RICHMOND 19.15 (129)
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NORTH BALLARAT 6.11 (47)
By Melanie Whelan
PUT simply, North Ballarat Roosters were ripped apart by a hungry ambush of Tigers on Saturday.
To half-time, this Victorian Football League contest was entertaining.
Then Richmond clawed away to an 82-point victory at Punt Road and the Selkirk Roosters were left to lick their wounds.
Not for long.
Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald was quick to draw all players, staff and supporters in close to attention.
There were no easy solutions to fix this - another heavy beating for a second consecutive week - everyone had to pull together.
How did the Roosters assignment at Tigerland unravel?
The Tigers were seemingly taller, faster, slicker and more ferocious about the ball.
But it is easy to look like that when you are clear in front.
Statistics show clearances were pretty even.
The glaring difference was the Tigers went inside their forward-50 metres nine more times for 17 more scoring shots.
Big men Liam McBean (five goals) and Ty Vickery (three goals) were firing, especially Mc Bean with four majors in the second half.
The Roosters trailed by almost six goals at half-time but there was still a sense that had they responded quickly early in the third, the game would still be very much up for grabs.
And they did initially. A nice deep Bryce Curnow grab and goal.
The Tigers bit back hard with four goals in 10 minutes - three of these were in quick succession within a four minute period - and the Roosters were all but beaten.
From the sidelines, the Roosters did not appear to be playing frustrated on the field.
They were trying but confidence was gone, most evident in repeated missed shots and a goalless final term. The Tigers slammed on five goals with clever passages of play to finish their job.
Shaun Hampson clear got the better of his old training partner Orren Stephenson in the ruck (43 taps to Stephenson's 10) but the Tigers remained wary of the decorated Roosters' ruckman. Richmond coach Tim Clarke spoke of the need to remain relentless on Stephenson, a player of great pride, and they should know because Stephenson was one of the the past two seasons.
Relentless defender Luke Kiel was the Roosters' best. Kiel was a consistent ball winner, notching up 22 disposals including 12 in the second half.
A former North Ballarat Rebel in Matt Dea topped the Tigers' roll call for a similar job.
The Roosters will attempt to change their form on a big stage next week when they meet Carlton's Northern Blues at Etihad Stadium in an AFL curtain-raiser.
POSSESSIONS
- Richmond 395
- North Ballarat 346
NICK RIPPON 27
- 17 kicks, 10 handballs
MYLES SEWELL 24
- 9 kicks, 15 handballs
TRENT DUMONT 22
- 16 kicks, 6 handballs
LUKE KIEL 22
- 9 kicks, 13 handballs
TACKLES
- Richmond 44
- North Ballarat 58 (Kiel 8, Rippon 8, Durdin 6)
MARKS
- Richmond 76
- North Ballarat 108 (Youl 9, Dumont 8, Tippett 8)
MARKS INSIDE-50M
- Richmond 18
- North Ballarat 12
HIT-OUTS
- Richmond 53
- North Ballarat 20
CLEARANCES
- Richmond 34
- North Ballarat 31
HANDBALLS
- Richmond 195
- North Ballarat 136