. Dustin Martin put the Tigers 11 points clear with his first but three in a row from Collingwood via Fasolo, Tom Langdon and Brodie Grundy saw the Magpies nine points clear midway through the term. Short responded with his third and the Tigers kicked another two of the next three majors to snatch back a five-point lead at the last change.,

Most expected Richmond to go on with the job in the last quarter but it was Collingwood who made the early running with two of the first three of the term to lead by two points. The Tigers hit back with a brace to Jack Riewoldt and another goal to Ty Vickery to lead by 16 but a goal to ex-Lion James Aish had the Pies back within 1o at the 17-minute mark. A crumbing goal to Riewoldt, his third for the quarter, put Richmond 17 points clear as the final term entered time on and it looked like the Tigers had finally shaken Collingwood off.

But fate - and the Magpies - conspired against Richmond in the final 10 minutes. Fasolo's fifth cut the margin to 11 and when he received a free kick for a hold soon after his sixth had the margin back to six points. With less than a minute remaining and the ball in Collingwood's forward line a controversial deliberate out of bounds free was paid to the Magpies' Darcy Moore. His kick to the top of the goal square somehow landed in the arms of Brodie Grundy who snapped a goal to give Collingwood a one-point lead with seconds to spare. The Tigers surged forward from the resultant centre bounce but the clock beat them and the Pies rejoiced in a miraculous win. 

Fasolo was a match-winner  for the Pies, with six marks to go with his six goals, while skipper Scott Pendlebury (26 disposals, five marks) was back to his best after being slightly down in round one. For the Tigers, Martin (30 possessions, six marks) and Trent Cotchin (38 touches) were standouts.

With each side on one win and one loss, Richmond will next face Adelaide at Docklands on Saturday while the Magpies will take on St Kilda at the MCG on the same day in search of win number two. 

GOALS
Collingwood: Fasolo 6; Grundy 2; Moore, De Goey, Langdon, Cloke, Aish
Richmond: Short, Riewoldt 3; Lambert, Vickery 2; Martin, Lloyd

BEST - THE AGE
Collingwood: Fasolo, Treloar, Pendlebury, Adams, Greenwood, Ramsay
Richmond: Martin, Cotchin, Houli, Lambert, Riewoldt, Short

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Collingwood: Fasolo, Pendlebury, Adams, Greenwood, Treloar, Ramsay
Richmond: Martin, Houli, Cotchin, Lambert, Riewoldt, Short, Hampson

INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Richmond: Dylan Grimes (right hamstring), Jayden Short (left collarbone), Shaun Grigg (ankle), David Astbury (right hand)

REPORTS: Jacob Townsend for rough conduct on Jackson Ramsay, Nick Vlastuin for rough conduct on Taylor Adams

UMPIRES: Foot, Farmer, Rosebury

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Wayne Carey, Cameron Ling