Richardson's Antics Cap Off Bad Week For Richmond

by Des Lind

June 2, 2004

IT WAS a dark day for Richmond, as they struggled on their third road trip in a month, when enigmatic forward Matthew Richardson booked time at the tribunal for wrestling Darren Glass, in the first quarter at Subiaco Oval on Saturday.

This capped off an unsettling week for Richmond as the club's chief executive officer resigned and was fined $5000 for a runner verbally abusing a player while on the field.

Another incident could further antagonise the football hierarchy, with Richardson using an obscene gesture to salute the crowd as he left the field.

It has been shown on broadcasts that "Richo" kissed the middle finger of his right hand and blew it onto the volatile Subiaco crowd as he walked off the field. This followed what can only be described as a disappointing performance from a team that some experts thought could have been a serious contender for a berth in the finals later this year.

Even before the start of the game, Richardson came under rough treatment by Glass, with overtly physical play, as they each tried to out position the other, sometimes with the occasional bump and shove.

When the game eventually started, West Coast strode clear of Richmond by 5 points, as Philip Matera scored 3 goals and Chris Judd took control of the centreline, while Richardson could only contribute with one kick and resulting goal.

After quarter time the Tigers rallied and managed to claw their way back into contention as they evened the score against the Eagles as they went into the change rooms at half time.

In front of a 38,500 crowd, Richmond's bid for a final eight berth stalled as the Eagles blew them away by kicking 7 goals to 2 in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 34 points, of what was anything but a spectacle of AFL football.

The physicality of the game took its toll early with many players from both sides having to return to the bench to have minor scratches dealt with by the trainer. Most players sported bandages to stem the flow of blood which made the teams look like the "walking wounded".

Despite this, only the Tiger's Andrew Kellaway left the ground with a serious shoulder injury in the first minute of the second term after a sickening collision with the Eagles' Andrew McDougall.

Although many players were slow to get up after knocks to their bodies, including Bret Staker and Dean Cox, both having time on the bench to recover, the game was fast-paced and scrappy with the umpire having to bounce the ball more times than there was centre breaks.

The only highlight was the Eagles' Chris Judd who should now stand as a significant contender for this years' Brownlow Medal, putting in a dazzling performance as he thrust and parried through Richmond's defence, racking up an impressive 29 possessions.

Coach John Worsfold must be frustrated seeing his players run hot one week and cold the next. The win against Richmond came after last week's 101 point loss to St Kilda.

Richmond coach Danny Frawley must be thinking of what he has to do to get consistent performance from his side, which could be going into next week's game against the Kangaroos without his trump card, Richardson.

Score:

Goals:

West Coast:
Matera 6, Chambers 3, Nicoski, Butler, Cox, Seaby, Judd 1

Richmond:
Richardson, Ottens 2, Brown, Krakouer, Stafford, Pettifer, Fleming 1

Best:

West Coast:
Judd, Matera, Cousins

Richmond:
Johnson, Ottens, Brown

Injuries:

West Coast:
Nil

Richmond:
Kellaway (left shoulder)

Changes:

West Coast:
Nil

Richmond:
Fiora replaced in the selected side by Marsh

Reports:

West Coast:
Glass (wrestling with Richardson)

Richmond:
Richardson (wrestling with Glass)

Umpires:

Hendrie, McInerney, Margetts

Crowd:

38,517 at Subiaco Oval