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Tigers match clipped Crows in winless season

By Mr Dandalooa

Richmond and Adelaide are the only teams this season yet to get any points on the board after both losing this weekend.

Predictably, Richmond were flogged by Geelong, losing embarrassingly by 108 points at Kardinia Park, even without Gary Ablett, Joel Corey, Matthew Scarlett and Max Rooke.

The Cats tormented the winless Tigers with a 28.17 (161) to 7.11 (53) stomping, their 25th straight at home.

Geelong on-baller Paul Chapman said while the Tigers were “sort of struggling a little bit” they were having a crack and came out and had a “fair-dinkum crack at the start of the game and even towards the end”.

Geelong forward James Podsiadly kicked 5 goals for the match, while also crunching Luke McGuane in an awesome tackle to start the second half.

Fellow forwards Cam Mooney and Steve Johnson also kicked 5 goals each, while Shannon Byrnes booted 3.

Travis Varcoe amassed 24 touches and kicked a goal in his first game for season 2010 after overcoming a thumb injury.

Chapman, who up 16 disposals by the long break in a dominant performance, said there were many contributors for the Cats.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said it will take a number of years before the Tigers can reach the Cats’ level.

Speaking after Sunday’s grubbing, Hardwick said he was frustrated by his side’s efforts and said his team has still got a long way to go.
“I’m disappointed to lose every week - make no qualms about that,” he said.

“It’s probably the first time I’m disappointed in all four quarters, from our point of view.

“I didn’t think we offered a fight to Geelong at any stage. In saying that, they are a bloody good side - they’re a side that’s going to challenge again and quite possibly run away with it again.

“So we’ve still got a fair way to go, but the thing we probably can take out of it is that’s the level we’ve got to get to and it’s going to take a number of years. But it’s just a step forward for us every time we take that field against a quality side.”

Hardwick acknowledged Geelong was far superior in development and noted the skills of the Cats midfield.

Next round, the Tigers travel to AAMI Stadium to play winless Adelaide and Hardwick remains optimistic about his team’s chances.

But Crows midfielder Scott Thompson too remains confident but concedes the season was slipping away with the Crows slumping to a sixth-straight defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Adelaide matched Port Adelaide’s intensity and revered defensive pressure and Thompson said it was devastating for the team to have slipped away in the final quarter.

The Crows appeared on the verge of breaking through for their first win of the season, holding a 7-point lead at three-quarter time.

But they were consigned to their worst start to an AFL season (0-6) when the Power kicked 5 goals in the first 10 minutes of the last quarter.

Thompson said after the game the season was slipping away.

“You’re never going to write the year off yet, but it’s definitely sliding away,” he said.

The Crows finished the game with 62 more handballs than kicks last weekend, but corrected their handball-to-kick ratio recording 191 kicks and 146 handballs.

Adelaide is expected to record its first win of the season when it hosts the bottom-placed Richmond next weekend.