Richmond great Matthew Richardson highlights six key points from the Tigers’ Round 15 victory over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium last Saturday.
1. Trent Cotchin responded in emphatic fashion.
It was great to see the Tigers’ skipper answer recent criticism of his playing style with the superb effort that he produced against St Kilda. A return of 31 disposals and five goals is a truly elite performance. His three first-quarter goals basically set up Richmond’s win, and he continued to be a driving force right throughout the match for the team. Cotchin had been criticised for supposedly gaining most of his disposals in the back half, and not hurting the opposition enough as a result. Well, he clearly put paid to all that talk on Saturday, with a damaging display that sank the Saints.
2. Brandon Ellis has become a really important member of the team due to his running power.
It takes courage to ‘gut-run’, which is something the third-year Tiger is now doing most impressively each week. In today’s game, it’s just so important for a team to have a player like this, who is willing to run himself into the ground, as it opens up space and creates momentum. Ellis had a game-high 36 disposals against St Kilda, including five rebound-50s, four inside-50s, took six marks and kicked a goal. At just 20 years of age (he turns 21 in August), Ellis’ ‘tank’ isn’t yet fully developed. With a couple more pre-seasons under his belt, I reckon he is going to become one of the best running players in the competition.
3. Dylan Grimes is adding another valuable string to his defensive bow.
Previously, the young Tiger defender was primarily focused on just negating his opponents, and not worrying much about winning the ball himself. But it was really pleasing to see Grimes, on Saturday, running off his opponent at times and initiating offensive moves for the Tigers. He even drifted inside 50 at one stage to receive a pass and kick truly for his first goal in league football. Grimes finished with 16 disposals, which is a pretty handy result from a backman, to go with his four marks, four tackles, and that goal.
4. It was like the Brett Deledio of old.
It’s been a tough season for the Richmond vice-captain, as he battles through an Achilles problem, but he looked sharp again in last Saturday’s encounter. With a game-high 11 marks and 30 disposals all-up, including four inside-50s, and some trademark strong running, Deledio was one of the Tigers’ best. Critics, at times, tend to underestimate the impact having a lengthy break and nursing an injury can have on a player’s confidence. For a top-line player like Deledio, who has been so durable throughout his league career, the Achilles injury, which sidelined him for a month earlier this season and needs to be carefully managed, has taken its toll, but there were some really encouraging signs from him against the Saints.
5. Reece Conca also returned to form.
Conca has had a fairly mixed season, but he again showed what he’s capable of with an impressive performance through the midfield, picking up 26 disposals and taking seven marks. It was also pleasing to see him take a mark in the forward line late in the game and convert that into a goal – his first for the season. Last season, he managed to kick 12 goals, so it would be good if he could start hitting the scoreboard more frequently in the remaining rounds this year. Conca is an important player for Richmond, as further improvement from him will certainly ease the pressure on the likes of Cotchin, Deledio and Dustin Martin.
6. Anthony Miles is managing to maintain a high level of consistency.
Miles’ 28 disposals against St Kilda last Saturday took his overall tally in four games with the Tigers to 104, at an excellent average of 26 per match. He’s also averaging 11.5 contested possessions, just under seven clearances and just under six tackles. They’re very impressive numbers for any player, let alone a 22-year-old, with just 14 games of senior league football under his belt all-up. In a disappointing season for Richmond, the inclusion of Anthony Miles, in the team’s midfield, certainly has been a major positive.
