Gawn and Ivan Soldo wanted to hurt each other,or so it seemed,as they leapt at each ruck contest like upset kangaroos boxing on. Twice in the first half,Gawn lay face down on the turf. Once,Soldo hit the deck on his back like a wrestler bouncing on the canvas.
Dustin Martin prowled,as engaged in the contest as he has been for years,while Christian Petracca was dangerous,although failed to convert shots into goals.
And at either end lesser lights were engaged in David and Goliath battles in an attempt to halt the intercept marking that propels many attacks,particularly for Melbourne. Marlion Pickett had the job of stopping Steven May and Jake Lever,while Melksham adopted his disruptive role on Richmond co-captain Dylan Grimes. May eventually won the day.
Those match-ups made centre clearances vital as the Demons struggled to rebound through the ground from their defensive 50 as the Tigers made the most of their chances,kicking the ball deep inside 50,bringing it to ground and scrapping for a score. They ended the game with 15 goals from 45 inside 50s.
Richmond caretaker coach Andrew McQualter said the Tigers played well for two and a half quarters but were eventually overrun by a good team. He conceded they are just a bit off the top-four teams but they believe they can improve enough to match them with too many inside 50s conceded.
“The ladder doesn’t lie,” McQualter said. “Over 120 minutes of footy at the moment we are a bit off. We think we can better and we are in a rush to get better.”
But it was Melbourne who are primed for a tilt at another flag – this time at the MCG – having made the hard decision to leave Brodie Grundy out again. Goodwin said the conditions in Cranbourne were tough for Grundy as he played for Casey Scorpions in gale-force winds.
RICHMOND
5.4 9.7 13.8 15.8 (98)
MELBOURNE
3.5 8.5 14.6 20.10 (130)
GOALS
Richmond: Martin 3,Baker 2,McIntosh 2,Riewoldt,Soldo,Bolton,Rioli,Prestia,Balta,Taranto,Coulthard.
Melbourne: Petty 6,van Rooyen 4,Melksham 4,Pickett 2,Neale-Bullen,Petracca,Chandler,Hunter.
BEST
Richmond: Bolton,Martin,Vlastuin,Banks,Taranto.
Melbourne: Viney,Petty,Gawn,Melksham,May,van Rooyen.
CROWD
52,294 at the MCG.