For the second time in four weeks, the Dockers came to the Phone Box to play. Unlike the Western Bulldogs, Richmond chose to make tickets available at the regular AFL price, and by getting to the ground at 1:10 rather than 2:10, it was actually possible to get into the ground at a reasonable price. As luck would have it, this cheap ticket got me a seat at the bottom of the new Legends stand, which meant I was seated close to the play at the end where 16 of the game's 20 goals ended up being scored.
Fremantle came into this game significantly the worse for wear following last week's encounter with the West Coast Eagles. Jones, McManus, Wills, and Chisholm were all unavailable due to injury, while Peter Mann was apparently dropped. This caused some comment amongst the Richmond fans seated near me, who felt that by leaving Mann out, Fremantle were shooting themselves in the foot. Clearly they haven't seen Mann play recently. Come to think of it, none of us have seen him play recently, which is probably why he was dropped.
The first quarter was pretty even. Both teams seemed able to work the ball into their respective forward lines reasonably well. The Dockers forward set up looked good, with Koops, Leach and Daniel Parker all leading and marking well. Sadly their kicking let them down, particularly Parker's, who scored 1.4 with one out on the full for the quarter, with the goal coming right on the final siren.
Richmond were the better team in the second quarter, not dominant, but definitely on top. Fortunately they failed to capitalise on their dominance, perhaps due to good defensive work by Freo, but more due to their own stupidity when bringing the ball forward. Their chief target in attack seemed to be Naish, who was leading well, but whose man Harding was all over him. Naish would get the jump on Harding, but by the time the ball got to him, Harding would be able to use the 6 inch height advantage he had to spoil easily. By the third attempt, it was becoming quite amusing.
Fremantle dominated the third quarter, scroing six goals to nil, and turning a two goal deficit into a four goal lead. During this quarter, the Fremantle big men were at least offering contests everywhere around the ground, and the crumbers were bringing the ball away from almost every contest. Not surprisingly, the result was a number of opportunities in the forward line. Towards the end of the quarter, Richmond had a few forays into attack, but these tended to be directed towards Richardson, who conceded a series of free kicks to his man, Shane Parker.
Four goals down at three-quarter time, the Richmond fans were understandably upset, and they booed coach Robert Walls as came onto the ground. This seemed to have the desired effect, as Richmond were able to hold Fremantle scoreless in the final quarter. The Freo backline did well, repulsing a number of Richmond attacks, but there was noone to give the ball to upfield, so inevitably it kept coming back. The final quarter featured one of the worse umpiring decisions in a match that was punctuated by confusing calls, when the umpire decided that Shane Parker had been hanging on to Richardson. The free kick resulted in a goal, and in the context of the game, could be said to have cost Freo the match. The reality though, is that Fremantle didn't deserve to win, and that the umpiring overall probably favoured them, though less so that the Richmond supporters believed.
The only thing left to be said is that the Melbourne media seem to be waking up to the Parker legend. Most commentators named him as Fremantle's best on ground, and for once I feel they over-estimated his impact on the game. Sure, he kept Richardson quiet, and had a few possessions himself, but was he Freo's best? I find that hard to believe. It might be true, just hard to take.
Final Score : Richmond 10.12-72 defeated Fremantle Dockers 10.7-67
timn_from_oz
© 1997 t.neame@trl.telstra.com.au
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