Roar Guru
The Richmond Tigers have claimed their third win in a row, defeating the Essendon Bombers by 38 points in a performance that was patchy at times but ultimately finished with a comfortable margin.
Final score
Essendon 10.7.67
Richmond 16.9.105
The Richmond Tigers will be aiming for three consecutive wins when they take on the lowly Essendon Bombers on Saturday night at the MCG. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:25pm (AEST).
The Tigers had their largest victory of the season last week when they defeated the winless Fremantle Dockers at Domain Stadium by 38 points in near cyclonic conditions.
Led by a best-on-ground performance by captain Trent Cotchin who finished with 39 possessions, and Dustin Martin who handled the conditions better than anyone else on the field, the Tigers dominated through the midfield.
The Bombers are on a seven-game losing streak and coming off a second-half flogging by the Saints last week. Essendon got within four points early in the third quarter but then the Saints tall forwards went rampant, St Kilda eventually winning by 46 points. That margin should have greater as the Saints won the inside 50 count 67-40.
Once again the Bombers struggled up forward, Mitch Brown a lone hand with four goals. The Bombers have only managed to kick more than ten goals in a game just twice this season. They rank last in contested marks, and badly need the out of form forward Joe Daniher to show more of a presence.
Essendon have a better balanced team this week with the return of Courtenay Dempsey and Ryan Crowley. The Tigers have lost Troy Chaplin to injury, offset somewhat by the inclusion of David Astbury.
Prediction
This game will be won in the middle. Only the Suns and Dockers rank lower than these two teams for inside 50s. It will be interesting to see if the Bombers tag Cotchin this week. They decided not to tag Jack Steven last week and he dominated in a 40-possession performance.
Crowley’s return seems to indicate they will tag, although Crowley’s lack on conditioning has seen him struggle in the role this season.
The Tigers will need to pay attention to Zach Merrett and David Zaharakis who have both been superb this season. But the young undermanned Bombers have struggled to put four quarters together this season and it’s that inconsistency that the Tigers will hoping to take advantage of.
Tigers by 38 points.
Preview prepared by Lou Lando.