Essendon midfielder Darcy Parish was met with a chorus of boos from the Richmond faithful as he took to the stage to accept the Yiooken Award for best on ground, following the Bombers' Dreamtime defeat at the MCG.
Parish amassed a game-high 40 disposals in a dominant performance, but the Tigers supporters made their displeasure clear. The 28-year-old was involved in a scuffle on the wing that resulted in a 50-metre penalty against his side, which may have sparked the crowd's reaction.
Parish became only the second player to win the Yiooken Award from a losing side, and he cut a dejected figure as he accepted the honour from Aunty Pam Pedersen. "It's obviously a huge honour to play in this game," he said amid the boos. "All the credit to Richmond tonight, too good for us. I don't know what to say. We're out here to win and we didn't do the job tonight. We'll be back better next week, but I appreciate everyone coming out."
Former Essendon captain Zach Merrett expressed disappointment at the crowd's behaviour, telling Channel 7: "What an amazing occasion to be involved in for both clubs, and an award that means a lot to both clubs to win. It's a bit disappointing. I'm sure it was more around that incident on the far wing, giving a 50-metre penalty than anything personal. But I think it's a celebration of so much more than us tonight and hopefully that's not the main storyline."
Dreamtime at the 'G: Richmond Triumphs
Acting Richmond skipper Tim Taranto and milestone man Jayden Short, playing his 200th game, were instrumental in the Tigers' 10.14 (74) to 7.14 (56) victory on Friday night. Another massive crowd of 78,815 fans attended the annual 'Dreamtime at the 'G' centrepiece of Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round.
The Bombers (1-10) suffered a disastrous night, losing captain Andy McGrath to a broken jaw, Sam Durham (concussion), and Matt Guelfi (hamstring) before halftime. McGrath took an accidental elbow to the mouth in the second term and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Essendon's sixth-straight loss marks their worst start to a season in a decade and leaves them at the bottom of the ladder. For Richmond (2-9), the only downside was losing young tall Jonty Faull (concussion) after a heavy collision with Mason Redman.
Taranto shone with 29 disposals and eight clearances, Short gathered 30 touches and a goal, while Patrick Retschko (27 possessions), Tyler Sonsie (21), and Seth Campbell (21) were all busy. Tom Lynch and Steely Green kicked two goals each.
For Essendon, Parish (40 disposals, nine clearances), Merrett (36, four), and Archie Roberts (33 touches) fought hard, while Archer May (three) and Nate Caddy (two) both kicked multiple goals.
Match Highlights
Caddy had Bombers fans on their feet when he kicked their first goal and set up the second after a one-handed mark. But Durham and Guelfi were lost early, and Richmond led 4.5 to 2.2 at quarter-time.
Mykelti Lefau's soccer-inspired goal was the highlight of an even second term, and Short sparked Tigers celebrations when he slotted the first major after halftime. The margin reached a game-high 22 points, but an inaccurate Essendon dominated territory in the third quarter, booting 1.6 to 1.3 as May's third major helped them get within two straight kicks by the final change.
Jye Caldwell cut the deficit further, and there was a controversial moment when Archer Day-Wicks slid to rush a behind on the goal-line and took out Green's legs but was not penalised. It didn't matter as Lynch converted a set shot moments later to give Richmond breathing space, and second-gamer Noah Roberts-Thomson kicked the sealer in time-on.
Richmond have beaten Essendon by three goals in an emotional battle between the AFL's bottom two teams.
