Time for Richmond to 'get one back' on Gold Coast

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This was published 8 years ago

Time for Richmond to 'get one back' on Gold Coast

By Matt Murnane
Updated

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says he will will never take Gold Coast lightly.

He remembers vividly round-one last year when 41 Gary Ablett disposals dragged the Suns (down two men) to a mighty victory over the Tigers.

Brett Deledio (right) is back for the Tigers, Reece Conca is out with a hamstring for this week's game against the Gold Coast.

Brett Deledio (right) is back for the Tigers, Reece Conca is out with a hamstring for this week's game against the Gold Coast.Credit: Quinn Rooney

He can't have forgotten, either, that Richmond was one of only three teams to lose to the new franchise in their inaugural year, back in 2011.

And Karmichael Hunt's goal after the siren in 2013 is surely burned in his memory.

Against no other team does Gold Coast hold a higher winning percentage than in games against Richmond, having beaten them in three of their four encounters.

It hasn't mattered that the Suns have gone into those matches below the Tigers on the ladder – like they were before the 2011 and 2012 victories, or in 2013, when they ran them to seven points.

"We're playing an opponent better than their ladder form suggests they might be," Hardwick said on Thursday, ahead of Sunday's confrontation at the MCG.

"They drew with West Coast, obviously beat Brisbane and their numbers say they are going a lot better than they are," he said.

"They've got a winning record against us that we need to start rectifying. The losses [against the Suns] have been very disappointing at various stages over the course of the years.

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"So it's about time we get one back."

Never has the discrepancy between the two teams been as wide as it appears to be going into this one.

And it must be said that this is the first time Gold Coast has had to travel to Melbourne. Richmond previously sold the home game to Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns, and ultimately got more than they bargained for.

The Tigers have proven they are a legitimate premiership contender this year, and yet it is symptomatic of this crazy season that not a lot has to go wrong for Richmond to still miss the finals and, dare we say it, finish ninth.

That seems unlikely, but it would have been nonetheless unnerving for Tigers supporters to read that a pile of towels had "spontaneously combusted" near the swimming pool of the club's Punt Road headquarters the Thursday morning before a match against their bogey side. The fire caused no damage.

Had Brett Deledio suddenly pulled out with a mystery injury, fans might really been worried about the omens and the chances of a Tiger victory going up in flamesl.

Thankfully for Richmond, Deledio is fit, recovered from the illness that kept him out of last Friday night's game – another loss chalked up in that quirky number of games the Tigers have lost without him.

That statistic now stands at 10 from 13 games, forcing Hardwick to answer a question on Thursday along the lines of "no Deledio, no Richmond?"

Where it could be argued that Deledio's presence is vital, Hardwick contended it was actually the fact the Tigers were now a successful club that had enhanced the vice-captain's reputation this season.

"I think he has been a bit harshly dealt with up until now," said Hardwick, pondering Deledio's previous standing.

"He has always been an outstanding player, but I think the thing that has held his reputation back a little bit is the fact that we weren't winning regularly. Now we are starting to win more often, his reputation will only be enhanced as we continue to get better."

Deledio's inclusion will be off-set by the loss of Dylan Grimes and Reece Conca with hamstring problems, while Shane Edwards will miss another week because of a small fracture in his leg.

Bogey side or not, Richmond would have prepared to hit any opposition hard this week, given they lost contested ball by a differential of 32 against Adelaide last week and clearances by 21, two areas Hardwick's team prides itself on.

For the coach, it wasn't a matter of "if" his players would respond.

"The players to their credit will bounce back this week," he assured.

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