It’s hard to undersell the importance of Dion Prestia to Richmond and it can be summed up by their two clashes with Carlton so far this year.
The Tigers led the Blues late into their Round 1 contest, before Prestia came off with a hamstring injury. Carlton would outscore the Tigers 47-7 in the final term to run over the top of them.
The Blues dominated the clearances, with Matt Kennedy and Patrick Cripps combining for 16, while Adam Cerra, Marc Pittonet and George Hewett combined for 14.
The injured Prestia only had two as Carlton controlled field position.
Fast forward to Round 14 and it was a different story. The Tigers won the clearance battle 41-28, a gap of 13.
Prestia won 13 clearances by himself, including four in the first quarter and four in the last. His presence in the midfield was almost singlehandedly the difference between the two teams.
Garry Lyon praised the 29-year-old for his performance and highlighted the difference he makes in the Richmond midfield.
“Dion Prestia on Thursday night, he had 13 clearances against the Carlton clearance machine,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“You know what happened in Round 1? Richmond led Carlton into the last quarter by three or four goals – and then Prestia does his hamstring.
“Bang, Carlton come charging over the top of them. He’s a super important player.
“I’m a bit late to the party, I know he’s been a super player for a long period of time, but when he’s not there it makes a huge difference to Richmond.”
Richmond will be looking to continue their march up the ladder when they take on Geelong this weekend.