There are few better feelings as a Richmond supporter than starting the year off with a win.
Sadly those occasions have been few and far between over the past decade, but last Thursday night we finally managed to do what we hadn't been able to for a long time, be 1-0 after Round 1.
Forgetting that it was against Carlton, a team who has troubled us consistently for the past five years, it's just nice to be ahead of the ledger at this early stage for once.
Just touching on the game itself, it's never ideal to cough up big leads like that but to get the job done in the dying stages (largely thanks to the exploits of one Luke McGuane) is a huge boost of morale for the club, especially after losing so many tight games last year.
Being there in the flesh on Thursday night, I couldn't be more pleased with how Tyrone Vickery played. The way he continually presented up to the ball was a flashback to his 2011 form, which is something that I'm sure all Tiger fans were excited about.
Gone are the days where the Richmond Football Club relies on Jack Riewoldt to get them over the line every week. Jack, while playing much more of a team/support role last Thursday, was fairly well held by his Carlton opponent so for the boys to kick a winning score without his usual tally of goals was a really promising sign to see.
I wouldn't expect a repeat performance from Jack this week though.
There's not another team in the AFL that Riewoldt revels playing against than St.Kilda. Whether that's because of cousin Nick or not, you can be the judge, but recent history suggests that he will again be in for a haul of goals come Friday night.
St.Kilda themselves will be champing at the bit for this game every bit as much as Jack. After losing as heavy favourites against Gold Coast last week, they will be very keen to redeem themselves and get the win.
I must say, it's quite nice to look ahead to Friday night and know that Brendon Goddard won't be giving them their drive off half-back. In saying that though, the Saints look to be welcoming back a number of their stars including Leigh Montagna, Sam Fisher and Sean Dempster, so it will be a lot stronger lineup than the one that took on the Suns last week.
Looking at our own lineup, with no injuries to worry about from last week I'd put money on us going in unchanged this week. The depth has certainly come a long way since Damien Hardwick's first year at the club, with players like Nick Vlastuin, Ricky Petterd, Chris Knights and a host of other young, up and comers who will be banging on the door to break into the 22.
Then of course there is the injured Nathan Foley and Dylan Grimes, who are both certain starters when fit.
It would be silly to get ahead of oneself this early in the season, especially when you consider that this could be one of the most even AFL seasons in recent history. However, there is no doubt that so far, the signs are looking good for an improved result on our 2012 campain.
A win on Friday night would be further proof that the club is well on its way back up the ladder.
Go Tiges!
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