Well, this is a bit embarrassing. Coming into Round Six, we had one game left uncovered. I put out the call for writers and thought I had one person covering it. Turns out… I got two.
And so, Richmond fans, you get a double helping of the Mongrel Review for the win over Gold Coast. First up is the review from Edan Nissen. Second up, you get the Great Expectations of Timbo Higgins. Enjoy.
Despite many predicting the Tigers would go winless in 2025, no one seems to have to told the Tigers players that they need to follow that script.
Their second win of the 2025 season, satisfyingly, came against the Gold Coast Suns and former coach Damien Hardwick at Marvel Stadium. The game had plenty of talking points, with the main one being return of Tigers defender Noah Balta from his several weeks out of the side after committing assault in New South Wales during the off-season.
Suffice to say, he had a big night in more ways than one.
Richmond, who have surprised many people this season, got out of the blocks with a hot start, winning the first quarter for the first time this season. This is especially surprising given that they were playing a Suns side that came into the game undefeated.
The game was also played at the Marvel Stadium, which Damien Hardwick famously hated playing at while coaching the Tigers, and the win was Richmond’s first at Marvel stadium since Hardwick’s comments about the ground which date back to 2021.
Mac Andrew’s Costly Indiscretions
Gold Coast’s defenders, Mac Andrew and Sam Collins, have been integral to The Suns’ incredible start to the season. Collins more so that Andrew, but the two are forming quite a partnership in defence. Some have even made mention that this duo could be compared to the defensive pillars the Premiership-winning Tigers had, under current Suns’ coach Damien Hardwick.
High praise, indeed.
However, Hardwick wouldn’t have been happy with Mac Andrew’s costly brain fade that saw the Gold Coast concede a double goal early in the first quarter. After Andrew was beaten over the top by his direct opponent, Jonty Faull, he threw Tiger’s small forward, Seth Campbell, to the ground.
The incident allowed Richmond to jump out to a three-goal lead early in the game after Tom Lynch kicked the first goal from an early centre clearance that fell the Tigers’ way. Thankfully, for the Suns, Andrew and Collins were able to work their way back into the game, setting up their usual wall of intercepts, which helped slow down the Tigers’ scoring.
Andrew was ultimately thrown forward in the last quarter, but it was a case of too little, too late. He is a livewire, and plays a lot on emotion. That can be good when you can harness it, but when you struggle to do so, makes you a target for the opposition. Mac needs to be a bit better at controlling himself, going forward.
Tigers veterans stand up in defence
A lot has been made of the Tigers’ young stars like Sam Lalor, James Trezise, and Jacob Blight. However, it was their veteran defenders who stood up in this contest, with Nick Vlaustin joined for the first time this season by Noah Balta, and both seemed very pleased to be playing alongside each other again.
The duo effectively held highly touted Suns forwards, Ben King and Ben Long, to just two goals in the first three quarters, with Vlastuin picking up 15 intercept possessions by the end of the game to cut off many of the Suns’ promising moves in attack. King was barely sighted, with just five disposals and a goal for the whole contest.
Vlastuin and Balta weren’t the only Tigers veterans who had an important impact on the game, with Tim Taranto playing another stunning game for the Tigers, while Kamdyn McIntosh played an important shutdown role in the middle.
The importance of these Tiger veterans is likely the reason Balta was brought back into the side. As a team develops and brings through kids, you need strong bodies around them to both protect them, and guide them on the field. Balta back in defence made life easier for others, and whilst some were disappointed that promising youngster, Luke Trainor was relegated to the role of sub, he will have plenty of time and opportunity over the coming years to develop his game and become an important part of what Richmond are building in defence.
Inaccuracy cost the Suns
The Suns came into the game as undeniable favourites, but they found themselves, somewhat surprisingly, behind heading into halftime. A lot of this was due to the Suns’ inaccuracy while kicking for goal.
Heading into the halftime break, the Gold Coast found themselves down by 14 points despite having two more scoring shots than Richmond. While Richmond kicked six goals and five behind in the first half from 11 scoring shots, the Suns managed just three goals and nine behinds. Suns players Ethan Read, Jarred Witts, and Jake Rogers all missed shots at goal that were not on a tough angle or from a particular distance.
The inaccuracy would end up costing the Suns at the end, with 24 scores to the Tigers 20, despite still going down by 11-points.
Maurice Jr wins the Rioli Cup
Maurice Rioli and second-cousin, Daniel, lined up on opposite sides of the field for the first time in the AFL. Daniel, who previously played for the Tigers, followed former coach Damien Hardwick to the Suns following the 2024 season, and must have felt that he made the right decision after the Suns went undefeated in the first month of the 2025 season.
However, Daniel was undoubtedly feeling worse for wear after his first game against his former side. While Daniel Rioli was held quiet, he also copped Tom Lynch’s knee into his ribcage during the second quarter and experienced discomfort for the rest of the game,
Meanwhile, Maurice Rioli Jr had an exceptional game for the Tigers. Rioli Jr kicked a goal, avoided several tackles, and laid several tackles of his own to apply significant pressure to his Suns opponents. There was even a brief moment in the game when the two Riolis lined up against each other, before Daniel was moved forward for the Suns.
While Daniel and the Suns will finish higher on the ladder this season, Maurice Rioli Jr and his Tiger teammates had the last laugh during the game.
Sun’s comeback runs just out of time
If the game went for five periods instead of four, or even if the Suns had a few more minutes tacked on to the end of the game, they may have just run over the top of the young Tigers. With under two minutes left, the Suns had whittled the lead down to just 11 points and had owned a lot of territory in the last quarter..
A part of this comeback effort saw Hardwick throw several magnets arround, moving Mac Andrews and Sam Flanders up forward.
Luckily for the Tigers, the experienced heads of Balta, Vlaustin, and Broad were able to hold a shaky defence together and allowed the Tigers to run out winners at the end. Had the Suns started their run a little earlier, or had they had a bit more time, they would have almost run over the top as the Tigers looked completely out on their feet, failing to kick a single goal in the last quarter.
Late Substitution works for Yze in the end
Since the substitute position was added into the AFL, most coaches have elected to utilise the sub in the third quarter, allowing for the fresh pair of legs to rejuvenate the team, unless a player has been injured before that point and a team has been forced to use the substitution at an earlier point.
Richmond’s Adem Yze used the sub late in the fourth quarter, bringing in defender Luke Trainor for back-up ruckman Samson Ryan and the defensive move probably paid dividends for the Tigers as they soaked up all of Gold Coast’s forward thrusts, especially late in the game to hold on to an 11-point margin at the end.
That move may have made up for the decision to start Toby Nankervis on the bench in the last quarter. This permitted Jarrod Witts to take over in the ruck, and it was his dominance in the middle that kick-started the Suns’ comeback. Nank is a warrior, and would fight to his dying breath for the Tigers. His presence in the game gave the Tigers some breathing room, again, and I wonder whether, if he had his time again, Adem Yze would have started the final term with his captain right in the middle?
And that’s a wrap from Marvel. The Suns are undefeated no more, and the Tigers, once again, stick it right up those media experts who doubted they’d win a game all season.
