Port Adelaide versus Richmond
4:10pm ACST, Sunday 24 May 2015
Adelaide Oval, South Australia
Kent Winzer
A fortnight ago, Richmond were sitting 13th on the AFL ladder, with a win-loss ratio of 2:4. Many Tiger fans were getting restless, with a prediction that the coming four weeks would deliver losses, and leading into the Queen’s Birthday Weekend break, the club would be 2:8 and beyond the point of no return. It was at that juncture, some predicted, coach Damien Hardwick would be shown the door.
What a difference a fortnight makes. With a win last week against Collingwood, Richmond entered their Round 8 match against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval with a hint of confidence. The Power, on the other hand, had been dismantled by the lowly Brisbane Lions, and word on the street was that they’d lost their mojo.
Port had everything to play for. Not only was club legend Kane Cornes playing his 300th match, but he was also playing his final game before he would retire to join the Metropolitan Fire Service. Richmond, on the other hand, were not expected to win, and were still attempting to pick up the pieces of what was fast-becoming a season of broken hopes and dreams.
After the belting that Richmond copped at the hands of the Power in the 2014 Elimination Final, you’d have expected them to enter the match cautiously, and for Port to continue where they’d left off. However, by quarter time, Richmond had eclipsed their half time score in that final, whilst the Power had not even scored a major. More pain was to come in the second term, with the Tigers outscoring the Power by four goals to three to take a 23 point lead into the main break.
Could Richmond fans dare to dream? Could they avenge the loss of last year’s Elimination Final, and put all of the bad memories experienced by this writer on that road trip to bed? Would the Tigers be 4:4?
Well, the third term was dominated by Port. The ball rarely entered Richmond’s forward 50, as the visitors were scoreless for the quarter. Gallingly for Port Adelaide, they managed to only kick one goal and a handful of behinds to close the margin to 13 points at the final change. In the process, the home side seemed to spend a lot of fuel in the process!
The final term was a return to what was seen in the first half, with Richmond dominating possession and scoring, as the Port were left to wonder what was left of their game plan, and their season. Two teams within a fortnight had deconstructed them like George Calombaris preparing his version of a Caesar Salad. The ever-important Shane Edwards kicked the sealer at the 20-minute mark for the Tigers, as Port were left to rue their missed opportunities.
For Port, there wasn’t much to write home about. Their best was Kane Cornes, who was impressive in shadowing Trent Cotchin for the day, and could hold his head high on this special occasion for him. The remainder of Port’s leaders need to reassess and reunite for their match against Melbourne next week, otherwise their season will be beyond repair if it is not there already.
For the victors, solid performances from Brandon Ellis, Anthony Miles, and Shaun Grigg were pleasing, as was the return to form of the oft-maligned Dustin Martin. Jack Riewoldt was also impressive not only in kicking four goals, but in his efforts to play up the ground and get involved in the contest. Brett Deledio again illustrated why he is so important to the Richmond team. Next week sees them host Dreamtime at the G, in which Essendon will be hoping their milestone man Dustin Fletcher’s 400th is more memorable than Cornes’ 300th… but the Tigers won’t make it easy for them.
Port Adelaide 0.3 3.6 4.10 5.13 (43)
Richmond 3.4 7.5 7.5 11.10 (76)
Goals
Port Adelaide: Wingard 2, Monfries 2, Gray
Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Batchelor, Deledio, Edwards, Ellis, Griffiths, Martin, Menadue
Best
Port Adelaide: Boak, Gray, Cornes, Ebert, Wines
Richmond: Ellis, Riewoldt, Martin, Deledio, Miles, Grigg
Umpires Chamberlain, Bannister, Hosking.
Crowd 45,268
Votes: Ellis (Rich) 3, Riewoldt (Rich) 2, Cornes (PA) 1

Leave a Comment