I read this articlle, written by John Green, in an old Roar magazine and thought it was a good one to share.
One of the most stirring experiences for a Tiger supporter is seeing the players walk en masse to the Richmond end goals to acknowledge their supporters after a victory. It’s a time when we feel a special bond between players.
Imagine my disgust when a television commentator claimed that Kevin Sheedy’s Essendon started this practice! In fact I can pinpoint the exact date.
It was on the 6th August 1988, and Richmond were playing Melbourne at the MCG. We can all remember what a struggle it was for Bartlett’s Tiger Cubs that year, and Melbourne actually made the finals in ’88.
When the Demons jumped us and led by six goals at quarter time we were resigned to another gallant defeat. Melbourne kept a buffer of four to six goals for most of the match, but Richmond kept persisting.
Amazingly we ran over the top of them in the last quarter and finished up winning by eighteen points. Philip Egan kicked seven goals at full forward for the second consecutive week, and Weightman chimed in with another five.
Emotions ran high when the siren went. And then it happened – the Flea led the victorious players to the Richmond end goals to acknowledge the supporters.
I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place.
I had never seen it done before at an AFL match. Granted it had been done in soccer, but the Tiger action did not include kissing team mates, Lifting guernseys over the head or doing the Samba.
Now Essendon defeat Fremantle at the MCG and prance like ponies behind James Hird before their supporters sitting in our seats. Adelaide do it at Football Park where per cent of the crowd are Crows members. Hardly an heroic effort to cheer the team to victory!
Only Richmond know when to do it, and when not to do it.
Remember the defeat of Hawthorn at the MCG in 1997 when the players purposefully walked off the ground without so much as looking at us?
A brilliant psychological ploy.
In fact there is a long history of other teams flagrantly copying Richmond innovations.
In the 1960’s ruckman John Ronaldson was nicknamed “Lurch” after the butler in “The Addams Family”. North Melbourne called their ruckman Barry Goodingham “Lurch” even though he didn’t even have blonde hair! Richmond fans called David Cloke “Clokey”. What did Collingwood call him when he crossed to Victoria Park? That’s right. “Clokey”.
And did you ever see a goatee on a League footballer before you saw one on Phil Egan?
What next? Will the innovations of the Geish, i.e. crowding the room with supporters before the game, or taking the players close to the fence to be near supporters at three quarter time, be attributed to Terry Wallace or Tim Watson?
Beware of pale imitations, and defend Richmond as the true pace setters of the competition.
WE WERE FIRST
One of the most stirring experiences for a Tiger supporter is seeing the players walk en masse to the Richmond end goals to acknowledge their supporters after a victory. It’s a time when we feel a special bond between players.
Imagine my disgust when a television commentator claimed that Kevin Sheedy’s Essendon started this practice! In fact I can pinpoint the exact date.
It was on the 6th August 1988, and Richmond were playing Melbourne at the MCG. We can all remember what a struggle it was for Bartlett’s Tiger Cubs that year, and Melbourne actually made the finals in ’88.
When the Demons jumped us and led by six goals at quarter time we were resigned to another gallant defeat. Melbourne kept a buffer of four to six goals for most of the match, but Richmond kept persisting.
Amazingly we ran over the top of them in the last quarter and finished up winning by eighteen points. Philip Egan kicked seven goals at full forward for the second consecutive week, and Weightman chimed in with another five.
Emotions ran high when the siren went. And then it happened – the Flea led the victorious players to the Richmond end goals to acknowledge the supporters.
I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place.
I had never seen it done before at an AFL match. Granted it had been done in soccer, but the Tiger action did not include kissing team mates, Lifting guernseys over the head or doing the Samba.
Now Essendon defeat Fremantle at the MCG and prance like ponies behind James Hird before their supporters sitting in our seats. Adelaide do it at Football Park where per cent of the crowd are Crows members. Hardly an heroic effort to cheer the team to victory!
Only Richmond know when to do it, and when not to do it.
Remember the defeat of Hawthorn at the MCG in 1997 when the players purposefully walked off the ground without so much as looking at us?
A brilliant psychological ploy.
In fact there is a long history of other teams flagrantly copying Richmond innovations.
In the 1960’s ruckman John Ronaldson was nicknamed “Lurch” after the butler in “The Addams Family”. North Melbourne called their ruckman Barry Goodingham “Lurch” even though he didn’t even have blonde hair! Richmond fans called David Cloke “Clokey”. What did Collingwood call him when he crossed to Victoria Park? That’s right. “Clokey”.
And did you ever see a goatee on a League footballer before you saw one on Phil Egan?
What next? Will the innovations of the Geish, i.e. crowding the room with supporters before the game, or taking the players close to the fence to be near supporters at three quarter time, be attributed to Terry Wallace or Tim Watson?
Beware of pale imitations, and defend Richmond as the true pace setters of the competition.
