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Saturday 20 July 2019
It’s a bit of a shock to go to the footy on a Saturday afternoon. Clearly it was too much for most Richmond members, as only forty odd thousand turned up on this sunny day. I will try to curtail my usual whinges on this subject, but the fact is that there is little for our supporters to do. Our famed passion and loud voices are drowned out, all the time. Before the game starts one of the annoying signs on the fences reads, in yellow and black, “Restore the Roar.” Exactly at this time, loud thumping music is obliterating any crowd noise that might be made. For all the great things they are doing in so many areas, in this respect our Club is run by fools.

But there is much about this day to like. For one thing, my niece, who is 23 and hadn’t kicked a footy in anger until a year or two ago, is playing for Melbourne Uni against Fitzroy at Victoria Park. The first bounce is at midday so I catch an early train, step off at Vic Park at 11.45 and watch the first half of her game with her parents. She goes all right and her team are winning at half time. None of us ever, ever dreamed that one day we’d be here watching her – or any women’s team for that matter – playing the game we love.

Thanks to the magic of the Mernda Line I’m at the ‘G well before the Tigers game starts. I get a good spot in M9 against the barrier where I can lean my notepad and record and soak up the loud music. It’s an odd feeling to go to Richmond games expecting to win. And where once that expectation came with a greater expectation – “if we expect to win, we probably won’t” – these Tigers actually do win when they’re meant to. And yet Port aren’t that bad, only a game or two behind us despite plenty of injuries. And apparently, we haven’t beaten them here for 21 years. That must take us back almost to the day when we thumped the first-year Port Adelaide and Duncan Kellaway kicked a goal late in the last.

Port are playing in a light-blue jumper which I don’t care for. But I don’t like their normal jumper much either. The Richmond banner goes up. It incorporates the name of our “Match Day Sponsor”, Otterbox. Remind me never to use that product, even if my life depends on it. How dare they taint the banner with their corporate shite. People give up hours of their precious time to put that banner together. Putting an ad on it just isn’t right, I don’t care how much money the club gets for it.

Graham and Baker are in, two handy inclusion, for Egg and Mac. I’m not sure why those two are out, I thought Mac played quite well last week against the Giants.

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Our players look magnificent warming up in the sunshine at the Punt Road End. Queen is belting out over us. The pre-match build-up, the crowd getting louder and louder, is just distant memory now. A thumping count-down clock takes us up to the first bounce. This is imposed on us by Footy’s Ruling Class, people who never pay for a ticket or miss a Grand Final, people who possibly don’t even know people who pay to watch their team play. People who haven’t the faintest idea of how committed your everyday footy supporter is.

The Ruling Class pay marketers – 25 at last count in the RFC’s case – to come up with new ideas “to get the crowd involved.” Each idea is more inane and insulting than the last. The Countdown Clock is one such innovation, as if your average supporter had no idea that a match was about to start, the players taking up positions on the ground, the umpires checking that all is right in the centre square, that the hysterical, blood-curdling roar of forty thousand of the like-minded were not enough to tell them that a game was about to start…

I’m sorry, I really am trying not to whinge about this stuff. There’s a game to report on.

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We kick to the Punt Road end and start well. Bolton handballs to Prestia who goals on the run from 55 out. Lynch snaps a behind while being tackled. Then Chol passes to him again, he marks and goals from 50. Then Rioli handballs to Dusty who goals and 14 minutes have gone and we lead 3.2 to two points and long may it continue.
Howard for Port marks too easily and goals from 35. Then Butters steals the ball from Grimes after Shedda passed to him when he shouldn’t have and Port have two goals and I don’t like it. Richmond attack again but stuff it up. With too many options nobody seems prepared just to bang the ball forward and see what happens. But Riewoldt ends up being pushed in the back without the footy and goals from the free kick. We lead 4.2 to 2.2 with 18 gone.

Port win a free on their forward line for being Port Adelaide but miss. A very elaborate Tiger attack follows and Prestia kicks a point. We are finessing in way that will make Tommy Hafey rise from the grave in frustration. Graham kicks us another point from a long way out, it’s good to see him have a crack at it, at least. Port rebound and Grimes takes a great mark in defence. Then a stroke of luck for Richmond. From defence Port kick out on the full but Westhoff, to make sure that the ball is actually out, fists it away to make sure and the ump gives a 50 against him. Ridiculous. It’s not at all clear that he actually broke any rule at all. Still it gifts Graham a goal and we lead by three with 26 gone.

Richmond attack again with no result. One of the louder men in M9 yells out, “Go hard or go home Chol! Which, in light of recent events, and events stretching back into the grimmest pages of history, is pretty gross. Saying it to him is not quite the same as saying it to Grimes or Cotchin.

We lead by three goals at quarter time and our fussiness in attack has been very frustrating. Everyone seems terrified of being the one to lose the footy so they’re all looking for the easy pass.

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This continues early in the second when another attack founders when the ball is handpassed out of bounds in the pocket. But Stack makes up for our fumbling with some magical movement. He evades two tacklers before handballing to Riewoldt who goals from 15 out. We lead 6.4 to 2.4 with six minutes gone. Charlie Dixon pulls one back for Port, then Karl Amon adds another and our lead is down to two goals. Port seem to be defending very well, with all their tall players back and are dangerous on the rebound.

Baker is collected high and Port win a free kick. What do you expect? Only a point results. Chol wins a free for holding the ball and goals from 30 out. He seems to be a reliable set shot. He slotted a beauty from the pocket last week against the Giants.
Richmond attack quickly after the re-start, Lynch marks, Riewoldt marks, another goal from 30 out and we’re almost four goals up again.

But the electronic roar after each of our goals becomes more and more grating.

At half-time we lead 8.5 to 4.6. We’re still over-using the ball, but I’m glad we’re winning.

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At half time I am struck by the beauty of people standing and talking to each other in the bright winter sunshine at the Punt Road End. The music, a bit less loud and intrusive than usual (but still completely unnecessary) includes Paul Kelly’s song about making gravy. Apparently, they play songs from one of the Richmond players’ top five selection. Usually these are bands and singers I’ve never heard of, but today it’s Townsend’s turn and he likes the old stuff. Kelly, John Denver, Hall and Oates, even a Farnham song.

I want us to start the third term with a bang but Port score first and the lead is under three goals. Then Dixon for Port wins a free, literally for falling over, but kicks only a point. Port are setting up well across the ground and there is no space for the Tigers to run into. Then Shedda gathers and kicks to Lynch who marks 20 out and goals and I feel better. Another stuffed-up attack shortly after shows we haven’t lost the knack though.

Port get another lucky one when Amon marks a kick that had barely gone 15 feet but is awarded the mark and goals. Stack saves us again when he steals the footy, gathers and handpasses to Ellis for a goal. The quarter is half over and we lead 10.5 to 6.7. Rioli, who’s been having a mixed game, passes perfectly to Lynch 30 metres out but he misses the shot. Then Dusty finds Castagna in the pocket with a 55-metre pass and George scores from the tight angle. George has had a very good season so far, his set shots have often been brilliant and his footwork at time has been Messi-like.

Ellis kicks into the 50 and the oft-maligned Soldo rises and marks in a pack, 25 out. Goes back and kicks it and his team-mates gather around him in celebration. Port get one back through Amon again, who won’t go away.

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We lead by five goals at the last break and I begrudge Port that last goal. We’ve been more direct and have reaped the rewards. The last term starts well when Lynch snaps and goals while being tackled. Then Riewoldt holds a one-handed mark, kicks to the square where Shedda gathers and goals. We’re seven goals up and hungry for more.

Port get one back, Stack marks right in front but misses. He’s human after all. Chol marks, passes to Lynch who marks and misses from a tight angle. Then marks and misses again. At the 25-minute mark Stack handballs to Rioli who goals and we’re seven goals up again. Riewoldt marks a pass from Baker but misses. Port get the last goal of the game and we win by 38 points.

Final Score: Richmond 15.11.101 Port Adelaide 9.9.63

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It really is a great thing to be winning the games we’re expected to win. It’s what good teams do. And I think there’s plenty of room for improvement with this team. They look like a good team who are still learning how to work together, which they are. I doubt if we’ve had the same team on the park two weeks in a row this season. And the quality of the players who want to fight their way back in is very impressive – Caddy, Nankervis, Mac, Egg, Ross, Townsend and his daggy songs… I’m not expecting Rance to perform miracles, though.

I thought our best players were defenders – Grimes, Astbury, Broad and Houli all did well. Soldo and Chol were solid in the ruck and around the ground. Dusty was good – well, very good, actually. I do hold him to high standards though. But his 55m pass to Castagna in the third was a thing of beauty. Bolton and Stack were very good too. Stack has a knack of doing the special thing when we need it most.

Next week against the Pies we need fewer stats and more goals. That’s not too much to ask is it?

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Benny Votes by Lapsed Tiger

5 Tom Lynch
4 Dylan Grimes
3 Dustin Martin
2 David Astbury
1 Dion Prestia

Leaderboard

Houli 33
Martin 31
Grimes 24
Edwards 22
Vlastuin, Lynch 21
Stack, Prestia  18
Lambert 12
Ellis 11
Cotchin, Bolton 7
Castagna 6
Nankervis 5
Baker, Broad 4
Chol 3
Astbury, Ross, Naish 2
Rioli, Balta 1

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Richmond went into this match overwhelming underdogs. The week before we’d been beaten by Geelong by 12 goals after a good first quarter. Adelaide had giant-killed the Corporate Giants and so proven themselves to be The Real Thing. We still had lots of players injured and Cotchin had been added to the list, again, as well as deputy deputy skipper Sheds.

We love Dusty but were disappointed that he, and not Sheds was tossing the coin. I don’t know if we’ve lost a game under Sheds, but there you go.

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In the first half nearly everything goes right. We tackle in the forward 50 like it’s 2017 again and our chances are converted. Mabior Chol, in only his second game and his first since 2016, scores in the first minutes with a quick soccer snap. He goes on to have a good night, taking turns in the ruck and up forward. Lynch has a good night too and Rioli seems to have his kicking boots on again. Adelaide’s big guns, Walker and Jenkins and miss from right in front.

Adelaide come back in the second but Richmond hit back hard late in the quarter and lead by 11 at the big break. At home we’re bubbling with excitement. The Tigers are back and are going to pull off a big upset.
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In the third we somehow let the Crows kick five goals in a row. Taylor and Jenkins figure out that it’s the big sticks they’re meant to kick between and Garthwaite, while trying hard, is no match for them. At the last break Adelaide lead by 13 but we haven’t given up.

In the last we let them kick another five in a row. This is a mistake by the Tigers. If I were Dimma I’d advise against letting your opponents kick more than a couple. Early in the quarter Caddy goals and there’s only a goal in it but after that hope leaches away. We’re clearly under-gunned and too many of Adelaide’s 2017 GF team have had very good games. The Crouch brothers have about a hundred touches between them. Jenkins gets injured, but apparently not too badly, right at the end. I hate to see great players injured but gee, it would have been handy if he’d done it in the first minute of the game and not the last.
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In the end we lose by 35 points which is very disappointing after being so close for so long. The game is saved from being totally forgettable by a ridiculous Eddie Betts goal deep into time-on in the last, with the match already lost. From right on the boundary, a good way out, he snaps and scores. The goal would be memorable anyway, were it not something Betts has done twenty times before, but Sydney Stack, by openly congratulating him straight after, makes it a talking point.

He had said something to Betts earlier – “no special goals tonight, brother” – and in fact Betts had been pretty well held. It was Walker and Jenkins who did most of the damage up forward. But when he pulled this off Stack had to acknowledge his genius. And also admit, publicly, that when you’re six goals down in time on and Betts pulls off a stroke of genius like this, that you can say, “It’s just a game that we play for fun.” Because, if you can’t say that, what’s the point of anything?

Game recognise game.

Sydney Stack shows his appreciation for Eddie’s brilliance! #AFLCrowsTigers pic.twitter.com/nVWOdOdWho
— AFL (@AFL) June 13, 2019

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Houli is our best player. He does the things he has to do and he does them well and he does them all night. Dusty plays well and kicks a couple, as does Rioli. Chol has a very good game and I’d keep him in the team. Vlaustin, Grimes and Stack all played very well. Early in the game Stack steamed through a crowded centre corridor like a very fast, agile, steaming thing. Prestia gets a good bit of the footy but misses goals I wish he’d kicked. The magic seems to have faded a bit for Jack Higgins – footy is starting to look as hard for him as it is for everyone else.

This match seems a long time ago now. I did enjoy not having a game to worry about last weekend. Now to the Saints at Docklands at the traditional time of 1.10pm Sunday. I don’t think I’ll pay to go to this one so might do a radio match report.

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Benny Votes

Houli 5, Martin 4, Prestia 3, Stack 2, Lynch 1

Leaderboard

Houli 30
Martin 23
Edwards 22
Vlastuin 20
Grimes 18
Stack 14
Lynch 13
Prestia 12
Ellis 11
Bolton 6
Cotchin, Nankervis 5
Baker 4
Broad, Lambert 3
Ross, Naish 2
Rioli, Castagna, Balta 1

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All week I have had an absurd feeling of confidence about this game. Expecting a big crowd, I get to the ground an hour before the start and find myself almost alone in M9. My brother, a Geelong supporter, is in the stands somewhere and we agree to catch up at half-time.

I like the look of our team. Naish is making his debut, Graham, Townsend and Rioli feel like big-gun premiership-winning inclusions, because they are. Ablett is playing for the Cats but shouldn’t be. Three strikes to the head for a one-week suspension looks weak to everyone who’s not a Cats supporter and many who are. And his last strike was to the face Anthony Miles, still dear to our Tiger hearts. But it doesn’t matter because whoever we play on Ablett will tag him out of the game.

The corporate music seems louder than ever. The pre-match build-up which once tingled the spine and curdled the blood is now just like being at a bad night club. I wonder, if Richmond go through another slump, will they keep any of their supporters? If we can’t chant and sing and be heard and if our team doesn’t win why would we go and watch them?

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Mercifully, the game begins and Richmond are ferocious and Geelong totally fail to destroy us in the opening minutes. I think back fondly to the qualifying final in 2017. My relief then that we were still in it after two minutes. Richmond thwart an early Geelong attack, Baker wins a holding-the-ball free and passes to Lynch who marks kicks out on the full. Never mind, he’ll get the next one.
Mac passes beautifully to Martin who marks in the pocket and goals. From the centre bounce the ball is kicked to Lynch who misses again from 47 out. Not long after this Naish gathers in the pocket, scoots along and kicks his first goal in the big league on a bit of an angle and his mates swarm to pat him on the head. Surely he is in for a big night and the Tigers are looking good. Full of running and keeping the ball in their forward 50 where it belongs.

Caddy snaps and misses and at quarter time it’s 2.1.13 to 0.2.2.

The idea of keeping the Cats goal-less for the whole game is a very pleasing one. Still, for all our domination we’re not exactly miles in front and some easy chances were missed. But when Geelong have attacked, we’ve defended well and Soldo has been good in the ruck and around the ground.
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The second quarter starts badly when Ratugolea marks and goals from 45 out on a tough angle. Geelong are kicking to the Punt Road End now so this is right in front of me. But Richmond continue to defend frantically and what seems like another certain goal to Geelong becomes a rushed point. Then Gary Rohan – shouldn’t he still be at Sydney? I liked him there – marks 25 out and goals and we’re behind, 2.1 to 2.4.

Things get worse when Naish grabs the footy and charges out of the back-line, but not quickly enough. He’s run down, the Geelong crowd go nuts and they score from the free. Of course they do. The Cats are getting the footy easily and attacking at will. Our players are losing confidence and when they win the footy soon turn it over. Another Geelong attack leads to another snapped goal and it’s 2.1 to 4.4. We’re paying for our missed chances in the first.
I write in my notebook – which has become a shield against this unfolding horror show – “We need to stop this NOW.” As if by writing it down it will come to pass. Ratugolea has become a monster in the ruck and takes a huge mark on the wing. Where did Geelong get all these good players from?
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The Cats attack again, Hawkins can’t mark but Miers snaps and goals and Geelong are kicking everything that comes their way and are suddenly up by 21 points, the point at which a few more goals could end the contest. Higgins wins a free for a Geelong kick that went out on the full. His kick looks like a point and nobody even pretends it’s a goal. Still, a score review results and gives us false faint hope. Of course, it is only a point and now Stack appears to be hurt.

Dusty has a shot and misses. We’ve had the last two scores and are down by three goals. If we’d gotten one of them and gotten one or two more in the first…bad kicking is bad football. Stack appears to be better, but he turns over the footy and Hawkins marks 40 meters out, goes back and goals. Geelong’s set shot kicking is deadly. They’ve kicked six goals since quarter time and now lead by four. We really need the next goal but One-Week Gary and Danger combine and it’s half-time and we’re five goals down and I don’t want to catch up with my brother at the break.

I think about making excuses – stuck in the toilet queue? Under arrest for yelling at a Geelong supporter? – but I force myself up the stairs and we meet for a chat. He and his wife are very happy for some reason. God, I hate Geelong supporters, even the ones I love.

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I get back to M9 as the match re-starts. I’ve forsaken my prized spot against the steel barrier and I don’t care. Geelong supporters in front of me are being obnoxious with their stupid hooped jumpers and plastic bottles of coke which, I suspect, are spiked with something stronger.

One-Week Gary and Hawkins combine for an early goal to the Cats. Ratugolea takes a sliding mark and goals and it’s 2.5 to 9.4.
Another goal to them and they’ve kicked ten un-answered and we’re 47 points down and there’s no hope, a respectable loss is the best we can hope for and the third term has barely begun.

My notebook is saving me from stark, raving insanity. Why is life so unfair? Couldn’t we just kick the odd goal? We’re 57 points down and it’s men against boys, our defence is in tatters, our forward line hardly exists and we’re being killed in the middle. Apart from that we’re doing okay. Graham wins a hard ball and passes to Lynch who marks on a tough angle and goals. Our first since the first quarter. The Electronic Roar is more embarrassing than ever. Surely even the most ardent marketing enthusiast would consider it wise to turn it off when we’re getting thrashed? But wisdom and marketing go together not.

We attack a bit more while Geelong take a bit of a break. Lynch gets a free but misses. Geelong win a free after a blatant bit of head-ducking, go forward slickly and score. It’s 56 points and the game is of academic interest only. Another goal and it’s 62 points and Geelong are scoring at will. One-Week Gary kicks another and it’s 24 to 92 and I’m struggling to do the arithmetic.

The Geelong supporter in front of me yells out “You can fuck my girl-friend Gary!“ Geelong kick another after the siren and it’s 3.6.24 to 15.8.98 which is 74 points. I let the supporter know that he sickens me, in a way that doesn’t lead to a fist-fight, which is a little victory of sorts. But I’d prefer that we were winning.
I’m sickened by the scale of the loss and by the Revolting Cat in front of me. But as Tigers our hands and vocal cords are hardly clean. How many times have we sung – or let others sing in praise of Dusty – “I’ll let you shag my wife”?

How long has it been since we were 74 points down at the last break? The Revolting Cat says to me “I’m sorry, I did get permission from my girlfriend to say yell that out… inappropriate I guess.” I almost bring myself to nod. I gather that my notebook might be making people nervous and in the face of this devastation there’s some solace in being witness to it. I’ve got something to do, to document the pain as well as feel it.

More revolting music at the break, an embarrassment to our great club.

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I just want the last quarter to go quickly. Couldn’t there be a mercy rule if you’re this far behind? Lynch marks early on but can’t even get a point. Rioli gets it to Dusty who gets it to George but nothing comes of it. Butler snaps and misses. Houli is still playing well and has been our best player all night, not for the first time.

We string together some excellent junk-time play and Butler goals. The Electronic Roar is only getting more embarrassing. Hawkins quickly goals to restore the 12-goal lead. Dangerfield takes a very strong, contested mark on the half-forward line. The fact is, he’s quite a handy player. Naish thwarts a Geelong attack with a mark on the back-line and passes to a team-mate with a torp. How often do we get to see that? The ball gets to Dusty but he loses it. He and our other stars, Cotch, Edwards and others, has not had a good night and has turned the ball over a lot.

The crowd is 65,214, which might be considered all right but for a club with 100,000 members, playing at home on a fine night against the top team, is a bit shite. But as I keep saying, why would you come if you thought we were going to lose? The RFC simply has to give their supporters some voice.

Castagna marks and goals and it’s 67 points and then the siren goes at the 25th minute of a mercifully short quarter. After quarter time Geelong have kicked 16 goals to three. That’s not very good by us.

On the way out I see Geoff Hogg who was the Coming Home Tiger in the pre-match. But I don’t have the heart to say hello and thanks for the memories. Too many of the Hogg-era memories were like tonight.
Geelong were very good, very efficient and made us play very badly. It’s a real worry how much we keep getting thrashed by. I’m nostalgic for those heart-breaking one-point losses we once specialised in.

Houli was our best player. I thought Grimes and Vlaustin were all right but it was hard to pick any others. Naish had a good first game and I hope his second is a boilover win in Adelaide tomorrow night.

As for the booing of One-Week Gary, I’m not into booing at all,
really. It’s always struck me as the lowest form of crowd participation and if everyone who booed actually sang and chanted and roared instead our game would have more atmosphere. But it seems to me that the boo-ers – didn’t we fight two wars against them? – are the least likely to sing or chant or do anything positive.

That said, as Chris Scott pointed out, the booing of Ablett is not remotely like the booing of Adam Goodes. Not remotely. The booing of Goodes was a disgrace.

Now on to Adelaide and happier things.

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Benny Votes

Houli 5, Grimes 4, Vlastuin 3, Naish 2, Prestia 1

Leaderboard

Houli 25
Edwards 22
Vlastuin 20
Martin 19
Grimes 18
Lynch, Stack 12
Ellis 11
Prestia 9
Bolton 6
Cotchin, Nankervis 5
Baker 4
Broad, Lambert 3
Ross, Naish 2
Rioli, Castagna, Balta 1

I had quite a good feeling about this game which was justified given our good form and their bad run.  Then again, they had just replaced their coach, it was at Docklands and it was North who for years and years – until Boomer retired and we suddenly became Premiers in 2017 – were impossible for us to beat.  Especially when it mattered.

This will divert me from Friday’s game, but so be it.  We were never big fans of whichever Scott it was who coached them.  Nor the other one, who took over at Geelong.  This goes back to round 23, 2015, when we were playing North at Docklands and North, for strategic reasons, decided to rest half their team.  Now the last time I had tried to take the kids to see us play North at Docklands we’d been locked out – that is, they said the ground was full and there were no more general admission tickets to be had.  This was after standing in a queue or about an hour.  Later, we found that out that there were, in fact, several thousand empty seats, but none for the likes of us.

So this time, for round 23 2015, with crucial spots in the 8 at stake, we booked ahead a paid a bomb for very good seats.  Then Scott rested half his team, made it plain that he was quite happy to lose and the ground was only half-full as a result. In our top-dollar seats we sat alone, nobody anywhere near us.  We got to see Majak Daw explode through the middle of the ground and kick a goal.  But after half-time the Tigers got on top of the Roos Reserves team and won by a few goals.

This was exactly what North wanted.  It meant they played us in the Elimination Final the next week and we were their long-term bunnies.  They beat us in what was the saddest of our Elimination Finals and afterwards, having let go of all hope of Richmond ever winning a flag or even making the finals again I thought “I will die happy, not if we beat North but if just one of our players, just once, manages to lay a tackle on Boomer Harvery.”  Then the bastard retired before my wish could come true.

But then we won a flag which made most of my self-pitying reflections irrelevant.

Anyway, I didn’t go to this game, mainly because it was an away game and I’d have to pay to get in and also because it was at Docklands which I despise.  And lastly because I went to the vigil in Royal Park for Courtney Herron who’d been murdered there a few days previously.  A thousand or so of us stood in the rain and the cold and the silence, with just our own thoughts in our heads.  It was moving and powerful and made the footy seem like the happy distraction that it is.

I rode home in the rain and cold and was soon in dry clothes in a warm house with a hot meal on my lap.  And Richmond started the game well.  Cotchin’s first kick in seven weeks was a beauty – long and straight and marked by George about 55 out.  No goal resulted but it was a promising start.  A bit later Lynch got a lucky free – really, umpires are paying for ‘’a push” in marking contests whenever anyone falls over – and he went back and goaled.  He was now 19.8 from set shots and I’m so glad we picked him up.

Quarter time score: North 4.1.25 to Richmond 3.2.20
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North were playing really well but we were matching them.  Martin had three goals to half time and it looked like being one of those highly entertaining games when a team really has a crack at beating Richmond only to be over-run in the second half.  It sort of worked out that way except in reverse.  By half-time Richmond’s accuracy had kept the game even.  In the third term North run all over us, despite being a player down.

Half-time score: North 6.7.43 to Richmond 6.3.39

Someone for North – probably Brown but it could have been someone else – takes a mark in the forward line and scores from not a long way out.  After the mark Grimes is gesturing to someone – anyone I suppose – how come North had so many players free?  How come indeed?  Our defenders, normally so tight and reliable, seem to be not where they are needed.

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North are up by 33 points right at the end of the third quarter when Caddy marks a wonderful pass from Martin.  The siren goes and Caddy kicks out on the full.  There is no hope, bar Richmond making their best comeback in about 95 years.

Three-quarter time score: North 12.7.79 to Richmond 7.4.46

I can’t watch much of the last term.  There is no need to.  North are everywhere and are up by 50 points at one stage.  I see Ben Brown take a mark in the 50 with nobody near him.  He is having a night out.  We get a late goal or two and the final margin probably flatters us.
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Full time score: North 15.9.99 to Richmond 9.8.62

For all our injuries we are having a great season.  Yet every game we’ve lost since we won the flag has been a bit of a thumping.  As if a team just has to learn how to pick the Richmond lock and then they can steal the lot.  And it was also sad to see our Captain return for a loss like this.

Less than ideal preparation for taking on the Cats.  Does the other Scott still coach them?  I don’t like him either, for no particular reason.  And I loathe Geelong, as most normal people do.  All those games in the 80s and 90s when they used us for training drills…

From what I saw of this match I thought Houli was good.  I might be a bit biased.  And Dusty was good, un-stoppable in the first half but a mere mortal in the second. Prestia and Cotch were also good.  [I’ll throw in Stack as well, with Baker and Castagna also standing up –  Chris]. North were clearly a handy team who only needed a new coach to reveal themselves.  If they become, for us, one of those never-beat-them-when-it-really-matters teams, again, I’ll be very sad.
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Benny Votes

Houli 5, Martin 4, Prestia 3, Cotchin 2, Stack 1

Leaderboard

Edwards 22
Houli 20
Martin 19
Vlastuin 16
Grimes 14
Lynch, Stack 12
Ellis 11
Prestia 8
Bolton 6
Cotchin, Nankervis 5
Baker 4
Broad, Lambert 3
Ross 2
Rioli, Castagna, Balta 1

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Dreamtime at the ‘G
For the first time in living memory it is raining when we leave the house. We make a great decision and switch from the tram to the train at Northcote. There is a brief break from the rain and when we make the switch we don’t get too wet. At the station there is a good crowd of footy folk although the start of the game is well over an hour off. We hope we’ll be in time to get in with our general admission memberships.

At Jolimont it’s raining again and we’re very glad we’re not stomping all the way across the gardens, as we would have been had we stayed on the tram. It doesn’t take too long to get in to the ground and we find a good spot in M9. Not perfect- that would be against the fence, giving us something to lean on – but one row back from there.

It’s less than an hour before the first bounce and we’re very glad to be out of the wet. We eat hot chips which are not too bad at all and then we’re told that the pre-match ceremony will be cancelled on account of the rain.

Then the Long Walkers begin filing into the ground and around the boundary. They look like ghosts in their shimmering ponchos. Michael Long leads the way with a tall man next to him who frequently drapes his arm across Longy’s shoulders. It turns out to be Gillon McLachlan. Longy and the other walkers get a good reception and soon enough the game is about to start and there is in fact a bit of a ceremony which is very good, with dancers representing each team facing each other, in front of the players, as they all line up in the pouring rain. Sydney Stack joins in the Richmond dance.

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After this very moving celebration of Indigenous culture the AFL or the RFC does what it does so well and shits all over it. We will rock you, by Queen, booms over the PA. Other loud, stomping music takes us from the end of the dance to the first bounce, lest we absorb too much of this moving ceremony and give voice to our own take on it. I don’t know why this corporate atrocity still gets me down – shouldn’t I be used to it by now?

It has rained all through the preliminaries and it’s teeming down still as the game starts. With everyone’s hair plastered down it’s hard to tell Grimes from Broad or Caddy and Garthwaite. Nor does it help that all play very well. In the wet Richmond’s ferocity and skill is something to behold.

Essendon’s sole highlight is when McDonald-Tipungwuti runs down Dusty in a terrific tackle. Dusty’s reaction is telling – he gets up and gets on with it. Despite what some commentators say, he does get caught with the ball quite often, but it doesn’t seem to bother him or his team. He takes the game on and more often than not he gets away with it. That’s what matters.

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Goals are very hard to score and the quarter produces just one, by Higgins. I’m feeling that the smallness and the skill of our forwards could be telling in these conditions. Houli and Edwards have been very good.

It’s been very good to keep Essendon goal-less for a quarter, but it would have been better if we’d kicked more than one.

Quarter time score 1.2.8 to 0.3.3

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In the second quarter Stringer snaps and misses and we’re pleased. It’s the first of four points and nothing else for the Bombers for the quarter and I feel like we’re getting on top. Liam Baker finds the footy, gathers, makes room for himself and snaps from 45 for a goal. Any one of these steps is hard on a night like this, but his movements are as fluid as the rain.

Prestia out-does him a bit later with a snap from the 50, then he and Rioli miss gettable ones. Liam Baker takes a superb overhead mark as the Tigers move out of defence. The ball simply sticks in his hands as he falls backwards. This on a night when easy chest-marks are dropped by champions. Where did we get these young players from?

Half-time score 4.7.31 to 1.7.13

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Vlaustin, who is having yet another good game, gets a very lucky 50 but misses from 45 out. Balta grabs the ball and bombs it from 55 but misses. We don’t care too much, we love how he has a crack at it.

Under siege in the Tiger forward line, Saad is pinged for deliberate-out-of-bounds – the umps have been strict on this tonight – and Castagna kicks a very tricky shot from the pocket.

Houli is involved twice in a brilliant Richmond counter-attack that leads to a Lynch mark and goal. He is now 18.8 from set shots for the year and we love how he goes about things.

Luck is going our way. Saad sprints out of defence and is about to set up a Bomber’s attack when Bolton runs him down. Saad actually gets a fist to the ball but this after he’s bounced it, Baldock or Bartlett-style, just as he’s tackled. The ump is having none of it and whistles for a free. But with all the noise and confusion the Bombers have played on and cop a 50. A bit harsh, but that’s footy. At least when it goes our way, it’s just footy.

Richmond are up by 37 points and the Bombers have kicked one goal and it’s almost three-quarter time and things get even better. Edwards passes perfectly to Castagna who marks in the pocket and will kick from 45. The loudest and most expert barracker in M9 shouts for him to play on. “He’s a hopeless set shot, he should have played on!” More gracious supporters are calling out encouragement to George.

Someone calls out “The sea was very angry that day my friends…” This is a Seinfeld reference from the episode where George had to pretend to be a marine biologist and ended up rescuing a whale. Re-telling the story later in the coffee shop George says, “The sea was very angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to order soup in a deli…”

But I digress. This player who is so hopeless at set shots, apart from the very tricky one he got earlier, goes back and kicks from 45 on a tight angle on a wet night and nails it. Of course he does. “The sea was very angry that day my friends…”

Richmond lead by 43 and Essendon have kicked 1.10 for the game. I have a great desire for us to hold them to one goal for the game. “Even Melbourne Victory scored two goals!” someone yells out.

With six minutes left Caddy passes to the debutant, Callum Coleman-Jones who marks and hits the post from 25 out on 45-degree angle.

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Garthwaite is doing well as our new tall defender and Houli has his 31st touch before the last break. Stack, also having a good game, sends a good kick into the forward 50. “Mark of the year!” our loud friend calls out. Bellchambers rises and marks it for Essendon. “Not you, you dickhead!” the loud man calls out.

Essendon rebound and score their second goal just before the quarter ends, although Bolton was unlucky not to hold what would have been a great grab at full-forward not long after. Richmond still lead by 37 points.

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Three-quarter time score 8.11.59 to 2.10.22

The weather has cleared up quite a lot and Essendon are suddenly very quick and clean and Richmond start to wobble. Langford kicks off the ground and it’s 30 points, but Higgins marks 40 out and scores and it’s back to 36. That should snuff out the Bombers but the bastards keep coming. Grimes saves us again before Bellchambers marks close in and goals and it’s down to 29 points with not much of the quarter gone.

Grimes is pinged, a bit unluckily, for holding-the-ball and Merrett gets the football to Laverde who marks and goals from 40. The Bombers are starting to believe they can win this and their supporters are finding their voices. Until now I had thought there were actually no Bombers supporters in the ground at all. Well, apart from Longy, I saw him come in.

“Brownlow Hair” Heppell gets the footy to Langford who marks with one hand and goals from 25 out. Our lead is under three goals and we’re seriously panicked with only half the quarter gone. Then Essendon miss their first shot for a while and maybe they won’t do every single thing right from now on. Ambrose misses and it’s 15 points.

Edwards kicks beautifully, again, into the 50 and Menadue almost marks, but doesn’t. Guelfi out-marks McIntosh and Bolton is pinged for running over the mark. Guelfi kicks from outside the 50, across the goals and it goes out for a boundary throw-in. Essendon press hard but Richmond defend well and clear the 50. The loose ball is gathered by Zaharakis who is run down magnificently by Ellis who wins a free.

Richmond attack and Rioli snaps to seal the game for us, but misses. Essendon kick out, Macintosh wins the footy, sends in a huge kick and Rioli soars and marks. Only 28 minutes have gone but the siren sounds already and we’ve won. I’m disappointed for Rioli – I really wanted him to seal the match before it was over. Instead he ices the cake with a very straight kick after the siren and we’ve won by 23.

Full-time score Richmond 10.13.73 to Essendon 6.14.50

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A very good win by the Tigers. Essendon did have two players injured – Stringer before half time and Shiel in the last quarter. They also went into the game without Joe Daniher who is done for the season. But our skill and ferocity out-did them when it mattered. And in the last quarter Lynch was on the bench the whole time, as a precaution, Dimma said. The old Tigers would have been over-run in the last, but our boys can take a bit of punishment, sort themselves out and steady the ship.

Houli won the Yiooken award for best on ground and made a lovely speech about how much the game means to him. He is too much the gentleman to say “and thanks to Essendon for letting me go and win a flag and avoid the Drug Scandal.” I suppose some things don’t need to be said. The players all lined up to make a Stand Against Racism, because some things do need to be said.

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Houli certainly deserved to win the Yiooken, but I find it very hard to pick outstanding Tigers. They all try so hard and do their jobs so well. Grimes was great again, and Astbury. We just get used to how reliable they are. Ellis had another good game. And the small, new players – Bolton, Stack, Baker – they’re amazing. Sheds led again and I will be genuinely sad when he’s not our captain tomorrow night against the Roos.

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Benny Votes by Chris

Houli 5, Martin 4, Edwards 3, Baker 2, Prestia 1

Leaderboard

Edwards 22
Vlastuin 16
Houli, Martin 15
Grimes 14
Lynch 12
Stack, Ellis 11
Bolton 6
Prestia, Nankervis 5
Baker 4
Cotchin, Broad, Lambert 3
Ross 2
Rioli, Castagna, Balta 1

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I had hoped to get to this game but there was a clash with a delayed Mothers’ day event and so I watched it on telly instead. I watched the last quarter live and caught up this morning with the first half.

Shedda is captain again which is always good. Queen is playing loudly which is not. Brian Taylor is “Not sure about the drums” which have been a Richmond tradition going back to 2016 or so. Gillie says it’s about getting the crowd going, which of course is the complete opposite of what the drums and all the loud music is about, which is getting the crowd right out of it. I love Gillie and think BT is a fool, but even fools can be right about some things.

The Hawks start well and Richmond don’t apply too much pressure – only 17 tackles to half-time, Tim Watson says. Luckily the Hawks can’t kick straight and this keeps the Tigers in it.

Scully appears to score, but of course there’s a review before it’s declared a goal. Hawks 1 goal to none. Hawks are looking good early, confident and quick but the Tigers smother their next attack. Ivan Soldo is in the ruck, game number nine, but his first for this year. We are told he is Maric’s cousin, which is reason enough to pick him. Martin makes a good break and does a quick one-two with Lambert, then gets the ball across to McIntosh, but the Hawks clean up.

BT says Richmond haven’t lost to anyone at the ‘G in 33 months except twice by bloody Collingwood. Well he just said “Collingwood,” but I can’t say or write that name without an adjective.

Vlaustin kicks very well to Higgins who takes a brave mark and cops a strong bump for his trouble. When he’s on song Vlaustin’s kicking is beautiful. Another Richmond attack is repelled by the Hawks who rebound well but only get a point for their trouble.

Ryan Garthwaite is in the team too, for game number five.

Higgins is pinged for a throw after what some would call a clever tap. It seems harsh when I think of the blatant throws people get away with, but there you go. Who’d be an umpire?

Breust for the Hawks has a very gettable shot and misses. Hawthorn have had five shots on goal and lead 1.4 to 0. We are very lucky to be still in it.

Houli is having another good game, kicking is on target and he’s working his legs off, as usual. Sicily is giving Lynch a hard time, which is impressive, in a way, given he’s so much smaller, but appalling, in another, considering he’s wearing that awful jumper and his target is Our Tom.

Another beautiful 50-meter kick from Vlaustin to Higgins who marks well, goes back and kicks it. Then obediently runs off the ground, as is the fashion in modern footy. Don’t want anyone kicking too many goals at once, be bad for the team balance, or something.
Ellis makes a very good interception but Castagna is pinged for dropping the ball once we get it inside the 50.
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Breust kicks another for the Hawks and they lead 2.4 to 1.0.
Mcintosh makes a huge run-down tackle but doesn’t win a free. Vlaustin, in a great bit of play, gets it to Balta who has three bounces and puts it out on the full. I do love Balta, he’s huge, very quick and doesn’t mind a bounce. There’s plenty of good bits of play from the Tigers but overall they’re not putting it together.
Breust misses again. Lynch marks from a good kick from Grimes. Lynch’s kick is high and straight and Tigers trail 2.5 to 2.1.
Lynch takes another mark inside 50 but kicks out of bounds.
Lambert snaps and misses.

McEvoy of the Hawks is off injured and won’t come back. Higgins marks inside 50 and then waits before passing to Martin, quite close but on a bit of an angle. It’s his 13th touch of the footy for the quarter and he kicks after the siren and goals. Without him and the Hawks poor kicking we would have been in strife.
Quarter time score 3.2.20 to 2.5.17
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Balta sends a huge kick to Baker who turns too slowly and is run down and tackled. Lynch wins a 50 and goals from about 30 out. Tigers 26 to 17.
Hawks miss again. Looking dangerous in attack but they can’t finish. Long may it be so. Moore for the Hawks makes another miss. Grimes is having a bit of a day out and is quite the attacking defender. Another good kick from him into the forward line leads to a snapped goal from Caddy. Richmond are in front 5.5 to 2.7.

Hawthorn string some passes together and score, now 5.5 to 3.7. Hawks miss again, 36 to 26. Lots of pressure by both teams and it seems very hard for anyone to string passes together and break free.
Ellis, who is also having a bit of a day out, finds Baker on the 50 with his left foot. Baker kicks and finds Martin in the pocket. Martin goes back and kicks it with three seconds left in the quarter.
Half time 42 to 26

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Third quarter
Two quick goals to Breust makes it a close game. Things are not working so well for Richmond, passes are going astray, players are caught with the footy. Eventually a long kick into the 50 is brought to ground by Lynch, Caddy gathers and kicks from 45, a lucky bounce sees it over for a goal.

A brilliant break by the Tigers sees them suddenly outnumber the Hawks. Astbury kicks out, but the Hawks win the ball back and are stringing some good passes together until Player X intercepts the ball, it goes to Prestia, he handballs to Balta who runs bounces and runs and bounces and handballs, over the top to Castagna who nearly kicks it over the Ponsford.

It’s a brilliant transition as the Richmond players run into space once they have the footy. I can’t see who Player X was who started it all with his interception. It seems to be one of our smaller defenders. When we come back from the ad Watson is praising him. It’s Edwards, of course.

Houli is having a good game. He gives the ball away and then follows up with a tackle from which there is no escape. Bolton kicks into the 50 and Lynch marks strongly but the umpire gives the ball to Macintosh for being held. Mac drills it and Lynch pats him on the head, so there are no hard feelings, apparently. Richmond by 21 points.

With Lewis and McEvoy injured, it’s little surprise that the Hawks are being out-run. Ellis marks a Hawthorn kick, goes across ground to Vlaustin who kicks long and low to Baker who marks about 40 out and goes back for the set shot. It’s a huge kick from the young feller, from the 50, plenty of height and length and it sneaks through for a goal. Tigers by 22, with three minutes left in the term.
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Great bit of pressure in the forward line, Dusty should have gotten a free but didn’t.

Impey is very good for Hawthorn. Is it just me or are there smaller, highly skilled players around at the moment than they used to be? Richmond seem to have six or ten of them in the side each week and other teams seem to be catching on.

Mac passes into the 50 and Balta runs in from the side and takes a great grab. Kicks it from about 25, Tigers by 28.

11.7 to 6.9 at the last break

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I can hear the grating voice of the spruiker loud and clear as the play is about to re-start. There are 60 thousand in the ground but almost no crowd noise at the break, even as the ball is about to be bounced.

Mac has a good chance but misses the set shot. Balta gathers a spilled ball, moves into space and sends a great kick that’s marked by Higgins who hits the post. Tigers by 31.

A great Vlaustin tackle causes a turnover, Edwards gets it to Baker who gets it to someone who kicks very well from outside the 50 and near the boundary. Caddy pounces on the ball and snaps for a goal. Tigers by 30.
Gunston has a good chance to pull one back but misses an easy shot.

Vlaustin takes a handball from Martin, turns and kicks from 55. Kick is high and handsome and Richmond are up by 36 points. Vlaustin has his kicking boots on today. Along with Astbury and Grimes he has gone up a level or two since Rance was injured.

Hawthorn have a lot of space in their forward line and Dylan Moore scores his first goal in AFL footy. Richmond by 30.

Menadue passes to Baker who takes a good overhead mark and passes to Lynch who marks well. He goes back and kicks from the 50, straight, high and long and the Tigers are up by six goals. From the bounce Martin passes to Baker who has a kick from outside 50 after the siren. He tries a torp which goes right off the side of his boot. It is very pleasing to see him smile after this and even more pleasing to see him try a torpedo. It would be a great shame were this art to be lost to the tyranny of the drop punt.

It’s a very good win by the Tigers, especially considering Hawthorn’s demolition of the Giants at this ground last week. We have unearthed a lot of young players who are filling the big boots of Rance, Cotchin, Riewoldt, Nankervis, Short, Butler and Grigg. Lynch is settling in well. The run of the team when they win a turnover is often breathtaking and the skill in execution is a sight.
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Dusty was best on ground. A truckload of possessions, about half of them contested. Ellis was very good too, as was Grimes, Astbury and Vlaustin. Edwards, another good game. But a very even performance. At least a dozen players could have gotten votes – Houli, as almost always, Baker, Stack, Caddy, as is his happy habit, kicked goals when we really needed them. Balta was very exciting. Has there ever been such a big player who liked to bounce the ball so much?

Today in the paper Hardwick, as is the Richmond way now, admitted fault and said he often didn’t see the positive side of Ellis ‘game. How I love Dimma and his boys.

I think we’ll give the Bombers a hard time next week, as usual.

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Benny Votes by Chris

Martin 5, Houli 4, Ellis 3, Vlastuin 2, Balta 1 and an additional honourable mention from me for Soldo. He was lucky McEvoy went down but his tap work was super all day.

Leaderboard

Edwards 19
Vlastuin 16
Grimes 14
Lynch 12
Stack, Martin, Ellis 11
Houli 10
Ellis 8
Bolton 6
Nankervis 5
Prestia 4
Cotchin, Broad, Lambert 3
Ross, Baker 2
Rioli, Castagna, Balta 1

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Sheddda leads and Dusty’s back
We only got to see half of this match and it wasn’t the best half. We had been in Wodonga for Good Friday and had travelled home on Saturday. And we were late home and left for the game not long before the first bounce. The tram was late and slow and it was half-time by the time we got there and found our way in.

But the news to that point was good. Richmond had the better of the Swans in the first quarter and then towelled them up in the second and now led 9.5.59 to 4.2.26. I know that Swans haven’t started the season well but they’re always good, even when they’re not. That is, even in their slumps, a good team lurks waiting to pounce.

We found reasonable seats on the top level near the Swans end of the ground. A good crowd was in and on this balmy autumn night the roof was shut, so it was hot and stuffy. The closed roof at Docklands is a metaphor for the closed mind of the AFL. We have a roof, it must be closed. If we didn’t’ close the roof, how would people know that we could close it if we wanted to?

In finding our seats we had missed most of the half-time horror, the worst of which is Are You Paying Attention? This is a charming segment where people in the crowd are exposed for the sin of not watching the scoreboard and therefore seeing themselves on camera. It’s hilarious. I mean some people go to the footy and don’t watch the big screen at half-time. What on earth can they be doing? Talking to their friends? Sending their mother a text message? Sitting there quietly enjoying themselves? All of these things are crimes, or should be, and are rightfully exposed. “Ownlife” is what this crime was called in Nineteen Eighty Four.

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Then the game restarted and the Swans made a game of it for a while. But the Tigers steadied and increased their lead. Dusty scored a brilliant crumbing goal, coming from nowhere. Lynch had gone for the mark, the ball spilled to ground and Dusty swooped. It’s good to see him kicking goals and smiling again. Another highlight was when Shai Bolton went on a bit of run from the pocket, evaded a tackle or two and then missed with a banana. But it was good to see him have a crack at it.

Another thing I really liked was Edwards talking to the defenders after each of the Swans’ goals. I don’t know if Cotch does this, but it moved me. What a good leader he is.

At the last break Richmond led 11.9.75 to 6.3.39.

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And at the last break there was Cuddle Cam, another abomination. Then the game got going again and Richmond kicked to our end but were outscored two goals to four for the term. I didn’t like the way the Swans were able to move the ball out of defence. Apparently this had been impossible in the first half. There were nervous moments when it looked like the Swans might come back but Richmond would not be rattled. Late in the quarter Castagna marked at about the spot were Dragicevic marked against Adelaide in a close game about 19 years ago. Dragga had missed and we lost. But Castagna went slotted it and we were home and much relieved.

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We sang the song and then Dusty was interviewed and said he’d prepare for Wednesday night’s game by having “a few beers.” Then he said they’d be having “chocky eggs” on Sunday and getting back into it. We left then, before the second rendition of the song. We were exhausted by our travels and by the Docklands experience. We got lost leaving the ground but eventually found the new bit of Collins Street and our tram came straight away. The next day was Sunday and we still had Monday off. We didn’t have to move house or travel anywhere and Richmond had won, again, with so many players out. But after that great win against Port we hardly consider this. We don’t have players missing so much as we just have different players in the team.
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I don’t want to whinge too much about Docklands, but the place stinks. And the way the RFC presents the “match-day experience” will soon lead to zero atmosphere at our games. Even at a game against an interstate team I was struck by how quiet our supporters were. What’s the point of having the most passionate and numerous supporters if you don’t let them make their own noise?

The papers gave Edwards best on ground and I won’t argue with that. Also Martin, Stack, Prestia, Vlaustin [who have got votes] and Caddy [unlucky Josh]. Having missed the first half it was difficult to tell. But our defence stood up well again. Franklin was allowed to kick four goals but nobody else was off the leash.

Now Melbourne, tonight. I actually expect us to win and this is still an odd feeling for a Richmond supporter.

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Benny Votes 

5 Edwards, 4 Martin, 3 Stack, 2 Prestia, 1 Vlastuin

Leaderboard

Edwards 19
Grimes, Lynch 12
Martin, Stack 6
Vlastuin 5
Cotchin, Broad 3
Lambert, Ross, Nankervis, Prestia 2
Rioli 1

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Until those glorious weeks of September 2017, all my generation had ever known was pain. Born in the 1980s, our first memories are generally of the bankrupt club languishing on the bottom of the ladder. We’d go through alternating cycles of mediocrity and irrelevance, with only Richo to brighten our spirits every week. Finals seemed to be the domain of other more competent clubs. But it did not stop me from imagining, from dreaming, from hoping, that one day, the premiers might well be Richmond.

Then it happened, so suddenly, so beautifully. Everything I’d ever dreamed of arrived from nowhere. It took me almost a day to hit me, sitting on the wing of Punt Road Oval, watching the replay, with tears streaming down my cheeks. We’d done it and Richmond were premiers!

As I reflected on the journey of a lifetime, supporting this wonderful club, suddenly a fear struck me. Now that we had reached the promised land, would any of this feel the same again?

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Fast forward eighteen months, and a season that had started with plenty of promise had seemingly collapsed in the blink of an eye through a combination of injury, poor form and suspension. Port’s midfield is actually pretty stacked, I begin to prepare myself for a ten goal plus loss. Wines, Powell-Pepper, Rockliff, Boak. With Ryder and Lycett going in tandem against Nank all afternoon, feeding them. This is going to get messy. Or so I thought.

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I love that we asked Sheds to captain. It’s been such a joy to watch him grow as a person, as a leader, ever since he arrived at Punt Road all those years ago. It took him 13 games before he played in a winning side, and an eye watering 205 before playing in a winning final. Now he’s a premiership player, an All-Australian and forever will now be a captain of the Richmond Football Club.

He wins the toss. Reassuringly for me, watching far away on television, he kicks to the opposite end of the ground to what Cotch did all those years ago. It’s a good omen, I say to myself, trying to reassure myself, even if I have no idea what way the wind might be blowing.

We bravely throw eighteen-year-old debutant Jack Ross into the centre square for the first bounce of the game. We’re rewarded when he wins the first clearance, leading to a mark to Lynch inside 50. He misses, but we look up for this most difficult of challenges. Frustratingly though, Port goal through Brad Ebert on their first foray forward.

The remainder of the first quarter plays out as I expect. Port are on top, although their lead is a modest 8 points. Our effort was commendable, but Port were able to control the ball for most of the quarter and caught us on the counter a couple of times. The highlight of the quarter is unquestionably Noah Balta’s intercept and run through the middle of the ground setting up Josh Caddy’s second goal.

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In the second quarter, we look the Tigers of Old – that is the Tigers of late 2017. Our pressure across the ground is fantastic, and we move the ball quickly and aren’t afraid to smash the ball forward. It feels like a glimpse into our future as well, as Jack Ross dominates the quarter, and has 15 touches to half time. Bolton shows all of his considerable talent. My favourite moment is Ross winning a tough clearance, dishing the ball out Balta, whose 70-metre kick ends up with Bolton in the pocket, who snapped the goal. I certainly hope the three of them play plenty of footy together, we’re all in for a lot of fun over the next few years if that is the case.

The siren rings out to signal half time. I’m proud, every bit as proud as I was during September 2017. We may be behind but the effort has been phenomenal. It had been an impressive half from a young team. I tweet out two words “I believe.” I do. But deep down, I think about all those young Tiger legs out there. Surely, eventually, they will start to fade.

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Port make the initial running in the 3rd quarter, but both Ryder and Ebert miss opportunities to make us pay. Ryder does however nail a shot from outside 50 to extend the margin somewhat. But then, the momentum swings, suddenly and decisively. Thanks to some good work in tight by Higgins and Stack, Rioli is able kick long to Lynch alone inside 50. Lynch runs into an open goal, and is foolishly pushed after he had kicked – a double goal and from nowhere we are in front.

Sydney Stack is next to bob up, getting a skilful crumb and the ball out to Baker, who snapped truly. Just one minute later we’re on the board again through Lynch, snapping a goal after a Higgins shot fell short. Our midfield is suddenly on top and our forward is functioning beautifully.

I can scarcely believe it. We’re dominating the play. We’re 15 points up. I begin to truly believe.

Then it happens.

Kamdyn McIntosh had been good. Under no pressure at half back, he decides to uncharacteristically pass it backwards inside defensive 50. The kick falls short and puts Broad under tremendous pressure, eventually bouncing between his legs. Sam Gray swoops on it and kicks an easily yet undeserved goal. It feels like a significant moment.

Poor Kamdyn. Within 60 seconds, he would again be under pressure, punching a ball out of bounds. He was pinged for delibrate. Another goal ensures. In a blink of an eye, all the work is undone; momentum is back with the Power. I expect them to overrun us now.

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Toby would step up. It’s amazing to think he has only played 51 games in the yellow and black and 63 overall. He already feels to me to be one of the leaders of the club. We need a goal. After a free from a ruck infringement, he goes back. I back him in and he delivers. We have a chance.

Port pull one back just before three quarter time. I still fear for our Tiger cubs’ young legs. But I’m bursting with pride as the players run to the huddle.

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Rioli opened the scoring in the final quarter, following a sensational kick from Menadue. But his gettable set shot missed. A small buffer would be built up after Lynch drew a 50 on the wing and converted his shot from just inside the 50.

Momentum would soon swing again. Balta tackled Drew hard close to the Port goal and was most unfortunate that the ball slipped out just a little to early, and Port were back within a kick. Stack, who’d backed up his sensational debut well, kicked out on the full without any pressure allowing Port a forward 50 entry which they were able to turn into a Wines goal. Port were back in front. It appeared that our brave fight was about to come to an end.

Digging deep, we’re able to snatch the lead back. Some slick hands from Bolton released Lambert who kicks long to Caddy and Lynch. Caddy brought it to ground, Lynch held it up long enough for Caddy to go for a long range soccer effort, it bounced, and bounced and bounced through for a goal! Eight minutes to go and we are ahead.

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Grimes, who had played a quarter for the ages, finally made an error. After yet another spectacular intercept mark, his clearing kick could only find Dan Houston still inside our defensive fifty. Under considerable pressure, he put Port back in front. It’s now going to hurt more, I think to myself, that we got this close.

Almost immediately, hope is restored. We win the clearance; Lynch created the contest and brought the ball to ground. Castagna’s handball finds McIntosh. He’s on the wrong foot. It doesn’t matter. The snap is ugly yet perfect and bounces through the middle. Oh boy, redemption is sweet! Tiges back in front!

There are four minutes to be played out. Agonisingly, the majority of time would be played out in Port’s forward fifty. Fourth gamer Xavier Duursma, who has the chance to break Port out of jail. No doubt with heavy legs, he shoots from not far out, but on an angle. The kick only scrapes through for a behind. We dodge a bullet.

Our lead is just a single point. There is no margin for error. Sheds takes it upon himself to take the kick out. With Vlastuin’s assistance, we get the ball outside 50. But it comes it comes back in once more. Grimes marks. Again. In the last quarter, when the clearances and the inside 50s started to go against us, it was Grimes who held the dam wall up. It had been effort every bit as good as Rance’s against the Swans in 2014. One hundred seconds was all now that separated us from an equally unlikely triumph. I start to count them off in my head.

Jack Ross’s debut had been as impressive as any I’ve seen. He still had a couple of decisive interventions to play. He won the contested ball on half back. His handpass finds Caddy, who belts the ball forward, finding Baker out the back. Lynch had run hard, and was able to mark inside 50. The shot was no certainty, and in fact, all but a mirror image of his shot in the first minute of the game. But Tiger fans across the country would soon rise as one as our new champion slotted his sixth. We were almost home.
40 seconds to go. We just needed to win a clearance and get a clean possession.

Prestia won the clearance, but puts the ball out of bounds. “Deliberate” cries the crowd. The umpire agrees. 32 seconds. Port kick long down the line. Jack Ross brings down a contested mark. We’ll win it now. I’m hit with a wave of adrenaline. We’ve gone to Adelaide, against a pretty good team, without our four best players and without our two best half backs and we’ve done it! After the start to the season we’ve had, it’s bloody sweet. Certainly one of the greatest home and away wins of the Hardwick era.
The siren sounds and a couple of tears roll down my cheeks. It had meant a lot. I’d missed this feeling, of winning against the odds. My heart is full of pride and love. Most importantly, I realise my worries were unfounded. I realise that all those feeling for the club that I love are still there, and will be with me as long as I live.
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Benny Votes 

5- Dylan Grimes – Was a colossus in defence, holding Grey and Westhoff and playing the Rance role taking plenty of intercept marks. One for the ages.

4- Shane Edwards – Took to the captaincy like a duck to water, continuing his excellent form. Was simply brilliant off half back. 

3- Tom Lynch – Six goals. Worked hard. Kicked straight. Took his opportunities. Got us over the line with five goals in the 2^nd half.

2- Jack Ross – Twenty-five possessions, winning the ball on the inside and using it well on outside. Another gem we’ve discovered.

1- Toby Nankervis – I could have given this final vote to about 12 different players, but I chose Nank for his lionhearted effort against two quality rucks.

Leaderboard

Edwards 14
Grimes, Lynch 12
Vlastuin 4
Cotchin, Broad, Stack 3
Lambert, Martin, Ross, Nankervis 2
Rioli 1

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We board the bus. I already feel empty. It is my first live game of the season. Normally, there is a familiar combination of excitement, anxiety and hope. Not this time. Just 16 days previously, we were flag favourites. However, what the footy gods giveth, they can quickly take away. Our shot at redemption has felt mortally wounded ever since Alex Rance.

It is the Capital Tigers annual pilgrimage to the footy. I am fortunate enough to have the means to be a flying tiger, where I am semi-regularly able to get down to Melbourne and other cities to join the tribe and watch my team play. For many of us though, this is our only chance for the year, and despite the odds, and my own feelings, there is a sense of excitement in the air.

Our trips to Sydney over the years have truly been the best of times, and the worst of times. Without question, the highlight was 2014 against the Swans, riding a wave of emotion and with the most unlikely finals births in history in sight, the elation of getting five goals up with fifteen minutes and the tense final quarter, interrupted only by Dustin Martin’s running goal. This single moment remained unrivalled even throughout the 2017 finals as a pure moment of energy, excitement and ecstasy.

On the other hand, the utter despair two years later, when the Swans were 20 goals up at three quarter time. At the time, it seemed an entire generation of Richmond talent had been wasted and the promised land may have well been situated somewhere in Andromeda Galaxy. Little did we know…

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In a post premiership world, it is a little easier to take the fact that we are missing five of arguably our ten best players (Rance, Riewoldt, Caddy, Grimes and Houli) so my expectations are well in check. “I just want to get close to them, to have something to believe in for the rest of the season” I reason.

Nonetheless, within minutes, the season goes from bad to worse. Short, outnumbered deep in defence, courageously makes a contest and holds the ball up, but only to emerge with a distressing elbow injury. What more can go wrong in 2019, I ask myself. (Spoiler alert, plenty).

The refreshing contrast to this is our debutant, Sydney Stack, a player whose very presence on the field represented a significant triumph in itself. An early kick does go out on the full, but it is not long before he has a chance to redeem himself. A 50 metre penalty helps bring the young defender to the edge of what might be possible, and with all the composure in the world, he went back, hit it sweetly and it split the middle. It was a wonderful moment as the players ran from everywhere.

Despite the severe lack of personnel, we are up for the fight, and the effort is good. Rioli, after patchy form in the first two games, slots a brace of goals to announce his return to form, putting us up at quarter time, and despite Short’s injury, the visiting supporters were cautiously optimistic.

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Unfortunately a brain fade from Dusty would start the second quarter, earning him a week’s holiday and costing the Tigers any momentum we would have, gifting the Giants a shot in front of goal. Things would get worse a few minutes later, when Rioli clashed with Phil Davis on the half back flank. Sitting just metres away, the noise it made was horrific and I immediately feared he had cracked a set of ribs. Incredibly, he would return to the ground and would even snag an additional goal – the kid is tough – but clearly he was pushing through the discomfort.

There are bright spots. Tom Lynch, who has a kicking motion better than any player alive who isn’t named Tayla Harris, keeps us in the contest with a couple of goals. Sydney Stack continues to impress down back, both rebounding from defence – no small feat consider he already lost help in this area with Short going down – but with several solid defensive efforts. It is early days, but it appears we have unearthed a gem.

Lynch’s second goal brought us within two goals, but in classic pre-2017 Richmond, we give up a goal on the half-time siren.

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We do our best to hang on during the third. Early on Cotchin disappears; we later discover he is yet another addition to our already lengthy injury list. Lynch keeps us in touch with a couple more goals. GWS stretch our defence and Dimma throws the magnets around, Balta back – he acquits himself well under difficult circumstances – Vlastuin forward and McIntosh is thrown in to ruck at a couple of centre bounces. However, GWS continue to edge away. We enjoy a late quarter run of form, but asides from an opportunistic snap from Lambert, we cannot take advantage and we are unable to get the margin under four goals.

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In the final quarter, it all gets away from us. We are two rotations down, plus Rioli is clearly sore and the intensity of his first game finally, and most understandably, begins to tell on Stack’s young legs. The dam wall breaks and the Giants run rampant, a run of six goals only broken by a piece of Snags Higgins brilliance. Eventually the siren rings out and we have been done by 49 points, and have lost our captain and best rebounding defender. 2019 has not started well.

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We gather our group together and wait for the bus. News of Cotchin’s hamstring filters through. We let out a collective sigh. One of our number is upset, angry at everything from selection, to coaching, to our list management. I think it is a little harsh given we were premiers just over a year ago and the mountain of injuries. Unfortunately the right words fail me, so I let him go, hoping at least he finds it cathartic. Eventually the bus arrives and we quietly pile on for the long journey home.

I myself am not quite sure how to feel just yet. We are only 1W-2L. Just three weeks ago we were flag favourites. West Coast won the flag last year without Naitanui and Gaff. All of our injured players except Rance will be back in a month. I am aware too, that premierships are difficult to win and this disruption makes it harder still. It will help us in the long run to get games into Balta, Garthwaite and Stack, and to try see if we can find some more gems. But I’m finding as each games passes this year, the more I am retreating back to my happy place, those three glorious games of football in September 2017.

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Benny Votes 

5 Shane Edwards – Is it possible he is still improving? A true leader and a well-deserved honour for him to lead the team out next week.
4 Tom Lynch – Worth every cent. Still finding match fitness, but his beautiful straight kicks kept us in it for most of the afternoon.
3 Sydney Stack – Best debut since Dean Polo? Looked great with the ball in hand and stood up defensively as well.
2 Kane Lambert – Battled hard along with Sheds on a day when Cotchin was injured and Dusty did not resemble Dusty.
1 Daniel Rioli – Dan’s back! After two weeks of indifferent form, was back to his brilliant best until slowed down somewhat by that hit. But respect for playing on.

Leaderboard

Edwards 10
Lynch 9
Grimes 7
Vlastuin 4
Cotchin, Broad, Stack 3
Lambert, Martin 2
Rioli, Nankervis  1