Richmond-Geelong battle has some punch

The Richmond-Geelong match at the MCG next Sunday shapes as a critical juncture in the rivals premiership quests.

Richmond’s Dustin Martin will return for the crunch match against the Cats.

The Richmond-Geelong match at the MCG next Sunday shapes as a critical juncture in the rivals premiership quests.

The reigning premiers will slip to third tomorrow should Melbourne defeat Collingwood, while the Cats would draw level with Richmond on wins if they manage to defeat the Tigers next Sunday.

With the top-placed Eagles and Sydney in strong form and well-positioned, the Victorian-based contenders face a task to not only clinch a top-four spot but also the home advantage come September.

Both Power Adelaide, who have a game in hand, and Collingwood could add to the logjam of top four contenders should they claim their next matches.

This adds a premium to next weekend’s match for both Richmond and Geelong heading into their mid-year bye.

And Geelong coach Chris Scott said he could not wait to challenge the Tigers as they seek a 16th straight win at the MCG.

“I read that it is impossible to beat Richmond at the MCG, so we’re going to have our work cut out,” he said.

“I think we will be giving ourselves a chance. They have been formidable there and people aren’t just making that up, the numbers reflect that as well.

“It’s a great challenge and we are really looking forward to it.”

The Tigers clash with four sides currently in the top eight in the last ten weeks of the home-away season as they seek to shore up their premiership defence and also have fixtures against last year’s runners-up Adelaide and the resurgent Giants.

Geelong have four matches against top eight placed teams in the run to September, along with clashes against the Crows and Hawthorn.

The Tigers, who ended a 13-match losing streak against the Cats in last year’s qualifying final, are likely to be strengthened by the return of Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin for the critical clash.

The star Tiger missed Friday night’s loss against Port Adelaide with a minor calf problem, instead flying to New Zealand to visit family.

Richmond will monitor the fitness of defender David Astbury, who appeared to suffer a serious ankle injury but was able to return to finish the match against Port Adelaide.

The Tigers will also assess the fitness and form of premiership forward Daniel Rioli, who yesterday played his fourth game back from ankle surgery in the VFL against Williamstown.

Geelong, too, have injury concerns stemming from the weekend, though the casualties are to support players rather than key prospects.

Former Kangaroo Aaron Black suffered a knee injury when he landed awkwardly after a marking contest, while Stewart Crameri was taken to hospital after being poked in the eye in the VFL.

Geelong, who bounded away from the Kangaroos in the latter stages on Saturday, also had a significant win in a VFL match that saw some key players gain match fitness.

Defensive midfielder Scott Selwood played his first match in five weeks after recovering from a back injury and is the selection mix against the Tigers.

Cam Guthrie returned from an ankle injury but is targeting a senior return after the bye, saying he needs to build further match fitness.

Key defender Lachie Henderson has not played since the Cats preliminary final loss last year due to an ankle problem and will also be given time to build match fitness.

While his presence is likely to boost the Cats, Geelong’s defence is the most miserly in the competition this year and has been faring well given the absence of Henderson and Harry Taylor.

With Gary Ablett finding his best form over the past fortnight, the Cats have enjoyed the luxury of playing Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield in the forward line.

But Scott said where Dangerfield played in coming weeks would depend on various factors including their opponents and the state of matches.

“We think he is a really difficult match-up _ I think that is obvious when he is deep forward — but there is no point having him standing in the goal square if the ball is at the other end,” Scott told Seven’s AFL Game Day.

“It is a bit of a assessment on how the game is going. Again, we do leave the ball in his court a little bit and if we really don’t like something, we intervene, but that rarely happens with those guys.”