Tigers off the bottom, for now anyway, as Lalor delivers knockout blow

Tiger in the gun for behind-the-play blow

Marc McGowan

Richmond took a major step towards dodging a second wooden spoon in three years with a second win this season over a wayward West Coast as Tigers defender Luke Trainor faces match review scrutiny for a gut punch.

Adem Yze’s men had lost eight matches in a row by an average of almost 50 points, and were on the bottom, behind Essendon on percentage, with a miserable 2-17 win-loss record before Sunday’s 11-point victory.

Richmond took advantage of the Eagles’ yips in front of goal at the MCG to climb above the Bombers and within one win of 16th-placed West Coast, who had kicked 3.17 at one stage before losing 12.12 (84) to 9.19 (73).

The result eases pressure on coach Yze, who has presided over only 10 victories in 66 matches in what is a full-blown rebuild at Tigerland.

“We’re rebuilding, so when you rebuild, you need games into younger players,” Yze said.

“We get a win today, but we still need Jonty Faull, Harry Armstrong and Tom Sims [to get back from injury] … we’ve still got guys we need to gel together. But at the same time, if we can scratch out some wins while we’re going through what we’re going through with unavailability – it’s terrific.

“We know what we’ve got within our four walls … we’ve dealt with more than what other teams have dealt with.

“But when you see Sammy [Lalor] do what he does today; he’s [only] scratching the surface. When those lads start to grow together; it’ll be really exciting.”

Yze re-signed until the end of 2028 in November last year, and chief executive Shane Dunne said last month he had the club’s backing.

There were only 12 points between the sides at three-quarter-time, but goals to Richmond premiership veterans Tom Lynch (20 disposals, 2.4) and Toby Nankervis blew the margin out before they withstood a late fightback.

The Eagles, who have been competitive most weeks despite their lack of success, have plenty to rue, with Jake Waterman’s 2.6 day – on top of putting another kick out on the full – headlining their woeful goalkicking.

Elliot Yeo had a chance to slice the difference to six points with a set shot inside the last two minutes, but sprayed it to the left, only for No.1 draft pick Lalor to seal the contest with his third major after winning a test of strength.

West Coast were trying to beat Richmond at the MCG for the first time since 2015, but the 33,737 crowd instead were able to celebrate a rare Tigers triumph this season.

Tim Taranto led Richmond’s charge with 32 disposals and a game-high 11 clearances, while Harley Reid was outstanding in a losing cause with 34 touches, 20 contested possessions and nine clearances. Mid-season draftee Marcus Herbert (34 disposals) was also prolific for the Eagles.

Yze said he had not seen Trainor’s behind-the-play gut punch to West Coast’s Jack Williams in the second quarter. They were engaged in a standing wrestle before Trainor struck the Eagle with a clenched left fist.

The second-year Tiger, playing his 30th career game, instantly jogged away while Williams went to ground in obvious pain and went to the bench soon after.

“I’m not too sure how hard the impact was, but if he’s gone and done something wrong, we’ll look at it,” Yze said.

“I think there have been a few fines over the last few occasions when things like this have happened, so hopefully, we can get that type of result.

“We don’t want to be losing players through stupidity [when we have so many injuries], so hopefully, it wasn’t too bad. We’ve educated our players, and they understand what’s right and wrong.”

It is the type of incident the AFL aimed to stamp out when it announced tribunal changes in February, revealing that incidents where a player strikes another in the chest or stomach were more likely to be graded medium impact and result in suspension.

Match review officer Michael Christian has typically graded these incidents as low impact, which led to fines rather than bans.

Richmond’s lengthy injury list includes key defensive options Noah Balta, Josh Gibcus and Campbell Gray, while prized draftee Sam Cumming (ankle) was the latest addition on Sunday.

Surgery for ‘devastated’ Swan after leg injury

Peter Ryan

Sydney Swans defender Will Edwards had surgery on Sunday after suffering a sickening lower leg injury against the Saints on Saturday.

Edwards appeared to dislocate his ankle and was carted from the field having received pain medication during the Swans’ 19-point win at Marvel Stadium.

Coach Dean Cox described the injury as “devastating” for the 23-year-old, who made his debut this season following a series of leg fractures and infections.

The club is expected to provide more information about the injury and his prognosis after the operation. Midfielder James Rowbottom will also have surgery to repair a broken hand sustained during the match against St Kilda.

For the Saints, Jack Silvagni (dislocated shoulder) and Tom De Koning (hip pointer) are in doubt for next Sunday night’s match against their former team, Carlton.