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Red-hot Tigers win through to preliminary final

AFL

Richmond have broken their 16-year AFL finals drought, blitzing Geelong in the last quarter for a 51-point qualifying final win at the MCG.

Friday night became party time at Punt Rd for the long-suffering Tigers faithful as their team stormed into a preliminary final with the 13.13 (91) to 5.10 (40) triumph.

They are now just one win from their first grand final since 1982.

Their barren Septembers have lasted nearly as long as the war on terror - Richmond's last finals win was four days after 9/11.

It also snaps their 13-game losing streak against Geelong.

Brownlow Medal favourite Dustin Martin again showed he is worth every cent of his mega seven-year contract that was finalised last week.

After nearly three quarters of scrappy trench warfare between the two sides, his brilliance either side of three-quarter time sparked the Tigers and Martin was best afield.

Richmond blew Geelong away with seven goals to one in the last quarter.

Since winning the 2011 premiership, the Cats have only won two of nine finals.

They now are into the tougher side of the finals draw, facing a sudden-death semi-final next week, and also lost Cam Guthrie early in the second half with a calf muscle injury.

The Tigers dominated much of the first half, but the pressure was worthy of a grand final and mistakes were rife.

That extended to the scoreboard and Richmond's inaccuracy - at one stage they had kicked 3.10 - meant Geelong stayed in the game.

Geelong were goalless 25 minutes into the second term, but Steven Motlop ended the drought.

Cats stars Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield combined for a goal on the half-time siren and suddenly, the Cats only trailed by seven points.

Richmond fans spent half-time wondering if their torment was about to extend into a horrible new chapter.

The arm wrestle continued and Geelong drew level during the third term.

But crucially, the Tigers kept them at arm's length.

Then Martin did so literally, his trademark fend-off at half-back giving him the space for a blistering run down the outer wing.

That set up Dion Prestia for a goal that gave the Tigers a 13-point break at the last change.

He also set up the opening two goals of the last quarter with more genius as Richmond broke Geelong's resistance.

After 2001, the Tigers did not make the top eight until the three losing elimination finals from 2013-15.

Then came last season's disaster, where they plummeted out of the finals, but Richmond have enjoyed an outstanding renaissance this year.

Dangerfield was outstanding at times, but his efficiency was well down and defender Zach Tuohy was Geelong's best.

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