The Tackle: Port Adelaide’s demolition of Richmond was as brutal as it was stunning
MARK Robinson had a close-up view of the Tigers’ car crash yesterday. He rates Richmond’s year, defends Adam Goodes and says Rioli must play. REPLAY LIVE CHAT
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BY HALFWAY through the first quarter it was nothing short of a one-sided street fight.
It was brutal as it was stunning, a helplessness versus systematic savagery.
Sitting at ground level between the two interchange benches, the differences in the camps reflected the atrocity that closed out the first week of the AFL finals.
SCROLL DOWN TO REPLAY ROBBO’S LIVE CHAT TO GET HIS TAKE ON THE TIGERS, CYRIL RIOLI AND ADAM GOODES BASHERS
Port Adelaide was energetic and barking confidence. Richmond was urgent and trying to bark encouragement.
As Port Adelaide piled on eight goals in the first quarter and six in the second quarter to lead by 69 points at half-time, it was a calamitous Richmond bunker.
It’s too easy to say Richmond players looked shell-shocked when they were rotated through the interchange.
It was worse than that.
Because rotations are slick and compulsory, and as Port kicked goal after goal, and Port players ran in numbers and broke lines and spread the ball, and came off in twos and were replaced by two others, the Richmond players came off the ground dumbfounded.
They sucked air and bowed heads. Some spoke to the coach, all of them heard a bellowing Mark Williams. Absolutely all of them had their heads spinning. Nothing worked for them. They couldn’t get the ball and when they did, Port took off them or the Tigers gave it to them.
When Port had the ball, they broke tackles, found free teammates and kicked goals.
The first 60 minutes was as furious football played this season - by any club.
Of course, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
The Tigers had won nine in a row. They were calm and confident pre-match, but their fans were cock-a-hoop. Planes were packed, buses were rolling and Tiger Time was more than a fairytale.
But there’s few fairytales in sport.
On Sunday, Richmond choked on the biggest stage.
It’s the second time in two years under coach Damien Hardwick. Last year they coughed up a four-goal lead at half-time against Carlton and lost by four goals.
Sunday, the game was over inside 12 minutes.
The Richmond way, as told by Hardwick, was beaten up Port Adelaide’s way.
Tigers fans might satisfy themselves with the nine wins in a row to make the finals, but the 2014 season won’t be remembered for that.
It will be remembered for the total humiliation at Adelaide Oval.
It’s called finals football and for two straight seasons, the Tigers came up flaky.
And it’s too convenient to solely heap praise on Port Adelaide for their incredible performance. The Tigers crumbled. They panicked. They were overawed. Port helped inflict it, of course, but it was Richmond who decided to accept it.
Next year, or the year after that, we could perhaps then look back and discuss how yesterday’s loss set Richmond upon a path of a success. But that’s two years away.
In the meantime, they return to Punt Rd knowing this finals caper is a tough gig.
Conca, Ellis, Vlastuin, Grimes, Griffiths, Martin, Cotchin, Gordon, Miles will be better for the experience. They have to be. We hope they will be.
Don’t mind the final quarter scores. One team was playing for respect. The other was playing for next week.
Port Adelaide heads back to Fremantle in better nick than what they were two weeks ago.
The Dockers are a seasoned team, unlike the Tigers. They use the ball better than Richmond under pressure. They pressure to cause turnovers and rarely turn it over when they’ve got the ball. Heck, the Dockers have played fishbowl pressure for three years.
It should be another beauty.
As for the Tigers, the season has to be a disappointment. They blundered the start, recovered to make the finals which was commendable and exciting and then were belted in their only final. On the ladder, they had fewer wins than last year.
Satisfaction cannot be to make the finals. Tiger Time can’t start until they actually win one.
Originally published as The Tackle: Port Adelaide’s demolition of Richmond was as brutal as it was stunning
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