The two sides will clash at second tier level for this first time since 2000 and the ‘dual venue’ curtain raiser provides the supporters of both sides with an opportunity to turn back the clock and see both the ‘First’ & ‘Seconds’ play on the one day.
The 4th placed Cats (3 wins, 1 loss) look set to go into the historic clash with a similar team to the one that defeated the North Ballarat Roosters by 25 points at Simonds Stadium last weekend.
Last weekend’s travelling AFL emergency Jordan Schroder, is the only confirmed incoming AFL listed player at this stage.
The seven-man AFL interchange bench of Jed Bews, Mark Blicavs, Taylor Hunt, Steven Motlop, Jackson Sheringham, Jackson Thurlow and Josh Walker have all been included in the squad.
St Joseph’s youngster Tom Atkins was this week added to the VFL list in place of VFL veteran Ben Raidme who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing a knee reconstruction.
Atkins, who has been in St Joseph’s best players in all three of their games this year, completed the entire pre-season with the Cats and has continued to train with the group as part of the development squad. The strongly built midfielder can now play 5 matches with the Cats as the 23rd player.
The Tigers who are coached by former Hawthorn midfielder Tim Clarke have had what could be described as an indifferent start to the season – a loss by 117 points to fellow newcomers Footscray Bulldogs, a 42-point victory over former spouse Coburg, a 70-point loss to competition heavyweights Williamstown and a draw on ANZAC Day against the Frankston Dolphins.
While it may be taking the new side a little while ‘gel’, when they do it is a scary proposition for the rest of the competition.
The Tigers have assembled a very talented and experienced VFL list that includes players such as Aaron Davey, Andrew McQualter, Nathan Batsanis, Ross Young and James Wall.
Combine these well-known names with AFL listed players such as Dylan Grimes, Ben Griffths, Matt Arnot, Matt Dea, Nathan Foley, Jake Batchelor, Brett O’Hanlon and Todd Banfield and they present a formidable line up.
The Tigers line up also looks set to contain two members of the 2012 VFL premiership side in former Cats ruckman Orren Stephenson and rookie listed key position player Ryan ‘Bubbles’ Bathie.
While a huge crowd is anticipated to attend the match, due to the ongoing redevelopment works around Punt Road Oval, there will be a reduced capacity of 2500 people able to access the venue on Sunday.
Unfortunately, the Jack Dyer Stand is also currently inaccessible, which means undercover seating is limited.
As a result it is recommended that the supporters of both clubs get in early with the gates opening at 10.30am and the match starting at 11.30am.
For fans of either side that cannot attend the match, Richmond Football Club will be live streaming the game with full commentary and score updates on its website richmondfc.com.au or tune into Richmond VFL Radio via the Richmond Football Club official app.
The match will also be tweeted live, follow @GeelongVFL on Twitter for all the action including live scores, stat updates and photos.
See full details of the match below.
Bendigo Bank Cats – Round 5 Selected Side
B: Jed Bews, Jake Kolodjashnij, James Toohey
HB: Jackson Thurlow, Joel Hamling, Taylor Hunt
C: Steven Motlop, Jarrad Jansen, Jackson Sheringham
HF: Bradley Hartman, Josh Walker, Dominic Gleeson (c)
F: Darcy Lang, Mitch Brown, Jack Hollmer
R: Mark Blicavs, Jesse Stringer, Jordan Schroder
I/C: (from) Andrew Banjanin, Mitch Herbison, Chris Lynch, Tom Maas, Matthew Sully, Daniel Gibbs, Kane Leersen, Luke Bath, James Linton, Zak Sherman, Dane McFarlane, Fraser Fort, Tom Atkins (23rd Player)
Venue access:
Entrance via gates near the Jack Dyer Stand, near the Tigerland Superstore, or corner of Punt Road and Brunton Avenue. Gates open at 10.30am.
Facilities:
Food and drinks will be available to purchase at the ground, and toilets available.
Entry Fees:
2014 Geelong Cats members – $5.00
Non-members: $10 Adult, $5 concession/pension
Children under 12 years - FREE
2014 Richmond Tigers members - FREE
