Momentum is constructing at Richmond beneath caretaker coach Andrew McQualter, and Trent Cotchin’s impending milestone will add additional gas to the hearth as they try and snare an unlikely finals berth.
The Tigers (5 wins, seven losses, one draw) moved to inside six competitors factors of the highest eight with a hard-fought 15-point victory over Fremantle in Perth on Saturday evening.
It marked the second win in a row beneath McQualter, with Richmond’s solely loss since Damien Hardwick’s shock resignation being a decent 10-point defeat to flag fancies Port Adelaide three weeks in the past.
Richmond face St Kilda on the MCG subsequent Saturday, with the match marking Cotchin’s three hundredth AFL look.
Cotchin tallied 28 disposals and 7 clearances towards the Dockers to point out there’s nonetheless life in his ageing legs, and Richmond can be determined to style victory within the 33-year-old’s milestone match.
“It’s an amazing achievement by Trent to play 300 games. It hasn’t been done by many people,” McQualter stated of the three-time premiership skipper.
“He’s been an incredible player for our football club.
“We generally neglect how good a footballer Trent is, I believe.
“Just an incredible competitor, loves a challenge, and his last fortnight of footy has been really good.”
Veteran ahead Jack Riewoldt had further purpose to have a good time on Saturday evening after becoming a member of Kevin Bartlett in equal third for probably the most objectives kicked by a Richmond participant.
Jack Titus (970 objectives) and Matthew Richardson (800) fill the primary two slots, with Riewoldt booting two essential third-quarter objectives towards Fremantle to affix Bartlett on 778 profession majors.
“He had a pretty quiet first half Jack, and he’s just such a proud competitor,” McQualter stated.
“So to come out in that third quarter – he just keeps giving himself opportunity. He fights so hard in the contest.
“He was capable of have an enormous contribution to our win tonight.”
Richmond forward Rhyan Mansell could be suspended for his high bump on Fremantle winger James Aish, while Jack Graham will be sweating on his dump tackle on young Docker Matthew Johnson.
As for Fremantle, they now sit at 6-6 ahead of next week’s clash with GWS.
The Dockers trailed Richmond by 36 points in the third quarter before launching a frenetic comeback, but coach Justin Longmuir was left to bemoan his team’s poor first half.
“We did not play as good as we have been enjoying,” Longmuir stated.
“We did not work off one another. We allowed them purpose aspect from stoppage and from most contests, which was just about some of the essential issues we wished to disclaim from them.
“I thought we were able to control that a bit better in the second half, but we left ourselves way too much work to do.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
