AFL: Richmond have the edge, says GWS coach Leon Cameron
GWS coach Leon Cameron acknowledges the momentum Richmond bring to the back half of the 2020 season.
His side were beaten soundly by the Tigers in last year’s grand final and GWS coach Leon Cameron acknowledges the momentum Richmond bring to the back half of the 2020 season. But he questions if teams such as his and Brisbane carry scars from previous encounters.
Having warmed slowly to the season, Richmond’s demolition of the Lions on Tuesday was hauntingly familiar. Both sides had opportunities — again — but only one had the audacity, accuracy and confidence to make the most of them.
The Giants were dismembered by the Tigers in the 2019 grand ginal and while they accounted for them in Round 8 there is a conviction in football that the premiers have confidence they can win when it counts.
Like dominant sides of the past, they know how to time their run.
Cameron acknowledged that of the sides tracking best this year the Tigers have an edge.
“Richmond are still probably the yardstick, Port and Brisbane have had fantastic years as well, there’s some really exciting sides at the top of the ladder,” he said.
“When Richmond put the foot down (however) they can really hurt you.
“We were a little bit lucky last time we played them a couple of weeks ago when we saluted by a couple of goals.
“In the second quarter they had dominance and we were lucky they didn’t put us away earlier, but when we had our opportunities we took them.
“Is there rollover from year to year? I’m not a big believer in that. Clearly they knocked us around in the grand final but we happened to beat them in the home and away. I think every year is different. If you address the areas you might be getting beaten by a particular side year after year and you can hit them head-on with what you have improved on, I think the story can be different.
“It was good footy watching those two (Lions and Tigers) go toe to toe and clearly the scoreline could have been closer if Brisbane had kicked straight.”
Dustin Martin was back to his imperious best in the game, imposing himself with his strength around the ball and at times stunning with the creativity of his disposals.
Former coach Ross Lyon believes he is clearly the best player in the game.
“Dustin Martin just put it to bed,” he said on SEN. “Lachie Neale may have had a better year, but Dustin Martin is closing very, very quickly. He was sublime.”
The Giants take on the Bombers on the Gold Coast on Friday. The sides sit seventh and ninth on the ladder respectively with the same amount of wins, but Essendon have a game to make up.
The Sydney side suffered the double blow of losing Toby Greene and Matt de Boer in Sunday’s convincing win over the Suns. The loss of the star midfielder/forward and key tagger has again interrupted the momentum of the Giants, who have struggled with injuries, but they are expected to welcome back Callan Ward, who suggested his recovery with a good hitout in a practice game on the weekend.
Essendon are coming off a 10-goal loss to the Lions in Round 9.
“I know you always get judged on your last game and they would have been disappointed with their last game,” Cameron said. “It’s an interesting one, everyone knows that the season is so open and we know at their very best they can play some great footy.
“They beat us last year at Marvel and they beat us the year before. We are under no illusions that the game is (not) going to be red hot on Friday night. We need to back up our previous two performances for some consistency, which we have not had a lot of since we returned after the break. Clearly they want to bounce back as well.
“It’s a huge challenge for us, we look forward to it, it is going to be a physical game, it will be a quick game and there’s a forecast for a bit of rain so it might be a bit slippery, we need to put our best foot forward and have a strong four-quarter performance. I thought we played two and a half quarters last time we played them and they got us.
“If you drop your guard against them they can come from anywhere, they’ve got some really exciting midfielders they can rotate through there and their pressure is elite. It will be one hell of a game on Friday night. “
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