AFL: Jack Riewoldt takes aim at Mick Malthouse after Richmond shrugs off controversies to dominate Geelong
After starring with four goals in Richmond’s big win over the Cats, Jack Riewoldt has taken swipe at one of his biggest critics this season, Mick Malthouse. See what he said and how the Tigers shrugged off controversy to dominate Geelong.
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Jack Riewoldt couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Mick Malthouse after his four-goal performance helped to sink Geelong in a match that posed as many questions as provided answers for the two leading Victorian premiership hopes.
Richmond is at its best when it is challenged - by any team or any individual - and it loves nothing better than rising to the occasion.
While the Tigers have quite rightly been chastened by the kebab-shop fight that saw two players sent home from Queensland in disgrace and some other off-field, eyebrow-raising moments, the combative DNA that coach Damien Hardwick has instilled in this group is never far away from the surface.
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Scratch it, and they will scratch back.
Somehow they’ve been able to compartmentalise what has happened off the field up north with what they can do on the field, and we saw that crystal clear against the Cats.
Riewoldt was a case in point.
In the afterglow of the Tigers’ 26-point win over the Cats, he told Fox Footy: “I’m pleased with how I’m going ... not bad for a bloke who was supposed to retire, according to Mick Malthouse, at the end of the season.”
In a Sunday Herald Sun column last month, Malthouse called for 31-year-old Riewoldt to “consider going out on a high” at the end of the 2020 season.
It’s fair to say Jack read it ... and hasn’t forgotten.
It’s clearly driving him, and we know the Tigers love nothing better than proving the doubters wrong, not that there are many left after Friday night.
Riewoldt stepped up when his forward partner Tom Lynch was sitting on the bench with an ice pack around his hamstring contemplating a race against time to get back for the Tigers’ first final.
Even his coach says his leaping at the footy is back to high levels again after question marks were asked of him earlier this season.
Riewoldt’s best footy this year has come against the best opposition. He has kicked four goals against Geelong and Brisbane, and three against Port Adelaide.
And those figuring the Tigers might be a little more vulnerable against a backdrop of off-field distractions are swiftly re-assessing those thoughts.
No Kebab-gate hangover as Tigers feast on Cats
- Matt Turner
Anyone who thought kebab-gate might derail Richmond’s season received a strong answer to the contrary on Friday night as the defending premier flexed its muscles against Geelong.
In one of the most highly-anticipated games of the season, the Tigers dominated most of the clash at Metricon Stadium, strangling the Cats’ ability to score, stifling their supply to in-form spearhead Tom Hawkins and peppering the goals themselves on their way to a 26-point victory.
Geelong entered the game as the league’s highest-scoring team this year and on a six-match winning streak but had its lowest halftime score since 1957.
The Cats closed a seemingly unassailable three-quarter lead to 16 points with three goals in four minutes to open the fourth term, only for Richmond to answer and notch its fifth win in its past six meetings between the teams, Jack Riewoldt dominant with four goals.
A week earlier, the Tigers were dealing with the fallout of Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones’ protocol-breaking night out at a strip club and kebab shop on Gold Coast’s main party street that cost the club $100,000 and the duo their seasons, and questions were asked about how the incident would affect their tilt at a third flag in four seasons.
“We dealt with that (last week’s incident) pretty early in the piece and everything we do, we look with a growth mindset from our point of view,” Richmond coach Damien Hardwick reflected after the match.
“We thought we put it to bed pretty early and hopefully respond like we did tonight.
“It can (galvanise the team) but we also can’t shy away from the fact we let ourselves down.”
If the Tigers beat Adelaide in the last minor round, they will again secure a top-four spot.
And they will head into the finals unbeaten this year in Queensland with star reinforcements such as Shane Edwards and Dion Prestia set to return.
“Adelaide are a different kettle of fish at the moment and it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” Hardwick said.
“It’s on their home deck, last game of the year for them and they’re going to be fired up so we have to make sure we’re ready to go.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott said the Tigers deserved premiership favouritism after they outclassed his Cats.
“The question is — are they better than us in different circumstances? On that performance you’d say ‘yeah, they’re raging favourites’,” Scott said.
“They make it hard for you — there’s not much easy in a game against Richmond.”
GRIMES BRILLIANCE
He might not get the three votes in this game in the Brownlow Medal count but Dylan Grimes was a clear standout on Friday night.
Playing his first match back from a hamstring injury, Grimes read the ball brilliantly in the air and barely lost a contest all game.
He provided great support for Noah Balta on Tom Hawkins and always made the right decision whether or not to peel off his opponent to impact the play.
Grimes finished with 16 disposals and six marks.
“Noah did a terrific job … and Dylan was outstanding down there as well,” Hardwick said.
“You’re not going to keep a good side like Geelong down to that all night but I thought we defended behind the ball very solidly throughout.”
HELP DEFENCE
Damien Hardwick said during the week the Tigers would be in trouble if they relied on Noah Balta to beat in-form Cats forward Tom Hawkins one-on-one.
Thankfully for Balta, he had plenty of help.
Geelong was unable to isolate Hawkins, whose only stat to quarter time was one hitout.
In the second term, Geelong moved Patrick Dangerfield forward to keep Dylan Grimes more accountable and Hawkins started to get into the contest.
Then Nick Vlastuin and ruckman Toby Nankervis were among players able to get in the way and stop Hawkins from getting an easy run at marks.
Hawkins finished with 1.2 and six disposals, but Balta got the assistance he needed to keep him quiet.
Riewoldt was on song up forward, but afterwards praised his side’s defensive unit which paralysed the Cats.
CLEARANCE DOMINANCE
Geelong is the No.1 clearance team in the league and it dominated the statistic against Richmond.
But, like several other teams against the Tigers, it was unable to make the most of its 32-16 advantage in that area.
Hardwick said during the week that although his side did not like being smashed in clearances, it prided itself on what happened next from there, and his team’s pressure ensured the Cats’ possessions were hasty and delivery to their forwards often poor, at least for the first three quarters.
“We were just outplayed for most of the game,” Scott lamented after the match.
“When the game was really on the line, they were just much better than us.
“We were a little bit off, there’s no doubt about that.
“I didn’t think they allowed us to execute very well but I think we played into their hands a little bit.
“They just looked better than us.”
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MORE INJURIES
Richmond is counting the cost of its heavyweight knockout, with injuries to key forward Tom Lynch and ruckman Ivan Soldo.
The Tigers face the prospect of starting a finals campaign without two of its key personnel.
Lynch injured his hamstring late in the third quarter and didn’t reappear, while Soldo looked to have seriously injured his knee just before halftime.
The premiership ruckman’s knee buckled in a marking contest when he was crashed into by teammate Noah Balta. He then had to be helped from the ground in the hands of trainers.
Lynch appeared to only tweak his left hamstring, an injury that is usually a 21-day recovery, which will put him on the borderline of the Tigers’ first final.
“It was disappointing to see a couple of injuries but we’ll get ready for Adelaide next week,” Riewoldt said.
“I think it’s (Lynch’s injury) only minor, the bye week will give us an extra chance to get him up and going,” Riewoldt said.
Hardwick added: “Soldo we think has got a significant knee injury, which is disappointing … it looks like it (ACL).”
“Tom’s got a hamstring but we’re not quite sure of the severity of that at the moment.
“Two big losses … but it provides opportunity.”
Geelong suffered a major blow before the start of the game with forward Gary Rohan a late withdrawal.
Rohan took part in the pre-game warm-up but pulled up tight in his quad which handed 20-year-old Ben Jarvis his first game.
Geelong was already without captain Joel Selwood (knee) and Rhys Stanley (groin), while Richmond is missing Dion Prestia (ankle) and David Astbury (knee).
Gary Ablett and Shane Edwards come out of quarantine on Tuesday.
Scott cryptically confirmed at least two of the Cats’ veterans would return for the Sunday-week clash with Sydney.
“(Ablett and Selwood) They’ll play next week but if I were you I wouldn’t believe me because I keep saying these things and it changes,” he said.
“It’s not deliberate, I’m giving you the best information I can.”
SCOREBOARD
GEELONG 0.3 1.4 1.5 4.7 (31)
lost to
RICHMOND 2.5 3.5 5.13 7.15 (57)
GOALS
Cats: Ratugolea 2; Close, Hawkins.
Tigers: Riewoldt 4; Rioli, Lynch, Castagna.
MATT TURNER’S BEST
Cats: Blicavs, Guthrie, Stewart, Parfitt, Dangerfield, O’Connor.
Tigers: Grimes, Riewoldt, Martin, Balta, Vlastuin, Bolton, Baker.
MATT TURNER’S VOTES
3 — Dylan Grimes (Richmond)
2 — Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)
1 — Mark Blicavs (Geelong)
INJURIES
Cats: Rohan (glute – replaced in selected side by Jarvis)
Tigers: Soldo (knee), Lynch (hamstring)
Originally published as AFL: Jack Riewoldt takes aim at Mick Malthouse after Richmond shrugs off controversies to dominate Geelong