Richmond thrashes GWS to seal second AFL premiership in three seasons
Big big sound? More like a popgun. The Giants rolled into the decider fuelled by a reputation as September’s toughest side. They were instead sat on their backside by a tenacious Tigers unit that marches to its second flag in three years.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The big big sound? More like a popgun.
Richmond is tonight cradling its 12th premiership cup after its 12th consecutive win — silencing the GWS hype with a ruthless 89-point smackdown on the game’s biggest day.
Get your Sunday Herald Sun Grand Final souvenir edition and a 32-page liftout featuring: Mick Malthouse, Mark Robinson, David King, player ratings, the key moments and the Tigers’ premiership poster
The Giants rolled into the decider fuelled by a reputation as September’s toughest side.
They were instead sat on their backside by a tenacious Tigers unit that stalked its prey to all corners of the MCG.
Replay the 2019 Toyota AFL Finals Series and Grand Final on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
Jeremy Cameron’s 55m set shot after a 20-minute tug of war was the game’s first goal.
Richmond then kicked the next 11 goals unanswered and Leon Cameron’s boys were officially spooked.
They missed targets, they missed shots and they lost the plot. It was stage fright stuff.
The Giants went an hour between their first and second goals and their final score of 3.7 (25) was the lowest since 1960.
Richmond’s second flag in three years makes amends for last year’s preliminary final horror show.
The Tigers did it the hard way, too. They were 7-6 after Round 13 and hit by injury in a campaign in which they had four different captains.
Richmond dropped as low as ninth in the second half of the season before mounting an irresistible charge to the last day of the season.
Every Tigers player on the list ran onto the ground at the final siren wearing their jumpers.
Dustin Martin had Matt De Boer for company, but moved forward to wreak havoc and become only the fourth dual Norm Smith Medallist in history.
“I’m a bit speechless to be honest. I just love everyone at the club. It’s so good,” Martin said.
THE SCENE SETTER
It was the tackle only five minutes into the game that offered a sign of what was to come.
GWS might have bullied their way into a Grand Final, but they weren’t going to be flexing any muscles here.
Ruck enforcer Shane Mumford tried to force a passage on the Southern Stand wing, but Trent Cotchin stopped him, turned him and smashed him into the turf with a statement tackle.
NOT-SO FABULOUS PHIL
Maybe Stephen Coniglio made the call Phil Davis didn’t.
Davis didn’t look likely during the week, didn’t look likely during the last-minute fitness test on the MCG and simply shouldn’t have played.
The Giants co-captain made Jack Riewoldt look like Usain Bolt on the lead and made for a sad sight limping around on one leg with a sore calf.
Riewoldt kicked five. Scary thing is it could have been far worse.
How the omitted Lachie Keeffe must have felt looking on.
TOTALLY ADDICTED TO FACE
Incredibly, Toby Greene has done it again.
Greene appeared to again go at the face of a rival player for the third game in a row after cameras in the first quarter caught him indulging in his nasty habit.
This time Liam Baker was the victim, with Marcus Bontempelli and Lachie Neale forming the Greene facial trifecta.
You couldn’t make it up. Actually you probably could.
THE TURN
From jail to holy grail — Merlion Pickett’s Grand Final debut had the sprinkling of stardust the Tigers thought it would.
None more so than in the second quarter when he emerged with a centre clearance.
Just when it appeared Lachie Whitfield was about to close him down, Pickett unleashed a 360-degree spin to surge clear.
His set shot goal in the third term, after he’d set up Dustin Martin and then got it back, was the definition of dreams coming true.
RICHMOND 2.3 7.5 12.9 17.12 (114) def GWS 1.2 1.6 2.7 3.7 (25)
Goals: Richmond: J Riewoldt 5 D Martin 4 T Lynch 2 D Rioli I Soldo K Lambert M Pickett S Bolton T Cotchin
GWS: H Himmelberg J Cameron J Hopper
Sam Edmund’s Best: Richmond: Martin, Pickett, Prestia, Houli, Vlastuin, Riewoldt, Nankervis, Castagna
GWS: Taranto, Haynes, Shaw, Williams, Hopper
Umpires: Shaun Ryan, Matt Stevic, Ray Chamberlain.
Official Crowd: 100,014 at MCG.
VOTES
3 Dustin Martin (Rich) — He produces again on the biggest stage with another game-busting performance. Twenty-two touches and four goals. Irrepressible.
2 Marlion Pickett (Rich) — How darn good was this fella? The 360-spin, the set shot, the poise. In his first game if you don’t mind.
1 Dion Prestia (Rich) — Copped the De Boer tag when Martin went forward, but was big, particularly in the first half when it there to be won.
‘Cue outrage’: Danger calls for drastic AFL change
The AFL is about to start the first year of its most lucrative broadcasting deal ever, and one of the game’s superstar players has demanded a change.
Neal-Bullen firming for leadership role at Crows
Adelaide’s oldest recruit in seven years has already become a mentor at West Lakes. Here’s why the man known as Nibbler is likely to sink his teeth into an official leadership role.