AFL round 9 Richmond v West Coast: All the news, fallout and analysis from the Tigers’ two-point win

Tom Brown’s game-saving tackle will be on repeat in the Tigers’ match review this week, but he tells Ed Bourke why - if he hadn’t stuck it - he would have been in the gun from the coach.

The stirring run-down tackle that etched Tom Brown into Richmond folklore was a desperate attempt to make up for a self-described “mare” moments earlier.

The modest Tigers defender said he felt “lucky” to get to West Coast youngster Tom Gross in time as he sped towards goal with 30 seconds left for what could have been the match-winning goal for the Eagles.

Brown, 21, was thrilled with the roar of the MCG crowd as he helped clinch a memorable two-point victory, but reluctant to dwell on his own role in the dying moments.

“I looked up in the corridor and (the Eagles) had about three (players out) ... so I tried to come forward,” Brown told the Herald Sun after the game.

“Ben Rutten (Richmond’s senior assistant coach) talks about body spoils – that’s one of his irks ... I absolutely stuffed up a body spoil. So in my head, I thought I’d lost the game for the boys.

“I had to get back and get him (Gross), and luckily I got him.

“We had to kick 81 points in the end to get there, so it’s not all my work, but it’s a good moment – I’ll enjoy it.”

"THAT'S THE TACKLE OF THE YEAR... I've got goosebumps!"

Tom Brown has just won the match for Richmond 🤯👏

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Brown said he and fellow 2021 draftee Sam Banks, who racked up a career-high 28 disposals, had resolved to fill a significant void at halfback after Jayden Short was withdrawn just minutes before the clash with a knee complaint.

“We had to step up a bit with the ball movement and stuff like that, and I was a bit lucky because I got the chance to play both a bit deeper and a bit higher,” he said.

“But yeah, that (missed spoil) – if I didn’t chase him down, I was getting smoked in the review.”

A grinning Richmond coach Adem Yze said he agreed with Brown’s assessment of the final seconds.

“The young kid (Gross) marked in the middle of the ground, and then (Brown) has obviously fallen over,” Yze said.

Tom Brown, Sam Banks and Hugo Ralphsmith celebrate Sunday’s win. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

“They get a handball receive, and for a split second he might have felt like he cost us the game.

“So for him to dig in, and then chase and obviously get that reward for effort, is exactly what these boys are going through … right now, he’s at a point where he understands the game and he’s belonging on an AFL field.

“If he didn’t chase him down, I reckon he would have been thinking he was going to be on our trademark edits (video review) for the wrong reason. So now he might be on it for both.”

West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said the Eagles would “wrap our arms around” the 18-year-old Gross after he was on the wrong end of the moment appearing as the sub in just his fourth game.

“Grossy came into a tough situation, and got involved in the game and gave us a chance to win it … it’s learning for him,” he said.

TIGER CUB’S BRAVE HEROICS HELP TIGERS STAVE OFF EAGLES

— Ronny Lerner

A match-saving tackle from Richmond youngster Tom Brown has helped the Tigers win an absolute thriller against fellow cellar dweller West Coast by two points at the MCG on Sunday.

With 30 seconds left in the game, the Eagles had one last chance to pinch victory when Tom Gross sprinted inside 50, however, Brown was having none of it, running down Gross from behind to catch him cold, earn a holding-the-ball free kick and ensure Richmond a memorable 11.15 (81) to 11.13 (79) victory.

It might’ve been a clash between two bottom-three teams, but it was an enthralling affair that produced no fewer than 15 lead changes, eight of which coming in a frenetic second quarter.

After Richmond extended their lead to eight points early in the third period, West Coast regained the ascendancy, But with seven of the next eight scoring shots, they could only manage two goals.

Tom Brown of the Tigers is congratulated by teammates after the final siren. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Missed set shots from Jake Waterman (two), Tim Kelly and Matt Flynn prevented their advantage from growing larger than eight points.

The Tigers made the visitors pay for their wastefulness with the last two goals of the term to wrest back the lead, but West Coast started the final quarter stronger and found themselves back in front by a point at the 15-minute mark.

Three minutes later, Brown’s set shot from 50m out went off line and tied things up. With 4:38 to go, Tom Lynch took a huge pack mark and had the chance to give his side a six-point lead, but from 25m out, he sprayed it shockingly.

After a tense six minutes, Kane McAuliffe’s wayward snap from 45m out gave Richmond a two-point lead with 1:39 to go. It would prove to be the last score as the Eagles weren’t good enough to get the go-ahead goal.

The Eagles dominated centre clearances (16-9) and their pressure was great too, as they finished with more tackles (71-57), but Richmond’s sizeable contested ball buffer (142-130) was a pivotal factor.

Tim Taranto had a big day. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

TARANTO STARS

Tim Taranto was a standout for the Tigers with 27 disposals (16 contested), seven clearances and a goal, Sam Banks played the best game of his career with 28 possessions and Toby Nankervis had a big influence with 18 touches, 38 hitouts and a goal.

Jamie Cripps was dangerous for the Eagles with three goals from his 15 disposals and four marks and Jack Graham had a good game against his old team, racking up 20 touches (11 contested) and 13 tackles.

REID UNDOES GREAT WORK

The crowd was treated to the best and worst of Harley Reid in the space of a few minutes early in the final quarter. Firstly, the former No.1 pick sprinted to 52m out and went bang from a 45-degree angle to kick a magnificent goal. But shortly after, he knocked the ball out of Hugo Ralphsmith’s hands after the Tiger took a mark on the wing and gave away a 50-metre penalty which brought Ralphsmith to within 45m of goal. The Richmond wingman split the big sticks to give back the hosts lead. And late in the game, Reid took exception to the treatment he copped from a Richmond fan in the front row and tried to bring the umpire’s attention to it.

Harley Reid almost got the Eagles over the line. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

TIGERS PROVE DOUBTERS WRONG

Richmond continue to make their pre-season detractors look foolish. In the lead-up to the 2025 campaign, the Tigers were widely tipped go through the year without a victory, but they already have three in their first nine games, ensuring a considerable amount of humble pie is beating eaten by the doomsayers.

Meanwhile, the last-placed Eagles’ club-record worst start to a season now reads 0-9 and their overall active losing streak is 11 matches - their second-worst in their history behind only their 16-game run of outs in 2023. West Coast has now won just 10 of their last 81 games.

SCOREBOARD

RICHMOND 3.4, 7.7, 10.9, 11.15 (81)

WEST COAST 2.3, 7.6, 9.11, 11.13 (79)

RONNY LERNER’S BEST

Tigers: Taranto, Banks, Nankervis, Lynch, Hopper, Broad, Miller.

Eagles: Cripps, Graham, Baker, B.Williams, H.Reid, Brockman, Maric.

GOALS

Tigers: Lynch 2, Campbell 2, Mansell 2, Taranto, Sims, Brown, Nankervis, Ralphsmith.

Eagles: Cripps 3, Owies 2, B.Williams 2, Hunt, Waterman, Brockman, H.Reid.

LATE CHANGES Oscar Allen (knee) replaced in West Coast’s selected side by Harry Edwards, Jayden Short (knee) replaced in Richmond’s selected side by James Trezise.

UMPIRES Rebeschini, Wallace, Young, Jones

29,539 at the MCG

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

RONNY LERNER’S VOTES

3 Tim Taranto (RICH)

2 Jamie Cripps (WC)

1 Sam Banks (RICH)

Originally published as AFL round 9 Richmond v West Coast: All the news, fallout and analysis from the Tigers’ two-point win