Richmond, Brisbane play out a draw
Richmond broke their winless streak but are still without an AFL victory in 2007 after they drew with the Brisbane Lions at Telstra Dome.
In more heartbreak for the Tigers, they booted the only two goals of the last quarter and then had the last few attacking thrusts in the game but could not break the deadlock.
Kayne Pettifer's goal with less than two minutes levelled the scores at 10.13 (73) and they remained that way despite some agonisingly close plays in the final frantic seconds.
Richmond captain Kane Johnson almost produced the winning play when he marked one-handed on centre wing with only seconds left and then passed to a teammate, only for the ball to land just short and into the Lions' arms.
While the result provided more angst for the Tigers, the Lions can thank Troy Selwood for laying a score-saving tackle on Greg Tivendale with about a minute left, preventing the Tigers veteran from getting a kick away.
Richmond were the more urgent side of the final quarter and might have deserved the victory after they rallied from 13 points down at the final change and their supporters cheered them off despite their inability to win.
The result - the first draw of the season - at least gives Richmond their first two points this season after nine losses, while the Lions are also winless from their past four games, having lost their previous three before Saturday night.
The Lions managed only three behinds in the final quarter and looked to have had the game won at the final change after Nigel Lappin threaded a miracle goal from deep in the pocket just as the siren went.
But the Tigers rallied and produced goals through Richard Tambling and Pettifer, who both kicked truly from marks.
It was arguably a case of which side threw away a win; both made countless mistakes and missed golden opportunities.
Richmond jumped to a handy lead midway through the second quarter, while the Lions dominated play early and should have been further in front given the easy shots they missed.
Lappin and Tim Notting were the Lions' best, while Rhan Hooper did well in his first game of the season and Joel Patfull proved a handful in the forward line with three goals.
The Lions did well to dominate most of the game given they got only moderate games from key forward Jonathan Brown and star midfielder Simon Black, who was well held by Daniel Jackson.
Nathan Foley, Johnson and Jake King all did well for the Tigers, Joel Bowden played well on Brown and Matthew Richardson and Tambling both booted two goals.
The result left Richmond outright bottom after Melbourne's breakthrough win over Adelaide and it left rival coaches Leigh Matthews and Terry Wallace both disappointed.
Brisbane's Matthews said: "When you're in front with five minutes to go and you lose you feel a little bit more aggrieved that you lost rather than you drew it, because we were in front and they kicked the last score to draw it."
Wallace said the players lifted from one of the poorest first halves he had seen, but said the overriding emotion was still disappointment.
"We came here to win and we didn't get the win, so as far as we're concerned we're disappointed with that," he said.
Wallace said the Tigers could not salvage anything from the game despite winning their first points of the season and even suggested extra-time would have made for a better spectacle.
"I've never been a great one for draws," he said.
"I think everyone feels lousy about them. I don't know what the (solution) is, whether you can play five minutes each way and get a result.
"I think that would be a better stand-out, then your crowd's in the game.
"Both crowds go away and (are) meant to be happy and (are) meant to be sad and I still like a result in a game of footy."
Wallace said he had no issue with Johnson's inability to hit a target on the last play, as the Tigers had other opportunities earlier in the final quarter.
"He had Shane Edwards in short and Kayne Pettifer over the back," he said.
"He went for Kayne, but the kick just didn't have the depth and penetration, he'd (Johnson) run most of the last quarter and was a little bit tired in the legs and couldn't get it over the top."
The Lions are likely to be without veteran defender Chris Johnson for some time after he suffered a recurrence of the foot problem plantar fasciitis, which affects the heel of his foot.
"What that means in a timeframe I don't know but he's certainly gone for a little while," Matthews said.
Matthews was impressed with the performance of Hooper, who walked out on the club earlier this year and has finally got himself ready to play again.
"We think he's quite a talented young player but he didn't want to be involved for a couple of months," he said.
"It means round 10 is the first time he was ready to come in and have a go at senior level so he's wasted half a season, but I thought he was good and very important for us tonight."
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