Mark Robinson: Tigers winning streak over the Lions is playing on Brisbane minds
A host of injuries to premiership stars has only allowed Richmond to unearth more exciting talent, with former small forward Shai Bolton transforming into a midfield game-breaker. And he’s not the only emerging Tiger. SEE HIS 70m GOAL
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Football is a game of moments.
You either take them or lose them and Brisbane miserably failed on Tuesday night.
Not so Richmond. They devoured their moments and, in doing so, recorded their 15th consecutive win over the Lions, going back to 2009.
It’s more than a hoodoo.
What must swirl in the heads of Brisbane’s players is doubt, which dents confidence, which meant, last night at least, that every time a Brisbane player lined up for goal, the pressure to deliver grew with every missed moment.
WATCH SHAI BOLTON’S 70m GOAL IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
By the end, the Lions were a hollow football team.
It was desperately disappointing.
It can’t be ignored or passed off as bad luck, either. The Lions can’t beat Richmond, they can’t beat Richmond’s system and they can’t stop Dustin Martin.
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They are not alone with the Dusty conundrum.
He was outstanding in the midfield and deadly as a forward and right now is the most damaging player in the competition.
It’s really what we expect from Martin.
More welcoming for coach Damien Hardwick was the production of key forwards Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt.
He’s laboured through a lean period, Riewoldt, but in the past two matches has looked a threat. The return came on the scoreboard. He kicked four goals.
The match-up of the night was Lynch v Harris Andrews.
In the first half, Lynch kicked two goals and was able to nullify Andrews in the air, which is a strange comment to make about a forward on a defender.
Fox Footy commentator Nick Riewoldt was astute in the commentary box. He noted how the Tigers bombed it long and on the head of Andrews and Lynch rather than into space, which denied Andrews his ability to run at and get his fist to incoming ball.
Tom and Jack kicked seven goals between them and Harris was beaten, which is rare this season
The other anticipated match up of Dylan Grimes v Charlie Cameron didn’t eventuate.
The Tigers kept their structure as Cameron played deep and high and it meant he had an array of opponents: Nathan Broad (36 minutes) Nick Vlastuin (eight), Jayden Short (14) and Liam Baker (11).
Grimes had him for just four minutes, which says so much about Hardwick, his system and the confidence he has with his players.
Lions coach Chris Fagan might argue it was one of those nights, but it’s more than that.
The gap between these two teams is pronounced.
Across the four quarters, the Lions kicked 2.3, 1.5, 0.7 and 1.2
Missed opportunity is one reason, but there were others.
Richmond stamped their authority in the first quarter after the Lions kicked the first two goals, but this game was decided across the middle two quarters.
In the second quarter, Brisbane had 14 entries and kicked 1.5. Richmond had nine entries for 5.2
That was the game on the scoreboard.
In field play, the Lions were beaten up around the ball from midway through the first quarter and in the second quarter, and while they missed their goals, they also misplaced their effort.
They had five tackles for the quarter, their lowest count in a quarter this year.
Last Friday, when the Lions played Essendon, the Bombers laid two tackles in the first quarter.
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The Bombers were pilloried. So, too, should Brisbane.
And at halftime, their pressure was their lowest of the year.
That’s the DNA of a mid-table team, not one considered a premiership favourite.
The tall forwards led by Hipwood didn’t get it done and Cameron was quiet.
Richmond has plenty of players in form.
Marlion Pickett was axed and brought back and looks invested, Jake Aarts is a player and Shai Bolton and Noah Balta are the finds of the season at Richmond.
Bolton has been quite a revelation since being moved into the midfield. He’s classy, works hard, keeps his feet, and when he takes the ball he tries to take metres before kicking it. That’s what happened when he kicked his 75m bomb on Tuesday night.
And bomb’s the word because the Lions blew up on yet another proposed statement night for them.
Originally published as Mark Robinson: Tigers winning streak over the Lions is playing on Brisbane minds