Vickery boots six in Tigers AFL win

A career-best haul of six goals from Ty Vickery has helped Richmond gear up for the AFL finals with a 91-point demolition of Collingwood.

Richmond was bold and smart with the football in a 23.9 (147) to 7.14 (56) win that mathematically rules out the Magpies of making the top eight.

The Tigers that took their chances in front of 63,178 people at a sun-soaked MCG, on Saturday, while Collingwood kicked themselves out of the contest.

Richmond’s defence blanketed Magpie talls Travis Cloke and Ben Reid for the first three quarters, when the rest of their attack could kick only behinds.

Vickery stole the show with six goals, the first five in front of a raucous Punt Road end, after three Sam Lloyd majors in the opening 12 minutes set up the win.

Powered in midfield by midfielders Brandon Ellis and Dustin Martin, Richmond kicked the opening four goals of the match in a decisive first quarter.

Levi Greenwood and Scott Pendlebury replied through set shots, and the Magpies had three in a row when Jamie Elliot completed a remarkable run.

Picking up the ball outside the 50 metre arc, Elliot kept the ball inside the boundary line by just the stitching on the Sherrin, burning off Nick Vlaustin to kick a fine goal.

But while Lloyd’s purple patch set up the Tigers’ lead, their established forwards restored their buffer.

Brett Deledio found a goal and Vickery kicked two terrific long bombs to give Richmond a four-goal lead at the first change.

The Magpies responded in the second term and laid siege to the Tigers’ goal.

Despite a 20-10 inside-50 differential, Nathan Buckley’s side couldn’t kick straight to save themselves, scoring just seven behinds for the term.

In contrast, the Tigers could always find a route to goal, winning every quarter and storming home with an incredible last term.

Richmond simply did as they liked as the clock ticked down, with nine unanswered goals including a well-celebrated major to retiring former captain Chris Newman.

The huge victory bettered the Tigers’ famed 81-point win in the 1980 grand final over Collingwood, and makes 2015 the first season since 2001 when they’ve notched two wins over their fierce rivals.

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