'Celebration at the 'G' as Tigers send off retiring champs in style in ...

Richmond has sent off retiring champions Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin in style in a 29-point win over North Melbourne at the MCG, 14.17 (101) to 10.12 (72).

The Tigers stacked on seven goals in the second term to surge past North Melbourne, with Dustin Martin (31 disposals, three goals) and Shai Bolton (25 touches, four goals) producing huge performances.

It also marked Jack Ziebell’s last game for the Kangaroos, who suffered a 20th-straight loss, while co-captain Luke McDonald was struck down with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury.

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QUARTER BY QUARTER MATCH REPORT

The Kangaroos confirmed a big late change just before the bounce, with star midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke withdrawn from the contest with a foot complaint with Flynn Perez earning a late call up.

Maurice Rioli Jr (Richmond) and Blake Drury (North Melbourne) were named as the starting substitutes.

It was a scrappy first quarter where neither the Roos or Tigers could seize momentum, with both sides having their moments and trading goals to kick off proceedings.

Nick Larkey extended the Roos lead late in the term with a crafty snap deep inside 50.

“Terrific piece of play, you only have to got o the terrific run of (Harry) Sheezel,” Fox Footy’s Jordan Lewis noted.

After a missing a short earlier, Ivan Soldo made good on his next opportunity to get the Tigers back within a point.

In one of the highlights of the first term, Jack Ziebell took a huge hanger, though the Tigers soon forced a turnover as Shai Bolton added another goal.

“It feels like both sides might have just lifted a bit here in the last five minutes,” Lewis said.

Richmond led by five points at quarter-time, 3.2 (20) to 2.3 (15).

The Roos looked the better team early in the second quarter, kicking the first two goals through Curtis Taylor and Tarryn Thomas.

“There’s some issues here for Richmond, we want to give praise to North Melbourne. But Richmond need to be careful they don’t get too much of a lead,” Lewis said.

The Tigers were able to overcome their slow start to the game, getting more fluency in their play in the second term as Soldo was having an impact forward.

Shai Bolton kicked a crafty goal from the boundary line to further extend the Tigers’ lead, while Dustin Martin added another with a trademark Dusty goal.

“A couple of there stars pulled some tricks out of the bag there,” Lewis said.

Injury then hit the Roos, with co-captain Luke McDonald limping from field with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury before getting subbed off for Blake Drury.

Riewoldt kicked his first goal in his farewell match as he was mobbed by teammates.

“Celebration at the ‘G because it’s off the boot of Jack!” Fox Footy caller Mark Howard exclaimed.

Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson added: “Great scenes, isn’t it?”

The Tigers led by 22 points at half-time, 10.5 (65) to 6.7 (43).

Larkey came out breathing fire for the Roos in the third quarter, kicking the first two goals — to bring up five for the match — to get them back within 10 points.

Martin was able to stem the flow of momentum, isolating Bailey Scott at full forward and kicking his third goal.

“He is putting on a show,” Howard exclaimed.

Lewis added: “He’s looked lively from the start. He has the ability to put the emotion of the week aside and come out and perform, he’s been a big-game performer his whole career.”

Larkey very much made the third term his and North’s, kicking his sixth goal to make it just a seven-point Tigers lead.

“They’ve got themselves back in the game, North Melbourne, a really good quarter,” Lewis said.

The Roos led by nine points at three-quarter time, 11.10 (76) to 10.7 (67).

Bolton eased some Tigers nerves in the last term with the opener to stretch their lead back out to 16 points.

Riewoldt had a chance to add to his goalkicking tally in the fourth, but he missed a gettable set shot.

The champion forward then had two more opportunities from tighter angles, but squandered both of them.

Ziebell too had a chance to hit the scoreboard but couldn’t make good on a long-range shot as none of the retiring veterans could put an exclamation mark on their brilliant careers.

But this was the Tigers’ day to celebrate, with Riewoldt and Cotchin embracing with fans by doing a lap of honour post-match with their families.

THE 3-2-1 ...

3. TIGERS SEND OFF CHAMPS IN STYLE … BUT RETIRING ROO TAKES HIGHLIGHT MARK

It was the ideal send off for retiring Richmond champs Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin, with the Tigers getting back on the winner’s board.

Riewoldt only booted one goal, albeit a goal that was very much celebrates by teammates, while Cotchin had 18 touches.

An emotional day at the MCG that also marked Jack Ziebell’s final appearance, both clubs got to see off their icons.

It made for special scenes post-match when Riewoldt and Cotchin did a lap of honour with their families to embrace with fans, who packed out the the ground in yellow and black.

Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis noted how it was great to show the human element of such greats.

“This just shows everyone, they probably see the player, but they don’t necessarily see the family and friends and everyone that goes into making a career Jack has had,” Lewis said looking at vision of Riewoldt in the rooms with his family.

“It’s nice to see his family here being able to enjoy the moment.”

Though Ziebell, like Ben Cunnington last week, didn’t get the fairytale farewell he would’ve loved, the former Roos skipper did produce one of the highlights of the game with a huge mark.

Ziebell in the opening term got up on Baker’s shoulder and landed horizontally on the ground top add to the theatre of the grab.

“You two on the boundary line were certainly surprised with the height he got,” Lewis said, before adding with a laugh: “It’s not on a ruckman, it’s on Liam Baker, mind you.

“But a hanger is a hanger, it’s something I was never able to do.”

Carlton and Adelaide great Eddie Betts added: “His legs got taken underneath him and he landed on his back, so it looked a lot better.”

2. ‘BIG GAME PERFORMER’ DUSTY ‘PUTS ON A SHOW’

There’s perhaps no better player to watch when they’re in full flight than Dustin Martin.

Martin got back to some of his brilliant best form against the Tigers, finishing with 31 touches and three goals, while Shai Bolton was also huge with 25 disposals and four goals.

When the game was scrappy early, Martin was simply a class above, while he was involved in the thick of the play when the Tigers turned the tide in the second term.

Fox Footy caller Mark Howard exclaimed that Martin was “putting on a show,” while Jordan Lewis praised him for being a “big game performer” in stepping up in Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin’s farewell match.

And while noting that the Tigers had been “challenged” by the Roos, Lewis credited Martin for playing a key role in his side’s seven-goal blitz in the second quarter.

“It was largely off the back of Dustin Martin and the stuff he’s been able to do. It’s nice to see Dusty when he’s in a mood, and boy is he in a mood,” he said.

“Him and Bolton are probably the two so dominant in and around the contest, but as we made mention, they’re also going forward and hitting the scoreboard as well.”

Former Carlton and Adelaide great Eddie Betts noted how Martin produced some of his best form.

“He’s back to his Brownlow days when you see a torpedo and a palm and he’s looked strong,” he said.

“When everyone looked fumbly, he looked the cleanest out there.”

1. ROOS CO-CAPTAIN’S ‘NASTY’ SETBACK

Though the Roos put in another honourable performance in an overall promising showing, it was a grim day for injured co-captain Luke McDonald.

McDonald in the second term limped from the ground with what looked like a serious hamstring injury as he was immediately subbed off.

Of course, while the Roos’ season only has one game left, but fingers crossed for McDonald the setback isn’t too serious.

“It looked nasty, it really did. Even the way he walked off,” four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy.

“Just that jolting action once he went to bend down, then he tried to lift himself up off the ground.

“But that looks nasty, he’ll be in some pain right now. It’s nearly the end of the season but he’s going to miss a while on the track.”

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