Richmond busted their Cairns AFL hoodoo against Gold Coast with a nine-point win at Cazaly’s Stadium on Saturday.
In a game affected by a strong breeze, the Tigers recovered from a sloppy start to post a 6.17 (53) to 6.8 (44) victory and get their finals push back on track following last weekend’s loss to North Melbourne.
After losing to the Suns in north Queensland in the past two seasons, the Tigers struggled early but kicked three quick goals just before halftime to snatch control of the game.
Daniel Jackson was the only multiple goalkicker in a low-scoring affair played in tough conditions, booting two majors while Tigers star Jack Riewoldt had to wait until the fourth quarter to score his only goal of the game after kicking three behinds.
Ricky Petterd was strong throughout for the Tigers while Dustin Martin led the way with a game-high 31 disposals.
The Suns, whose season is faltering with just one win from their past seven matches, suffered an injury blow with key defender Rory Thompson taken off on a stretcher in the third quarter following a heavy bump by Tiger Matthew Arnot.
Thompson appeared to suffer rib damage in the contact and will be a big loss for the Suns if he’s ruled out for any period of time.
Rising star Dion Prestia was again impressive for the beaten Suns with 27 disposals and a behind while skipper Gary Ablett marked his return from a calf injury with 26 disposals and a behind.