AFL 2020 semi-final: Richmond Tigers v St Kilda Saints – live!

Q4: 2 mins remaining: Richmond 12.8 (80) v 6.13 (49) St Kilda – Make that 2.5. After earning a free-kick with his speed and strength to get to the front of a pack, Lynch horribly shanks the shot from 20m on an angle.

Q4: 3 mins remaining: Richmond 12.7 (79) v 6.13 (49) St Kilda – Lynch will come out of tonight as the lightning rod for Richmond. His return has been crucial, providing the forward line with more structure and potency, but his return is only 2.4 with one out on the full – and that crazy off-the-ball knee incident, which will lead the news until the MRP makes its call.

Q4: 6 mins remaining: Richmond 12.7 (79) v 6.12 (48) St Kilda – It’s all gone a bit scrappy and unstructured with the ball pinging from end to end. Richmond are not unhappy about that with such a commanding lead.

Q4: 8 mins remaining: Richmond 12.6 (78) v 6.12 (48) St Kilda – The Saints are playing on at all costs through the corridor now, but it’s too little too late.

Q4: 10 mins remaining: Richmond 12.5 (77) v 6.12 (48) St Kilda – More territorial dominance from Richmond, and the pattern tonight indicates this will end in a goal. And it does. Martin snapping a left-footed goal from behind a ruck 40m out like a scum-half box kick in rugby union. The Tigers have score a lot of low XG goals tonight, in comparison to the clear set shots wasted by St Kilda.

Q4: 11 mins remaining: Richmond 11.5 (71) v 6.12 (48) St Kilda – Hill has seen precious little of the ball tonight, but he shows why he’s so important for the Saints, streaking through midfield and bombing miles to the advantage of Membrey – who fumbles a mark he needed to take.

Q4: 13 mins remaining: Richmond 11.4 (70) v 6.11 (47) St Kilda – Entry one didn’t work, nor did entry two, but the third effort to pick out a black and yellow guernsey inside 50 paid dividends for Richmond. Castagna is the beneficiary after excellent work from Edwards. The story of the night for St Kilda, promising around the ground and on the verge of a run, but Richmond always there to hit back and reassert control.

Q4: 14 mins remaining: Richmond 10.4 (64) v 6.11 (47) St Kilda – Richmond have done well all night to hit back soon after a St Kilda goal, and again they win a crucial centre clearance and set up camp in attacking territory.

Q4: 15 mins remaining: Richmond 10.4 (64) v 6.11 (47) St Kilda – Richmond get repeat entries after winning the opening centre clearance but the Saints’ defence holds firm. Bruce reckons they need six goals this term to stand a chance, and Ross get the first, scampering home unopposed after Hunter Clark forced yet another error from Richmond’s backline.

Saints kicked 15.3 in their round four victory, tonight they’re 5.11.

The Saints pushed hard again and lead the Tigers for shots on goals. In fairness they’ve probably had the better around the ground for most of the night, but Richmond have been more decisive when it’s counted.

Speaking of Tom Lynch and how important he is to Richmond – could he be in trouble for this?

Q3: 1 min remaining: Richmond 10.3 (63) v 5.11 (41) St Kilda – Lynch kicks a behind after competing strongly to win possession – not for the first time tonight. He is so mobile and strong, a nightmare to defend.

Q3: 2 mins remaining: Richmond 10.2 (62) v 5.11 (41) St Kilda -An uncharacteristically high number of errors form Richmond tonight, especially this quarter, and especially from their back six.

Q3: 3 mins remaining: Richmond 10.2 (62) v 5.11 (41) St Kilda – Cotchin has been on the wrong end of the umpire’s whistle often tonight, and he’s pinged again for holding the ball. The free-kick finds King in space about 35m out straight in front, and he butchers yet another set shot. Awful night in front of goal for the big lad.

But the Saints somehow find a goal soon afterwards. Richmond can’t clear their lines and the ball comes straight back in, Kent eventually toe-poking the ball through after some sharp hands around the goalsquare.

Q3: 5 mins remaining: Richmond 10.2 (62) v 4.10 (34) St Kilda – They might not be giving up St Kilda, but they’re not indicating they have the tools to punish Richmond. Billings is the latest to make a mess of a set shot, albeit a tough one, and the Tigers make him pay, going coast to coast, featuring great work in the air and on the ground form Lynch before Prestia drills the goal against the run of play.

Q3: 7 mins remaining: Richmond 9.2 (56) v 4.9 (33) St Kilda – Can the Saints mount a sustained assault on Richmond? No. Crucial centre clearance goes to the Tigers, another bomb forward, another leading mark from Lynch – but this time his long range effort drifts wide.

St Kilda go down the other end and cause panic in the Richmond backline but a couple of ricochets off shins end up in a poster, not a goal. The Saints are not giving up.

Q3: 8 mins remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 4.8 (32) St Kilda – As with the second term, the Saints have had the better of the opening minutes of this quarter around the ground, but have nothing to show for it. Richmond are scrapping hard just to retain a foothold, utilising their spare man behind the ball, meaning they have nowhere to go when they do regain possession. Finally St Kilda work the fat side of the ground to engineer a mark inside 50, and this time it goes through! Battle finesses an excellent team goal with a finish that makes a mockery of recent misses.

Q3: 10 mins remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.8 (26) St Kilda – Lol. And there he is. Battle popping up in the middle of a pack like Leo Barry to set up a rousing third term fightback. Until he shanks the 15m set shot, of course. Deary me, that was the stuff of nightmares. Add that to King’s miss from earlier and St Kilda have to look at themselves, despite Richmond’s excellence.

And now Marshall misses from gettable range following a 50m penalty against Lynch for some unsociable behaviour off the ball.

Q3: 12 mins remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.6 (24) St Kilda – Some pretty frantic turnover footy between the arcs precedes a deep entry form Richmond after Riewoldt marked. St Kilda deal with it well though and rebound, but not with the required pace and the Tigers flood back and defuse the situation.

Battle is finally back on. Still no word of any injury.

Q3: 14 mins remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.6 (24) St Kilda – Josh Battle has been on the bench for 25-minutes and counting, but he’s not yet been scrubbed, nor has there been any news relayed to the TV crew.

The Saints continue to work hard but despite a couple of Richmond errors across halfback still haven’t found the clear opening.

Q3: 15 mins remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.6 (24) St Kilda – St Kilda need an early goal if they’re going to make this a contest, and they almost earn one after Cotchin is pinged for a high tackle against Steele at the centre bounce. The ball inside 50 causes trouble, but there isn’t a Saint in the right place at the right time to steer the ball home.

Some stats for you… Bolton leads the way with three goals, Houli and Ross both have 15 disposals, and Dustin Martin is bloody brilliant: 13 touches, eight inside-50s, four clearances, six score involvements.

Thanks Harry, sounds like an era could be ending over there.

Meanwhile, this one has been reasonably even for large parts, but Richmond have just managed to string together a couple of savage bursts of goals – one in each quarter – both the product of centre clearance dominance and hunger around their attacking 50m. Lynch has also threaded a couple of excellent finishes, in contrast to last weekend when his presence was missed. The Saints are game, but they don’t appear to have the nous or firepower in their front half to unsettle such a well organised backline.

The margin many expected before the start of play, but one that fails to take into account how St Kilda dominated the opening portion of the second quarter and should have been just nine points down midway through the term, but King missed a very makable set shot and the Tigers pounced.

Q2: 1 min remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.6 (24) St Kilda – More controversy late in the quarter with St Kilda putting the ball through the posts. This time it’s only a point for the Saints after the goal umpire awarded a rushed behind despite Nick Vlaustin not appearing to touch the footy as it approached the line. Replays were inconclusive so the on-field decision stands.

Q2: 1 min remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.5 (23) St Kilda – It hasn’t been precise from Richmond tonight, but boy has it been effective, turning centre clearances into goals in the blink of an eye. Martin has dominated in the middle, bombing the ball forward, and time and again it has fallen in favour of a teammate, or Richmond have looked hungrier at ground level against an unsettled backline.

Q2: 3 mins remaining: Richmond 9.1 (55) v 3.5 (23) St Kilda – Richmond have done it again, turning one goal into an avalanche. Bolton is on the stats sheet again, marking a huge Martin clearance that drops in his favour just inside 50. The set shot is very handsome.

Q2: 4 mins remaining: Richmond 8.1 (49) v 3.5 (23) St Kilda – I love Houli and his rapier-like left foot. For the umpteenth time in his career he’s in prime position to profit from a poor clearing defensive kick. Once in possession he delivers lace out for Lynch darting towards the right pocket. The big Tiger threads the needle for the second time tonight.

Q2: 5 mins remaining: Richmond 7.1 (43) v 3.5 (23) St Kilda – Houli lays a super tackle in midfield, Richmond punt it forward, Riewoldt gambles for the floater over the top – and he guesses correctly – leaving him Johnny on the spot to handball to Rioli in the goalsquare. The Tigers hit straight back.

Q2: 6 mins remaining: Richmond 6.1 (37) v 3.5 (23) St Kilda -It’s St Kilda’s turn to profit from a marginal umpiring decision, Balta harshly penalised for holding the ball after accepting contact in possession a metre from the boundary line. You see dozens of those a week go unpunished. Anyhow, Steele laid the tackle and kicked an excellent goal from the pocket to keep the Saints in touch.

Q2: 7 mins remaining: Richmond 6.1 (37) v 2.5 (17) St Kilda – If there’s a “rule of the week” on show tonight it is the deliberate out of bounds rule. Hannebery is the latest to be penalised with a minor indiscretion inviting Richmond to camp in St Kilda’s defensive territory. A goal seems inevitable, and Edwards delivers, snapping with great skill after St Kilda failed to clear their lines following a ball-in.

Q2: 8 mins remaining: Richmond 5.1 (31) v 2.5 (17) St Kilda – Speaking of King, he holds onto the ball in attack when he thinks he’s marked it (there was clearly a Richmond hand involved) so the Tigers mug him and burst forward at warp speed. They only get as far as the 50m arc though before indecision costs them and Houli is caught holding the ball.