In the wake of Ricky Petterd’s decision to retire from AFL football, the versatile Tiger caught up with Richmond great Matthew Richardson for a special ‘Roar Vision’ interview, where he provided his thoughts on a wide range of topics related to his league career and time at Tigerland.
On his retirement decision
“I had pondered it for a while. Even before the injury, at the start of the year I was thinking whether it was going to be my last year or not. Then, just with this injury, and some other things going on, I decided to call it quits.”
On his severe foot injury
“It probably hasn’t healed as well as we thought it was going to. I ran for the first time on the weekend and it’s pulled up pretty ginger again. So, that’s the final straw for me . . .”
On his low-key retirement announcement
“I really wanted to keep it pretty informal. After our last few retirees in ‘Newy’ (Chris Newman), ‘Axel’ (Nathan Foley) and ‘Knighter’ (Chris Knights), I felt like I didn’t have the right to do it in a sense. But after having a chat with Blair (Hartley) and some other people around the Club, we came to the decision that I would tell the boys. I just didn’t want to leave the Tiges and then, come October-November, do it (announce his retirement), and not be able to thank everyone . . .”
On the opportunity to play AFL football
“To get the opportunity to be in the system for nine years, I consider myself pretty lucky just to be there. And, I was at two great clubs . . . Melbourne, who gave me the opportunity, and then lucky enough to come here to the Tiges, who I supported growing up. For me, injuries probably did come into it a little bit, but definitely lucky to play AFL.”
On his main league career highlight
“Probably the final against Carlton (in 2013) . . . I know we lost that day, but it was just amazing. I remember running out and heading down the Punt Road end (of the MCG) with ‘Dusty’ (Dustin Martin). We just looked at each other and started laughing because the ground was shaking . . .”
On Tigerland mateship
“Sammy Lloyd, Nate Gordon, Anthony Miles . . . the pack they call us. We’re pretty tight . . . we came to the Club at a similar time. Those three boys have been really good for me. But everyone here has just been great.”
On working as a recruiter
“It’s definitely something I’m interested in. Since being out with the foot, I have had some time to do it. I was watching three or four or five games a weekend, sitting and learning off the recruiters. And, it’s something I really enjoyed. It gave me a little bit of a different look at footy . . . I don’t know if it’s something I’ll jump into straight away, but it is something I am interested in. So, we’ll see how we go. I wouldn’t mind hanging around (in the lead-up to the November draft). Blair said I could jump into a few meetings, which is good. I’ll hopefully do a little bit with them.”
On his short-term future
“To be honest, I’m probably just going to take some time off up until Christmas . . . sit back, reflect a little bit, and just relax. It’s something I haven’t been able to do for a while . . . I look forward to that. I’ve got to finish off my carpentry course, which should be done mid-next year. It’s something I’m passionate about as well. I reckon I’ll be heading overseas, too . . .”
On the Tigers’ prospects
“I said to the boys the other day, and ‘Dimma’ (coach Damien Hardwick) says it a lot, I think the only side that can really beat us is us. It’s the way we rock up on the weekend . . . We beat Hawthorn, Freo, the really good teams. If we get our game plan up and going, and are defensively strong, I just don’t think anyone can beat us.”
