Lance Franklin was meant to be Sydney’s match-winner, instead he psyched out by Alex Rance
LANCE Franklin v Alex Rance. The much-hyped contest between the game’s best defender and the game’s best forward was at times dramatic, but a bit of a fizzer, writes MARK ROBINSON.
Mark Robinson
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LANCE Franklin shirked his responsibilities on Thursday night.
As the potential match-winner in the top-of-the-table showdown, Franklin was supposed to take his game to Richmond but instead Richmond — and Alex Rance especially — took the game to Franklin.
Rance revealed all of Buddy’s occasional bad habits: competing one-handed in marking contests, playing for free kicks and engaging in unnecessary niggle.
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Franklin struck Rance with an open hand to Rance’s neck right in front of an umpire in the third quarter. The reversal took the ball from Callum Sinclair 30m from goal and was handed to the All-Australian Tiger.
Rance had dropped his forearm into Franklin’s throat moments earlier, which wasn’t real sociable, but the retaliation was dumb.
Franklin allowed his emotions to be more important than the team’s. The score was 50-37, the game was feisty and alive, and the ball was transferred to the other end where Kane Lambert kicked a goal. The margin should’ve been seven points, it became 19 points.
The much-hyped contest between the game’s best defender and the game’s best forward was at times dramatic, but a bit of a fizzer.
Franklin kicked four goals, two monsters from near 50m and two others from free kicks, one of them coming after a 50m penalty was awarded to Franklin because Razor Ray said Rance jumped over the mark.
Little wonder Tigers coach Damien Hardwick wasn’t happy at three-quarter-time. Both teams were playing for keeps and the game was undermined by soft free kicks.
The Tigers won because of their pressure, their togetherness and an extraordinary game from Jack Riewoldt.
Let’s compare the pair.
Up one end, Franklin was preoccupied by the bogeyman which is Rance. In the sense that when Franklin was approaching the contest, be it ground ball or in the air, he knew Rance would be jumping out of shadows to nail him.
From afar it looked like Rance got in his head.
Because the Swans champ expected contact and pressure, he was zapped of his usual freewheeling and confident approach. No spinning, or galloping or selling candy from Buddy on Thursday night.
The numbers show Franklin had nine disposals and four goals and Rance 13 disposals and five marks. They had only four one-on-one contests, with Franklin winning one, Rance winning zero, while three were squared.
There were several other pack contests which included multiple players where Buddy was again neutralised.
That his teammates became way too much Franklin-focused didn’t help, either. The Swans were predictable and the Tigers had numbers at the Rance-Franklin contests. In fact, the Tigers had numbers at the majority of contests — or just off the contest.
Of all the magnificent team traits the Tigers possess, it’s pressure on the first receiver which stands out. The Tigers don’t always zero in on the ball, but they always zero in on the space and it’s why there’s layer upon layer of pressure on opposition teams.
While Franklin was battling the bogeyman, there were no demons for Riewoldt, who battled and beat the best of Sydney’s defenders.
Riewoldt, too, got caught up in the free kick pantomime, one time arguing why he didn’t get a free kick when the ball was in play five metres away, and another time “accentuating” a push in the back. Outside of that, Riewoldt was utterly commanding.
He had 23 disposals (second highest of his career), took 16 marks (career high), took seven contested marks (career high) and eight marks inside 50m (fifth highest of his career).
The numbers point to his dominance, but not his mindset. While Franklin was timid in the air, Riewoldt was like a tiger leaping for its prey. Last night at least, the debate about who was the best key forward in the game was turned on its head.
Riewoldt said post-match he had kicked 11 goals in a game - that was against GWS in 2014 and there was a 10 against West Coast in 2010 - but this was different. This was big boys football, one versus two on a Friday night against the best defence for the past decade.
Roaming high and wide, he took 13 marks in the forward half and three in the defensive half, all the while in combat against Heath Grundy and Dane Rampe.
Unquestionably, Riewoldt is enjoying his football and is on track to win his third All-Australian selection.
Enjoyment and camaraderie are key pillars at Tigerland.
There was no greater example of this than when Reece Conca was on the stretcher sucking the green stick, and all his teammates swarmed him and Dan Rioli even kissed his cheek. Conca had to feel the love. If not then, maybe when the crowd stood to cheer him from the field. With his foot bent sideways, Conca punched the air with his fist, Ted Whitten-style.
Either the morphine had kicked in quick, or Conca fully appreciated the Tiger Army as he confronted the fear his 2018 season was over.
Less important, but curiously entertaining is the role the irrepressible Jack Higgins at the group meeting on the field ahead of the start of third quarters.
Skipper Trent Cotchin invited the resident court jester to speak ahead of the third quarter in the Dreamtime match against Essendon. He also did it against Geelong last weekend, and again on Thursday night.
His messages, which prompt his teammates to burst into laughter, are based around sending the opposition back to where they come from.
So, Essendon back to Tullamarine, the Cats back down the highway and Sydney back to the Harbour City. Word is the speeches are colourful, a little stammering and now part of the Tigers’ ritual.
It gives a whole new ingredient to the saying winners are grinners.
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