Deja vu for Tigers, Demons, Dogs, as Geelong survey the brink By Geoff Lemon
theroar.com.au
9 Apr 2012 It’s not in the official annals, but I’m pretty sure that back when Noah was drawing up plans for a boating holiday, Richmond went down to Carlton in round one by 40-odd points.
For me, it’s just part of tradition. The heat of February mellows into March. The first leaves on the Japanese maple start to flush with yellow. A bright-eyed coach and a range of pundits all say that the Tigers are building, that they’ll be able to take a real step forward this year.
Then, of course, like the fallen maple leaves on my driveway, the first round of the season sees the brightest yellow trod into the dirt. The victory is clear and clinical. The sound of deflation whines around the MCG as though the assembled crowd were packing up after a camping trip.
A week later, another loss to make them 0 and 2, and Richmond fans have their natural sense of pessimism restored, along with the natural equilibrium of the AFL.
From there they will compete reasonably well for the rest of the season, win a few games they shouldn’t, lose a few they should have won, scrape a draw somewhere along the way, and end with the kind of lower-middle-table finish that will prompt observers to tip them as a side with promise for next season.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and depressingly looks like it ever shall be, amen.
Indeed, the déjà vu is strong for a few sides who are 0-2 already, and their position is a difficult one to rise from.
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http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/04/09/deja-vu-for-tigers-demons-dogs-as-geelong-survey-the-brink/
