It would be easy to be negative this week after the disappointing result against Carlton at the weekend, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to bring me down!
Yes we may have blown the only chance we had at a top four finish, but we’ll still be there in September and on our day we have shown we can match it with the very best the AFL has to offer, so there is still plenty to be excited about.
It really is such a different situation to be in as a Richmond supporter at this time of year.
Ordinarily, this is the time of year where we start looking towards the following season, who we may attract via free agency and trade and which junior talent is worthy of drafting and wearing the famed yellow and black.
It is so refreshing to be able to look forward to finals football this season and really get behind the boys as they embark on our first finals series since 2001 .
Who we will meet in that first final is still very much in the air, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how the boys fare on the big stage and cannot wait to hear that mighty Tiger roar when we kick that first goal!
No matter who we play, I think it’s fair to say that it’ll be a packed out crowd with a Grand Final like atmosphere. The boys have played in front of big crowds before, but certainly not in such an important game.
Last weekend may have been the loss we had to have. We went in heavy favourites, but despite getting off to the perfect start, we laid down a little and let the Blues overrun us. This will be a great lesson for the club with finals just around the corner and I expect the GWS and Essendon to feel the wrath of learning that lesson over the next couple of weeks.
In more positive news, it was great to see Dylan Grimes out there again on the weekend. While he didn’t play the full match, he is an integral part of our defence back there and by the time finals roll around, he will be back in the swing of things which will be a huge boost for our football club.
Another shining light all season has been the form of Daniel Jackson. A much maligned player over his career, Jackson has lifted his output to such a high level that some media pundits are putting his name up for All-Australian squad selection. Historically just a shutdown player, ‘Jacko’ has started hurting teams going the other way now, hitting the scoreboard often and becoming a goal-kicking midfielder, which is a valuable commodity in today’s AFL.
This week against the Giants we need to go out there and show we mean business. In almost 3 years, we are yet to really stamp our authority against the expansion teams, while we watch other clubs record 15+ goal victories over them.
It is incredibly important that we head into finals with our tails up and brimming with confidence, the first step in doing that is to be dominant this week against a side whose fate has been sealed on season 2013 for quite some time.
It’s time to be ruthless.
Go Tiges!
Follow me on Twitter @Stuart_Wilson23
