Equus
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When and Where
Sunday 8 September 2014, 3:40pm (AEST) bounce down at the MCG
TV
7 3:00pm (AEST) Live / Foxtel 3:00pm (AEST) Live
Radio
Triple M
SEN
3AW
AFL Grandstand
Odds:
Richmond - $1.55 / Carlton $2.55
(TAB)
Head To Head
Played: 211 Richmond: 85 Carlton: 124
Clashes This Season
Round 1 Richmond 14-22-106 def Carlton 17-17-101
Round 21 Carlton 16-10-106 def Richmond 14-12-96
SEASON REVIEW
by David3030
2013 began as a season hope and optimism for all Richmond supporters. Dimma at the family day stating "we are not waiting for a team to drop out of the eight, we are going to kick them out" or words to that effect, had a lot of us being very optimistic about this season but not wanting to get too carried away in case it turned out like 28 others have since 1982.
As the season progressed we always remained level or ahead of the win / loss ratio, something that had not happened since 2001. optimism kept growing as each scalp was claimed.
We had some inspiring wins (Hawthorn in Round 19 and West Coast in Perth in Round 10) to name a couple. Some solo inspirational performances and acts (Ellis with 40 possessions and only in his second year! Who will forget Luke McGuane's match winning tackle against Carlton in the final seconds of Round 1?
The best part of 2013 in my opinion has been so many players have shown improvement. Brandon Ellis improved out of sight compared to 2012, Steve Morris became the best lock down defender in the AFL. An absolute crime he did not make the AA top 40 this year. Our defence allowed 300 fewer points than last year due to a very settled back 6
Our biggest improvement though came from the most maligned player in Big Footy history (at least on the Richmond board) by the name of Dan Jackson. His improvement level was so vast he is a short priced favourite to win the JDM.
So excellent recruitment of free agents Troy Chaplin and Chris Knights brought some solidity to our defence and extra midfield depth and goal kicking power. Our drafting of Flossy and the Macs (Bean, Donough and Intosh) all look likely to pay dividends from as early as 2014 too.
Our on-field 2013 success has also been mirrored by our off-field successes to. The recruitment of Mark 'Choco' Williams has been nothing short of a master stroke by the club. With recent events looking like he will still be with us in 2014 . The resigning to long term deals of co-major sponsors Bingle and Jeep, both on $1 million or more per season shows we are no longer struggling to make ends meet.
As Round 23 has now finished, our OLD season is completed and we commence a season where we belong. With only 4 players (if the media are correct that is) on our list with finals experience, we are definitely playing catch-up but our development is continuing to rise as we won 4 and a half more games than 2012. With luck and continual progression our improvement is not likely to plateau or fall back in the short term.
KEY MATCH-UPS
BY _RT_
Riewoldt v Jamison
Don't expect Mick to make the same mistake and play Bootsma on Jack this time around. Without doubt Jack is going to get Jamison. In the 8 games that Jamison and Riewoldt have played against each other Jack has only averaged 1.4 goals a game. In the last 3 games Jamison has managed to hold Jack goalless when he has been manned up on him. Round 21 this year Jack got 2 on Bootsma early before Jamison moved onto him and put and end to Jacks goal kicking. This week it's important that Jack stays involved even if he doesn't kick goals.
Maric v Warnock/Kreuzer
If as expected Stephenson goes out it's going to be a big ask for Maric to go up against both Warnock and Kreuzer. Maric will get some help from Vickery but for the most part will be asked to carry the load against these 2 and if he can at least breakeven against them we'll be in good shape. Last week against Port Warnock and Kreuzer worked over Lobbe & Renouf and eventually got on top and gave the likes of Murphy & Gibbs a chance to win clearances and get the Blues going.
Cotchin v Curnow
In round 21 Curnow ran with Cotchin and held him to his lowest disposal total for the year. I get the feeling that Curnow will be sent to Cotchin again, however this time Cotchin will be ready for him and should run him off his legs. This is where he needs the help of his fellow midfielders to create space for him and to ensure that Curnow can't get away with scragging Cotchin at every opportunity.
Martin v anyone
Looking at Martins record he has never really dominated against the Blues, with his last game being his worst against them. With that in mind I hope this week is the week Dusty finally rips into Carlton like we know he can do to sides when he is on. Hopefully Dusty gets on his bike and covers the ground rather than just sitting up forward and waiting for things to happen. A Dusty special this week will go a long way towards us winning.
Deledio v Gibbs
In round 21 Deledio was arguably our best midfielder, while Gibbs was lauded has having a massive impact in the Blues coming back. Expect them to renew their rivalry again on Sunday and if they do then I expect Deledio to have a big game. In fact I get the feeling that Deledio has been waiting for the big stage of finals to explode and against Gibbs he has the perfect opportunity to do just that.