Back to the classics again. Fearless Fred Swift is the dashing hero here, running and bouncing through his own goalsquare with John Sharrock in hot pursuit. And of course he takes the mark on the goal line seconds from full time. Bartlett’s goal at the start of this clip is notable for the emotion of the other players. Billy Barrot narrowly avoids decapitation at 1:22 with a lovely bit of evasive action. Butch Gale: “Oh they deserve this really, either side deserves it, what a glorious game its been”.
Go clean in 2015
What do we all want from our footy club? First, sustained success. And nothing else is remotely close. It’s daylight second. We want the club to win flags. But at any cost?
A few years back Cronulla were scratching for a jumper sponsor. An online dating agency pounced, offering a lucrative sponsorship. Catch: they specialised in extra-marital affairs. Cronulla said no. Did they go on to win the premiership proudly sponsored by the RSPCA or a local orphanage? I don’t think so. But I think they made the right call.
When people are asked why they love Richmond, people frequently mention the jumper. It’s a beautiful thing. The club have a video of 100 years of the sash – and it’s really inspiring. All the guernseys look so clean on the old footage, pre-sponsorship. But as long ago as the 1980 premiership we had the first logo sneak on, Tetley. Here is Newy talking about how the players feel about the jumper.
I’d like to do a business case for returning to a clean Richmond guernsey. Nothing on the sash. No green Bingle on the back. Straight away of course the club loses income, but let’s have a look at it. (To be clear I have no financial qualifications or interest in club administration. I am strictly a kicks and marks and goals and tackles man.)
Looking at the RFC annual report, the club got $3.9m last year from sponsorship. That buys a lot of footies and tackle bags. If we assume 75% of that comes from jumper sponsorship, then clean jumpers are going to cost three million dollars.
RFC got $6.4m from memberships, and $750,000 from merchandise sales. Will more people buy a non-sponsored jumper? Will more people sign up to the club? Will people pay 10% more for their memberships to be part of a club that values members above sponsors?
Because that is what I am really on about. I would want this move to be a symbol of a new Richmond that values its members and listens to what they have to say. That tries to embody what made the club great in earlier times. That is strong and bold and prepared to be different. Going back to my opening question of what members want, I suggest after success they want access and influence. We want to be able to communicate with the players without being treated like stalkers. We want a channel of feedback and response so we know the club has heard what we have to say.
The clean jumper is a maverick move, no doubt about it. No professional sports team that I can find in the world has ever turned it’s back on sponsorship on the uniform. Once advertising arrives it stays. (There are some examples of Championship clubs in the FA donating the space to charities for a season or a few games.) Of course there is more involved than the jumpers, apparently the boys all ‘drive home proud’ in their Bingle-insured Jeeps after games such as the 50 point loss to Essendon. So they’d probably have to take the train a la Riewoldt or maybe buy their own cars.
But think of the attention it would gain for the club! Think of the ‘First Adopter’ advantage. I can imagine fans of other clubs saying “I wish we had been the ones with the guts to do that”. The club is in a strong financial position right now but it’s culture is muddled and there feels like a disconnect between the club and the fans. On field we seem to be stuck in a 10 year loop of minor success, major face-plant. Strong and bold leadership is required. What have we got to lose at the moment?
Sometimes the one thing that grabs your attention in amongst all the noise is a bit of silence. Football has never been visually noisier – it’s a logo nightmare as this fantastic piece of work by John at Holy Boot’s Emporium shows.
Imagine if Richmond had something no-one else in footy could match – that is actually something that would attract sponsors. But they would be sponsors who understand there is more than one way to engage with a footy club, and to have a mutually beneficial partnership.
What if RFC could embrace the community and put the fans at the centre of the club for one year. They might find they don’t need to spend $2,867,546 on marketing and promotional activities like they did in the last financial year.
One year with no jumper sponsor, with slightly higher memberships. A player in that guernsey is representing Richmond and nothing else, not a car or a bank. After one year the CEO and the COO and the CFO etc can sit down and decide on a proper financial basis whether to continue. What do you think?
1990 (?) Another stunning Michael Mitchell grab
Two seconds of death-defying magic. This was a miserable period to follow Richmond. I lived in Melbourne then and going to games you just held out hope for some Mitch Magic. Is this Richmond v Bears? Or is it Claremont v Subiaco?
1990 Anzac Day v Fitzroy – Michael Mitchell takes the Mark of the Year
When someone takes one of these screamers within range, the goal ump should just signal a goal. Save us the anticlimax. Thanks for the tipoff @EastEmAliveTiger.
1995 R15 – Draw with Essendon, two Tiger broken jaws
Although this ended in a draw there is some inspiring play here. Chris Bond at 1:28 and Maxfield’s subsequent goal.
1980 2nd semi – Hungry scalds the Cats
This starts with four Tigers getting hammered by friendly fire, but gets better. Lovely cameos from Scratcher Neal and Michael Turner, then it settles into a groove of Kevin, combover flapping, doing u-turn after u-turn and dobbing goal after goal. Vale the lace-up jumper.
1977 R2 v Hawthorn – Tigers Have It On A String
Robert Lamb and Noel Carter catch the eye here. I don’t remember Lamb at all but he top scored in this match. Jim Jess pulls down a massive pack mark to seal it. Straight through the hi-diddle-diddle, goal umpy gives it only one finger then quickly corrects himself. I love to see the old goal umps lean right back, stick out their guts and pump their arms. A bit of showmanship. Hudson is in his comeback for Hawthorn – comes out in the last quarter in a short sleeve jumper No 54. Another highlight – Drew sounds like he’s come to work with his dad on a student-free day.
Chapter 10: on some other Sydney team
We have no feuds, anymore. We have no rivalries. We have no fighting words. Our lives this winter look to be filled only with curses.
Tell me it could be some other way? Tell me there’s hope.
I write this on my way to Canberra, from where I will catch a bus to the game with the good people of the Capital Tigers supporter group, but I tell them not that I come with luggage. My bags, they are heavy and weighted not with expectation, but with boots.
Boots to take from mouths, boots to remove from backsides. Boots to brandish. Boots to wear to the football.
I mean not to kick a club when it is down but, really, what has happened here?
We beat these confected Giants by a cricket score last we played, but I am no so sure anymore. I cannot think what might happen if we were to lose on Saturday. I live in fear. Our team look to be playing in fear. It is a sad state of affairs, dear Tigers. But it is our state, and these are our affairs.
In the past off season, Dusty strayed and was seen wandering somewhere around western Sydney – do they really call it Spotless Stadium? – but he returned to the fold. And last Saturday it could be said he was one of our few to play with the spirit of our dearly beloved Tommy. He was a Tiger, Dusty was a Tiger.
Maybe there is hope.
Maybe the team will heal on a trip away. Maybe there will be a volcanic eruption somewhere, a plume of ash – an act of god – and the team will be forced to return on a bus, on which like us Capital Tigers we will get to know each other, and they again will be a football team who we make arrangements to watch.
We live in hope. We dare not upset all the GWS high draft picks. We pity their supporters. We have no idea of their song lyrics. We wonder if ever we’ll play them in Melbourne. And if we lose on Saturday, we will…
This chapter in the Book of non-Feuds is now closed.
Round Ten – It’s a bit fishy
GEELONG will be smotherring the Kangaroos. The Cats are tailor made for this.
Some may be tempted to pick the erratic kangas, but you couldn’t be mor wong
GreWS and the wounded TIGGERRRSSS. Giants are moddy coddled. This not a game of grab ass
Tigers are floundering, and fans want a head on a pike as the coach tries to fix the disposal monkey.
PIES and Eagles. The local wahoo Joffa should be able to put on his leather jacket early in this one.
The Eagles will need to shake a leg to snap performance issues
PORT and Hawks. I feel that after this session Port will be the sole team on top of the perch
The injury raddled hawks, may have roughy but they got no plaice to hide
SUNS in a complet rout against the Bulldogs. For the Suns it should be a macabre amount of goals.
The doggies are just not good enough to disturb other teams game plans
Blues will be sushi for the CROWS Carlton need to get their skates on or
Tex the big mullet head will feast on undersized blue fin tuna and kick scads of goals
EASY TIGER
2003 R8 v Melbourne – False dawn #147
Tempted to call this one The Tale of Two Vardys. Huge marks at the end from Richo, Stafford and finally I think that’s Royce Vardy taking a screamer just before the siren. We were in the top three after this game. Do you remember how many more games we won that year? One.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- …
- 20
- Next Page »