Round 11: Dreamtime at the G – Richmond Tigers vs Essendon Bombers, Saturday, 25th May, 7:40pm
Just want to start with a respectful acknowledgement of the Aboriginal lands I’ve been privileged to grow in. I was born in Gangalu country in Central Queensland and grew up in Quandamooka country in the Redlands. I’m writing this now as a 20 year resident on Wiradjuri land in New South Wales. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have been the traditional custodians of our beautiful country and its waters since time immemorial, and to elders past, present and emerging, including any who may be about to read this highly impressive piece of writing
The Richmond Football Club hosts the 20th instalment of the AFL’s marquee game for Sir Doug Nicholls Round. That’s probably about as prestigious as this preview is going to be for Richmond.
Silk handed the baton over last week with the comment that the Tigers are back to their true selves. Holy crap. Are they ever. They were 10 goals down to the Lions by half time on the weekend, conceding a score of 83, and ended up losing by 119 points. North Melbourne is their own special brand of shit, but if the Tigers keep playing the way they are, maybe the Kangas can take them to court for some kind of copyright infringement. I mean, they’d probably lose that too, but you couldn’t blame them for trying to find another revenue stream.
That said, Essington is a strange and mysterious beast that has tormented the faithful around here for such a long time that no-one would be in the least bit surprised if the Tigers decide to recall their recent dynastic premiership capacities late in the third quarter while we embarrass ourselves. For this reason, it’s probably worth remembering these words from Braddles after we were lucky to get away with a win against the Eagles towards the end of last season;
“We are nowhere near that stage going into a game thinking that the four points are banked and it’s all about percentage…
One of the hallmarks of a young and inexperienced team is that potentially when they think things are just going to happen for them, they learn a harsh lesson…”
I know we beat the Kangas on the weekend, but that was then and this is now. Richmond is a proud club. No doubt Adem Yze will put the acid on the players and they rise to the occasion. It’s Dreamtime, always was and always will be; time is immemorial and there’s no beginning and no end, you want to make your existence in the moment count for something. That’s the pleasure of Marngrook. Hopefully both sides play for the joy of it and we see our amazing game for what it is – a celebration of true Aussie spirit. Now that I’ve gotten out my best Brett Kirk impression, let’s get to the game!
__________________________________________________________________________________
What Happened in Round 9?
As mentioned, Richmond got mauled. I watched them try to play Brisbane but I kept getting distracted by the class of the Lions’ chemistry. It was nice of Richmond to volunteer to help Brisbane out with their extended training drills. In fairness, they had 15 of their best 22 out injured and really were continuing their form from the previous week where they suffered a 91 point drubbing by the Dogs. It wasn’t just a rotten night on the scoreboard either. Every commentator’s new favourite player, Mykelti Lefau, joins the injury list after someone tested the strength of their patella on his jaw in a marking contest; a pity for him because he has mobility and skill and looks promising for them, though perhaps not in the ruck. Speaking of the ruck, Nank took out his own team mate, Rhyan Mansell, leaving him concussed. That brings their injury list to 17. Other than destroying his own (can we consider that clumsiness is a feature of Nank’s game style?) he was one of Richmond’s best on, winning the hitouts by one tap, which gives an indication of how poor the Tigers’ midfield was. Again though, the list of personnel missing there includes, Taranto, Hopper, Baker, Ross and Graham. Prestia was there and tried hard, picking up 23 touches and 6 clearances, alongside Bolton with 18 touches. Interestingly, on a night where Brisbane dominated possession, Prestia only laid one tackle to Bolton’s six, yet Bolton seemed to play an unaccountable role at stoppages, giving his man (often that was Neale) plenty of space to move. He looked like a bit of a front runner.
BRISBANE 7.4 13.5 21.6 26.7 (163)
RICHMOND 0.5 2.6 4.6 6.8 (44)
GOALS
Brisbane: Lohmann 5, Cameron 5, Daniher 3, Rayner 3, Morris 2, McInerney 2, Zorko, Sharp, Reville, McCluggage, Ah Chee, Hipwood
Richmond: Cumberland 2, Mansell, Lefau, Coulthard, Balta
BEST
Brisbane: Neale, Zorko, Lohmann, Daniher, McInerney, Cameron
Richmond: Rioli, Prestia, Dow, Brown
INJURIES
Brisbane: Nil
Richmond: Lefau (jaw), Mansell (head)
SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Shadeau Brain (replaced Hugh McCluggage at three-quarter time)Richmond: Matthew Coulthard (replaced Lefau at half-time)
Crowd: 27,200 at the Gabba
The Bombers’ test of maturity came the next day. Most of us were keen to see whether the mental game would have the impact we’ve seen so often over the years where we seem to think we should only play to match the performance standard of the oppo. And we kind of did and we kind of didn’t.
After giving up the first goal and a slogging through a slow start, the boys tightened the defence and North found it challenging to take clean marks inside 50. And although we kicked the last three goals of the quarter to lead at quarter time, Xerri was enabling North to dominate clearances and stoppages. In fact, the Dons did not win a CC in the first quarter. That first quarter pretty much foreshadowed the pattern of the game. They won the clearances and dominated possession, we’d dial up the defensive pressure until they turned the ball over then we’d carve them up.
I dunno. It was a win that felt like not much was going on, but look, Peter Wright kicked 4 on a first gamer, Guelf kicked 3 and now has 6 goals in two games – could being a centurion see him evolve into an ace small forward?, Laverde kept Zurhaar quiet, Martin, McGrath and my man Redders gave us plenty of rebound and McKay kept Larkey restricted to one goal. Caldwell and Perkins gave the forwards some exquisite service going inside fifty. Langers had a dirty day, kept quiet by Aiden Corr. Parish and Cox were late outs for Shiel and Tsatas respectively. Shiel didn’t do much. Tsatas was quite reasonable. There’s a watch on Duz who was subbed out with a rolled ankle; hopefully he’s all good.
We won without dominating, but we were the better side and were never really challenged. Oh well, Dreamtime at the G is where we’re at next Saturday night, and we go in in second spot on the ladder.
ESSENDON 4.2 7.5 15.7 16.10 (106)
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.2 6.4 8.4 10.6 (66)
GOALS
Essendon: Wright 4, Guelfi 3, Stringer 2, Merrett, Tsatas, Jones, Davey jnr, Gresham, Perkins, Langford
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke 2, Pink, Zurhaar, Stephenson, Taylor, Duursma, Larkey, Xerri, Ford
BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Martin, Caldwell, Guelfi, Perkins
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Corr, Powell, Xerri
INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
North Melbourne: Miller Bergman (hamstring)
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Dylan Shiel (replaced Harry Jones in the fourth quarter)
North Melbourne: Eddie Ford (replaced Charlie Lazzaro in the third quarter)
LATE CHANGES
Essendon: Darcy Parish (calf tightness) replaced in selected side by Elijah Tsatas
North Melbourne: Nil
Crowd: 43,125 at Marvel Stadium
The Last Time We Met
Last year’s Dreamtime game was one of our best wins for the year, breaking a nine year drought with Duz sealing victory seconds before the final siren. The Tigers were relentless but we matched their pressure and kept coming back within striking distance. Perhaps this was the game that first revealed Edge™.
Yiooken Award voting
Zach Merrett (Essendon) – 12 votes (3,3,3,3)
Tim Taranto (Richmond) – 4 votes (2,2)
Shai Bolton (Richmond) – 3 votes (1,2)
Jordan Ridley (Essendon) – 3 votes (1,1,1)
Daniel Rioli (Richmond) - 2 votes (2)
Judges Voting (in order of their 3, 2, 1 votes):
Shaun Burgoyne – Channel 7 (Chair): Zach Merrett (Essendon), Shai Bolton (Richmond), Jordan Ridley (Essendon).
Sarah Black – AFL Media: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Tim Taranto (Richmond), Jordan Ridley (Essendon).
Charlie King – ABC: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Daniel Rioli (Richmond), Jordan Ridley (Essendon).
William Gumbula – Yolngu Radio: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Tim Taranto (Richmond), Shai Bolton (Richmond).
Yiooken is a word from the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people which means ‘dreaming’.
ESSENDON 4.1 5.7 6.10 10.11 (71)
RICHMOND 3.5 6.6 8.10 10.10 (70)
GOALS
Essendon: Weideman 2, Durham 2, A. Davey, Snelling, Menzie, Langford, Stringer, Menzie
Richmond: Bolton 2, Mansell 2, Martin 2, Ryan, Taranto, Graham, Clarke
BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Ridley, Redman, McGrath, Durham
Richmond: Taranto, Bolton, Martin, Ross, Rioli
INJURIES
Essendon: A.Davey (shoulder)
Richmond: Nil
LATE CHANGES:
Essendon: Dylan Shiel (injury), replaced in selected side by Will Snelling
Richmond: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Massimo D'Ambrosio (replaced Andrew Phillips at three-quarter time)
Richmond: Judson Clarke (replaced Thomson Dow in the third quarter)
Crowd: 78,300 at the MCG
The Selection Table
Possible Outs -
Goldstein – Towelled up by Xerri so perhaps needs a rest to be managed or support from Bryan. Discuss.
Durham – Rolled ankle watch
Jones – Was subbed out, not sure why. Is he injured? Not doing what he was told and now has to sit in the naughty corner?
Tsatas – If Cox is well. I thought Tsatas played well enough to get another game.
Possible Ins -
Bryan – As above
Cox – If he’s well again
Parish - ???
My Prediction – Pffft. You’re nuts if you think my tipping is worth looking at. I’m just following Silk’s template. Tigers will now have a point to prove but they’re missing too much class in the middle and McKay only has to mind Balta. Who we play on Nankervis is a mystery but we should get this done.
Essendon by about 5 goals.
Let’s go Donnnerrzzz!!
Mandaang guwu. Cheers silk, back to you!
Just want to start with a respectful acknowledgement of the Aboriginal lands I’ve been privileged to grow in. I was born in Gangalu country in Central Queensland and grew up in Quandamooka country in the Redlands. I’m writing this now as a 20 year resident on Wiradjuri land in New South Wales. I pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have been the traditional custodians of our beautiful country and its waters since time immemorial, and to elders past, present and emerging, including any who may be about to read this highly impressive piece of writing
The Richmond Football Club hosts the 20th instalment of the AFL’s marquee game for Sir Doug Nicholls Round. That’s probably about as prestigious as this preview is going to be for Richmond.
Silk handed the baton over last week with the comment that the Tigers are back to their true selves. Holy crap. Are they ever. They were 10 goals down to the Lions by half time on the weekend, conceding a score of 83, and ended up losing by 119 points. North Melbourne is their own special brand of shit, but if the Tigers keep playing the way they are, maybe the Kangas can take them to court for some kind of copyright infringement. I mean, they’d probably lose that too, but you couldn’t blame them for trying to find another revenue stream.
That said, Essington is a strange and mysterious beast that has tormented the faithful around here for such a long time that no-one would be in the least bit surprised if the Tigers decide to recall their recent dynastic premiership capacities late in the third quarter while we embarrass ourselves. For this reason, it’s probably worth remembering these words from Braddles after we were lucky to get away with a win against the Eagles towards the end of last season;
“We are nowhere near that stage going into a game thinking that the four points are banked and it’s all about percentage…
One of the hallmarks of a young and inexperienced team is that potentially when they think things are just going to happen for them, they learn a harsh lesson…”
I know we beat the Kangas on the weekend, but that was then and this is now. Richmond is a proud club. No doubt Adem Yze will put the acid on the players and they rise to the occasion. It’s Dreamtime, always was and always will be; time is immemorial and there’s no beginning and no end, you want to make your existence in the moment count for something. That’s the pleasure of Marngrook. Hopefully both sides play for the joy of it and we see our amazing game for what it is – a celebration of true Aussie spirit. Now that I’ve gotten out my best Brett Kirk impression, let’s get to the game!
__________________________________________________________________________________
What Happened in Round 9?
As mentioned, Richmond got mauled. I watched them try to play Brisbane but I kept getting distracted by the class of the Lions’ chemistry. It was nice of Richmond to volunteer to help Brisbane out with their extended training drills. In fairness, they had 15 of their best 22 out injured and really were continuing their form from the previous week where they suffered a 91 point drubbing by the Dogs. It wasn’t just a rotten night on the scoreboard either. Every commentator’s new favourite player, Mykelti Lefau, joins the injury list after someone tested the strength of their patella on his jaw in a marking contest; a pity for him because he has mobility and skill and looks promising for them, though perhaps not in the ruck. Speaking of the ruck, Nank took out his own team mate, Rhyan Mansell, leaving him concussed. That brings their injury list to 17. Other than destroying his own (can we consider that clumsiness is a feature of Nank’s game style?) he was one of Richmond’s best on, winning the hitouts by one tap, which gives an indication of how poor the Tigers’ midfield was. Again though, the list of personnel missing there includes, Taranto, Hopper, Baker, Ross and Graham. Prestia was there and tried hard, picking up 23 touches and 6 clearances, alongside Bolton with 18 touches. Interestingly, on a night where Brisbane dominated possession, Prestia only laid one tackle to Bolton’s six, yet Bolton seemed to play an unaccountable role at stoppages, giving his man (often that was Neale) plenty of space to move. He looked like a bit of a front runner.
BRISBANE 7.4 13.5 21.6 26.7 (163)
RICHMOND 0.5 2.6 4.6 6.8 (44)
GOALS
Brisbane: Lohmann 5, Cameron 5, Daniher 3, Rayner 3, Morris 2, McInerney 2, Zorko, Sharp, Reville, McCluggage, Ah Chee, Hipwood
Richmond: Cumberland 2, Mansell, Lefau, Coulthard, Balta
BEST
Brisbane: Neale, Zorko, Lohmann, Daniher, McInerney, Cameron
Richmond: Rioli, Prestia, Dow, Brown
INJURIES
Brisbane: Nil
Richmond: Lefau (jaw), Mansell (head)
SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Shadeau Brain (replaced Hugh McCluggage at three-quarter time)Richmond: Matthew Coulthard (replaced Lefau at half-time)
Crowd: 27,200 at the Gabba
The Bombers’ test of maturity came the next day. Most of us were keen to see whether the mental game would have the impact we’ve seen so often over the years where we seem to think we should only play to match the performance standard of the oppo. And we kind of did and we kind of didn’t.
After giving up the first goal and a slogging through a slow start, the boys tightened the defence and North found it challenging to take clean marks inside 50. And although we kicked the last three goals of the quarter to lead at quarter time, Xerri was enabling North to dominate clearances and stoppages. In fact, the Dons did not win a CC in the first quarter. That first quarter pretty much foreshadowed the pattern of the game. They won the clearances and dominated possession, we’d dial up the defensive pressure until they turned the ball over then we’d carve them up.
I dunno. It was a win that felt like not much was going on, but look, Peter Wright kicked 4 on a first gamer, Guelf kicked 3 and now has 6 goals in two games – could being a centurion see him evolve into an ace small forward?, Laverde kept Zurhaar quiet, Martin, McGrath and my man Redders gave us plenty of rebound and McKay kept Larkey restricted to one goal. Caldwell and Perkins gave the forwards some exquisite service going inside fifty. Langers had a dirty day, kept quiet by Aiden Corr. Parish and Cox were late outs for Shiel and Tsatas respectively. Shiel didn’t do much. Tsatas was quite reasonable. There’s a watch on Duz who was subbed out with a rolled ankle; hopefully he’s all good.
We won without dominating, but we were the better side and were never really challenged. Oh well, Dreamtime at the G is where we’re at next Saturday night, and we go in in second spot on the ladder.
ESSENDON 4.2 7.5 15.7 16.10 (106)
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.2 6.4 8.4 10.6 (66)
GOALS
Essendon: Wright 4, Guelfi 3, Stringer 2, Merrett, Tsatas, Jones, Davey jnr, Gresham, Perkins, Langford
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke 2, Pink, Zurhaar, Stephenson, Taylor, Duursma, Larkey, Xerri, Ford
BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Martin, Caldwell, Guelfi, Perkins
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Corr, Powell, Xerri
INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
North Melbourne: Miller Bergman (hamstring)
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Dylan Shiel (replaced Harry Jones in the fourth quarter)
North Melbourne: Eddie Ford (replaced Charlie Lazzaro in the third quarter)
LATE CHANGES
Essendon: Darcy Parish (calf tightness) replaced in selected side by Elijah Tsatas
North Melbourne: Nil
Crowd: 43,125 at Marvel Stadium
The Last Time We Met
Last year’s Dreamtime game was one of our best wins for the year, breaking a nine year drought with Duz sealing victory seconds before the final siren. The Tigers were relentless but we matched their pressure and kept coming back within striking distance. Perhaps this was the game that first revealed Edge™.
Yiooken Award voting
Zach Merrett (Essendon) – 12 votes (3,3,3,3)
Tim Taranto (Richmond) – 4 votes (2,2)
Shai Bolton (Richmond) – 3 votes (1,2)
Jordan Ridley (Essendon) – 3 votes (1,1,1)
Daniel Rioli (Richmond) - 2 votes (2)
Judges Voting (in order of their 3, 2, 1 votes):
Shaun Burgoyne – Channel 7 (Chair): Zach Merrett (Essendon), Shai Bolton (Richmond), Jordan Ridley (Essendon).
Sarah Black – AFL Media: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Tim Taranto (Richmond), Jordan Ridley (Essendon).
Charlie King – ABC: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Daniel Rioli (Richmond), Jordan Ridley (Essendon).
William Gumbula – Yolngu Radio: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Tim Taranto (Richmond), Shai Bolton (Richmond).
Yiooken is a word from the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people which means ‘dreaming’.
ESSENDON 4.1 5.7 6.10 10.11 (71)
RICHMOND 3.5 6.6 8.10 10.10 (70)
GOALS
Essendon: Weideman 2, Durham 2, A. Davey, Snelling, Menzie, Langford, Stringer, Menzie
Richmond: Bolton 2, Mansell 2, Martin 2, Ryan, Taranto, Graham, Clarke
BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Ridley, Redman, McGrath, Durham
Richmond: Taranto, Bolton, Martin, Ross, Rioli
INJURIES
Essendon: A.Davey (shoulder)
Richmond: Nil
LATE CHANGES:
Essendon: Dylan Shiel (injury), replaced in selected side by Will Snelling
Richmond: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Massimo D'Ambrosio (replaced Andrew Phillips at three-quarter time)
Richmond: Judson Clarke (replaced Thomson Dow in the third quarter)
Crowd: 78,300 at the MCG
The Selection Table
Possible Outs -
Goldstein – Towelled up by Xerri so perhaps needs a rest to be managed or support from Bryan. Discuss.
Durham – Rolled ankle watch
Jones – Was subbed out, not sure why. Is he injured? Not doing what he was told and now has to sit in the naughty corner?
Tsatas – If Cox is well. I thought Tsatas played well enough to get another game.
Possible Ins -
Bryan – As above
Cox – If he’s well again
Parish - ???
My Prediction – Pffft. You’re nuts if you think my tipping is worth looking at. I’m just following Silk’s template. Tigers will now have a point to prove but they’re missing too much class in the middle and McKay only has to mind Balta. Who we play on Nankervis is a mystery but we should get this done.
Essendon by about 5 goals.
Let’s go Donnnerrzzz!!
Mandaang guwu. Cheers silk, back to you!
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