Buoyant Blues Spoil Tigers' Celebrations
Sun Herald
Sunday June 29, 2008
BLUES 17.16 118
TIGERS 12.16 88CARLTON ruined Richmond's centenary celebrations, overpowering them with a withering final term for a 30-point win yesterday.The Blues wrested control of a game which had hung in the balance for three quarters, unleashing seven goals to two in the final term. Carlton full-forward Brendan Fevola kicked four goals - two at important stages in the final term as the Blues won the battle of the rebuilding clubs. No team had managed a lead of more than three goals at any point until Fevola kicked his fourth at the 18th-minute mark of the term. The key was Carlton lifting when they needed to as Richmond wilted in the heat of battle, with Nick Stevens dominating in the midfield for the Blues with 26 touches. Richmond had started well enough in the match, which marked their 100th year of league football, with midfielders Brett Deledio and Trent Cotchin excellent. Forward Cleve Hughes kicked three goals in the second quarter as the Tigers pushed out to a 12-point half-time lead. But Carlton rolled back the deficit in a see-sawing third quarter, though a Nathan Brown behind on the siren gave the Tigers a one-point lead at the final change. Then Fevola - who had been well held by Tigers defender Kelvin Moore until that point - became a factor as Stevens, Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy overpowered Richmond in the midfield. Gibbs, who finished with three goals for the match, kicked two in the term as the Blues moved to a 7-7 win-loss record and firmed as a hope of making the finals. Richmond's disappointing day is likely to have a dark postscript, with star forward Matthew Richardson leaving the field early in the fourth term with what looked to be a hamstring injury. Richmond celebrated some of the golden moments of their centenary in the VFL/AFL at a gala dinner in Melbourne on Friday night. More than 1000 people attended, as the club announced their best moments and achievements of the century, as voted by fans and members. The best individual performance of the century was awarded to club games record-holder and former Tigers coach Kevin Bartlett. Bartlett won for booting 21 goals in three games of the 1980 finals series, including seven in the grand final thrashing of Collingwood. Mark of the century was awarded to Michael Roach for his huge hanger against Hawthorn at the MCG in 1979. Indigenous player Michael Mitchell won goal of the century for his seven-bounce run against Sydney at the SCG in 1990. The 1967 flag was nominated as the best of the club's 10 premierships, coming at the end of their first finals series in 20 years. Meanwhile, the proposed Gold Coast AFL club gained their first batch of draft concessions yesterday, with priority access to 20 Queensland teenagers over the next three years. They will opt out of the draft between 2009 and 2011, in return for two- or three-year contracts with the expansion club worth up to $75,000 per year. "In the initial development of this club we thought it was vital they had access to homegrown Queensland talent and the potential to build that talent into a playing list via an extended playing and development program," AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said. The new club will play in the TAC Cup under-18 competition next year, then the VFL in 2010 before entering the AFL in 2011.
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