Swans down off-line Tigers
3:54:55 PM Sat 15 March, 2003
Karen Collins
afl.com.au
The Sydney Swans ended their pre-season on a positive note with a 15.13 (103) to 8.14 (62) victory over Richmond at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Adam Goodes, Jason Saddington, Nick Davis and Stuart Maxfield impressed while Barry Hall kicked eight majors for the Swans.
Richmond will rue its missed chances kicking seven behinds in the opening quarter and five in the third, with Matthew Richardson the main culprit booting 1.6.
Ray Hall got the visitors off to a great start booting a major within the first minute, but the opposing Hall replied with one of his own ten minutes later.
Richardson should have hit straight back from a free kick adjacent to the posts but missed, and failed again 30 metres out directly in front four minutes later.
Former Swans ruckman Greg Stafford’s goal was matched by Hall’s second late in the term before Sydney new recruit Nick Davis kicked a goal to edge the Swans in front 3.7 to 1.1.
Davis edged the home side closer with his second early in the second quarter from a Goodes short kick, before Ryan O’Keefe kicked them in front.
Both teams traded goals before Hall’s third for the red-and-whites saw his team go into the main break leading by one point.
The third quarter was a behind-a-thon as both teams nailed four apiece until the 22nd minute when Jared Crouch and Goodes combined for a Paul Williams major.
Richardson then kicked his sixth of the game - and Richmond’s fifth of the term - before Hall kicked his fourth for Sydney.
Leon Cameron’s goal on the siren narrowed the gap to six points with Sydney leading 8.7 to 6.13 going into the final term.
The final quarter was all Sydney with Davis kicking his third, Hall his fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth from an acute angle before being rested, as Scott Stevens and Ben Mathews booted their first.
Sydney: 2.1 6.3 8.7 15.13 (103)
Richmond 3.7 5.8 6.13 8.14 (62)
Goals: Sydney: Hall 8, Davis 3, O’Keefe, Williams, Stevens, Mathews. Richmond: Hall 2, Stafford 2, Coughlan, Richardson, Cameron, Blumfield.
Best: Sydney: Davis, Saddington, Goodes, Hall, Kennelly, Maxfield, Williams.
Richmond: Hall, Cameron, Rodan, Stafford, Schulz
Injuries: Sydney: TBC. Richmond: TBC
Reports: Nil.
Crowd: 2,057 at the SCG
