Dockers' Tiger rivalry renewed
1:41:20 PM Fri 11 April, 2003
Mic Cullen
afl.com.au
Fremantle’s rivalry with Richmond is the longest in the young club’s history, as it was Richmond that the new club came up against on April Fool’s day 1995 when the port club embarked on its AFL adventure.
Club stalwarts will tell you – often, if they know you’re a Richmond supporter – about how lucky your club was that day to win by five points, and how they’re the only expansion club in the modern era to have to play their first game away from home, and so on.
Chris Connolly, however, isn’t one of those people – in 1995 he was coaching TAC Cup team Eastern Ranges and also the Victoria Metro side in the AFL National Under 18 championships.
As a result, he’s always preaching the “history doesn’t count” mantra, and he was banging that drum again on Thursday, when asked about Fremantle’s record at the MCG.
While there are a few grounds where the Dockers are yet to record a win, the MCG is the ground where they have lost the most games away from Subiaco Oval – from 15 trips to the ground, they have just one win there, when they thumped Melbourne by 54 points in round 10, 1999, courtesy of a 10 goal haul to full forward Tony Modra.
“Mate, our record at any ground’s not great,” Connolly said with a laugh when asked about the Dockers’ record at the ground.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of winning teams at the MCG – it depends on how you want to look at it. Trent (Croad), Jeff Farmer – they’ve played in lots of winning teams at the MCG.
“Look, we’ve got a group going forward – we’re really looking strongly forward. You can’t get any patterns from the past with this group – they’re so different.”
Connolly said he rated the Tigers highly.
“Richmond’s in premiership mode, and I think that reflects in their recruiting – if you look over the last few years, to recruit (Leon) Cameron and (Paul) Hudson and Kane Johnson, and to look at the age of their list, they very much are in, let’s say, a top-six mode, so they’ll be desperate to get these four points.”
1:41:20 PM Fri 11 April, 2003
Mic Cullen
afl.com.au
Fremantle’s rivalry with Richmond is the longest in the young club’s history, as it was Richmond that the new club came up against on April Fool’s day 1995 when the port club embarked on its AFL adventure.
Club stalwarts will tell you – often, if they know you’re a Richmond supporter – about how lucky your club was that day to win by five points, and how they’re the only expansion club in the modern era to have to play their first game away from home, and so on.
Chris Connolly, however, isn’t one of those people – in 1995 he was coaching TAC Cup team Eastern Ranges and also the Victoria Metro side in the AFL National Under 18 championships.
As a result, he’s always preaching the “history doesn’t count” mantra, and he was banging that drum again on Thursday, when asked about Fremantle’s record at the MCG.
While there are a few grounds where the Dockers are yet to record a win, the MCG is the ground where they have lost the most games away from Subiaco Oval – from 15 trips to the ground, they have just one win there, when they thumped Melbourne by 54 points in round 10, 1999, courtesy of a 10 goal haul to full forward Tony Modra.
“Mate, our record at any ground’s not great,” Connolly said with a laugh when asked about the Dockers’ record at the ground.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of winning teams at the MCG – it depends on how you want to look at it. Trent (Croad), Jeff Farmer – they’ve played in lots of winning teams at the MCG.
“Look, we’ve got a group going forward – we’re really looking strongly forward. You can’t get any patterns from the past with this group – they’re so different.”
Connolly said he rated the Tigers highly.
“Richmond’s in premiership mode, and I think that reflects in their recruiting – if you look over the last few years, to recruit (Leon) Cameron and (Paul) Hudson and Kane Johnson, and to look at the age of their list, they very much are in, let’s say, a top-six mode, so they’ll be desperate to get these four points.”
