There were some striking similarities between soaring Richmond star Shai Bolton’s breath-taking mark in last Friday night’s clash with Geelong and the one former champion full-forward Michael “Disco” Roach took against Hawthorn in 1979 that was voted the Tigers’ best mark of the 20th century.
Here are those similarities . . .
• Both were taken at the city end of the MCG.
• Both happened in the first quarter of the respective matches.
• Both were chest marks.
• Both were converted into goals.
• Both were taken in early May – Roach on May 5, 1979 and Bolton on May 7, 2021.
• And, unfortunately, Richmond lost both games by substantial margins – 79 points in 1979, 63 points last Friday night.
So, what was Roach’s reaction to Bolton’s ‘screamer’?
“I was at the ground and I got a few text messages from my mates. They were saying, ‘You’re in a bit of trouble . . . you’ve only got the second-best mark at Richmond now’,” Roach said.
“It was a sensational mark. They played it back on the big screens three or four times and it was just wow!”
And how do the two marks compare?
“He just jumped straight up on the pack. I was just starting to make my run when the pack moved back on me. I made my leap and the players in the pack seemed to lift me,” Roach said.
“Mine looked better in a still shot. Shai’s was clearly better from a TV-angle perspective.”
Roach is a huge Bolton fan and expects him to keep flying high for marks well into the future.
“It won’t be the last one like that he takes. He has spring heels . . . it’s like he’s got rubber in his boots.
“He’s a special talent and I love watching him play.”
