Match

Richmond vs Sydney Swans

Commentary / 03 Apr 2021

Pre Game

00:00
Today's match pits the two best teams at scoring from forward half Intercept Possessions in the AFL in 2021 against each other, with both Richmond and Sydney the only teams to outscore their opponents by an average of at least six goals per game from this source.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:46
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Tom J. Lynch)
02:03
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Toby Nankervis)
03:13
Both of Liam Baker's first two disposals in this match have ended up as score assists. Prior to today's match, he had recorded one score assist for the season.
03:37
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Tom Papley)
04:23
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
07:08
Richmond have controlled the ball movement in the early stages of this first quarter, winning the uncontested possession count 32-13 off the back of 18 handball receives to four for Sydney.
09:34
Tigers Interchange - Dion Prestia and is possibly out for the game.
09:56
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Logan McDonald)
11:08
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
11:34
Tom Papley gets the first goal of the game after recording the last four inside 50's in a row. Through the first two rounds in 2021, Sydney lead the league in converting inside 50's to goals, doing so at a rate of 32 per cent.
16:48
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
17:26
Jordan Dawson's 285 metres gained so far in the first term is already the best performance in this category by a Swans player since Round 21 in 2019, when Oliver Florent recorded 303 metres in the second term of their match against Port Adelaide.
20:25
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Sam Reid)
22:12
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Hickey)
22:23
Tom Hickey kicks the Swans second goal of the match, both of which have come from a set shot. Sydney have outscored their opponents through the first two rounds from set shots by an average of 32 points per game, the highest margin of any side in the AFL in 2021 in this metric.
24:35
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Shane Edwards)
26:34
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Shane Edwards)
26:39
Richmond get the last two scoring shots of the quarter through Shane Edwards after lifting their efficiency of disposal by foot to bring the margin under 10 points at the first break. In the first 20 minutes of the quarter, the Tigers kicked the ball at 50 per cent efficiency, however after the 20 minute mark they kicked at 83 per cent efficiency.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:59
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Sam Wicks)
02:04
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)
02:40
First goal of the term for the Swans through Chad Warner following sustained forward pressure after several kicking errors from the Tigers. Sydney have recorded seven tackles in their forward half compared to zero for Richmond.
03:37
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Kane Lambert)
05:44
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
06:40
Another goal to the Swans who are finding another gear in the second term. All four kicks that have entered forward 50 for the Swans this term have found their target. Both goals that the Swans have scored this term have been launched from contested possessions won inside 50.
08:19
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Josh Caddy)
09:30
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Nick Blakey)
10:38
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Logan McDonald)
10:58
Both teams are struggling in front of goal with their set shot kicking. Sydney are marginally better than their opponents with 3.4.22, whereas Richmond are yet to kick a goal from a set shot, recording 0.4.4 so far in today's match.
12:57
If not for their key defenders, Richmond could be in even more trouble. Five of Richmond's eight defensive one-on-one's have been won by Richmond defenders, compared to just one from three for Sydney in the first half.
13:39
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Jack Riewoldt)
14:58
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Jason Castagna)
16:02
Richmond kick back-to-back goals to get themselves right back in the match. Dustin Martin is starting to influence the match, leading the Tigers with five disposals, 149 metres gained and a score involvement in each of their goalscoring chains this term.
17:40
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Hayden McLean)
19:35
Jayden Short has the ninth-best retention rate for the top 50 players in the AFL in 2021 for total metres gained at 75 per cent. Today he is only finding his teammates from 21 per cent of his disposals while leading the Tigers with 330 metres gained.
20:02
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Rushed)
22:01
Richmond have improved their tackling efficiency from the first term to the second. They laid just six tackles from 16 attempts in the first quarter, but in the second term have laid 15 successful tackles from 19 attempts.
22:55
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Wicks)
24:50
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Errol Gulden)
26:46
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Jason Castagna)
27:45
Richmond have kicked 3.0.18 from clearances in the second term. They have kicked six goals from clearances in their two matches prior to today, the equal third-lowest total of any side in the AFL in 2021.
28:33
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
29:43
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Chad Warner)
31:28
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Jason Castagna)
32:49
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Logan McDonald)
35:51
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Wicks)
35:55
Sydney kick the last four goals in a row for the term, including one after the siren to Sam Wicks, to extend the margin to 40 points. Their total score of 8.5.53 for the quarter is their most in a single term since their 55-point first term against St Kilda in Round 12, 2018.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
01:00
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Luke Parker)
01:11
Josh Caddy costs the Tigers a 50 metre penalty and Luke Parker converts from directly in front to continue the Swans run to five straight goals either side of half time.
02:49
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Tom J. Lynch)
03:01
Tom Lynch finally gets on the scoreboard after a strong contested mark inside 50 to stop the run of Sydney goals. That was just the fourth mark the Tigers have taken inside 50 today, compared to nine for the Swans.
04:44
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Hickey)
06:44
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Tom J. Lynch)
08:07
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Sam Wicks)
08:47
Sam Wicks has taken four marks inside 50 in today's match. By comparison, Richmond as a team have taken five marks inside 50.
10:21
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Tom J. Lynch)
13:26
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Sam Wicks)
13:52
Despite Tom Lynch's best efforts to spark the Tigers back in to the game, the Swans get an answer through Sam Wicks following a controversial no-mark call to Toby Nankervis in defence. Richmond have improved their kicking efficiency to 72 per cent this term to give their attack some life.
16:11
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Shai Bolton)
19:52
Richmond have won 12 Intercept Possessions to nine this term, but have only converted those opportunities to the effect of 1.2.8 from this source in the third term, as a result of kicking at only 53 per cent efficiency in their forward half.
22:53
Led by Sam Wicks with 12 marks, Sydney have out-marked their opponents 90-51 so far in today's match to control the flow of possession. They out-marked Adelaide by 45 last round, and Geelong's record of 46 more marks than Brisbane in Round 2 is the highest-differential margin in this category in 2021.
24:45
Swans Interchange - Tom Hickey off due to the blood rule.
26:32
Oliver Florent has recaptured his 2019 form after a quiet year in 2020. He leads all players on the ground with 24 disposals, 21 uncontested possessions, and six inside 50's to go along with 449 metres gained, three clearances and two score assists.
26:34
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
28:27
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Jack Riewoldt)
28:39
A change in game style for the Tigers this term. After playing on immediately from just 34 per cent of their marks taken in the first half, Richmond have upped their aggressiveness off the mark by playing on immediately from 69 per cent of their marks in this term.
29:11
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Jake Aarts)
30:33
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Jordan Dawson)
31:50
Only seven of Sydney's kicks inside 50 in today's match have missed their target completely, where as Richmond have almost doubled that with their total of missed targets inside 50 (12).

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:18
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Tom Papley)
01:51
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Daniel Rioli)
06:10
Sam Wicks has just recorded his 13th mark of today's match. In nine prior appearances for the Swans dating back to 2020, he has taken 21 total marks for his career.
08:17
Tigers Interchange - Kamdyn McIntosh and is possibly out for the game.
09:04
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Luke Parker)
11:02
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Shai Bolton)
11:49
George Hewett's job on checking Dustin Martin can't go unnoticed from today's match, holding him to just four disposals in almost 37 minutes of game time matched up on Martin.
13:48
This is the match that Callum Mills has established himself as a bona fide midfielder with an outstanding performance for the Swans. A game-high 28 disposals, nine score involvements and eight clearances to go with 12 contested possessions and 10 handball receives to show his mettle as a true midfielder.
14:08
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Tom J. Lynch)
17:15
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Josh Caddy)
18:27
Richmond have lifted their pressure in their forward half recording six tackles to one in this zone in the final term, and recording a pressure factor of 1.86 to Sydney's 1.60, although it looks like this margin is beyond them and Sydney have let their foot a little off the pedal.
19:07
SCORE GOAL - Tigers (Daniel Rioli)
21:00
All three of Richmond's goals in the final term have been scored from clearances, while Sydney have failed to register a score from this source this quarter. Richmond have averaged one point less from this source than their opponents in the first two rounds, the eighth-lowest margin of any side in 2021.
22:54
SCORE BEHIND - Tigers (Tom J. Lynch)
23:48
Richmond has won the inside 50 count by 24 per game this season, ranked No.1. They have lost this count 46-57 with five minutes left in this match.
24:21
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Chad Warner)
25:44
Sydney has recorded a disposal per goal ratio of 20 this season, ranked No.1 in the AFL in this metric in 2021. They have got close to that mark today, averaging 23.6 disposals per goal against Richmond.
25:57
SCORE BEHIND - Swans (Isaac Heeney)
27:21
SCORE GOAL - Swans (Logan McDonald)
29:06
This will be Sydney's biggest win over Richmond since their 113-point blowout of the Tigers in Round 23, 2016.
29:53
Richmond's Liam Baker has stood up for the Tigers, recording an equal team-high 23 disposals, four tackles and 10 contested possessions, as well as a game-high 10 Intercept Possessions to go with two score assists.
30:09
The Swans 13.10.88 to 3.10.28 for Richmond from Intercept Possessions has well and truly established them as a genuine contender in today's match. Their third successive 100 point-plus score for the year from 61 inside 50's shows that they are going to be hard to stop.