West Coast Eagles left two points short in thrilling MCG loss to Richmond as Sam Gross run down
A stunning run-down tackle on fourth-gamer Tom Gross in the dying seconds has left West Coast two points short of their first victory of the season.
Gross, who came on as a final-quarter substitute, was run down at centre half-forward with 30 seconds to play by Tom Brown, who left the Eagles with their heartbreaking ninth defeat of the season.
It was the final roll of the dice for the Eagles in the 11.15 (81) to 11.13 (79) defeat at the MCG on Sunday, which ensured the club remained on the bottom of the ladder.
It came at the end of a tense final term. Scores were level with five minutes to play before Tom Lynch missed a chance to give the Tigers a one-point lead.
Richmond locked the game down successfully, creating contest after contest before Kane McAuliffe kicked a behind with 100 seconds left on the clock to double their lead.
It might have been a contest of the two battling sides, but it was an epic clash which featured an incredible 15 lead changes.
The Eagles showed incredible improvement, tying the clearance count 35-35 after losing all previous eight but they dominated out of the centre which they won 16-9 which is where they managed to put on scoreboard pressure.
But at the end of the game, it was the Tigers who prevailed to hand the Eagles their 11th consecutive defeat and keep former Richmond caretaker coach Andrew McQualter winless at the head of the Eagles.
McQualter continued to try to find his best midfield combination, starting forwards Liam Ryan (17 disposals and four clearances) in the centre square for the first bounce, while Tim Kelly and Brady Hough were up forward.
And the move worked, with Ryan adding a spark to their midfield through his pace and athleticism, complementing the relentless pressure of former Tiger Jack Graham (20 disposals and 14 tackles).
Unsurprisingly, Harley Reid also enjoyed the main stage, putting in his best performance of the season at the MCG to finish with 18 disposals, four clearances and a goal.
Early on it looked as if it may be a tough day for the Eagles when Matt Owies (two goals) missed a simple shot from straight in front which would've given the Eagles the perfect start.
The Tigers pounced at the other end, kicking the first three goals of the match to threaten an early onslaught.
Midfielder Tim Taranto (27 disposals and seven clearances) was nearly unstoppable, leading the way for the home side with 13 first-quarter disposals and a goal as Richmond dominated the contested possession count 39-24.
It took more than 28 minutes for the Eagles to finally kick a goal, with Jamie Cripps (three goals) snapping truly from the top of the goalsquare.
Cripps' clever goal kick-started a run of four goals either side of the first break which changed the momentum of the match.
Jayden Hunt kicked the Eagles' second with only eight seconds left in the term to keep the Eagles hot on the heels of Richmond.
The Eagles then dominated from the centre clearance to lock the ball inside their forward half resulting in goals to Owies and Jake Waterman, giving them the lead.
Richmond debutant Thomas Sims broke the run with the first goal of his career and the game turned into an exciting goal-for-goal affair as the lead changed an incredible eight times for the term with the Tigers holding the slenderest of leads at half-time.
After a blistering second term, both teams tried to lock down more defensively and it seemingly suited the Eagles who upped the pressure.
Brown kicked the first goal of the second half to extend the Tigers' lead but the Eagles managed to lock the ball inside their forward half for the majority of the third quarter.
For all their effort though they kicked only two goals with misses from Tim Kelly, Matt Flynn and Jake Waterman letting the Tigers off the hook.
And this hurt them when Rhyan Mansell kicked his second excellent goal from on the run before skipper Toby Nankervis restored their lead on the verge of three-quarter time.
The Eagles were going to need everything to go right if they were going to get their first win of the season.
And Reid lifted his side with an inspirational running goal from 50m to somewhat silence the home fans.
Unfortunately, Reid then gave up a goal to Hugo Ralphsmith when he knocked the ball out of the Tigers' hand after he took a mark, conceding a 50m penalty which resulted in a major.
Returning forward-ruck Bailey Williams kept the Eagles in the game with his second goal, but both teams struggled to score in the final moments, with the game shut down and the Eagles on the wrong end of an epic encounter.
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The Advertiser
6 hours ago
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Refs have inherent bias against lower teams: Tigers CEO
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The Advertiser
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Cheika's secret as glorious farewell beckons
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"First they have got to be able to trust each other - we have got to be able to have honest conversations and being prepared to have a fight with each other. "As long as it is a fight where you are going in the same direction, then you are trying to get the same thing done, that's okay. "Building up mentally is important and it is a continual workout - you have never arrived at the place you have got to be at, because every time you meet another challenge, you have got to then go and delve into that. "I have definitely learned a lot from them and I hope they have been able to learn a bit from me." Cheika added: "They are playing as part of a team, and in the team, those dynamics are extremely important. "We are going to need that on Saturday, because we are playing against the team that dominated the league and we need to find a way to master that opponent." 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