The rise of Richmond is just the shot in the arm this AFL season needed.
In a year that has once again been hijacked by the Essendon saga, through the inability of anyone at the club to accept they may have done something wrong, the AFL’s questionable methods and ASADA’s bumbling incompetence and weak leadership, the Tigers seven-match winning surge has proven the tonic.
The fixture has been a disaster, both practically and in a public relations sense. The usual suspects have bemoaned too many rolling mauls and uninspiring matches.
Instead of football being all over the front pages for the wrong reasons, Richmond are all over the back for the right ones – pure football.
This is a good story for the entire football world. For long-suffering Tiger fans (and regular readers of my pieces will know that I am one) the dream is still alive for back-to-back finals series, our first since 1974-75.
For everyone else, ninth is still very much on the cards, and is in fact the more likely scenario. All the ninth jokes can be pulled out of mothballs and be used again and again.
If Richmond were making this sort of run in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, Jesus rising on the third day would barely have raised an eyelid. Lazarus himself only came back from the dead to give the Tigers a point of reference. And to see a Dustin Martin “don’t argue” and goal from 60 metres.
Non-Richmond people love to see the Tiges do well… up to a point. There isn’t much more fun to be had than watching the hope and optimism of these greater fools get built up, only to be torn down in ways that are equally outrageous and heart-breaking.
A Richmond supporter can not enjoy a fast start to a match and an early five-goal lead. It only means that the opposition has plenty of time to get back into the game, which they inevitably will.
A Richmond supporter does not relax with a comfortable three-quarter-time margin. They know that the opposition will respond with record-breaking last term heroics. A Richmond supporter does not celebrate their team hitting the front in a close game in the last quarter. They understand that their heart will be ripped out in the next minute or two.
If these things don’t happen, it is merely because the footy Gods are setting them up for an even bigger fall later on. They are the masters of the long con when it comes to the Tigers.
It is why Richmond can never just stumble into the eight when they do make it once a decade. It’s straight into the upper reaches (third in 1995, fourth in 2001, fifth last year).
‘Wow,’ the fans think, ‘we’ve improved so much in one season and our list is still quite young. Finally we’ve broken through. It can only be onward and upward from here’.
The result? Splat!
Season 2013 and the first half of 2014 were the cruellest examples yet. Witness the elimination final loss again, followed by the most stagnant football seen this side of a Paul Roos coached team.
But the Tiges are back once more. And playing a brand of football that everyone can get on board with. They’re attacking the ball and man hard in the contest, defending grimly and protecting teammates, both through physicality and running hard to help their back men out.
With the ball, their rebound is back to 2013 levels, running hard either wide into space or in waves through the middle, flicking the ball around to each other like a magnetic hot potato.
Jack Riewoldt has only kicked 11 goals in the seven-match winning streak, but has perfectly encapsulated this version of the Tigers.
His work ethic has been outstanding all year, especially during the down times, but he is continually putting his body on the line and working as hard as anyone for the team, in wet and greasy conditions unsuitable to key forwards.
In the last month alone he’s had to play on three probable All-Australians in Eric Mackenzie, Cale Hooker and Daniel Talia, but has continued to persevere, lead hard and put his body on the line. Watch him celebrate his teammates’ goals more heartily than his own.
Momentum is the most irresistible thing in football. The Tigers have it. And they’re coming. Personally, I’ve already booked my flights to Adelaide for our elimination final against Port.
In fact, with our Round 23 match taking place in Sydney, and our likely finals draw also taking in trips to Perth and Sydney again, this week against St Kilda will be our last match at the MCG until grand final day.
Haha. Will the dream still be alive come then? Probably not. But gee it’s great for football if it stays alive just that little bit longer.
Deep Thinker
Guest
I hope they make it. The main reason is because it will put an end to the nonsense argument that the AFL top 8 is locked in after 8 rounds. After round 8, Collingwood, Gold Coast and West Coast were all in the top 8. Their finals campaigns are now looking very shaky.
Jason H
Roar Rookie
Agreed. It was a shocker.
Milo
Guest
Totally right Jason, but i guess my point is regardless of the reasons why, this is a game that goes into the shouldas column as if they both play to their normal abilities, Richmond wins. The fact that it was the Tommy tribute game just made it totally gut wrenching for us supporters to watch. Shouldas couldas wouldas, Richmond has only itself to blame for the position its in. Again.
Jason H
Roar Rookie
Yes it was a shocker of a game, no doubt. However, just because it was a tribute game doesn't mean that we or any team is going to bring their best, while we might like that to be the case the fact remains that regardless of the 'emotion' behind a game, it's still the same team that takes the field as every other week. Who's to say that the loss of Tommy was so heartbreaking the boys wee too emotionally drained to perform? Who's to say that the boys tried too hard and wanted the win so badly for Tommy that they screwed up basic skills? Having an expectation of a victory or extra effort because it's a milestone game for someone or a tribute game is ridiculous, players play to win every week. Do you think the Dees were going to take the foot of the pedal and give us an easy win for Tommy? The fact remains that we lost that game because we didn't play well enough and the Dees did, end of story. As for finishing 9th, who cares, 9th or 18th same same for me.
Milo
Guest
Too many seasons with too many IFs. I was there that day at the G for the Tommy game and it was shocking.Skills, effort, execution, just deplorable. Like they were waiting for Tommy's spirit to come rescue them. Reason why we have this ninth reputation is exactly that - in all of those seasons we could look back and name one or two games that should have been wins, but were dropped as they were way off their game. I have a feeling that Melbourne game will be the one for 2014 and being the tribute game makes it all the more harder to take.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Speaking from long, bitter experience, & stating the bleeding obvious as well, Richmond wouldn't be putting their supporters through this late season torture IF they'd had the ability to win just a couple of games earlier in the year. The Tom Hafey game against Melbourne in particular. That performance remains for me as one of the blackest days in their history. I don't care that the Demons were playing better back then either. It was unpardonable.
Rob
Guest
I disagree Cameron the number of Richmond supporters does not grow solely on the basis of Richmond winning games. We all get the ones that jump on the bandwagon when we're winning but jump off just as quickly when the teams aren't. I would hope that If GWS or Gold Coast was successful they would actually grow the audience and the game. Perhaps not in Victoria, so them winning would be Good for the game, With regards to your state line "tripe" I'm a Carlton supported. The media is dominated by Victorians that believe that unless the finals are played in Victoria that the game is in its death throes. The reason the certain Teams create a bigger Buzz is that certain teams have a greater representation in the media. So they make more noise. You see it in each state
Pumping Dougie
Guest
Great article Cam, well written. (I'm in the, "Non-Richmond people love to see the Tiges do well… up to a point", camp.)
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Get rid of the few though Cameron and I won't mind. Collingwood have a few too, they have both staff and players though...
Jason H
Roar Rookie
Now D.Large, i'm going to assume that you didn't put any DLarge amount of time thinking about that comment. :) When the Tigers make the 8, not if, when, hahaha, yes i'm sober, when we make the 8 it will not be like last year my friend, it will be a very different Tigers and they will be very important to the premiership. Comparing us to the Dees, I don't see it. What I do see is a team of roaring Tigers that will demolish the St's on Sunday boosting that percentage. My crystal ball seems to stall beyond this weekend though, hmmmm what 's that about I wonder?
Milo
Guest
The AFL cares. The media cares. Like Collingwood, successful Richmond draws big crowds, gets big TV and radio ratings and sells papers & content. That all helps put funds in the AFL coffers which in turn are distributed amongst other clubs.
D.Large
Guest
Well he's certainly no literary scholar.
D.Large
Guest
Love the passion Cam, always good to see. However #Richmondrising is as about as important to this years premiership race as Melbourne is.
Jason H
Roar Rookie
"...and I am a Saints and Tigers man from the 70's...." Sorry Col, you were never a Tigers man. Let me guess these days you're a Pies and Dees man.
D.Large
Guest
Agree for Richmond fans, but its hubris in the extreme to think other care.
D.Large
Guest
Spot on Rob, spot on.
D.Large
Guest
Agreed, no idea how the Tiges run is 'great for the game'.
D.Large
Guest
The Saints are terrible, not even the Tiges can fluff that one.
Bosk
Roar Rookie
The AFL needs to ban Richmond from making the finals every year so they can go through a season undefeated.
Cameron Rose
Expert
People are talking about Melbourne as if the despair has again reached Mark Neeld-era levels, but I don't see that being the case. But the Dees have to find a way to show something in the final two matches. It was only a month ago they were leading Port, in Adelaide, with five minutes to go in an incredibly spirited performance.