Roar Guru
Richmond have started their 2018 much the same way they ended their 2017 year with a big win against the Bombers in the JLT Series.
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Final score
Essendon 5.7.37
Richmond 19.10.124
The JLT Community Series continues with the second game of the preseason competition featuring the Essendon Bombers and the Richmond Tigers. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from Wangaratta, starting from 4:35pm AEDT.
AFL football is back for 2018 with the JLT Community Series, after the experiment of AFLX it will be good to see a more traditional form of AFL football, the second game of the series sees the Essendon Bombers take on one of their traditional rivals the Richmond Tigers from Norm Minns Oval in Wangaratta.
The teams won’t be at full strength for this first game for their preseason but they are not too far off what would be a round one squad. The Tigers will go in as favourites however with the offseason moves from the Bombers I wouldn’t count them out in this clash.
Just because it is a preseason game doesn’t mean these two teams will take it easy on one another, I expect to see some fireworks on the scoreboard and between the players.
The Tigers will be looking to send a message to the competition that they were deserved flag winners in 2017 and Essendon will be out to show that they are a legitimate threat in 2018.
Essendon have a weaker squad than Richmond named with a few notable absentees, but with the naming of Jake Stringer and Joe Daniher they should have some legitimate firepower in the forward line.
Richmond have named Brownlow Medallists Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin in the midfield and both will be trying to feed their forwards as much of the ball as they can.
Prediction
Both teams are missing some notable players with Essendon’s list being longer than that of the Tigers. For the first time in over 30 years Richmond will be heading into a preseason as reigning premiers and will want to come out with a bang over their traditional rivals.
Due to their strength of list I am leaning more towards the Tigers, however don’t expect it to be a blow out.
Richmond by 14 points.