Wounded Richmond were brave but beaten as Geelong survived a big scare at home to claim a 30-point win on Saturday night.
The Cats trailed by as much as 29 points late in the first half before kicking 12 of the last 15 goals to claim the 15.9 (99) to 10.9 (69) victory.
Oliver Dempsey finished the pick of the Cats in attack with three goals while Max Holmes ended up with 29 touches and a goal for his efforts at GMHBA Stadium.
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The loss ensures Richmond remain winless at the venue since 2006.
The Tigers, who have only one fit player on their list who hasn’t played in 2024, suffered more injury carnage with Marlion Pickett subbed out of the contest and Mykelti Lefau limping off with a lower leg issue late.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH UPDATES
There were no late changes for either side, with Gary Rohan (Geelong) and debutant Kaleb Smith (Richmond) named the starting subs.
Mykelti Lefau got the Tigers on the board first, before Tom Hawkins responded with a long-range major.
Dustin Martin loaded up from long range to extend Richmond’s early lead to eight points.
The Tigers applied some serious heat on the Cats early on as Lefau kicked his second and Richmond’s third to open up a 14-point lead.
Liam Baker — who was earlier assessed for an injury concern — kicked Richmond’s fourth from a set shot.
“They’re getting beaten all over the ground,” former Geelong champion Joel Selwood said of his old side.
Mitch Duncan marked bravely and goaled late in the first term to steady the Cats. At the first change, the Tigers had a 13-point lead.
The Tigers held the pressure rating advantage 195-176 in the first stanza.
Noah Cumberland goaled with an incredible bouncer that evaded Jake Kolodjashnij’s waiting arms.
The Cats kicked a couple of late goals, but the Tigers took a 16-point lead into the main change.
“We’ve got an upset on our hands,” Fox Footy’s Ben Dixon said at half-time.
Geelong came out firing in the third quarter, kicking three of the period’s first four majors to scrape back their deficit to just three points.
Dustin Martin responded with his second goal of the night, pushing Richmond’s lead back out to 10 points with 13 minutes remaining in the quarter.
Ollie Dempsey soccered one home on the goal line to make it a three-point contest once again after the Tigers couldn’t kill it from a marking contest. Shortly after, Shannon Neale got on the end of some devastating Geelong transition to give the Cats their first lead of the evening.
Samson Ryan slotted his second goal of the game after marking strongly to put Richmond back in front by three points.
Jeremy Cameron kicked his first goal of the night to force another lead change, with Seven’s Jason Bennett calling it a “seesawing” clash.
The Cats took a three-point advantage into the final quarter.
There was controversy to begin the final term when Tyson Stengle snapped on goal – and umpires paid his shot as advantage which left Geelong without a score.
But when the Cats needed someone to stand tall, it was Brad Close in their front half.
He kicked a ripping goal before dishing the hands to Tom Hawkins for his second – as the Tigers were a man down with Marlion Pickett (cramp) limping to the bench before being subbed off.
Exciting Tiger Mykelti Lefau limped from the field with less than 10 minutes to go after landing awkwardly in a marking contest in another blow for Richmond.
But by then, the Cats had the win sealed as they returned to the AFL’s top four.
THE 3-2-1…
3. ‘SLIGHTLY OFF’ CATS CLAW BACK TO STEADY SEASON
Despite exhibiting first-half concerns, Chris Scott’s Cats steadied their ship and steered their way to victory with a scintillating second-half surge.
The Cats fell behind by as many as 29 points in the second stanza but ultimately won to the tune of 30 points after overwhelming an inexperienced Tigers unit.
At half-time, down 22, Dermott Brereton highlighted a discrepancy in forward-line performance between Cats youngster Shannon Neale and first-year Tiger Lefau.
“You’ve got Tom Hawkins playing really deep and Jeremy Cameron playing way up, so they need somebody around that centre-half forward mark to play well,” Brereton told the Fox Footy broadcast at the main change.
“The kid Shannon Neale, he doesn’t have the understanding — and I mean this in the most respectful way — he doesn’t have the same understanding about leading onto the kicker’s leg that Lefau does at the other end.
“So, he’s had very little influence and Lefau’s had a huge influence at the other end. All those things (are) playing into each other.
“We have a key forward at one end being really damaging, and a young key forward at the other end not having an effect … (The Cats) are just slightly off.”
Brereton identified that five of Jeremy Cameron’s seven first-half possessions were uncontested, noting he wasn’t having the match-winning influence we’ve come to expect from the triple All-Australian.
“It’s not the Jeremy Cameron style of footy that wins you games,” Brereton said at half-time.
“You can get any rabbit to play that game, just running out wide and saying ‘kick it to me’. We want Jeremy Cameron to actually be where the action is and win the game.”
Johnson was optimistic: “I think Geelong will have their moment in this game — we know that — at home.”
The Cats indeed had that ‘moment’, booting six goals to the Tigers’ three in the third quarter.
“They got their running game going,” Johnson told Fox Footy at three-quarter-time.
“It really did start in the back half of the ground — they were able to use the corridor and really get themselves pushing through and going, which is what they needed to do.
“They were flat in that first half (off) the back of Richmond being so good with their pressure and their intensity around the ball and their ability to out-number.
“They did it (transitioned) in style … it’s just (getting) the ball forward, (and) players in the right spot to be able to help with that transition.
“That’s the type of play, in that third quarter, that got the Catters back into it.”
And they took it the rest of the way, kicking four more majors — unanswered — in the final quarter to solidify a much-needed eighth win of the season to keep staking their top-four claim.
2. ‘EXCELLENT’ TIGERS FALL GALLANTLY AMID ‘DAMAGING’ FORWARD’S BRISK ASCENSION
Richmond’s attempts at staging a tremendous upset of the Cats at GMHBA Stadium have fallen narrowly short.
The Tigers built a 29-point second-quarter lead off the back of incessant ball pressure and a surge mentality that reminded of the club’s dynastic premiership period.
“You just (saw) Tiger numbers everywhere — I thought it was excellent,” Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson told Fox Footy at half-time.
The Tigers put up a pressure rating of 195 in the first quarter and recorded similar digits in the second stanza as they took a 22-point buffer into the main change.
“That’s a pure work rate aspect of the game,” Johnson said of Richmond’s pressure.
“And I think, once the rain started to come down, the Tigers handled the conditions a lot better with the way they played their ball, but also their surge mentality to keep it going forward.”
Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton praised the “damaging” impact of emerging forward Mykelti Lefau in aiding Richmond’s cause.
“At one end of the ground, you’ve got a young forward-line and you’ve got the kid Mykelti Lefau, (who) is in his infancy in league football, but he’s really damaging at the moment,” Brereton told Fox Footy’s coverage.
“He’s running onto the correct leg of the kicker further afield; he’s giving a great option. He’s been really important.”
Adding to Brereton’s point, Johnson said: “His (Lefau’s) understanding and ability to learn the game and pick it up so quickly, and it’s the little craft things that you look at.
“You’re right (about) that pressure gauge — that consistency, we’ve seen it a couple of times this year from the Tigers; we saw it last week.
“That’s why I’m pleased for them, because they’ve backed up what was a big game for them last week … we’re seeing the same thing again from the Tigers.”
After a gallant effort in Dreamtime at the ‘G last Saturday, Adem Yze’s undermanned brigade can again hold their heads high in defeat — but will be looking to sustain their manic pressure over a four-quarter period.
1. MORE HIGHWAY HORROR FOR TIGERS AMID POTENTIAL INJURY INSULT
Despite another spirited effort, the Tigers’ horror run at Kardinia Park lives on.
Richmond’s last win at the venue came in Round 9, 2006.
The Tigers have now lost six consecutive times at what is now called GMHBA Stadium since that ‘09 triumph.
Yze’s side seemed to have gotten through unscathed from an injury perspective — until Marlion Pickett was substituted out with calf tightness halfway through the last quarter.
Then, shortly after, Lefau landed awkwardly in a marking contest and appeared to hurt his left knee.
The burgeoning forward fought off trainers but will certainly be thoroughly assessed post-game and likely monitored throughout next week ahead of Richmond’s Round 13 trip to Adelaide to play the Crows.
Source Agencies
