Richmond crawls out of Cairns after bank job goes awry Mark Robinson
From: Herald Sun
July 16, 2012 RICHMOND might say it wasn't the venue, but it can't be ignored.
For roughly $500,000, which is about what the Tigers receive for playing a "home" game in Cairns, the Tigers gave up four points, for surely they would have won had it been played at the MCG.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said he felt like "God was conspiring against us".
No, it was a humid Cairns, a lack of depth, and a lack of conviction, leadership and strategy in the final moments that conspired against Richmond.
Only Dire Straits ever thought you could get Money for Nothing.
Certainly, the Tigers pocket the cash, and they need it as they wipe out millions in debt, but they gave up plenty for it.
What price? Finals?
A potential Essendon versus Richmond elimination final at the 'G? Or Richmond versus St Kilda?
Ironically, it was one of the game's highest-paid players, Karmichael Hunt, who kicked the winner.
The code-jumper probably made front pages in newspapers north of this border and, indeed, made the front page of the sports liftout in the Sunday Herald Sun.
Everyone loves a fairytale and this time it was the ice-cool Hunt, the bloke who many said would never make it.
The Tigers might be accused of compromising victory on two fronts, but they won't apologise.
Playing in Cairns, they say, is a sound financial decision, as was the decision to suspend Dustin Martin for mixing alcohol and sleeping tablets and missing training.
With Martin playing, they probably win.
With more money they can eradicate debt and begin investing more in their football department which, like the Martin decision, has long-term advantages.
Today, they seem very long-term.
Saturday night's defeat is not the end of the campaign, but a loss to the previously winless Gold Coast tells us Richmond doesn't deserve to play finals.
A defeat to North Melbourne at MCG on Sunday might officially end it.
Yes, the loss to Gold Coast was depressing for all involved with Richmond and, as usual, it prompted fury from fans.
It is the realisation yet again their team is not good enough.
Good sides don't cough up two goals in less than a minute. And for that the finger can pointed at everyone.
Players made skill errors. They didn't play safe football. And when momentum was lost, they didn't act accordingly.
Down-the-ground footage would tell us more about how the defensive set-up failed.
What we saw was Brandon Matera cross back into the corridor for Karmichael Hunt to mark.
Hunt's opponent appeared to be Bachar Houli, who charged towards the boundary line to cut off a potential Matera grubber.
The Tigers had pushed players into defence from the centre bounce, but they didn't push to help cover Hunt, or the space around him.
It wasn't Houli's fault alone, for he would have believed his teammates would cover him.
They didn't. Hunt goaled. And the scene post-match, as players swarmed on Hunt and the coach's box erupted, was priceless viewing.
There was euphoria and pride on one hand and utter desolation and disbelief on the other.
It was football's moment of the season.
It was a fairytale and everyone, other than Tigers, couldn't help but smile.
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