Effort angers Tigers of old
Jon Anderson | March 28, 2009 12:00am
TOM Hafey had left the MCG by three-quarter time, while a former Tiger hard man in Ricky McLean looked for something to throw at his television.
It was that sort of display. An 83-point loss that drew extreme reactions from men who bled for the yellow and black.
Hafey played with the club before becoming its most successful coach, with four premierships in eight years from 1967-74.
McLean was an aggressive full-forward under Hafey, leading goalkicker in 1972 and a supporter through his attendances at the Tom Hafey Club.
Hafey, 77, is not one to dwell on negatives as his answering machine attests: "Hi, this is Tom Hafey, I'm feeling sensational and getting better."
But enough was enough on Thursday night.
"I took two of my grandsons to the game and we left by three-quarter time so they could get home and beat the crowd," Hafey said yesterday.
"It was just such an ordinary game with so many basic, simple mistakes. To think Carlton's first two goals came from Richmond players dropping uncontested marks.
"How many times do you see that happen in the AFL? And wasn't the third from a similar type mistake?"
For McLean it was a night of horrors, one that had him questioning the passion with which Richmond players wear their jumper.
"What stood out most, and thereby what hurt most, was the lack of spirit in that team," said McLean, who played 58 games and kicked 138 goals for Richmond and Carlton from 1966-74.
"Name one player who really looked like they had that spirit? Maybe young Raines, but I can't think of too many others.
"The spirit of a team will control its intensity and when you play structured football, which has proven to be a hopeless game plan if you don't have the skills, it's a recipe for on-field disaster.
"You look for the players to have improved their skill levels after four years of one coach, or an amount of time in the game at an elite level.
"On Thursday night's display they haven't gone ahead one per cent. In fact, some of them have gone backwards. How can that happen with three or four full-time coaches?"
McLean, who runs a successful shower screen business, said he would "go broke very quickly if he didn't regularly improve his employees".
"You get all pumped up for the season and then have to watch that stuff dished up," he said. "Ask other supporters about the Richmond style of play and they'll shake their heads."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25253065-19742,00.html
