Australian Football

Match Report

While a place in the finals is likely to be a bridge too far, Richmond has given itself every chance to finish the highest of all the teams outside of the eight with a solid, if unspectacular, win over the hapless Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Saturday. The Tigers joined a ruck of five teams with a 6-7 record that occupy ninth to 13th places on the ladder. Richmond's percentage of 88.8 puts it in the middle of that group of five in 11th place.

The Tigers set the win up with a strong first half and, on the back of a good third term as well, could have been expected to record a big win. To the Lions' credit, however, they fought hard in the final quarter, kicking five goals to three to narrow the final margin from 56 to 42 points. 

Brisbane actually made all of the early running and led 2.0 to 0.2 after 10 minutes, on the back of goals to Josh Schache and Lewis Taylor. Once Richmond got going, however, it was one-way traffic to the Tigers' end for the rest of the first quarter. They added 5.2 to nothing over the last 20 minutes, Anthony Miles, Shane Edwards, Connor Menadue, Brandon Ellis and Brett Deledio all chipping in with goals to set up a 22-pont quarter-time lead.

18-year-old second-gamer Eric Hipwood gave Brisbane a brief spark early in the second term with a lovely long goal after receiving a free kick, but the Tigers set up a match-winning break over the next 10 minutes, with majors to Sam Lloyd, Menadue and Jack Riewoldt extending their lead to 35 points. Josh Green clawed one back of for Brisbane at the 11-minute mark but that was the Lions' last score of the first half. Richmond held sway for the remainder of the term, although the Tigers only added a further 1.3 - the goal going to Ty Vickery via an amazing snap from the boundary line - to lead by 38 at the half.

Any thought of a second-half revival from the Brisbane Lions was snuffed out quickly and comprehensively in the first five minutes of the third term starting. Within five minutes, Riewoldt, Edwards and Nick Vlastuin added majors as the margin blew out to 56 points. At that juncture, Tiger fans would have been contemplating and hoping for a three-figure thumping. That was not to be, however. Fast and free-flowing play over the next 10 minutes saw each side add another two goals before the quarter petered out to an exchange of behinds, Brisbane adding three and Richmond two as the Tigers took a 56-point buffer into the last change of ends.

The 'battle of behinds' continued for the first 10 minutes of the last term as the Tigers kicked another three and the Lions another two before Taylor broke the drought with a goal for Brisbane. Hipwood's third soon after cut the margin to 45 points but there were never any serious thoughts of a comeback. Each side added a further three goals as the Tigers cruised to a comfortable if perhaps not entirely convincing win.

Dustin Martin's great season continued, the midfielder collecting 35 touches and taking seven marks in a best-on-ground performance, while Tom Rockliff (30 possession, nine tackles) played a fine game for the Lions. 

Richmond will take on one of the other '6-7' sides in round 15, as it travels to the Adelaide Oval on Friday night to face Port Power. The Lions will have their bye next weekend before returning to the MCG on Sunday week to play Carlton another of the teams with a 6-7 record.

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 4; Edwards, Menadue, Lloyd, Vlastuin 2; Deledio, Cotchin, Vickery, Miles, Ellis
Brisbane: Hipwood 3; Taylor 2; Green, Walker, Schache, Jansen, Martin, Hanley

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Vlastuin, Ellis, Menadue, Rance
Brisbane: Hipwood, Rockliff, Jansen, Mathieson

BEST - HERALD SUN
Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Menadue, Grigg, Miles, Vlastuin, Ellis, Cotchin
Brisbane: Rockliff, Mayes, Bastinac, Martin, Hipwood, Jansen, Schache

INJURIES
Richmond: Hampson (knee)
Brisbane: Robinson (concussion)

UMPIRES: Fisher, Margetts, Dalgleish, Chamberlain

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Adam Papalia, Jonathan Brown, Mark Ricciuto, David King