1. Big games bring high intensity and the quality players relish the rise in stakes and pressure. Captain Luke Shuey and fellow midfielder Tim Kelly are elite and they were big in this clash. Their statistics were similar – Shuey collecting 27 possessions, 14 of them contested, six clearances, five inside 50 metre entries and gained 446 metres with ball in hand. Kelly had 26 possessions, nine contested, six clearances, six inside 50 entries and the team gained 436 metres from his possessions.
2. While the experienced campaigners in the midfield excelled in the heat of battle – throw in Andrew Gaff and Dom Sheed alongside Shuey and Kelly, second gamer Xavier O’Neill will benefit greatly from the experience. Games don’t come much more intense than this one and O’Neill didn’t look out of place. There was a missed kick or two, but that’s to be expected with his first exposure to this elevated level and he got better as the game grew. He had 16 possession, four marks and four inside 50 metre entries in a promising display.
3. The loss of Josh Kennedy was a bitter blow to the Eagles chances, the star forward leaving the game just halfway through the first quarter. It needed someone to step up and that someone was Liam Ryan. Thrown deep, playing out of the goal square as he had done in his career at Subiaco, Ryan looked capable of propelling his team to victory. He had 12 possessions and four marks – all of them inside the forward arc – and the Tigers defence looked nervous when the ball went in his vicinity. He finished his game off with three goals, with powerhouse Jack Darling also kicking three, all of them in the third term, to keep the Eagles within reach at the last change.
4. This was an epic battle, one of the most exhilarating games of the season with little separating the two teams on balance of play. In the end it was probably the Richmond accuracy that proved the difference. All the numbers indicated it was tight, the Eagles were plus-20 for possessions, led the tackle count 55-51 and efficiency in that area 76-59 per cent, trailed time in possession 40-42 percent and lost the inside 50 count 45-52. But the major factor was Richmond’s accuracy, kicking 14.4 to 9.7.
5. It seems a little incongruous to label Liam Duggan an emerging defender as a 23-year-old with 97 games and a premiership under his belt, but he is evolving into a top end talent. He has had an outstanding season and continued that with another quality performance against the Tigers. Duggan had 23 possessions, nine of them contested, took five marks and sent the ball inside 50 metres on four occasions. He gained 407 metres for his team and has elevated his football to the next level. So has cohort Tom Cole, who also had 21 touches and attacked the ball fiercely in another important contribution.
