Another week, another Tiger victory. I have almost reached the point where I can

sit back and enjoy the game confident in the knowledge that the boys know how to win, how to hold onto a 4 or 5 goal lead, how to build that into a 10 goal win. This must be what it is like to barrack for Geelong or Sydney. It is a great feeling to let go of all the old fears of losing the games we are expected to win.

The game against St Kilda was a great opportunity to build up our percentage and consolidate our position in the Top 8. We saw some pretty impressive performances. I loved Vickery’s game and with Maric out it was really pleasing to see Vickery grab the role of first ruck and really fire. He seemed to be fully focused and had great intensity all game. Aaron Edwards also had a great game, especially in the first half. I have really enjoyed watching him fit into the Richmond forward line and think he is the right fit for us. He seems to cover a lot of the ground – getting to many contests and tackling and scrambling to keep the ball in our half.

It was fantastic to see Foley up and about, kicking goals and moving freely. His recovery from injury seems to be genuine and solid and hopefully he will play his first final series this year. He certainly deserves that. I also loved Jackson’s game. He is having a fantastic year and kicking those incredible goals now is just the icing on the cake.

I was also impressed with Matt Arnot’s first game. He is strong and aggressive and seemed very much at home on the MCG. He had a team high tackle count of 7 and added real grunt to the contest. It is very encouraging that the youngest players in the team, Arnot, Vlastuin and Ellis are the hardest tacklers. Richmond is still ranked as the lowest tackling team and if we hope to beat the top teams at any point this year this needs to change. The young players are leading the way.

The next two games are hard to predict. North Melbourne and Richmond are pretty evenly matched in my opinion. The difference this year is we have won the games we should and North has not. We go into the game with confidence and winning form. Hopefully this makes the difference.

The game against the Gold Coast in Cairns is even more interesting. We all know the history of this clash. We are the only team who has never beaten the Gold Coast and they are a lot better this year than they were the first two. That said we are a lot better too and perhaps the fact that we know that it is a tough match in tough conditions will finally see us prepared and focused and we will secure the win at last.

These are good times at Tigerland so let’s all get along to the games and enjoy the ride.

Go Tiges! Meg.