With the Tigers leading by nine points in the dying minutes of the match, Essendon missed three shots at goal before Joel Bowden rushed the final two scores of the game to ice victory.
The win snaps a four-game Bomber winning streak and keeps Richmond’s finals hopes alive. But it was a near thing, with the Dons mounting an amazing six goals to one third-quarter charge to turn a four-goal half-time deficit into a 12-point lead late in the term.
It was a stunning effort by the Bombers considering they were down to one fit man on the bench by the five-minute mark of the third quarter.
Andrew Welsh left the game concussed late in the first term, Angus Monfries was carried off with an ankle injury 15 minutes into the second and Jay Neagle hobbled off early in the second half.
Nathan Brown was outstanding for Richmond with three goals in the last quarter to go with his 26 touches with Nathan Foley (31 possessions) and Shane Tuck (27) was also important.
Scott Lucas was his team’s leading goalscorer with three; his final major an amazing left-foot volley from deep in the pocket that will go close to securing goal of the year honours.
Brent Stanton was busy with 27 disposals and two goals as was Jobe Watson who amassed 25 possessions with 10 clearances.
Both sides made late changes with Will Thursfield replacing Daniel Connors for the Tigers and Essendon bringing Mal Michael in for Dustin Fletcher.
A Kane Johnson goal kick-started his side after a fairly uninspiring opening period, and Richmond soon edged out to a 12-point lead with the Tiger forwards benefiting from swift and long delivery inside 50.
Mitch Morton made the most of his opportunities with the first two of his four goals of the day to extend the advantage to 18 points late in the term. The Bombers, though, were doing enough to sat within reach despite not looking as fluent.
Watson kept his side in it while goals to Matthew Lloyd, David Hille and Jarrod Atkinson made it a 12-point game at the first break.
Morton continued to impress in the second with two more majors while Brett Deledio also added a couple to push the margin out to a game-high 29 points.
The Bombers managed successive goals for the first time in the match when Stanton kicked two in a row, but at the main break it was Richmond by 24 points.
But the third quarter signaled a dramatic change. Leroy Jetta snapped brilliantly two minutes after the restart and Sam Lonergan goaled soon after as Neagle hobbled off the ground, but it made little difference to the Bomber barrage.
The run and carry that characterised the Tigers’ first-half play disappeared completely as they tried in vain to maintain possession and take the heat off the Essendon charge.
Three more goals rained down as the Bombers snatched the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the match before Lucas’ stunning effort sailed through the middle to make it 11 points.
Cleve Hughes had not touched the ball before he registered is side’s only goal of the quarter with three minutes remaining to put the wobbly Tigers four points down at the final change.
Lloyd and Jason Laycock goaled for Essendon inside the first 10 minutes of the final term, but Brown stepped up with three goals of his own to put down the challenge.
RICHMOND 5.2 11.5 12.9 16.12 (108)
ESSENDON 3.2 7.5 13.7 15.14 (104)
GOALS
RICHMOND: Morton 4, Brown 3, Deledio 3, Simmonds 2, Johnson, Bowden, Tambling, Hughes
ESSENDON: Lucas 3, Stanton 2, Jetta 2, Lloyd 2, Hille, Atkinson, Lonergan, Reimers, Slattery, Laycock
BEST
RICHMOND: Simmonds, Brown, Foley, Morton, Deledio, Newman, Tambling
ESSENDON: Stanton, Watson, Hille, Reimers, Lucas, Lloyd, Peverill
INJURIES
RICHMOND: Late change: Thursfield in for Connors
ESSENDON: Monfries (left ankle), Welsh (concussion), Jay Neagle (ankle), Late change: Michael in for Fletcher (ankle)
REPORTS
Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Ryan, Head
Official crowd: 56,746 at the MCG
The views expressed in this story are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or clubs.
