RICHMOND V GEELONG CATS, AFL Rd 20, 2018 - 3/8 19:50 AEST - Squiggle says Richmond 73%

[Chief]

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RICHMOND V GEELONG CATS
ROUND 20 - 19:50 AEST, AUG 03, 2018
MCG
16° RAIN DEVELOPING
ROOF: OPEN

AFL: http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2018/20/rich-v-geel

Squiggle: Richmond 73% (aggregate ~68%)

FORM
1st Ladder Position 8th
14 Wins 11
4 Losses 7
137.8 % 120.3
1754 Points For 1603
1273 Points Against 1333
WWLWW Form LWLWW

STATS
368 Disposals 381
34 Clearances 38
59 Inside 50 53
148 Contested Possessions 148
61 Tackles 65
27 Hit-Outs 36
18 Free Kicks 21​

RECENT ENCOUNTERS
R13, 2018 Geelong Cats 9.11 (65) def by Richmond 12.11 (83) MCG
R24, 2017 Geelong Cats 5.10 (40) def by Richmond 13.13 (91) MCG
R21, 2017 Geelong Cats 11.14 (80) def Richmond 9.12 (66) GS
R21, 2016 Richmond 12.6 (78) def by Geelong Cats10.22 (82) MCG
R5, 2015 Richmond 11.10 (76) def by Geelong Cats12.13 (85) MCG

RICHMOND
B David Astbury, Alex Rance, Dylan Grimes
HB Jayden Short, Nick Vlastuin, Connor Menadue
C Kamdyn McIntosh, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards
HF Daniel Rioli, Kane Lambert, Jason Castagna
F Jacob Townsend, Jack Riewoldt, Josh Caddy
FOL Toby Nankervis, Jack Higgins, Dustin Martin
I/C Shaun Grigg, Brandon Ellis, Liam Baker, Sam Lloyd
EMG Corey Ellis, Ryan Garthwaite, Patrick Naish, Anthony Miles
IN
Connor Menadue, Sam Lloyd
OUT
Dion Prestia (Injured), Nathan Broad (Injured)
MILESTONES: Daniel Rioli - Playing 50th game, Brandon Ellis - Playing 150th game

GEELONG CATS
B Zach Tuohy, Mark Blicavs, Jake Kolodjashnij
HB Cameron Guthrie, Lachie Henderson, Jed Bews
C Sam Menegola, Joel Selwood, Scott Selwood
HF Lachie Fogarty, Mitch Duncan, Tim Kelly
F Brandan Parfitt, Tom Hawkins, Daniel Menzel
FOL Rhys Stanley, Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett
I/C Ryan Abbott, Jordan Cunico, Jack Henry, Jamaine Jones
EMG Jordan Murdoch, James Parsons, Zac Smith, Jackson Thurlow
IN
Ryan Abbott, Jamaine Jones
OUT
Tom Stewart (Injured), Quinton Narkle (Rested)
NEW
Ryan Abbott


THE SIX POINTS

1. Can the Cats be the first to defeat the Tigers at the MCG in over a year? Saturday's win over Collingwood saw the premiers notch up their 18th win in a row at the venue, which is a competition record. Their last loss there was in round 13 last year, at the hands of Sydney.

2. Expect a barnstorming final term. The Tigers are also the best finishing team in the League, having won 14 fourth quarters. But, the Cats are no slouches in that area either; they're equal third with 12.

3. It will be a contest between two of the best defences in the competition. The Tigers are second for the least points conceded with an average of 70 while the Cats are fourth with 74 per game.

4. Tom Hawkins has roared into form to be the game's dominant forward lately. Since round nine, he's kicked 38 goals including 14 in the last two weeks. He's the first player to boot seven goals or more in consecutive games since 2012.

5. The Tigers have won the last two clashes between the sides but before that, the Cats claimed 13 in a row dating back to round six, 2007.

6. Unsurprisingly, the big mover when it comes to Geelong and the Schick AFL Player Ratings is Hawkins. His big turn of form has seen him skyrocket from 92nd overall at round 16 to 63rd after his seven goals against Brisbane.

 

[Power Raid]

what a ripping contest

I want the tigers to win but Hawkins is in stellar form

tigers in a close one........13 points

 

[Xtreme]

Richmond to kick against the wind

Geelong by 46 points

Riewoldt to win the Norm Smith medal

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

If Richmond could flog the cats, that'll be great.

 

[Gydafud]

Want to win. Don't think they will. Go Cats.

 

[Sterge]

Given our outs and the cats form if they don't beat us tonight they never will

 

[HBF]

Richmond simply do not lose at the MCG.
Tigers by 15 points.

 

[Billy ray]

Will be over at 8:15. 5 goal to nil first qtr

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Will be over at 8:15. 5 goal to nil first qtr

So should i plan to head to the bar by 8.16?

 

[Cincinnatus]

Things I hope for:

A good, close game.

Players beating the s**t out of each other. None in particular.

And most of all:

A Geelong player throwing the ball upwards, connecting with his foot and it being called a throw.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Given our outs and the cats form if they don't beat us tonight they never will

Are you suggesting that a Cats team in decent form is only Dion Prestia short of Richmond?

Hardly the daylight some suggest.

Or am I missing outs?

 

[PhatBoy]

Given our outs and the cats form if they don't beat us tonight they never will

We haven't been going terribly by any means but we have only fallen over the line against melbourne and took a while to shake off Brisbane. We have a chance but tigers are still entitled to be warm favourites. Just hope we don't drop off in the last term like we have the last two times against Richmond.

In most of our big games over the last two years we've had a really poor quarter that has cost us - the fourth in last year's QF, the first in the PF, the last vs Sydney this year, vs Richmond this year etc.

Eradicate that trend, we can do some damage. Don't eradicate it, well get punished.

 

[Sterge]

Are you suggesting that a Cats team in decent form is only Dion Prestia short of Richmond?

Hardly the daylight some suggest.

Or am I missing outs?

Prestia Conca Graham Houli out of the middle with Martin down on form and Cotch hasn't had a big game for a while. In a team that relies so much on everyone playing their part and every cog working taking any cog out threatens to bring the whole thing unstuck.

We already get killed in clearances and the first 3 mentioned are our in and under grunt players, if the cats big 3 get a run on and start hitting up a white hot Hawkins they are every chance to win.

Also Broad might not seem like much but part of our success is the back 6 work so well together and when you take one of them out and replace him with a struggling mennadue the cats can definitely cause us issues.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Richmond fairly comfortably but will be close for a couple of quarters

 

[Gavin Excell]

Richmond to kick against the wind

Geelong by 46 points

Riewoldt to win the Norm Smith medal

Compared to some of your other predictions, these are relatively conservative

 

[Gavin Excell]

We haven't been going terribly by any means but we have only fallen over the line against melbourne and took a while to shake off Brisbane. We have a chance but tigers are still entitled to be warm favourites. Just hope we don't drop off in the last term like we have the last two times against Richmond.

In most of our big games over the last two years we've had a really poor quarter that has cost us - the fourth in last year's QF, the first in the PF, the last vs Sydney this year, vs Richmond this year etc.

Eradicate that trend, we can do some damage. Don't eradicate it, well get punished.

Tigers far more even and reliable

Cats need everything to go right but yes a chance

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

Given our outs and the cats form if they don't beat us tonight they never will

Are we getting all the pre-game excuses done by page 1?

In that spirit
Tom Stewart, MCG, something, rain, wind, Harry Taylor, Ablett's G/F has morning sickness, Cam Guthrie, wrong boots.

Form a paragraph around those key points and you have the excuse I'd like to submit.

 

[Nuggets73]

Plenty of this tonight Tiges!!!!

 

[The 747]

Given our outs and the cats form if they don't beat us tonight they never will

Before the last two games we beat you in every single game for about a decade......

 

[Tony Harrison]

Before the last two games we beat you in every single game for about a decade......

Seems like a lifetime ago

 

[Sterge]

Before the last two games we beat you in every single game for about a decade......

That's nice, can we talk about tonight's game now and not the past

 

[Royce Hafey]

Are we getting all the pre-game excuses done by page 1?

In that spirit
Tom Stewart, MCG, something, rain, wind, Harry Taylor, Ablett's G/F has morning sickness, Cam Guthrie, wrong boots.

Form a paragraph around those key points and you have the excuse I'd like to submit.

Read the preview thread on our board and you'll see these are genuine concerns. Graham has averaged the most tackles per game for the Tiges (Conca btw is second) and Prestia is our first best clearance player - just behind Cotchin and Martin. Given that we play an undersized ruck and we're up against the Trinity (the Ducker the Son and the Surfing Suit, amen) that's surely a genuine worry.

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

Read the preview thread on our board and you'll see these are genuine concerns. Graham has averaged the most tackles per game for the Tiges (Conca btw is second) and Prestia is our first best clearance player - just behind Cotchin and Martin. Given that we play an undersized ruck and we're up against the Trinity (the Ducker the Son and the Surfing Suit, amen) that's surely a genuine worry.

You can be as worried as you like, I just hate throwing out pre-game excuses.

 

[HTT]

Given our outs and the cats form if they don't beat us tonight they never will

Reckon I could quote a few Cats supporters about R21 last year saying the same thing the other way. Football works in mysterious ways.
That said I reckon they'll get us. $3 for the cats is great value - far better team than that.

 

[Tony Harrison]

Richmond with the '18 in a row at the G' hangover.
Cats by 6.

Tiges to take it easy with all focus on next week to not lose every interstate game for the season