AFL 2022: Richmond Tigers beat Essendon Bombers to score as Jake Stringer knocked out with nasty hit to Marrion Pickett’s knee

The Bombers got off to a solid start and were keeping pace with Richmond in the first half when Stringer was knocked out.

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Stringer was knocked out in a marking contest and while chasing a loose ball in Essendon, Pickett tried to jump over Stringer but accidentally hit the back of his head with his knee.

Stringer was on all fours and was very limp from the field until he was rescued by medical staff.

He was quickly replaced from the game and replaced by Jye Menzie.

“It was a big blow to the back of the head,” said Abbie Holmes of Channel 7.

“This is a head knock as hard as you’ll find on the field,” Nathan Buckley told Fox Footy.

“First of all, it was terrible for Jake Stringer and his family and the Bombers fans.

Jonathan Brown added:

Premiership dark horses Richmond will advance to the finals on a four-game winning streak after a 21.15 (141) to 11.9 (75) win over the Bombers.

The Tigers are looking to become the second team in VFL/AFL history to win the flag from seventh place behind the Bulldogs in 2016, and their fourth premiership in six years.

Either Collingwood or Brisbane will lock the Tigers and Horns in the Elimination Finals depending on the Magpies’ result against Carlton on Sunday.

But all eyes were on the dysfunctional Bombers and their biggest loss of the week was missing master coach Alastair Clarkson, who chose to take over the reins of North Melbourne instead. .

A last-minute Clarkson mission in Essendon blinded incumbent Ben Wratten. Whether it will continue into 2023 will become clear on Sunday, but is considered highly unlikely.

Rutten led the Bombers to the finals in his first season last year, but they plummeted to the bottom four as they lacked defense.

That shortfall was exposed again at the MCG on Saturday night, when Richmond scored a ruthless 21 goals and 141 points overall.

The margin exploded to 56 points midway through the third term, with Tom Lynch scoring three of his five goals and former skipper Trent Cotchin coming alive with nine touches in the quarter.

Dion Prestia is comfortably the best Tiger on the field and looks poised to make a difference in September when the Damian Hardwick-led team welcomes Dustin Martin (Hamstring).

The only downside was that Tigers frontrunner Tom Lynch ended the game on the bench with ice on the right side of his groin after scoring five goals in the second half.

Lynch ended his night prematurely, two goals short of a revived Blue Charlie Curnow after starting a late bid to clinch the Coleman Medal.

— with Mark McGowan of NCA Newswire

first published as Nasty hit with Essendon policeman Jake Stringer’s ‘massive’ head knock