From a Tassie Tiger

I’m going to to attempt the impossible here; to talk about Dusty’s 300th just in terms of a home and away game with 4 points at stake. I love Dusty and what he’s done for Richmond. Others have spoken eloquently about his special qualities and where he ranks in football history. The club handled his week very well and the mini-doco they put out says all that needs to be said.

Dustin Martin kicked the first goal on Saturday afternoon, and it may well have registered on any seismographs in the East Melbourne / Richmond area. The vast bulk of the 92,000 crowd were Tigers, and this was a dream start for a special occasion.

We started watching on Marcus’s phone until it crapped out. I had planned to renew Kayo but they are now owned by Streamotion who are owned by Hubbl? Or something? Anyway, it didn’t happen. So at quarter time Marcus and Michael and I trotted down to the pub.

Taranto had a massive first quarter capped wth an audacious goal from the pocket. But Hawthorn were flowing smoothly, like a team on a winning streak. They kept us in it for a while by hitting the post repeatedly. Mabior is not a better forward than Tom Lynch, but the ball was being delivered beautifully to him, and he had a real day out. I was genuinely happy to see it. Tom would have been a bit frustrated up the other end.

Scrimshaw and Sicily took 25 marks between them; a few good ones but mostly just catching aimless bombs. It was a grim afternoon; as the seamless connection we used to take for granted just stuttered and the ball hit the ground again and again. Dusty was so quiet after his goal. Noah Cumberland seemed reluctant to contest aerially. Shai kicked one goal but seemed to saving his magic for another day.

Hawthorn’s Nick Watson kept popping up in dangerous areas but kicked 1.4, so they’ll need to sharpen up that part of the curriculum at his private school. His vibe was “even shorter Tom Papley, plus mullet” so I expect to be annoyed by him for many years.

Dan Rioli continues to stand up every week, his break out of the middle and pass to Kosi was a highlight. Kosi goaled from right in front 40 out; it would be really great to see this 20 more times this season. Great process / great result.

Apart from injuries, this is my vote for low point of the year so far. Balta & Broad muck it up.

The Hawks just galloped away in the last term. Cumberland was hooked for Kane McAuliffe; probably should have happened sooner. Nank, Vlossy, Hugo, Bakes and Ben Miller all tried hard, Shorty seemed to back in form and the Tasmanians Campbell and Mansell chipped in valuable goals.

I loathe Hawthorn, and I confess I was pretty blue by the final siren. I didn’t consciously turn my back on Dusty’s celebration; but we’d come for a game of football, and it was over. I hope he plays out the season and gets to sing the song a few more times, it’s been a little while.

In February I wrote here “Dynasties don’t last much longer than this in general, so there’s every prospect of a dip in fortunes at the very least.” Thanks very much Nostradamus. So, you can blame me for the Tiges nosedive in 2021. But like 2017 and 2019, we did not lose in September.

You can also blame me for the huge gaps in TTBB this season. I have struggled for motivation, for time and sometimes for positivity. The team has had some terrible performances, sure. But in the past I think we would have been on here spewing words to dissect these losses and demand Liam McBean come into the side. I didn’t want to think about AFL footy so much this year. But that’s what this site is all about, so please accept my apology that I just wasn’t able to do it at times in 2021.

During lockdowns, and all the other difficulties and limitations the pandemic has imposed; football and sport generally has played an important part in giving people a distraction and something to look forward to. The AFL has been flexible, shipping games here and there, playing in front of low or no crowds, the show must go on. This meant that for some Melbourne footy lovers, the unthinkable happened: their side played in a Grand Final that they were barred from attending. Not just “tickets are scarce” but – you’re barred. And they couldn’t even congregate to watch together because of restrictions on indoor gatherings.

I am not convinced AFL footy should have gone ahead this year. I do not have a persuasive argument for this case; it’s just a feeling that dogged me through the season. I am in Tasmania, where we have only had isolated single Covid cases bob up over the last year. I could go to local footy, with its small crowds. It felt good to be keeping the flame burning for all the people who would have done anything to be able to stand in the wind and rain and yell ‘ballllllll’.

The AFL with its interstate travel and huge payrolls is so much more than a sport. It’s too big to fail. The stock market would actually take a hit if the AFL was cancelled for a year. TV would have panicked as they did when sports started cancelling in 2020. AFL 2021 was always going to crash through no matter what. I was in the privileged position where I could go to a game, watch the Hobart Tigers lose, come home satisfied and just absorb the AFL on the radio or in the paper. Didn’t watch it much.

I don’t know how we’ll do in 2022, or how I’ll feel when round 1 is approaching. Nostradamus needs to go up on the roof and fiddle with the aerial to the crystal ball.

I do want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, David Astbury and Bachar Houli. Two wonderful men that have been ornaments to Richmond Football Club and to the game. Football has given them a platform and a career to this point; I expect we will hear a lot more from them in the years to come.

Bachar has his Foundation and we know he’ll continue to do his amazing community work; which I think of as stitching Muslim Australians into the wider fabric of Australia. David comes across as such a deep thinker, a humanist and an optimist. I hope we will have further opportunities to hear him speak – whatever his public role.

I was staring into space a minute ago thinking “I just don’t have any excitement or a sense of anticipation for the AFLM footy season. And maybe this is the most disengaged I can remember feeling”. But now I remember I was just the same last year, even before Covid came to town. This might just be me now: the guy who warms up to footy season in April.

I have been riding the bumps with our AFLW side and I really feel like their improvement has been outstanding. If we’d had a kinder draw against some similarly new sides we might have had a few wins. Being underdogs is exciting.

Meanwhile in AFLM being the benchmark is satisfying, not exciting. The excitement is all in the prospects of young players pushing for selection and displacing their double- and triple-premiership teammates. Dynasties don’t last much longer than this in general, so there’s every prospect of a dip in fortunes at the very least.

I was at a Japanese restaurant in North Hobart with the largest sake range in Australia – a four page menu. But I could not get a footy score. I texted my wife, Dugald, Joe. Nothing. So I just ate my eel and hoped for the best.

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By the time I got home we were down 77 – 66. And playing pretty badly. I had to wait ages to see us get an uncontested possession. No-one had any run.

Our kicks were never to advantage. To Jack, Towna and Nank along the ground or into space to lumber after. Bolton, Butler and Castagna had it coming down on top of their heads.

Incredibly we snuck back to within 9 points, then Dave Astbury shanked a kick backwards and it was goodnight nurse, thank you linesmen, thank you ball boys.

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I have since gone back and watched the first half. Rance was genuinely beaten by Jenkins early, but never stopped trying, and did get on top in the last quarter.

Conversely Riewoldt was a spark in the first half but looked cooked at the end. The lazy checkside that went OOF suggested either his mind or body was not 100%.

Martin was terrific, really showing off all parts of his game. His five goals kept us ludicrously close considering the rest of the contest was quite one-sided.

In his 200th game Cotch was his usual diligent self, again defensively busy but didn’t get a lot of touches.

Grigg and Houli were invisible and we will rarely win a game where you say that.

Bolton is drifting in and out showing glimpses just as Rioli did. This might not be the year it happens for him but its going to happen.

Conca, McIntosh, Grimes and Lambert all made pretty bad mistakes that are going to be excruciating in video review.

I didn’t enjoy seeing Grimes rag-dolled by the 2nd gamer Fogarty, conceding a goal; and Tex bodied Astbury out too easily.

Towna was quiet but he nailed his set shot as ever, and I loved his five-eighth effort here to set Dusty up for a goal.

I thought Josh Caddy was really impressive. He again kicked three great goals. Just before halftime he shepherded through Dusty’s long bombed goal, then shortly after dished a quick handball to Butler for his (unsuccesful) shot.

Lastly Jayden Short played a very good game, it looked like he belonged, and Shane Edwards put in a shift.

We have to look forward, not back. I can take no consolation in March from beating this team in a more important game 6 months ago. We got comprehensively schooled last night, and they were without Matt Crouch for much of it.

Given their loss last week, the Crows at home always had more to play for than we did. Fear of going 0-2 trumps fear of losing away and going 1-1.

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The votes

5 – Martin Four quarters, five goals.

4 – Caddy 3 goals, but unselfish. Poor man’s Josh Kennedy.

3 – Cotchin 9 tackles, repeat efforts.

2 – Short Influential particularly early, hit targets. Composed.

1 – Nankervis Beaten by Jacobs on the stats but offers more IMO. 8 tackles.
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Leaderboard

The tickets are printed, bag is packed, and the dog knows something is up.

I’m feeling shaky. No – not about the Tiges, I have tipped us objectively to win the 2018 flag. No reason to think we can’t get over Carlton on Thursday night.

But I think I’ve got First Round Fever – is that a known diagnosed condition? I have been starving for a feed of Richmond. I have had simultaneously too much and not enough footy.

The AFL’s attempt to fill the depth and width of the sporting landscape like expanding foam has just been exhausting over the summer. Surprisingly little of that foam was expended promoting AFLW, but there were endless thought bubbles, puff pieces, and even an entire puff competition in AFLX. Surely something is wrong when you have symptoms of a football OD in January.

On the Richmond front I have been reading and re-reading Konrad Marshall’s Yellow and Black, watching and re-watching the finals, listening to the radio calls over and over while mowing the lawn and walking to work. And last week we all saw Peter Dickson’s Break The Fall which really sharpened that feeling of having lived through a really amazing moment for Richmond.

But I haven’t been hoovering up every bit of pre-season Tiges news or madly buying premiership memorabilia or sketching out projected tattoos. I have really been trying to have an off-season.

On top of First Round Fever I am a bundle of nerves just because I am coming over for the premiership flag unfurling, bringing my sons, and making these sorts of plans turns me to jelly. Plain anxiety.

Just getting the boys from schools, to the airport, remembering all the pieces of paper I need to get us from home into the MCG, and locating Dugald and Clare, our hosts at the game. Then there’s the social side – so many people I know online and in real life will be at the game. I would love to get around and see everyone at half time. But I don’t want to misplace the boys (one of whom doesn’t even like footy) or miss a quarter stuck in a queue. After the game we need to catch up with our overnight hosts Nuning and Andy and hopefully have time for a chat with them before bedtime. Then up 6, taxi to airport, fly home and drop kids back at schools.

I know for most people this kind of thing is a snap – not me. Now I have booked the Skybus in and a taxi back out again, printed all the tickets and packed a bag I am starting to feel more normal and actually anticipate the game.

I hope everyone has a great night at the G or at home, and we have settled it by three quarter time. Go TIGES.

Over here Dugald has woven the Grand Final votes into a monster premiership narrative. For the easy reference of future historians they are;

10 votes – Alex Rance
8 votes – Bachar Houli
6 votes – Dusty Martin
4 votes – Jack Graham
2 votes – Nathan Broad

It’s worth mentioning here that last year’s Benny wrapped up in dark and introverted circumstances after capitulation to the Swans. The  last votes were given grudgingly and the future appeared bleak. This year we finish off with the biggest bang imaginable. We have every right to expect wonderful things next year. The club is in great shape.

Final Tally - Benny Award

My Tigers Together design has been the joy of my life since the GF. Far from any kind of post-premiership let-down, I feel like I have been surfing the wave with a jet booster. The design has been selling in all sorts of formats, and now for the last week as a bumper sticker, which was its original intention.

When I had a rough design I showed friends on Twitter who were unanimous that I should make it available immediately for t-shirts and mugs. So I did, and people have bought them in droves. After about a week they began sending me pictures of their new treasures. Every sale gives me joy, every picture is a miracle.

I built an e-commerce page for my reesdesign.com.au website so I could sell the bumper stickers directly. I panicked a bit when the printers called to say they were ready about 4 days earlier than expected, and the site wasn’t built yet. I am not a web designer so it was all a bit fraught but seems to be now working smoothly.

My previous best-seller on Redbubble was Bones McGhie, which had amassed 160 sales after about 4 years. Tigers Together went past that in THREE DAYS. Since Redbubble sales passed 300 I have been looking at it as an amazing Test innings; it is now closing in on the record, with only Lara, Hayden and Jayawardene ahead of it.

On top of that are 70+ bumper stickers which are out there in the world.

At lights, bloke in car next to me winds down window, 'where do I get that sticker?' Expecting to get mobbed when Tshirt goes on. @johnno1629

So that’s covered the cost of my first actual merch investment (Redbubble is all print-on-demand with no up-front cost). Another difference is with Redbubble I very rarely see the customers names or locations, so I can’t follow up with new designs they might like, or even just visualise where my stuff goes. With the bumper stickers I get a name and address to post them to and it feels really different.

Redbubble has a thing called Bubblemail whereby buyers can communicate with sellers. Its rarely used; maybe one buyer in 30 or 40 leaves me a note. But I have had so many sales in the last weeks that the notes are piling up and I want to share a few. This is a bit of an ego trip but I want to keep them somewhere in case Redbubble wipes them.

Love Tigers Together. Great stuff! Anon, Hadspen TAS

This is really a great design Chris! captured why the Tigers did so well this year Thanks! John (location unknown)

Thanks for this design. It is beautiful, simple, and powerful imagery. Go tiges. Anon, Fairy Meadow NSW

Thanks for finding the real essence of the Tiges on GF day. Anon, Jannali NSW

The design is incredible. Anon, Ocean Grove VIC

Gday mate, even as a demon I love the design and it’s perfect for my father in law for Christmas! I even gave him my gf ticket so I’m in the good books right now! Keep up the great work Anon, St Kilda East VIC

As much as I love the use of the tiger on Richmond memorabilia, the players linking arms is powerfully symbolic in commemorating this long awaited victory. I was a little emotional when I saw this, and personally this captures the many feelings that my partner, friends and that I’ve experienced and continue to experience since that glorious day- strong & bold too! Thank you so very much… Anon, Colac VIC

How’s that last one – made the hair on my neck stand up. I can’t think of anything I have done in my long career as a graphic designer that has got a response like this. Its immensely satisfying. As I said in the last post I understand that it piggybacks on the astounding achievement of the 23 men in the picture; it taps into the strong emotions people feel at the moment.

I looked through 46 pages of Getty news photographs after the Grand Final to find the right pics to celebrate each of the premiership players for this post. And I just couldn’t stop looking at the pics of the boys lined up for the anthem. Is it the Crows dopey pose? Is it the yellow? Teams often line up with linked arms, but there is just something about this occasion that seems special. They look relaxed, united, and ready to make history.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

I had been kicking around lame ideas for a premiership design that was a celebration but not a cash-in exactly, and didn’t rip off the club’s intellectual property, or use player’s pictures without their permission. I looked at this photo by Darrian Traynor and just thought; perfect bumper sticker format. Could work with no logos, no faces, not even any sash. But everyone is so recognisable, especially for a Tiges fan. [I am a bush lawyer on these matters and just follow the law of trying to do the right thing].

Should it say “Tigers Together 2017” or “Connected” or “Premiers”? It felt great when the perfect idea arrived; that no text was required at all. Here it is.

I really like thinking about what was going through their heads, who was next to who, the dynamics of it. Redheads together, old mates Prestia and Caddy together etc. Somehow Sheds is the figure I come back to again and again.

Design notes

• Simplicity is an important part of good design, so everyone’s got black boots. And if you want tatts you will have to draw them in yourselves.
• On the other hand everyone’s socks are exactly as photographed; 1 out of 44 is pulled up. Happy to discuss this at length with any sock psychologists out there.
• Bachar and Dylan have their heads bowed in the photo. I have tried to depict this for Bachar but it didn’t feel right for the design for Dylan.
• Some of the hairdos are a bit rough; I have tweaked them a bit for the bumper sticker.

You can buy it now on shirts, mugs, phone covers, scarves; on Redbubble via my site here.

There is a bumper sticker coming; I am printing locally and I’ll pump it up on all social media when they are available, maybe 2 weeks but hopefully less, around $8. More expensive but very good quality ones are available now on Redbubble.

UPDATE the stickers are here, they are $6 each including GST and postage within Australia.

The last thing to say about it is I made a donation to Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision and one to Alannah & Madeline Foundation on behalf of everyone who has bought something. It’s not a formal arrangement, they certainly do NOT endorse this and neither does the club or AFL. We the supporters have given a lot to this club for years. But now in return the whole club from the volunteers up to Peggy and Brendon, Cotch and Dimma, have given us a premiership. The most wonderful, unexpected gift we could ask for. And that’s why people are buying this thing, so while sales continue I will make sure the club’s charity partners benefit from this windfall.

It’s fair to say we are still in shock here at the TTBB office to some extent. It is dawning on us that we are really premiers. There will be plenty to read here over the next few weeks, but for now, enjoy this selection from Getty Images. They didn’t manage to snap Sheds (or Kmac) in action at all which speaks volumes about how subtle Sheds’ work in particular was. Blink and you’d miss it but it was very telling in the 2nd quarter. Go Tiges!
Embed from Getty Images BACHAR
Embed from Getty Images GEORGIE
Embed from Getty Images ALEX
Embed from Getty Images DUSTY
Embed from Getty Images DAN
Embed from Getty Images DYLAN
Embed from Getty Images CADDY
Embed from Getty Images YOUNG JACK
Embed from Getty Images DAVE
Embed from Getty Images NANK
Embed from Getty Images GRIGGA
Embed from Getty Images BROAD
Embed from Getty Images TOWNERS
Embed from Getty Images BRANDO
Embed from Getty Images VLOSSY
Embed from Getty Images COTCH
Embed from Getty Images JACK
Embed from Getty Images KANE
Embed from Getty Images DION
Embed from Getty Images BUTLER
Embed from Getty Images KMAC
Embed from Getty Images SHEDS
Embed from Getty ImagesTHANK YOU DIMMA

Back in the nineties life was different, footy was different, and Richmond was different. Cheryl Critchley was a rabid Tiges fan and budding journalist. She and her small team put together six issues of this substantial, professional zine which they sold outside games for $2. Cheryl says their costs were about $1 per copy, and they donated the other dollar to the club. They raised $5000 this way.

Cheryl was pregnant with her first child Jess during the 1998 season, and carried her in a pouch while selling copies outside Punt Rd oval in 1999.

The club was great. They gave us access to players and even Jeff Gieschen, whom I managed to get in a dog leash for the headline “We leash the Giesch!”

Have a browse through these covers and selected highlights Cheryl scanned for us.