Tigers triumph: Moving scenes as Richmond rally around injured mate Conca
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TODAY’S LINE-UP from 6PM: Jimmy Bartel, Leigh Matthews, Daniel Harford, Dwayne Russell, Bruce Eva, and Tom Morris.
Photo: Julian Smith / AAP
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FULL TIME
Richmond has won the top-of-the-table clash by 25 points.
The result was only soured by a serious-looking leg injury to Reece Conca.
Conca was stretchered off and taken to hospital, with his teammates surrounding him as he left the field (above).
Key forward Jack Riewoldt was immense, clunking 16 marks (including seven contested marks) and booting two goals.
STAT | Marks inside 50:
Sydney – 6
Jack Riewoldt – 8#AFLTigersSwans pic.twitter.com/FBdGF6Kt56— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) June 28, 2018
Riewoldt told 3AW Football he feels for Conca, who was playing his 100th game.
“It’s a cruel game, footy,” he said.
“To be honest, the only way to sum it up is: it sucks.
“It looked like a pretty severe injury.”
Riewoldt said it was a credit to the team’s mental training that they were able to bounce back after seeing their teammate go down.
Click PLAY to hear from Riewoldt in the rooms
Sydney star Lance Franklin was the main goal-kicker on the ground, booting four.
Curiously, the Swans finished on quite a unusual scoreline:
Richmond 14.9 (93)
Sydney 11.1 (67)
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HALF TIME
Richmond leads by 13 points at the main break.
It’s been an entertaining half, played at a fast pace but also with a high skill level, and the 3AW call team liked what they saw!
Harf: “I’m looking forward to September if this is the footy we’re looking at!”#AFLTigersSwans
— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) June 28, 2018
Dan Butler has two goals for the Tigers, while Ben Ronke and Lance Franklin both have two for the Swans.
Jimmy Bartel said Richmond has been able to get good depth on its inside 50s.
“Sydney are getting a lot of shallow entries,” he said.
“That’s playing into Richmond’s hands.”
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TIGER TROUBLE
Richmond has up to four injury concerns after the first quarter.
Reece Conca is the main one. He was stretchered off with what looked like a broken ankle and is set to miss a long stretch.
But 3AW boundary rider Tom Morris spotted three other concerns for the Tigers:
- Skipper Trent Cotchin copped a knock to the leg and has been visibly hampered as a result.
- Young midfield bull Jack Graham appeared to suffer an arm or elbow injury.
- Josh Caddy needed a painkiller to deal with a hip issue.
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THE BUILD-UP
Is… is this a Grand Final preview?
It’s a top-of-the-table clash at Etihad Stadium as the Tigers and Swans do battle.
The stage is set for an absolute classic – and it may not be the last they meet in 2018.
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