Richmond's season of being in and out of the VFL top eight continues after the club went down to top four team Brisbane Lions by 25 points at the Swinburne Centre at the weekend.
After a very even three quarters where both sides traded patches of momentum the Lions overpowered the Tigers in the final quarter, kicking four goals to none.
In good news for Richmond fans, hard runner Brad Melville got through unscathed after returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in July last year, picking up 12 disposals, five marks and two tackles.
Melville, who played eight games for the Tigers last season before the injury, was voted into the leadership group by his teammates earlier this year despite the knowledge that he would miss the majority of the 2022 season.
Additionally for Richmond fans, in a glimpse for the future, mid-season draft Jacob Bauer showed further promise with two goals and 13 touches. Bauer has played seven games since being drafted in early June and has kicked at least a goal in all games bar one as he awaits an AFL debut.
The Tigers went down to Brisbane 8.11.59 to 12.12.84.
Round 20 of the VFL season will see Richmond come up against standalone club the Northern Bullants in a bid to keep its 2022 season alive. The opening bounce is scheduled for 2:05pm at Preston City Oval.
POOR START COSTLY
In VAFA Division Three, the Richmond Centrals went down to Elsternwick, which flexed its muscles for a comfortable 45-point victory, 14.11.95 to 6.14.50.
It wasn't the best of starts for the Centrals as they gave up six-first quarter goals to trail by 26-points at the first break before stabilising in the second term.
The Centrals had their chance to bridge the gap in the third quarter but weren't able to make it count on the scoreboard.
Round 16 will see the Centrals take on Emmaus St Leos at Kevin Bartlett Reserve as they look to finish the season with a few more wins under their belt to take some momentum into next year.
BEARS FALL SHORT
In Division One, the Kew Bears seniors men's team fell just two points short against Glen Eira in one of the games of the season in blustery conditions at Packer Reserve, going down 11.7.73 to 12.3.75.
Kew Football Club president Michael Cochrane it was a tough loss. "Glen Eira gave us a bit of payback for last time and pipped us at the end" he said
"I think they play their ground really well and were able to clog us up in the forward line.
"What they did well when they had the wind was open up their forward line while we almost looked like we were so focused on kicking goals with the wind that it didn't come naturally.
'To their credit, they were able to clog us up and bring about contest after contest."
Still, Cochrane was upbeat over the performance by the Bears against quality opposition.
"I was pretty proud of the boys. You would think with Glen Eira being in front at three-quarter time and coming home with the wind they would steamroll us, but they didn't," he said.
"We managed to get back in front, but in the last minute of the game there was a one-on-one contest in the last line of defence, and the ball bounced the other way and fell into the other guy's lap and he kicked an easy goal.
"It was really good game, though, considering how windy it was, the skills were quite good from both sides."
Round 16 will see the Kew Senior Men's team take on finals hopeful Oakleigh at Victoria Park on Saturday. Oakleigh is in sixth place on the ladder.
48-PT FINAL QUARTER
Kew's Reserve side had a tough encounter against Glen Eira for three quarters but a powerful final quarter saw it turn a two-point lead at the final break into a 50-point victory come full-time, to send a powerful message to the rest of the competition.
The win was made all the better as it was club favourite Nathan Drummond's 100th game since joining the Kew in 2016. Drummond was also one of the Bear's best in the win.
In the William Bucks Premier Women's Division, Kew continued its winning ways with a 46-point win over St Mary's Salesian, 8.11.59 to 2.1.13. The Bears held St Mary's Salesian goalless for three quarters to record their 13th win of the season as they look to chase down St Kevin's in the hunt for the Minor Premiership.
