Match result: Werribee Tigers 17.14 (116) def. Richmond Tigers 8.17 (65)
Venue: Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee
Conditions: Cool, overcast and 17c

In action

Scott McMahon (15 possessions)
Kayne Turner (10 possessions, 1 goal)
Kieran Harper (17 possessions, 1 goal)
Ben Brown (14 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals)
Mason Wood (22 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals)
Tim McGenniss (19 possessions)
Dan Currie (10 disposals, 1 goal, 41 hit-outs)
Taylor Hine (25 possessions)
Jarred ‘Bulldog’ Moore (27 disposals)

NMFC.com.au’s best: Jarred Moore, Ben Brown, Mason Wood

Matchups

Dan Currie v Ivan Maric
Scott Mcmahon v Aaron Edwards
Tim McGenniss v Anthony Miles

Story of the game

Richmond peppered the goals but failed to draw blood with nine behinds on the board before registering a single goal.

Both sides though were inaccurate in front of goals and Werribee had the only goal in the first quarter of play.

Werribee struggled to get any hands on the ball and allowed the visitors to dominate the early play.

Following the coach’s instructions to the letter, Werribee “held its nerve” and jumped out of the blocks in the second quarter and established a significant lead.

Richmond mounted a counter attack in the third and got back in the contest. It trailed by 20 points with a quarter to play but had momentum.

Enter Mason Wood. The VFL’s leading goal-kicker popped up and kicked two quick goals to snuff out any challenge and secured an important win for the home side. Currie and Harper also slotted through goals in the dying minutes and helped Werribee claim a spot in the top four.

What the coach said

Quarter-time: “Make sure we’re hard on them , nothing easy…maintain our rage around the footy; hard and aggressive…

“30 minutes, hold your nerve keep at our game-plan.”

Full-time: “Absolutely rapt with the effort of our blokes, Richmond definitely came here to play early. It was a really contested game of footy particularly in the first quarter. I felt Richmond threw everything at us, our blokes absorbed that and then to finish the way they did was really pleasing and if you look at our plying group, they all contributed – from our most experienced blokes Scott McMahon and Jarred Moore, all the way down to our 23rd player…they all weighed in when they had to, really pleasing.”

– Werribee head coach John Lamont.

Points of interest

1. Currie - last man standing

An early bonus for Currie with Oren Stephenson taken off before halftime with an injury.  Todd Elton followed soon after with a shoulder issue and it left Maric, who is coming back from injury, one-out in the ruck. At one point, Ricky Petterd had to fill the void.

Late in the game, Werribee’s second ruckman Dylan Reid went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

2. Brown the big improver

Ben Brown’s confidence continues to build in just his second game back from injury. The Tasmanian kicked two goals and provided a great marking target in the forward line and around the ground.

3. Moore in and under

North development coach Jarred Bulldog Moore’s contribution can’t be underestimated. Carrying a knee complaint into the game, the veteran midfielder extracted the ball countless times from congestion and led the way all afternoon in the middle.

4. McMahon’s friend to foe

Playing on old team-mate Aaron Edwards was familiar to Scott McMahon with the pair having battled each other at training at Arden Street. While Edwards booted two goals, he didn’t have a big impact on the match and you’d have to call the contest a draw.

“I’ve seen them play on each other at training for years, so it was the obvious match-up for me…Scotty McMahon, I think he did a really terrific job back there.” – John Lamont.

Likely call up: Mason Wood
Next opponent: Williamstown, June 8