Well, this week was the fighting tiger fund game for us. I took time off work and went down to the G, hoping for a good fight against an old enemy. Before the game I went into the change rooms and saw the boys warming up and getting pumped up and I felt confident we were going to match it with the blues. As I found my seat amongst other Tiger fans, I thought about how I could write about how proud I felt to be a Tigers fan, how great it feels to sit amongst arguably the most passionate supporters in the AFL and to feel apart of a team on the up.
However, fifteen minutes into the game all ideas were throw out the window. Whilst the fans turned out to support the fighting tiger fund, it appeared that the boys forget to bring the fight. Whilst we had a typical slow start, instead of firing up and fighting back we appeared to just lie down. Instead of someone stepping up, as we saw in the Brisbane game, where we suffered a similar start with the opposition kicking a few quick goals, no-one did. This week the boys hung their heads and not once looked like they believed that they could win. It appeared almost as if they had given up. I couldn’t believe it.
Where was the fight from previous weeks? Where was the passion the boys typically display? Instead of roaring, the boys were snoring. We lost clearance after clearance and the Blues piled on goal after goal. I, like most other supporters, sat in stunned silence. When our song refers to ‘The tigers of old’, we don’t take it to mean the years of embarrassment we suffered not long ago, the memory of this still fresh in our minds.
We have spoken of how our team used to be feared and revered, and how we need to get that passion back. I doubt there is a team out there that would fear the effort we put up this weekend. The tackle count tells the tale all too clearly. At the end of the game the tally was 49 tackles to us verses 66 to them. Chris Judd alone laid ten tackles. This cannot be chalked up to age difference, it can only be chalked up to lack of effort or fear or a belief we couldn’t win. The boys looked out of their depth out there, in a game some football personalities even tipped to go our way.
Later that night, I saw the Essendon- Geelong match. A game most had pencilled in as a win for the Cats. Reports even claim someone was so certain the Bombers were going to lose he bet a million dollars on the Cats. However, the Bombers, who are not a better team on paper than the previously undefeated Cats, walked out there with their heads held high and belief in their hearts and they never gave up. They played their asses off and they came away with the win. Geelong kicked the first three goals, similar to our game where Carlton started well.
Essendon however, did not give up. They kept the pressure on and kept tackling hard, and it got to Geelong and they started to turn the ball over. Essendon walked away with the points having played fantastically. Not more skilfully than Geelong, but harder. They never gave up, they believed they could win, and they did. We could learn a great deal from this game.
While Dimma and some of the other bloggers seem keen to sweep this one under the rug, I think we need to look at this game and learn from it. It didn’t feel good for anyone, least of all the players and I think we need to learn what we can from this effort so it never repeats itself.
This week’s game will be a challenge, playing Essendon after they have just had a confidence boosting win. We need to show the same kind of heart and fight they showed on the weekend. I believe we can do it, I know that the Richmond faithful will turn up again, full of spirit. Let’s hope the team does too. As always, Go Tigers, Meg
