RICHMOND has defeated the Brisbane Lions by 26 points in an entertaining match of fluctuating fortunes at the MCG on Saturday night.
The Lions took the match up to Richmond at different stages but ultimately the Tigers were too strong, kicking 4.8 in the last quarter to seal a 18.16 (124) to 14.14 (98) victory that took them to 10th on the ladder.
Richmond's engineers of victory were midfielders Nathan Foley and Dustin Martin, who picked up 40 and 35 possessions respectively.
Small forwards Jake King and Robin Nahas made vital contributions, while Bachar Houli was steady and precise in his best game since crossing from Essendon.
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For the Brisbane Lions, Simon Black was superb, with his third quarter particularly outstanding. The visitors seemed to be out of the match until Black won a series of clearances to enable his team to rebound from a four-goal deficit at half-time to hit the front late in the third quarter.
Black showed Chris Judd-like qualities in single-handedly hauling his team within range of victory. His output was diminished in the last quarter when Shaun Grigg was given a tagging role on the Brownlow medallist.
Fellow Lions midfielders Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden and Jesse O'Brien gained their share of possessions, while full-back Daniel Merrett had an entertaining and even duel with Jack Riewoldt despite the Richmond spearhead ending the match with five goals.
Merrett and Riewoldt featured in a key passage of play during the third quarter that reflected their teams' fortunes.
Merrett was penalised for deliberate out of bounds about 40 metres out. Riewoldt then ran five metres in from the boundary to hook the ball back at goal.
His kick dipped but managed to go through for a goal because the visitors failed to position a single defender on the goal-line. It was this passage of play that bore out Lions coach Michael Voss's comment that his team had bad lapses in concentration.
The Lions’ mental lapses allowed Richmond in for goals in time-on in each quarter.
Two goals late in the second quarter gave the Tigers the four-goal buffer that ultimately separated the teams.
The possession count of 420-343 in favour of Richmond suggests dominance, but that was not quite the case. The Tigers also had many more inside 50s (67-53).
Luke Power's output from limited opportunities was one of the reasons the Lions could stay in touch with their opposition as long as they did.
Power took advantage of Black's dominance upfield in the third quarter to kick three goals, finishing with four for the match.
Richmond's small forward duo of King and Nahas embodied their team's victory in that they played with courage, dash and flair.
In the second quarter, King confounded the Lions’ defence by gathering the ball on the boundary near the 50-metre arc and running hard and straight for the goals. Defenders expected him to try to jink around them, but King kept running straight. With his strong hips, he was able to tear through two tackles until finally he popped through a goal from five metres out.
Riewoldt, of all people, was shaking his head at King's audacity.
In the last quarter, King was responsible for another goal that lifted his team. An up-and-under was kicked deep into Richmond's attack, into roughly the forward pocket about 15 metres out.
Two Brisbane players were in the best position to take the high ball before King barreled in at great risk to his safety and marked the ball at hip level.
While the Lions defenders wondered which one of them should have made it a contest, King slotted the goal that shut the gate on any notion the Lions had of mounting a final challenge.
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Martin began the match as if he were going to add another best-on-ground performance to his performance during the Tigers' victory over North Melbourne last Sunday.
He made signature scything runs through the midfield and even spent several minutes deep in the forward line as Richmond sought to take advantage of his strength and goal sense.
Martin was excellent without dominating for the rest of the match, but this week, Richmond ultimately were quite capable of making do without his heroics.
Richmond 4.3 9.6 14.8 18.16 (124)
Brisbane Lions 5.3 5.7 12.12 14.14 (98)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 5, Nahas 3, King 3, Nason 2, Vickery 2, White 2, Foley
Brisbane Lions: Power 4, Beams 2, Rich 2, Banfield, Leuenberger, Redden, Rockliff, Polkinghorne, Clark
BEST
Richmond: Foley, Martin, Nahas, Houli, King, Cotchin
Brisbane Lions: Black, Rockliff, Adcock, O'Brien, Power, Redden
INJURIES
Richmond: Tuck (ribs)
Brisbane Lions: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Shane Tuck (ribs) substituted for Ben Nason at the 15-minute mark of the second quarter
Brisbane Lions: Matt Maguire substituted for Jared Polec at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Bowen, Meredith, Wenn
Official crowd: 37,438 at the MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the club.
