The Richmond Tigers have taken one of the best wins of the year and in their recent history with Sam Llyod kicking a goal after the siren to give them a 1-point win over the Sydney Swans.
REPORT: LLOYD GOAL BREAKS TIGER DROUGHT
Alex Rance was huge in that last quarter with all kinds of intercept marks and touches, he gave his all.
It was a game of massive momentum swings. The Swans came out like a house on fire, the Tigers steadied and kicked the last three goals of the first half, only to see Sydney kick the last four goals going into the final break.
The game was then set alight as Richmond hit the front with the first five goals of the final term, with Sydney hitting back once again with the next four goals.
The last two goals were absolutely clutch from Richmond and ended with Lloyd putting the cherry on top after the siren to see his side home by a point. What dreams are made of.
Brett Deledio was outstanding all night with his 34 disposals. He was joined by Dan Hannebery to lead all comers as the two of them ran all night for their respective sides.
Anthony Miles racked up 31 possessions, Dustin Martin was dangerous with his 28 and a goal, while Jack Riewoldt’s effort was unrelenting as he accumulated 18 disposals, 9 marks, and a goal.
For Sydney, Kieren Jack tried his heart out for 23 disposals, while Jake Lloyd had it 23 times too.
Ben Griffiths had the game of his life for five goals, matching Lance Franklin’s haul. The game-winner Sam Lloyd kicked three majors, Daniel Rioli kicked two in the final term, while Hannebery and Tippett rounded out the multiple goal kickers with their two each for Sydney.
Final score
Richmond Tigers 14.17.101
Sydney Swans 15.10.100
The Richmond Tigers will be hoping to regain some respectability when they clash with the in-form Sydney Swans at the MCG. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:25pm (AEST).
These two sides could hardly contrast any more than they do coming into this game. With perfectly opposing form lines – 1-6 and 6-1 – and clearly differing levels of confidence, this looks like a complete mismatch.
However, the Tigers have something to prove today, and this may be the perfect opportunity to inject some much-needed life into their season.
They come up against a side that oozes class and power all around the ground, but Richmond will have in the back of their minds the fact that they have had the wood over the Swans in recent times.
Having won their last two clashes away from home against Sydney, and a total of three of the last five, Damien Hardwick’s men have had some clutch moments in this match-up as of late.
Richmond will also be aided by the return of All-Australian defender Alex Rance, who comes in from suspension with a very large job at hand.
He’ll be assigned the task of trying to shut down a rejuvenated Lance Franklin, who is leading the Coleman Medal count with an average of over four goals per game.
Franklin’s form has helped the Swans add to their already astute defensive setup. They average a score of 111 this season, 23 points greater than 2015, while conceding just 71.
Coincidentally, the Tigers concede exactly 111 points, while only scoring 81.
Along with their attacking firepower comes some contested grunt, and Sydney are the best contested possession team so far this season, while Richmond fall behind in that area.
If they manage to strangle their opposition as usual and dominate possession, Sydney could really dominate this game.
The midfield battle will be tough for Richmond, but with Josh P Kennedy out this week, they might have a chance.
The one chance they have of getting on top is up forward, as the likes of Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin can break games open.
In team news, Jack Hiscox comes in for his debut alongside Dean Towers and Ted Richards for the Swans, while Rance is joined by Dylan Grimes and Taylor Hunt as ins for Richmond.
Prediction
The Swans are on some serious fire this year, and should be too strong for a flailing Tigers unit. Expect some fight, but Sydney’s class to shine through.
Swans by 28 points.
michael RVC
Roar Pro
boonie, poor assessment................Sydney beat Brisbane, CRUSHED Essendon and have won numerous other games, they are 6 and 2 on the ladder. Silly loss to Tigers, but running at a more reliable clip than say.............Hawthorn, who have scrapped home for three of their wins against nobody..............but they won them nevertheless. The season is young. No doubt you would have zero appreciation for this point............the loss to Richmond is classic Sydney. Happens two or three times every season...............they take a nap some weeks for some very winnable games and cop a smack. Still, in the last 10 or 12 years their average losses during the qualifying season might be 6 or 8 games, something like that? How many season losses do Richmond average in that time?.........or for the last 30 years for that matter. So, frustrating as it is to lose on the weekend, we move on unharmed and undeterred.
David C
Guest
Sydney will be lucky to make the 8. A loss to the tigers and only just scraping past Brisbane. Richmond will probably finish higher on the table.
Penster
Guest
1 point after the siren wow just wow. The hard experienced Hawks team they met last July is vastly different from the lineup they'll meet next Saturday. Hodge, Roughead, (poss) Rioli, Suckling, Hale, Lake ..... replaced by inexperienced players who are taking 2 quarters to wake up.
Gecko
Guest
Vlastuin looks set to spend more time in the middle from now on. His hardness and good decision-making were important not just in that last quarter but throughout the game. Edwards' last quarter effort in the middle was also excellent. With Grigg and Deledio also rotating effectively through the middle, I start to wonder whether Cotchin may be better value if he rotates more, including as a rebounding defender. Interesting that Richmond didn't miss Houli last night. I like their new game plan of holding the ball up in the back half if opposition get numbers behind the ball.
Avatar
Roar Guru
I now wonder how the Swans will fare against Hawthorn in six nights' time back at the MCG. Not forgetting the 89-point flogging the Hawks handed them last July.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
Back in 2014 Richmond played about 3 'grand finals' when they won 9 in a row. They play Freo and Essendon in the next 2 weeks which gives them a great chance to put some wins on the board. However as well all know, anything is possible when it comes to Richmond.
Athos Sirianos
Roar Guru
John Longmire summed up perfectly, although the Swans probably didn't deserve the win, they probably shouldn't have lost in the end. Nonetheless, the Tigers were exceptional tonight out of the middle, I thought Vlaustin had another great game in the centre and hopefully the Tigers can build on this result with Cotchin coming back next week.
Neil from Warrandyte
Guest
Ever heard of the term 'wet blanket'?
boonie
Guest
Sydney were lucky to beat Brisbane. Struggled against Essendon and were beaten tonight by Richmond. Seems as though Sydney are not in the right frame of mind when playing teams at the bottom of the ladder
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
Agreed, very uncharacteristic for Sydney too
Sami
Roar Rookie
Sydney had two chances to kick sideways or backwards to run down time but inexplicably chose to bomb it to contests instead. Poor decision making.
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
Rance was unreal, that moment he ran off Franklin to intercept Kieran Jack was crucial
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
My word how good was that! Richmond have come up Milhouse and stolen a win from the Swan's grasp, after the siren. Alex Rance was HUGE in that last quarter with all kinds of intercept marks and touches, he gave his all. It was a game of massive momentum swings. The Swans came out like a house on fire, the Tigers steadied and kicked the last 3 goals of the first half, only to see Sydney kick the last 4 goals going into the last break. The game was then set alight as Richmond hit the front with the first 5 goals of the final term, with Sydney hitting back once again with the next 4 goals. The last two goals were absolutely clutch from Richmond and ended with Lloyd putting the cherry on top after the siren to see his side home by a point. What dreams are made of. Brett Deledio was outstanding all night with his 34 disposals. He was joined by Dan Hannebery to lead all comers as the two of them ran all night for their respective sides. Anthony Miles racked up 31 possessions, Dustin Martin was dangerous with his 28 and a goal, while Jack Riewoldt's effort was unrelenting as he accumulated 18 disposals, 9 marks, and a goal. For Sydney, Kieran Jack tried his heart out for 23 disposals, while Jack Lloyd had it 23 times too. Ben Griffiths had the game of his life for 5 goals, matching Lance Franklin's haul. The gamewinner Sam Lloyd kicked 3 majors, Daniel Rioli kicked 2 in the final term, while Hannebery and Tippett rounded out the multiple goal kickers with their 2 each for Sydney. Well, there's not much more to say now. It was a miraculous win in the end, and it may well spark Richmond's season. Sydney will be disappointed to concede a third straight loss to the Tigers, but we all know what they're capable of, tonight was just one of those nights
Big Dallo
Guest
As Michael Huston said that's the grand final for Richmond. All down hill from here tigers supporters.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
That last 5 minutes is quite possibly the best football I've ever witnessed! $#%@ing amazing! How good was Rance in the dying moments... Congrats Tiges.
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
RIC 14.17.101 SYD 15.10.100 I'll have a wrap for you shortly, let me compose myself
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
FULL TIME - RICHMOND WIN WITH A KICK AFTER THE SIREN, THE FANS ARE GOING BEZERK AND I THINK I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK. I CAN'T TYPE THIS FAST, TAKE A BLOODY HUGE BOW RICHMOND AND SAM LLOYD, YOU STAR!
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
Lloyd with the chance after the siren!! The drama, oh my
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
1 minute on the clock, Rampe takes a crucial mark and ices some of the clock
Michael Alvaro
Roar Guru
Even if Richmond lose here, Alex Rance can hold his head up high for his effort this quarter, so good