Richmond’s dream on life support
A four-point loss to West Coast at Optus Stadium in Round 13 started a poor run of form for Richmond that it hasn’t yet recovered from.
A four-point loss to Fremantle at the same venue on Sunday, in Round 20, may have finally put the final dagger into the reigning premiers’ season.
The Dockers kicked the last two goals of the game to claim a low-scoring 7.13 (55) to 6.15 (51) victory.
In doing so, they have kept their own chances of playing finals alive.
Goals were tough to come by all game, so when the Dockers led by 18 points midway through the third term, the looked home.
Richmond had 1.10 on the board up to then.
But as champion sides do, the Tigers rallied. Mid-season draftee Matthew Parker kicked goals either side of the three-quarter-time siren to give his side a sniff.
Then Kane Lambert jumped onto a loose ball 50m out and kicked the Tigers’ fifth goal to give them the lead for the first time in the game, early in the final term.
Lachie Schultz took a screaming mark 14 minutes into the term to get the Dockers back to within a kick and Caleb Serong gave them the lead with a snap goal with just eight minutes remaining.
In the dying minute of the game, Richmond still had several chances to score, but each time was thwarted by young Dockers star Andrew Brayshaw.
Sunday afternoon’s contest went right down to the wire. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
Evergreen stars perform
Like almost every club, injuries have hit both these teams in the latter half of this season.
With Dustin Martin sidelined for the Tigers for the remaining games and Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters for Fremantle, someone needed to step up in this contest.
For both teams, veterans did just that – Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia for the Tigers and David Mundy for the Dockers.
It wasn’t their fault the goalkicking was so poor, but they all made sure their respective forward got plenty of looks.
Prestia returned from a hamstring injury to play his seventh game for the season and his first since Round 15.
He took a quarter to get into the content, picking up just six touches in the first term, but finished with 31 touches.
Cotchin took control of the contest after halftime. He had 15 possessions in the third term to try to lift his side over the line. He had 32 touches, 11 of them contested.
But as Cotchin lifted, so did Mundy. The Dockers star had 12 possessions in that third term and was pivotal in stopping the Tigers from taking the lead before the start of the final term.
Brayshaw was the difference though – early in the game and as it came to an end.
His clearance out of the Tigers’ scoring area with seven seconds remaining was his 39th possession. Add eight clearances and it was a pretty handy day out.
The Dockers sported their foundation guernsey to celebrate Retro Round. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
Spots up for grabs
With the exception of last season’s shortened schedule, 11 wins looks likely to be enough to play finals this season. It’ll be the first time since 2011 that 11 wins will see a side finish in the top eight.
For Richmond to be in that mix, it needs to win all three remaining games, against North Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn, to get to that number.
For Fremantle to get to 11, it will need two more victories, with games to come against Brisbane, West Coast and St Kilda.
The Tigers have no one to blame but themselves, having lost six of their past seven games, which started with that loss to the Eagles.
They are the worst performing side in the competition – as far as wins and losses go – since Round 12.
A behind fest
Fremantle will need to lift in attack if it wants to make finals and impact in them.
The halftime scores were 2.10 to 1.8, with the Dockers leading by eight points. The Tigers won the second quarter, 0.7 to 0.4.
Matt Taberner (three goals) had kicked the first goal of the game after just two minutes. It was a great way to start his 100th AFL game.
It also took him to 30 goals for the season, the first time he reached that figure in one season since debuting in 2013.
He had a chance to kick his second just three minutes later, and missed the set shot. That set the tone for goal scoring.
That poor goal scoring has been Fremantle’s Achilles heel all season.
They have now finished 14 games in 2021 with more behinds than goals – winning only five of them.
DOCKERS 2.6 2.10 5.12 7.13 55
TIGERS 1.1 1.8 3.14 6.15 51
ELBOROUGH’S BEST Dockers: Brayshaw, Mundy, Cerra, Ryan, Darcy, Serong. Tigers: Cotchin, Prestia, Baker, Stack, Rioli, Short.
GOALS Dockers: Taberner 3; Schultz 2; Colyer, Serong. Tigers: Parker 2; Lambert, Riewoldt, Lynch, Mansell.
INJURIES Dockers: Banfield (concussion, replaced by Blakely). Tigers: Nil.
UMPIRES Margetts, Dalgleish, Brown.
VENUE Optus Stadium
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BRAD ELBOROUGH’S VOTES
3 Brayshaw
2 Mundy
1 Cotchin
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