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A massive crowd could be on the cards when Richmond and Collingwood face off at the MCG this Saturday in what looms as a potential AFL grand final preview.
Having risen from the ashes to win last year’s premiership, the Tigers have since gone from strength to strength, winning 13 of their 17 matches to all but secure a double chance with five rounds still to play.
They have not lost in metropolitan Melbourne for over 12 months and not at the MCG since last June.
Conversely, interstate travel remains their Achilles heel this season, having lost all four of their matches outside Victoria – two in Adelaide as well as one each in Perth (against the West Coast Eagles) and Sydney (against the Greater Western Sydney Giants).
Last Friday night, the Tigers took out their frustrations from their narrow loss to the Giants by thrashing St Kilda by 64 points in the annual Maddie’s Match, tightening their grip on the minor premiership.
Instrumental to the Tigers’ victory was a four-goal haul from Jack Riewoldt, while Dustin Martin gathered 30 possessions in another best-on-ground display.
Surprisingly, coach Damien Hardwick said his side played better in the previous week’s loss to GWS, in which they were put on the back foot right from the start against a side missing their twin tower forwards in Jeremy Cameron (suspended) and Jonathan Patton (ACL injury).
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Meantime, the Pies appear to have booked their tickets to September for the first time in five years.
This time last year, few knew whether Nathan Buckley would still be coach, however a final-round win over Melbourne proved enough to convince the board that the 2003 Brownlow Medallist was the right man to continue to lead the club.
Collingwood have won 12 out of their last 15 matches to climb into the top four and last week, they thrashed North Melbourne by 11 goals.
When these two teams met in Round 6, the Pies took the game right to Richmond, before the class of the reigning premiers told in the final quarter, as they ran away with a 43-point victory.
And while each of the Tigers’ four losses have occurred interstate, all five of their opponents’ defeats have come at the MCG, including their first loss to the West Coast Eagles at the home of football since 1995.
Now, just imagine if these sides do meet in this year’s grand final.
It would be the first time since the 2010 grand final that two teams based entirely from metropolitan Melbourne have contested it, and it would also mark the first grand final since 2011 not to feature an interstate team.
It also has the potential to be the most-attended AFL grand final this century, with the figure of 100,021 for last year’s decider between the Adelaide Crows and Richmond set to come under serious threat.
During the week, the Tigers cracked 100,000 members, but with a maximum of 40-45,000 tickets set to be allocated to the club should they again reach the grand final, over half of them will sadly miss out.
The good news, though, is that Punt Road Oval is only a stone’s throw away from the MCG, which means that what remains of the Tiger Army would pack out their traditional home ground.
Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Collingwood, meanwhile, have not publicly released their membership figures, having been overtaken by the likes of not just Richmond, but also Hawthorn and Essendon, in recent years.
Still, they have one of the most passionate supporter bases in Australia and claim to be not just the biggest club, but also the most supported in any code in the country – to the point where they also field teams in the AFL Women’s and Super Netball competitions.
Their clash at the MCG this Saturday afternoon, expected to be played in front of at least 85,000 fans, will help shape the finals fortunes of both clubs.
While the Tigers can take another step towards finishing on top of the ladder with a win, the Pies have the chance to draw level with the reigning premiers on 52 competition points, and could end the round in second place on percentage should West Coast lose to North Melbourne on Sunday.
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