Today I am going I dodge the real issues at Richmond. Everyone who reads this will have seen the game or at least be familiar with the score. We have lost four of the last five to teams that no-one would have considered finals material, until they played us. I had a marathon vent on Twitter about that last night and I feel that is out of my system now.
Yesterday was the first time Richmond have played for keeps in my home town of Hobart. I saw them play Hawthorn in Launceston in Buddy’s first season, maybe 2007. We went in hot favourites and were shown up as pretenders. Long drive home.
So I had been looking forward to this since the draw came out last year, and feeling increasingly tense over the last month as our form went flat. If I had gone alone, I would have made an effort to catch up with all the visitors to town that I know through TTBB and Twitter, but it turned into a whole-family event, which of course was fantastic in its own way. There was the usual torrent of pre-game puff as always when the big league comes to town, but for it to feature the Tiges was novel.
I plunged in and bought GA tickets for the 4 of us; Tiges-mad Marcus (13), supportive but exasperated wife Elf (45) and unsupportive and uninterested son Michael (11). Michael is actually a pro at being dragged along to sport events that are meaningless to him; he has a rich inner library of miscellany that he can retreat into at such times.
A surprise selection on an expanded bench was Zhou Ni, who has come to live with us for at least this term. She is from Hubei province, and teaches Chinese at Marcus’s school. We answered an ad in the school newsletter and she moved into our spare room, and is fitting in excellently well. She is interested in everything Australian and was actually keen to come along despite warnings it would be cold and wet and would likely be finished as a contest by the last break.
We set off with two day packs stuffed with things to keep us warm and dry, and a huge bag of snacks because when the going gets tough, the snacks can be all that makes life worth living. The boys and I made it through security but Zhou Ni had a metal water bottle which was not permitted. We think they thought it was an aerosol; there was some confusion and next thing I knew Elf and Zhou Ni were on their way back to the car park some 800m away.
Eventually we reconvened and were there in time to set out a reasonable blanket space near the top of the hill. Good view (of the ground and the snow on the mountain), families around us and the weather was holding together. In fact the sun came out for the first time since Wednesday. It seemed to take forever for the game to get going though. North Melbourne: your sponsored run throughs are a disgrace.
The people next to me I deduced were recent transplants from Melbourne, and here for a nostalgia buzz rather than fans of either side. They discussed among themselves the classic 1980 Blues v Tigers VFL grand final, good old Bruce Doull and how the crowd would yell WOOF when he kicked it. And Ron Barassi. Such a shame he’s dead.
It was not great football but tight and the Tiges had their moments. Edwards, Macintosh, Morris, Houli and Dusty all looked ‘on’. I had warned the family that I would be very focussed on the game and would be giving whinges, dumb questions and irrelevant suggestions about home maintenance priorities VERY SHORT SHRIFT. Maric seemed to be winning the hit outs but we weren’t getting the takeaways. Zhou Ni was on the far side of the blanket and Elf was fielding her questions. I caught up with her at half time and we discussed the scoring system and some rules. She understood the mark, but was confused by the number of them that were not paid, then we cleared up that handpasses didn’t count.
On that subject – I would like Trent Cotchin to just handpass and stop it with the six metre kicks. What in the name of Tony Shaw does he actually think he is doing? He kicks to teammates that are so close he would actually be smelling their aftershave, little dab kicks that shear the heads off daisies and literally burn worms. Best result? Snipper or Bachar or Griggsy takes a slips catch with their face in the dirt, and everyone in the front half who had got into some space is suddenly manned up. Worst result it’s a turnover in the corridor. If we wanted that we would have kept Will Thursfield and converted him to an inside midfielder.
Because North are also no great shakes we were still in touch at half time. The boys and I went to the portaloos which were a kind of cigarette aromatherapy area. I found it actually quite nostalgic, smelt like mostly rollies. For Marcus it just smelt like trouble around the corner during lunch time at school.
Back at the blanket the crowd had built up and we needed to deploy stretched legs tactically to hold our space. I had been afraid it would turn into an everyone-on-their-feet situation with difficulties for short children and visitors from central China. I suppose in a tight finish that might have happened but Richmond took care of that by surrendering six goals on the spin.
Hardwick says those 15 minutes cost us the game. That is to suggest that although behind at the start of that blitz, we would have outscored the Roos in the rest of the game. I don’t know what he had seen in the prior five and a half games to suggest that.
It was our poorest quarter of the year by any measure and I felt bad that it was happening now, in front of long suffering Tassie supporters and so many who had travelled down from Australia. I’d had a fond thought that ‘Hobart’ could be a happy memory after this game, a place that bought to mind a turnaround, the beginning of great things, the day that we really saw the old Jack back, or the day that Griff made a statement that he was here to tear footy apart.
I had a secret that I was saving up my sleeve. Marcus gets pretty wound up about the Tiges fortunes (hello to all other genuine Tiges fans) and I had a surprise for him that actually raised the stakes dangerously high. I had been offered passes to go into the rooms after the game. So if we lost there would be no easy out, slip off to the car, burger and hot chocolate to cheer everyone up, put it behind us. We would be going into the heart of the disappointment. But still – that’s exciting, and you’d be mad to miss it. So as we got close to the final siren I told him we were going to the rooms, and it did lift his spirits, as I’d hoped.
Dugald is writing for richmondfc.com.au this season, and he has been telling everyone there to look at the Virtual Duffle Coat. A lady named Sarah called from the club last week and offered a pass into the rooms. I suppose it’s a boon they can hand out that costs them nothing and I appreciated it very much. I negotiated an extra for Marcus.
The author watching it all slip away
On the siren we worked our way around to the players race. I had my yellow Tiger hoodie on so I would be easy for Sarah to spot. She took us down a concrete tunnel like you see on TV, and then we went and stood behind a barrier next to Ricky Petterd for fifteen minutes.
Ricky was in a moon boot and chatting to some small kids who I guessed were blow ins like us. I didn’t want to push in on them so I just talked quietly to Marcus while we waited. Riewoldt stuck his head out, annoyed, shirtless. By then I twigged these boys were Ricky’s nephews. More Richmond people had come in and an older couple were talking pretty familiarly with him, not family but they seemed just more informed and more like they belonged here. We just hugged the wall and whispered.
Hardwick and some serious-faced vaguely familiar footy department people came down the slope and into the rooms. Sarah was apologetic but the doorman was not letting anyone in. As the others were waiting outside for us in the deepening gloom, I said to Sarah we would have to just forget it if we weren’t admitted pretty soon.
Mike Moshcogianis came past. He is both North’s GM of Tasmanian operations, and Marcus’s soccer coach. We had a chat about the boys’ 8-0 win this morning, and Marcus’ near miss when his chip from a distance hit the underside of the bar but stayed out. He’s a fullback and isn’t going to get many chances to get on the scoresheet.
Suddenly there was movement and we followed Sarah into the rooms. I had no idea what to do, so we found a wall to stick to and just observed quietly. Older players were on the floor stretching backs and hips with padded cylinders – Bachar, Cotch, Ivan, Griggs. Dusty was right in front of us, and a diminutive lady in her sixties gave him a hug. Alex Rance walked past shirtless (insert wolf whistle emoticon) and into the showers in a room behind us. Batchelor walked through and got on a table for a rub down.
Everyone was hushed, a few players looked our way pretty much unseeing. We were just the usual people who’ve been let in to gawp, I guess sometimes it’s a celebrity they might recognise or something. None of the visitors were saying anything much and we were just silent and drinking it in. Most of the players were either behind us in the shower or in some other room. No sign of any football department people or Brendon.
Once I felt we had absorbed the experience I thanked Sarah and we found our way out.
Zhou Ni did enjoy the game, and she was impressed with the athleticism and toughness of the players. She enjoyed Chappy’s big Jezza moment as the Nº 25 soared over the pack. I am going to choose to remember the screamers from Chappy, Sheds and Steve Morris as the highlights of the day.
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When Josh Pinn interviewed me a few months ago I said I don’t really want to get to know the players. I suppose what I meant is I don’t think a fan really can get to know a current player. They must be surrounded by people who want to be seen with them, and want to be their friend. And the players must treasure the friendships they have that are outside football, with people who treat them just the same if they kicked a bag or had a shocker. I feel like as a fan, I want the players to do a job for me on field, represent the club well off field, and that’s it.
I don’t think I have any insights to offer, and I have never played the game so I am vividly aware that every time I demand someone “put their head over the ball” I am adopting a morally bankrupt position.
It occurred to me down in the concrete corridor that for Sarah or Michael, or the physio or the prop steward, their job has to be essentially the same, win or lose. The guy walking around at half time shooting Mazda t-shirts into the stand out of a cannon, and the girls dressed as the Spirit of Tasmania – they get paid the same regardless. This is the football industry.
As a serious business with dozens of staff and a huge turnover, an AFL club just can’t afford to let their smooth running be hostage to an arbitrary thing like winning or losing. The bus driver and the nutritionist and the graphic designer and the boxing coach and the accounts receivable guy and the video editor and the IT lady and the community engagement officer can’t just hang their head after a loss and go into shutdown mode. They probably can’t ring talkback or go online and vent even if they wanted to. They are trapped in the four walls.
Footy clubs work their people incredibly hard. The footy department is a hungry beast that needs resources; sponsorship comes in and is fed to the beast immediately. Other parts of the club must survive on a thin gruel supplied by voluntary workers and modestly paid staff.
I remember a workplace of mine where unpaid overtime was the norm. The meter stopped at 5pm but you stayed until the work was done, then if the boss or client wasn’t happy you stayed until they were. And this was standard in my industry. This arrangement was a free kick for the employer and they used it ruthlessly. They would promise favours to clients, and unbelievable speedy turnarounds, and extras thrown in to sweeten the deal, and we were then depended on to deliver the goods.
I know that this happens at football clubs too. The goodwill and emotional investment of volunteers is an asset, and that asset is leveraged to the absolute maximum. Because unlike a CEO or a groundsman or a full forward who will walk, that volunteer or club-loyal staff member is there for life. And to free up resources elsewhere, the output of those units in the machine has to be maximised.
I don’t quite know where I am going with this and people with experience within clubs might tell me I have read it wrong. But my gut feeling is that a fan like me desperately wants to see the club win, while for club people that is really secondary to getting these drink bottles to that school, or these soft tissue injuries logged in that spreadsheet, or briefing these journalists on that player’s court case.
I want Trent to stop the little kicks and they want Trent to sign this stack of birthday cards. They get a big tick as they met their KPI for forward 50 entries, while I am tearing my hair out at watching Jack again trying to slot a set shot from the boundary. And I wonder if this is a fundamental difference that is at the heart of Richmond fans falling out of love with Richmond Football Club.
Chris,
I enjoyed this read… it has many valid points about the club and fans. We both want different things sometimes for different reasons. Im not sure it has been mentioned before.
Its hard work being a Richmond supporter and so easy to jump onto another clubs success. I dont like the easy option!
At least you guys get a game… many supporters dont get to see the Tigers play in their town.
Keep up the good work mate…
Go Tiges!
Cheers,
Darren
Thanks Darren. Yes, it was pretty special to have the team come to us for a change, they might make it to you one day.
Megan Maurice said this morning on Twitter, “in my experience, as a staff member, you do want the team to win, but mainly because it makes your job easier … Easier to boost memberships, get positive media coverage & get the players to do things like sign merch when the team is winning.”
So we all want the same end result but for different easons as you say.
For a fan like me its a cultish thing that has been a big part of my life since I was 5, I arguably care TOO deeply, while for a person in the position Megan was in (actually barracked for a different club) it was more about a happy workplace and ticking off a list of tasks.
Chris,
It’s miserable but I pretty much agree with the sentiment of your piece.
My ‘Richmond in Tassie’ story: I had to give up the chance to see the Tiges live on Saturday as I was coaching my son William’s North Launceston Eagles Junior Soccer Club Red Raptors U/9 Division 2 team and couldn’t make it south in time for the start of the game (for the North Islanders and Hobartians amongst you, I live in Launceston which is a largish town in the north of Tasmania). Having watched the game on tele all I can say is I dodged a bullet. Just watching the game on the box made my face resemble the classic ‘bulldog chewing a wasp’. For most of the match it appeared as though the Tiges had goalposts, that only they could see, on both wings and they were kicking towards these. The pattern went like this: win contested ball, kick/handball sideways, get turned over, watch ball go into North’s forward-line. Repeat. While it was how we’ve played for most of this season, it was truly dire footy which made my spleen rupture and my eyes burst and run down my cheeks.
William, age 7, helpfully asked lots of questions about Richmond as I was sliding into Tiger-induced misery: why do we never win games? I don’t know mate and why do we keep giving the ball to the Roos? I don’t know mate and why do we always do little kicks? I don’t know mate and can I follow Collingwood instead? I don’t know ma … hang on …WTF!?!? …
Yes. My son, who has been a Richmond member since birth, who I took on a tour of Punt Road on a recent visit to Melbourne, who has a size 8 Dusty Martin jumper and who knows his dad LOVES the Tiges has decided he wants to follow Collingwood. He has been influenced slightly by an aunt and grandmother who follow the Pies but in reality it is the utter futility of following Richmond in the hope of improvement that has made him want to jump ship. And he’s only 7. He also made comment that Collingwood players ‘run faster’ and ‘try harder’. I tried to explain that they dion’t run faster just that they have a different game plan that revolves around hard running and putting pressure on the opposition…and we don’t. Not my best defence of the Tiges but it was all I could muster after sitting through the dismal Bellerive performance.
This change of allegiance had been coming for a while. I had fought it off at every turn, but no more. I I told him – mate, if you want to follow another team then that’s up to you…I can’t defend the Tiges any more.
While his Collingwood ticket is not yet stamped it is only a matter of time if Richmond continue to dish up the dross of recent times.
I have always supported Richmond, and always will. I am not a ‘fair weather’ supporter, but until things change I really can’t bothered watching them anymore or even jumping to their defence when some other club’s supporter has a laugh at our expense.
Did you get the Red Raptors up though?
I have always said 7 is the cut-off age. After that, no switching. If you want your child to be happy more often its a no-brainer to just let him go to the Pies. No-one ever said parenting or being a Tiger was easy, and when those two jobs double up, you really learn a bit about your reserves of fortitude.
Dimma is kind-of-right as we were not good at any stage but we weren’t bad-bad apart from most of the 3rd quarter. But surely he knows we have those periods in every game and it was not a shocking surprise to anyone, were I was sitting.
That was a good read, and pretty accurate from what I saw, I am a long time member and also an active member of the cheer squad, (by active I mean that I make the banner, pole the banner on match days, and hold it up as well some of the time.) I have also volunteered my time to help out the club as well from time to time. I do it because I love and are true to the RFC, but sometimes you wonder if the players and officials really understand your passion, and are playing or working for the job/money, or they really have a passion for what they are doing, and who they are working for. Even in the cheer squad the work is left to the few, whilst the rest give very little (other than their membership fee), but expect the world, and complain when they do not get it. Some people claim a passion for the club, but when the times are tough, they are the first to disappear and complain about a lack of endeavor, I have missed 3 games in the last 7 years, and have traveled to every interstate location at my own expense to follow my team, and would not take back one second of the time I have invested, and do not regret spending the money to follow my team no matter what the results.
Thank you Vince, your kind of supporters are the bedrock that has kept the club upright when by any measure it should have toppled over long ago.
Vince
Alot of people I know up here dont get to many games due to distance… many cannot afford a membership but still buy it getting no real value for it.
The cant get their membership hat or scarf unless they go to a game. As they could barely afford the membership another $300 to attend a game isnt going to happen.
As a member I believe they have a right to be unhappy. They paid their money. Many have and we need them too!
For many… its all they can offer.
Your very lucky to be able to attend the games and be a part of the cheer squad… many would love to but cannot.
Darren
Goodonya Vince.
As Chris says, the Tiges would have keeled over ages ago if it wasn’t for its incredibly resilient and loyal supporters – clearly the club’s most valuable asset. By ‘supporters’ I mean people like your good self, like Chris who puts his heart and soul into this site , like Dugald Jellie and the other people who give up their time to help and promote the club. Supporters are different to ‘fans’. Anyone can be a fan. Fans jump on board when the Tiges are ‘up and about’ but are absent when times are tough. I’d say our club has far more supporters than fans if judged by our membership and match attendance figures. Going on our ‘recent’ history – the last four-and-a-half decades – we should have a membership of 500 and match attendance figures also in triple figures. We don’t. We regularly have huge crowds and we have record membership numbers. This has nothing to do with the ‘Membership Department’ (I’m not saying they don’t work hard, just that what they do wouldn’t influence too many people’s decisions to sign up or not) but everything to do with the character of the Richmond supporter – people like you. While I am incredibly disheartened by what we have dished up on the field this year, reading your thoughts and the thoughts of others on this site leaves me with the belief that, irrespective of on-field results, the club is in good hands.
Yep, tough gig after a loss where you know it was our cockups that allowed the margin (not like Port in the finals, who would have done that to anyone that day) – nobody wants to know about the why (and it’s really only the coaches’ job), and placating words ring dull, so there’s not a lot to say.
I live near a recently retired player and run/ride past his house pretty much daily. Occasionally the kids bump into him and go for a high five, but I’m well conscious that we’re not mates, and I have literally nothing to offer him, so tend to just nod from a distance.
Agree with the chip kicks, but I wonder if we notice them because of all the extra ball he clears out anyway; sooner or later one of Dusty’s tunnel handballs will be intercepted and we’ll get the same thing.
Jack from the boundary IS a problem, but most likely not of his doing – I wonder if we centred the ball earlier in its journey if we might have more options inside the arc, as well as straightening things up; of course it’s relatively easy to defend the corridor so it’s swings and roundabouts.
It’s a shame we kind of suck right now, Bachar has been playing out of his skin this year (Titch too), and I reckon Griff will get there. I even like seeing TopKnot running around – always thought he was worthy of #11.
Good insight, thanks for writing this.
(also Carlton GF was ’82 – I remember it well. First time I cried b/c of the Tigers. Although I -was- 7.)
Thanks Matt, good strong positives there. Cotch is trying his guts out clearly and yes, Bachar and Sheds have been good, TopKnot (I guess Batchelor?) is showing some new strings to his bow each week.
Defending the corridor is easy if it comes in slow. Shouldn’t a big key forward just charge out and DEMAND it where he can kick it from though?
Yes, I know Carlton was the 82 GF, and it was Perovic who got the Woof in the old days, and Barassi is thankfully not dead. 82 GF is worth watching again, lots of great players running around and of course Rioli.
Sorry it did look like I was part of the Carlton conversation, I just edited it a bit. I was just eavesdropping.
What a read. Thanks for that Chris. You’ve pretty much summed up exactly how I felt too, with a lump in my throat from the honest account of the weekend. Would be great if it all turns around this coming weekend as I’m flying over for the match vs the Pies. Go Tiges.
Got to hope. Some of the Pies stars look flat. Its not impossible, and with some of the fruity results that have been popping up this season it just might happen. We have a long road back to where we thought we were though.
Nice work Chris. One of the lucky few to get into the rooms, but more importantly the Club has some understanding of the Virtual Duffle. Its a wonderous thing.
You took quite a tribe along. Disappointing for all that so little endeavour was applied over the fence.
Will the Tigers ever return to Hobart…? I hope for your sake they do.
Interesting your thoughts about who works there, motivations etc. Any ordinary person on the street would probably think to be at club you would have to care for the result… but after your observations I wonder if they do.
To the other commenters, I loved your stories too. Darren, Joe and Vince… your Tiger faithful and that’s great. I was like that in the bad old days (late 80’s and early 90’s), but just don’t go to games anymore. Still a member, but those days have passed me by. Keep the heads up, guys.
Thanks Lappy
Hi Chris,
My golly, what a post.
I won’t be able to watch the Collingwood match live because I’ll be doing a half-marathon. But, I’ll watch the replay on Sunday night, without checking the scores first.
At the moment, I can’t take the team seriously; they are being shown to be pretenders. I’ll keep an interest, perhaps more so than if it they were 5:1, because I’m interested in seeing how the team reacts. I really loved them last year when they scraped into the finals; that was something almighty, even if the final win was against a Sydney team that had nothing on the line. This year, they’re playing like ghosts of the players they could be – except the few, Edwards, Houli, Rance.
People like Vince Morton need to be acknowledged adequately: their needs to be a proper ‘fan page’ on the Club’s official website. Dugald has already made great progress through his feature stories on the serious fans, but, I also think there should be a page where all of the cheersquad members are acknowledged, with simple portrait and profile.
“Year of the fan”….Vince is the kind of fan who should be invited home for tea with Dimma and Brendan.
Chris, hats off.
Andy
Good luck with your race Andy, I really hope we come out of the Collimngwod game with a few more shreds of optimism.
Its a real shame you didnt get to see a few of the boys take a gatorade shower Chris.
Im an acute optimist and, even though tempted, Im not gonna sook and moan this week (not to denigrate those that choose different tiger-coping strategies, we are, after all, all in this together).
Our chances ended when The Grifter went down. Even though he did a bold job, no way was Ivan ever gonna hold up against Goldy and Drew one out. Never. Ever.
Im remarkably positive about two things
1. Collingwood have Jesse White; and
2. I sense a fan revolution at tigerland, and more broadly, acrosstheland. So, yeah, rise up comrades. Lets reclaim our footy club from the spivs.
Hey Matt thanks for your positivity, very much in short supply at the minute. And I agree wholeheartedly, everyone has their own coping strategies with the chronic condition that is Richmond. And we have to try to be tolerant of one another’s differences in that regard.
I agree with Jesse White, don’trate him at all. Travisty Cloke can’t even drop the ball on his boot right. Bring on the Pies – they are a better side than North Melbourne but then we are a better side than we showed on Saturday. I am up for it.
Chris,
Thanks – I’m feeling relatively good about the race.
But, as is the Richmond way, I’m ready with excuses.
“it was too cold”, “it was too windy”, “it wasn’t an important race”, “it was just preparation for the next race”, “i didn’t have anyone to run with during the race”, “the distance was incorrect”.
And then, I can point out that, “hey, even though i ran a terrible race, there were still heaps of people who were a lot slower”. the more popular these races become, the more inadequately prepared runners take part.
I shall run while trying to exclude thoughts of “how much are we getting done by now?”. At each 5km mark, I shall utter: “Yellow and Black” and think of the great victories over the Blues and the Lions. 🙂
Go Tiges 🙂
Andy
Enjoy the replay, it was a cracking game.