Graham: the Tigers' silver lining

ONE of the few positives that can be found from the disaster that is Richmond's season has been the development of King Island ruckman Angus Graham, and this was evident at the MCG on Saturday as the Tigers lost to Brisbane. Taking advantage of the Lions' limited ruck options, 22-year-old Graham was the dominant big-man on the ground, finishing with 21 hit- outs, six tackles, 19 disposals and eight marks. He was also able to push forward and kick a goal following a contested mark in the second quarter, indicating he may be able to help the Tigers' forward structure in the absence of Matthew Richardson. Clarence's Jack Riewoldt is another that the Richmond faithful will be hoping can fill the hole that Richardson has left, but he will need to improve on his performance from Saturday when he failed to trouble the scorers, collecting only nine possessions and five marks. Brisbane's Justin Sherman, also originally from Clarence, did not have that problem, kicking a clever soccer goal in the final quarter and finishing with 19 touches. Former Launceston ruckman Tom Bellchambers played his first game for the season and most impressive of his short career on Friday night for Essendon. Bellchambers won 10 hit-outs, six touches and kicked 1.1 in Essendon's defeat of premier Hawthorn. Beauty Point's Sam Lonergan also did his bit in the Bombers' midfield, collecting 16 possessions, five marks and kicking 1.1. For the Hawks, Devonport's Grant Birchall was outstanding in his first game back from a broken thumb, collecting 27 possessions and five marks, while Campbell Town's Simon Taylor won 30 hit-outs and collected nine touches. Carlton's Glenorchy duo of Aaron Joseph and Simon Wiggins had mixed evenings on Saturday as the Blues crashed to Fremantle at Gold Coast Stadium. Joseph collected 14 touches and kicked an important goal in the final quarter to keep Carlton's chances alive, while Wiggins had his quietest match for the year, having no impact in the Blues' forward line. Penguin's Russell Robertson kicked two goals in Melbourne's loss to West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Sunday, while Devonport's Brady Rawlings was a late withdrawal for North Melbourne on Saturday night with a leg injury.