Sydney livewire Tom Papley has booted six targets in a 44-point AFL trouncing of Richmond which leaves the Tigers sinking right into a deep gap.
Papley’s career-high scoring feat was instrumental in Sydney’s 18.14 (122) to 11.12 (78) triumph of their Friday night time Collect Spherical fixture at Adelaide Oval.
The Swans led by 28 factors early within the third time period earlier than the Tigers rallied to creep inside six factors.
However Sydney completed with a Papley-propelled flourish, booting the final 5 targets to safe a 3rd win of the season.
Richmond are in strife with only a solitary win and a next-up date with flag fancies Melbourne.
Sydney’s Nick Blakey coated the lack of injured tall defenders Paddy McCartin and Tom McCartin with aplomb, gathering a team-high 29 disposals.
Chad Warner (26 disposals, one aim), backman Jake Lloyd (26 touches), Errol Gulden (25 possessions) had been additionally outstanding whereas all of Papley’s half-dozen strikes got here within the second half.
Swan Joel Amartey kicked two first-quarter majors earlier than straining a hamstring whereas teammate Isaac Heeney slotted two targets.
Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt (4 targets) was an attacking menace and teammates Liam Baker (35 touches), Jacob Hopper (32) and Tim Taranto (34) had been busy.
The Swans began brightly to guide 4.Four to 2.2 at quarter-time earlier than Amartey’s recreation ended a minute into the second stanza when he hobbled off with a left hamstring harm.
Sydney quickly skilled extra dangerous luck: a Lloyd long-shot was denied a aim when replays confirmed the ball flicked a flapping piece of promoting material on a aim submit which wasn’t tied down correctly.
The Swans managed three targets – together with one from AFL debutant Corey Warner – to Richmond’s one for the quarter and had been 21 factors up at halftime, 7.5 to three.8.
The Swans skipped 28 factors clear two minutes into the third time period earlier than a Richmond revival.
The Tigers kicked 5 of the following seven targets – Sydney’s two in that interval had been Papley stunners: a superb roving aim adopted by a working bomb.
Richmond snuck inside six factors and trailed by seven on the final change after scoring seven targets to 4 in 1 / 4 which ended with a flashpoint.
Tiger Shai Bolton was penalized for a harmful kick-in-danger close to Errol Gulden, who pushed the Richmond star – Bolton responded with a swinging strike which, luckily for him, solely landed on Swan’s shoulder.
Papley then once more took middle stage within the final quarter with three extra targets as Sydney powered to victory.
