The Northern Blues withstood a spirited Richmond comeback to prevail by seven points at ME Bank Centre on Saturday.

Northern lead by as much as 41 points in the third quarter: however, a resilient second half fightback saw an incredibly nervous finish for the Blues.

It was a game largely shaped by outstanding pressure from both sides particularly early on, with the ball carrier barely given any time and space.

The first term saw the Blues kick out to a 17-point lead at the first change, spurred on by two goals from Tim Totevski, in his return from an injury which had kept him out of the seniors since Round 1. 

The second quarter saw the Blues continue with the groundwork laid in the opening stages. However, as has been the case on a number of occasions this season, poor goal kicking prevented the Blues from kicking away: 3.8 for the term saw a comfortable 35-point lead but one which was always at risk of being roped back.

If it was purely inaccuracy preventing Northern from kicking away, then it was the very same factor that prevented Richmond from taking the lead in the closing stages.

After a terrific team goal from Michael Dufficy put the Blues almost seven goals up, the Tigers proceeded to kick nine of the next 12 to trail by just one point with minutes remaining in the game.

Richmond dominated all facets of the game in the last term (+45 disposals, +18 marks, +25 handball receives) yet couldn’t find a way to get in front of the Blues on the scoreboard.

It was a resilient effort from a Blues team who were out on the feet in the second half. Northern lost second-gamer Jordan Perry (leg) in the first term and didn’t return to the field of play.

The win - the Blues’ second on the trot - was inspired by the prolific likes of Jaryd Cachia, Kane Lucas and Sam Cattapan, who were highly influential in the midfield battle.

Cachia was huge in the clinches, finishing with 29 disposals to be the highest disposal winner for the Blues on the day.

Their good work in the middle saw Blaine Johnson (three goals) up forward reap the rewards. The recent Carlton rookie elevation kicked the sealing goal at the 29-minute mark after Richmond had six of the last seven scoring shots.

The defensive effort from Northern was also a highlight for the afternoon, both in terms of the back six and the team as a whole. The team finished with 82 tackles to 48, with 21 of those in the Blues’ forward 50.

The win was also the second consecutive victory for the Blues, and in the process getting ahead of the ledger with five wins and four losses.

Speaking post-match, midfielder Lucas spoke of the importance of the victory, especially given how the last term was nothing short of a grind.

“It was a bit closer than what we wanted which wasn’t ideal, but we can take heart out of showing some spirit and getting the four points in the end,” Lucas said. 

Lucas lamented a drop off from the team as a whole as factors for letting the Tigers in, but said it was heartening that the Blues managed to hold on once again.

“A number of things let them back into it, our pressure was down and the loss in rotation really hurt as they got their run going.

“In the end, it was good to dig deep and get our second win on the trot.”

“Bendigo (next week’s opponents) present another challenge next week.

“We won three in a row to start the season and next week we have a chance to do it again, so a win against Bendigo will hold us in good stead.”

The Blues will next weekend make the long trip up Queen Elizabeth Oval to face Bendigo Gold on Sunday.

NORTHERN BLUES                 4.3       7.11     9.12     12.15. (87)
RICHMOND TIGERS               1.4       2.6       7.12     11.14. (80)

GOALS
NORTHERN: Johnson 3, Wilson 2, Totevski 2, Thomas 2, Taglieri, Temay, Dufficy 
RICHMOND: McBean 3, Williams 2, O''Hanlon 2, Lloyd 2, Arnot, Bathie

BEST
NORTHERN: Johnson, McInnes, Thomas, Dirago, Cachia, Lucas
RICHMOND: Young, Arnot, Batsanis, Wynne, Lloyd, O’Hanlon