The only game on Thursday for AFL Round 2 is between Richmond Tigers and Carlton Blues. The match is to be played at MCG with the opening bounce set to commence at 7.45pm with home team Richmond Tigers currently holding favouritism in the market. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Richmond Tigers and Carlton Blues.
Round: Round 2, Thursday March 27, 7.45pm
Stadium: MCG
Weather: 23° Rain at times
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Odds Comparison:
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| Richmond Tigers | 1.62 | 1.62 | 1.61 | 1.62 | 1.62 | 1.60 |
| Carlton Blues | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 2.35 |
All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.
Preview:
The match that traditionally opened the season between 2007-13 has finally arrived and it will have an extra edge after last year’s elimination final. A bumper crowd is expected at the MCG as both teams look to respond to poor round one performances. Richmond fell to Gold Coast by 18 points at Metricon Stadium in round one, wasting the ball going inside 50 and missing chances. This week the use of key forward Jack Riewoldt will be under the microscope after a lack of entries were directed to the dual Coleman medallist against the Suns. Carlton wasted a 22-point lead against Port Adelaide and was overrun in its season opener, eventually going down by 33 points at Etihad Stadium. Coach Mick Malthouse has complained of a lack of match hardness from a host of Blues who had interrupted pre-seasons.
6. In round 19 last season, Jack Riewoldt was ranked No.48 in the AFL Official Player Ratings. He ended the season ranked No.57 but slipped to No.68 after the Tigers’ season-opener against Gold Coast. The highest ranked Carlton player is Chris Judd (No.23 overall).
Teams:
Richmond Tigers
B: Troy Chaplin, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes
HB: Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, Steven Morris
C: Shaun Grigg, Brett Deledio, Brandon Ellis
HF: Ricky Petterd, Dustin Martin, Jake King
F: Shane Edwards, Jack Riewoldt, Ty Vickery
FOLL: Shaun Hampson, Matt Thomas, Trent Cotchin
I/C: Nathan Foley, Reece Conca, Ben Griffiths, Chris Newman
EMG: Aaron Edwards, Matt McDonough, Sam Lloyd
IN: Dylan Grimes, Jake King
OUT: Matt McDonough (omitted), Alex Rance (omitted)
Carlton Blues
B: Matthew Watson, Michael Jamison, Andrejs Everitt
HB: Chris Yarran, Zach Tuohy, Kade Simpson
C: Ed Curnow, Brock McLean, Bryce Gibbs
HF: Tom Bell, Lachie Henderson, Jeff Garlett
F: David Ellard, Jarrad Waite, Mitch Robinson
FOLL: Robert Warnock, Marc Murphy, Dale Thomas
I/C: Matthew Kreuzer, Kane Lucas, Troy Menzel, Simon White
Emg: Dylan Buckley, Sam Rowe, Jaryd Cachia
In: Kane Lucas, Simon White
Out: Andrew Walker (suspension), Andrew McInnes (omitted)
News:
The AFL blockbuster against arch-enemies Carlton on Thursday night will be a searching test of Richmond’s composure and grit.
Given the recent history between these two teams, it is inevitable that the Blues will threaten Richmond with a run of goals during the MCG clash.
How the Tigers react this time will set the early tone in a season where they have lofty expectations.
Win and the Punt Rd army are back on the march after the round-one loss to Gold Coast.
Lose and they are the same brittle Richmond who blew last year’s elimination final against the Blues.
“Probably the big thing for us is to improve certain facets of our game that are going to make sure, when the chips aren’t going your way, that things are maintained,” said coach Damien Hardwick.
“Just making sure that defensively, behind the ball, we set up correctly.
“The hard thing about AFL football these days … momentum swings are enormous.
“It’s matter of standing tight, standing upright and making sure you get the ball going in your direction.”
Carlton have won 11 of their last 12 games against Richmond.
In all three of last year’s clashes, the Blues came back hard at the Tigers.
They fell short by five points in round one, then overcame a five-goal deficit in round 21 to beat Richmond by 10 points.
But the elimination final was the big scalp.
The Tigers seemed to have the match in control with a 26-point lead at halftime, before Chris Judd and Nick Duigan led the Blues to a resounding 20-point upset win.
Judd is injured and Duigan has retired, but everyone at Carlton will rate their chances.
At his weekly media conference on Tuesday, Hardwick repeatedly referred to Richmond’s defensive strategies when discussing this week’s game.
Particularly in the elimination final, when Carlton put the heat on them they fell away badly in some defensive statistics – areas where they had been rock-solid all season.
The Tigers also have concerns at the other end of the ground after the loss to the Suns.
“We’ll see a change in the way we bring the ball in,” Hardwick said of their inside 50m entries.
“The front six will pretty much stay the same with a mixture of Jack (Riewoldt), Ty (Vickery), Ben Griffiths will be down there as well as Chris Newman and these types.”
Hardwick insisted that there would be no forward focus on Riewoldt, the two-time Coleman Medallist who was held to one goal against Gold Coast.
He noted Hawthorn’s reigning Coleman Medallist Jarryd Roughead played at full-forward, on the wing and in the middle last weekend against Brisbane.
“The game in this day and age, there’s no genuine full-forward,” Hardwick said.
“Unfortunately, the way the game goes, it’s played like a giant under-nines field – everyone goes up, everyone comes back and where you fit is where you fit.
“He (Riewoldt) will be playing exactly the same role as he did last year.
“He will be in the forward half.”