Australian Football

Match Report

Hawthorn's season appears to be back on track while Richmond's chances of playing finals in 2016 appear dead and buried after the Hawks defeated the Tigers by 46 points at the MCG on Friday night. The Tigers were competitive until later in the third term, and within nine points of Hawthorn at the final break, but a nine-goal final quarter from the Hawls enabled them to win very comfortably in the end.

Richmond actually started with a bang, with Nick Vlastuin running into an open goal and kicking truly after just 19 seconds and Jack Riewoldt having two goals off his own on the board after seven minutes. Ty Vickery had a chance to make it four goals to nil five minutes later but a shot from Ty Vickery after a mark sailed wide. After that, the Hawks hit their straps, with Luke Breust kicking three goals in four minutes to level the scores and Paul Puopolo adding another to give Hawthorn a six-point lead going into time on. The Tigers wrested control of the game back after that but couldn't convert on the scoreboard, with Anthony Miles, Vlastuin and Daniel Rioli all missing shots before quarter time, and Hawthorn led by four points at the first break. 

The match continued to see-saw in the second term. Hawthorn made the early running with goals to Jack Gunston extending the lead to 16 points but Richmond hitting back with a major to Jayden Short and then two in a row to Vickery to retake the lead. The tide then turned again and goals to Puopolo, Cyril Rioli and Gunston had Hawthorn ahead by 15 points at half time. 

Whatever was said to the Richmond players at the long break must have had the desired effect, as the Tigers came out firing in the third quarter. They dominated the first 20 minutes, adding 4.3 to nothing, with goals to Short, Sam Lloyd and Anthony Miles (two), giving them a 12-poin lead. But once again the flow of the game changed again after that as Hawthorn added three goals in time-on to regain a nine-point lead going into the last change of ends. 

Unfortunately for Richmond there was to be no further reversal of fortune in the match. The Hawks continued on from where they'd left off when play restarted in the final term and Liam Shiels, James Sicily and Isaac Smith all added goals to extend Hawthorn's lead to 28 points at the 10-minute mark. Vickery pulled one back for the Tigers at the 12-minute mark, but the Hawks kicked six of the last eight, with Breust kicking another three, to win running away at the finish. 

Along with Breust (six goals, 14 touches), Gunston (15 possessions and four goals) was outstanding for the victors, while Dustin Martin (28 disposals, five tackles) was a fine player all night for Richmond. 

The Hawks, in fifth place with a 5-2 record but a poor percentage of 99.4, will take on the winless Fremantle at York Park on Saturday afternoon while Richmond, without a win since round one, will look for a four-quarter performance against third-placed Sydney at the MCG later that evening. 

GOALS

Richmond: Vickery, Riewoldt 3; Short , Miles 2; Lloyd, Vlastuin, Griffiths
Hawthorn: Breust 6; Gunston 4; Puopolo 3; Smith, Sicily, Shiels, Rioli, Lewis, Ceglar, Hill, Hartung

BEST - THE SATURDAY AGE
Richmond: Martin, Miles, Vlastuin, Vickery
Hawthorn: Breust, Gunston, Hartung, Puopolo, Smith, Gibson

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Richmond: Martin, Miles, Grigg, Vlastuin,Riewoldt, Edwards
Hawthorn: Breust, Hartung, Gibson, Gunston, Smith, Lewis, Puopolo

INJURIES
Richmond: Batchelor (knee)
Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell (corked calf) replaced in the selected side by Kieran Lovell

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Mollison, Wallace

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

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