|
¼time
|
½ time
|
¾ time
|
Full Time
|
Coburg
|
1.2.8
|
3.6.24
|
5.6.36
|
7.9.51
|
Richmond
|
6.2.38
|
7.3.45
|
10.7.67
|
14.9.93
|
Best: Sturgess, Cooper, McConnell, Saad, Mance, Proud
Goals: Clark 2, Featherstone 2, Cooper, Younan, Hill
Jason De Vincentis
Richmond bounced back from their big loss last week against Footscray to respond with a 7 goal victory against a competitive Coburg outfit on Sunday afternoon.
Two goals and 32 possessions to Daniel Cooper was unable to get the Lions over the line, as AFL players Nathan Foley and Orren Stephenson dominated the ruck and clearances.
The Lions faced the Tigers for the first time since their link was severed late last year and there was excitement buzzing around the field before the match began.
Coburg got the start they needed as Dion Hill goal kicked a nice goal from 30 metres out. Unfortunately it would be only part he would play as a hard ball collision left him unable to continue with a suspected broken jaw and left the Lions exposed up forward.
The Tigers were quick to respond as Coburg began to make costly errors when switching the ball. Ryan Bathie, Todd Elton and Orren Stephenson were imposing themselves on the contests and causing havoc up forward to steer the Tigers into a strong position at the quarter time break. Lions coach Peter German was fuming at the Lions’ inability to apply defensive pressure.
Clearly, German’s message carried weight in the second quarter as the Lions restricted Richmond to just 2 scoring shots but failed to make their chances count when pressing up the field.
Matthew Clark kicked the only two goals of the quarter for Coburg and the Lions were making a game of a match that seemed out of their reach at quarter time. Daniel Cooper was doing a solid job of replacing Nathan Thomas and provided 11 inside 50s for the game, 6 of which in the first half.
The second half got underway with Coburg chasing a 21-point deficit. Much to the delight of the supporters, Lion Liam Brandt lined up on his half-brother Jake King, and the teams were ready to fire.
Rian McGough delivered the first goal of the half for Richmond. This was followed by a needless 50-metre penalty that handed a second goal to the Tigers and it felt like Richmond were getting away.
But the Lions hung tough with two great goals from Lech Featherstone and Daniel Cooper to have the margin at 31 points heading into the final change.
The final quarter began with a forced turnover through a Ben Clifton smother and Daniel Younan capitalised by putting it through the big sticks from 30 metres out. Signs of a comeback were duly dealt with by clearances from Nathan Foley and Nathan Batsanis and Richmond resumed control of the game.
Both teams had their moments in the final quarter, but ultimately experience once again got the better of the young Lions. They did extremely well to hang in their after a slow start to the game and showed signs of resilience.
Daniel Cooper, Andrew Sturgess and Cody Mance should be commended on their performances.
Cooper filled Nathan Thomas’ role well and will continue to relish that running midfielder role. He finished with 32 possessions and 11 inside 50s.
Andrew Sturgess continued to use the ball well and shows remarkable poise for a man in his second VFL game. Sturgess had 26 touches, but was damaging in his ball usage only having one turnover for the game.
Cody Mance has come a long way since pre-season and looks to be a player with keen awareness and vision. His 17 disposals didn’t go unnoticed and earned praise from Coach German post game.
Other notable contributors were Michael Hartley down in defence and Ozgur Uysal who always seems to be first to the ball.
The players need to remain positive, their time will come and the satisfaction will be sweet.
Last Modified on 14/04/2014 11:44