Round 3, 1997 - Western Bulldogs vs Richmond

Richmond have dropped their first game of the year, going down to a fast finishing Western Bulldogs by 19 points at the MCG.

The Tigers held a slender lead after each of the first 3 quarters, but a 7-goal final term by the Bulldogs ended in a 16.9 (105) to 12.14 (86) loss for the Tigers.

Brendon Gale gets a handball away against the Bulldogs at the MCG.

The game saw the debut of a long haired and ponytailed Nathan Brown, who little did he know would be pulling on the yellow and black some years down the track.

Richmond got off to a strong start early, with spearhead Matthew Richardson getting amongst the goals, kicking 3 of them in the first term.

It was a feisty affair (which would only grow as the seasons went on) with lots of spotfires breaking out across the ground, for the entire match really.

The Bulldogs gained the ascendancy in the second term and ended up taking the lead, before Richmond were able to kick a couple late to get back in front ahead of the halftime break.

Richmond's inability to convert going inside 50 and on the scoreboard really hampered them and kept the Bulldogs in it during the third term, with the Tigers booting 3.6 which effectively kept the Dogs in the contest heading into the final change.

The Bulldogs got off to a cracking start in the final term, kicking 3 goals in the opening 5 minutes, and then kicking the next 2 after that to break the game open and effectively end it then and there.

Rubbing salt into the wound late for Richmond would be the hamstring strain to Brendon Gale, who would miss the next two weeks as a result.

Matthew Richardson was once again Richmond's best, booting 6.5 and taking 11 marks in an all-round dominant display.

Paul Broderick was prolific again with 27 disposals and his immaculate ball-use helped his side get out in space from the middle often, while young Ross Funcke played his best game for the club, while his 8 disposals were modest, his intercept play and fight at ground level gave a real boost to the Tigers.

It was a milestone game for Ashley Prescott, who played his 50th game, while Justin Charles would kick his 50th goal in AFL football as well.

Stats for the game courtesy of AFL Tables

A Fighting Fury player ratings - click here for explanation

Matthew Richardson	10
Paul Broderick	8
Ross Funcke	8
Wayne Campbell	6
Darren Gaspar	6
Michael Gale	5
Justin Charles	5
Scott Turner	5
Duncan Kellaway	4
Joel Bowden	4
Chris Naish	4
Brendon Gale	4
Matthew Rogers	3
Mark Merenda	3
Ben Holland	2
Chris Bond	2
Ashley Prescott	2
Ben Harrison	2
Nick Daffy	1
Damien Ryan	1
Trent Nichols	1