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The Roar has an AFL live blog today with a bit of a twist, a day-time game: Sydney v Richmond, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting at 2:10pm (AEST).
The running joke in AFL circles is that it’s back to business-as-usual for Richmond, hovering around the ninth position for much of this season.
All jokes aside, the good news for the Tigers is that for the first time in a few seasons, they are threatening to break into the top eight, having been involved in finals on only two occasions in the last 28 seasons.
Things are delicately poised for them at the midpoint of the season. Essendon in seventh and Freo in eighth play each other this round, allowing Richmond to either leapfrog Freo or draw level with Essendon, depending on how that 50/50 contest goes.
For the Swans, with home ground advantage, they have a real opportunity to put a bit of a gap on the bottom reaches of the top eight.
Recent history shows that Swans have had it all over the tiges, although Richmond won a tight clash last year, their first win against the Swans in eight games.
Both sides boast of reliable and productive spearheads, in Goodes and Jumping Jack Riewoldt.
Richmond has an array of young talent that has managed to put together some good performances this season, players such as Rance, Martin, Conca, Cotchin, King, Vickery and Nahas.
On the smaller SCG, I expect the stronger bodies of the Swans to win a bit more of the footy in the clinches, players such as O’Keefe, Bolton, McVeigh, Shaw and Richards bring more experience to their cause.
The Swans suffered a bit of a setback in their last outing at the SCG, getting smashed by Hawthorn before falling over the line against North last week.
Richmond had a bit of a shock loss against Port two weeks ago in Darwin and find themselves coming off the bye.
Jack returns for the Swans, another hard-nut ball winner, but expect him to be a bit underdone. He replaces the inconsistent Everitt.
Richmond has named a bench of young blokes, including the pacey Edwards.
The Swans bench looks quite solid, with Jack, Jetta and Malceski, and it’s this deeper list of experience that will carry the day for the Swans.
Richmond will try and keep the scoreboard ticking along with the run of its young brigade, but the ability of the Swans to bring the contest back to its own terms on its home ground should see them win the day by three goals.
Teams
SYDNEY
B: Richards Roberts-Thomson Johnson
HB: Kennelly Grundy Mattner
C: Shaw Bolton Smith
HF: McGlynn Reid Kennedy
F: McVeigh Goodes O’Keefe
FOLL: Seaby Bird Hannebery
I/C (from): Dennis-Lane Jack Jetta Johnston Malceski Moore Everitt
IN: Jack Moore Johnston
OUT: Nil
RICHMOND
B: Newman Rance Houli
HB: Deledio McGuane Grigg
C: Cotchin Martin Conca
HF: King Vickery White
F: Farmer Riewoldt Nahas
FOLL: Browne Jackson Foley
I/C (from): Batchelor Tuck Miller Astbury Edwards Hislop Webberley
IN: Hislop Edwards Astbury Webberley
OUT: Helbig
LAST TIME: Richmond 14.5 (89) d Sydney 12.13 (85), Rnd 14, 2010, MCG
PAST FIVE: Sydney 4 Richmond 1
RECORD OVERALL: Sydney 82 Richmond 101 draw 1
AT THIS GROUND: Sydney 14 Richmond 10
SINCE 2000: Sydney 12 Richmond 6
BETTING: Sydney $1.25 Richmond $3.75
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