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Richmond 4.4 8.8 13.9 21.11 (137)
Hawthorn 1.3 4.9 8.10 10.15 (75)

Best: Richmond - I. Maric, Tuck, Cotchin, Morris, Foley, Rance, Griffiths, King.
Hawthorn - Burgoyne, Lewis, Roughead, Breust, Gibson.

Signs weren’t good from the outset for the Hawks, as the Tigers began the game with great intent and desire to attack the footy and pressure the opposition. The opening term saw Richmond dominate possession, and use their control of play to full advantage, kicking four goals (from eight scoring shots) to one.

The Hawks were well beaten in the clearances, 12-4, enabling the Tigers to get the ball forward. Coach Alastair Clarkson flagged the midfield battle as the key to victory on Saturday, and that was proving to be accurate in the opening term. Trent Cotchin was on fire early, with nine first quarter disposals, along with Dustin Martin who snuck forward to kick a goal.

Improvement was shown by the Hawks at the stoppages in the second, however, which would have pleased Clarkson. The Hawks won the clearances 13-11, but wasted opportunities in front of goal hampered the Hawks’ ability to make inroads to the Tigers’ lead - kicking 3.6 in the second quarter.

In the opening half, disposal going forward was the story, with both teams managing their fair share of ball in the forward 50. At half time, the Tigers entered their 50 32 times to the Hawks’ 30, for 16 scoring shots to 13. While that differential was just three, the Tigers made the most of their scoring shots, booting eight goals to take a four goal lead into the half time break.

Contested possessions in the first half also told a story of Richmond’s ability to be first to the ball, creating the opportunity for runners to find space on the wings and find a target in the 50. The contested possession differential was 17 at half time, 84-67.

The half time break seemingly came at the right time for Hawthorn, as runners Isaac Smith and Clinton Young began to have an impact. Tackling pressure and the impact of gun midfielder Sam Mitchell sparked the Hawks. It was a goal-for-goal quarter, with the Hawks taking their opportunities by booting 4.1.

The problem was though, that the Tigers had all the answers, ensuring that the Hawks could at no stage string multiple goals together. Richmond answered with five goals of their own, keeping a 17-point buffer in-tact for the entire third term.

There is often a margin that sides cannot break through when coming from behind, and for the Hawks on Saturday, it was 17 points. Each time Hawthorn managed to reduce the margin, the Tigers would answer with a goal of their own. With three minutes remaining in the third term, the Hawks again reduced the margin to 17, but the Tigers booted two goals in quick succession as the rain began to fall. That 29-point lead at the final change proved to be too big a task for the Hawks.

A final quarter barrage of goals from Richmond put the result beyond doubt, as the yellow and black sealed victory. The stats at the full time siren told the story of the day, as the Tigers outplayed the Hawks in all key performance indicators.

The talented crop of Richmond onballers won the midfield battle, as household names Brett Deledio (32 possessions), Martin (32) and Cotchin (31) all enjoyed a day out, while Shane Tuck was integral to the win, gathering 35 disposals at 80 per cent efficiency - one of his best ever matches.

In contrast, the Hawks had no player gather 30 disposals or more, as the Tigers shut down their midfield counterparts. Shaun Burgoyne spent time in the midfield to gather a team-high 26 possessions, while Sam Mitchell (22 possessions), Brad Sewell (21) and Jordan Lewis (20) were down on their usual output.

In the end, the Tigers had 81 more possessions than Hawthorn, the equivalent of three extra players on the field who average 27 disposals per game. The Hawks were also beaten in the contested footy, 166-137, clearances 42-39 and the Tigers entered their forward 50 15 more times, 67-52. 


What Alastair Clarkson said : “We’re pretty disappointed with the day. The game panned out exactly as we predicted though, in terms of the team that convincingly won the midfield battle, won the game.

Richmond just torched us in the middle of the ground, I know that the clearances ended up being reasonably even, but the key statistics, particularly at the centre bounce, they just took it out far too easily. It wasn’t just the numbers of the clearances, it was the manner of ease in which they took it out."