The bigger they come the harder they fall and they don’t come any bigger than the Richmond forward line, according to certain sections of the press who built them up to be bigger than Ben Hur this week.
According to certain scribes the Bulldogs had no one capable of mixing it with the likes of Ottens, Gale, Richardson and Holland.
However this was not the case.
Craig Ellis, Matthew Croft, Kingsley Hunter, and co, ably helped by Luke Darcy and Simon Cox, were more than able to hold the Tigers forward line, restricting a combination that kicked 20 goals last week to a total of nine.
Darcy and Cox alternated, floating as spare men across centre half back, a role previously performed with aplomb by Scott Wynd in past years, providing an extra body at contests, mopping up loose balls and giving any midfielders charging down the ground something to think about.
The Dogs were ferociously committed this week, the defence was tight and desperate, Simon Cox in particular was inspirational spoiling several certain goals before half time.
The midfield too, usually the Dogs engine room but so ineffective last week, worked tirelessly all day burrowing in and under packs.
The game kicked off with an almost all-in tussle, which took place in the midfield, which set the tone for what turned out to be a pretty torrid affair. The Dogs settled down first after this and kicked 3 goals in 3 minutes and from that moment on, although the Tigers threatened at times, the Bulldogs were never headed.
Chris Grant continues to relish the role of Captain and is in inspirational goal kicking form booting 4. He was aided by Rohan Smith who seemed, as always, to relish playing on a half back or wing. His bursts through the middle of the ground, resulted in 3 goals the last of which was an absolute thumper on the run from 55 metres.
Simon Cox, particularly in the first half prior to receiving a nasty blow to the head in a pack, Ben Harrison and Rohan Smith were other outstanding contributors, but all in all it was a fantastic team effort from the Bulldogs.
From the very first bounce the Bulldogs were determined to prove all the nay-sayers wrong and they did so in masterful style. They crowded the Richmond talls out of the game and unlike last year’s encounter at the MCG, their talls took contested marks, all round the ground.
After half-time the Tigers seemed to wilt somewhat. They’d tried their hearts out in the first heart but had not been able to break the Bulldogs spirit or their defence. It wasn’t pretty to watch but it was hard fought, gritty football, the kind of footy you’ve got to play to win finals.
GOALS –
RICHMOND: Richardson 2, Dragicevic, D Kellaway, Gale, Ottens, Hilton, Fiora, Hall
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Grant 4, Smith 3, Bartlett 2, Hudson 2, Johnson 2, West, Darcy, Brown, Romero
BEST –
RICHMOND: Campbell, Tivendale, D Kellaway, A Kellaway, Hilton, Bowden
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Darcy, Smith, Cox, Grant, Ellis, Harrison, West
INJURIES –
RICHMOND: Knights (cut head), Daffy (knee), Holland (corked thigh), Ottens (ankle)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Nil
REPORTS –
TBA
CROWD
36,427 at the MCG.
