Brown relieved as Tigers leave Melbourne behind
7 May 2004 Herald Sun
Tim Morrissey
GUN Richmond recruit Nathan Brown is happy the embattled Tigers will be playing Sydney at the SCG on Sunday.
He said nothing the Swans fans dished out on Mother's Day could compare with the abuse and ridicule heaped on Richmond recently by their own supporters.
Before last Friday night's one-point win over Hawthorn at Telstra Dome, the Tigers had been spat on, abused, pelted with missiles and swamped by calls for coach Danny Frawley to resign.
"Getting away as a group, just all the players and coaches together, is good," Brown said yesterday.
"Time at the hotel having a meal together, a chat and getting to know the boys a bit better will be just the thing.
"We haven't been away this year so it will be a big help."
With full-forward Matthew Richardson and former Swans ruckman Greg Stafford returning from injury and suspension respectively, Brown believes the tide is about to turn for the Tigers.
"A one-point win doesn't mean the slump is over," he said. "The Sydney match will probably determine where we are as a club.
"The Swans are a top-eight side, so we need a good showing against them.
"A win in Sydney, hopefully, would see us out the other side of the dramas. It would be huge."
Sydney has recalled Michael O'Loughlin, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since round two, but the goal-kicking wizard still has to prove his fitness today.
Tagger Brett Kirk, Brown's likely opponent on Sunday, believes all the pressure is on Sydney after successive losses.
"We have been inconsistent recently," Kirk said. "This is a big game for us. We really need to win it.
"We let the Kangaroos slip away early but played pretty well for three quarters and we played pretty well against Brisbane.
"But we still haven't put in that four-quarter effort.
"That's what we aim to do against Richmond, play four quarters of good footy.
"Our confidence is still fairly high because we have been playing well in patches."
The Swans might be feeling some pressure after their two losses, but Brown said Frawley had stressed to the players after last week's gritty one-point win the Tigers were still at rock bottom.
"Danny was pretty low key after the Hawthorn game," Brown said.
"He told us not to get ahead of ourselves and that we had the worst percentage in the league."
"We've won two games out of six and we've now got to play one of the best sides in the competition.
"He said 'if you blokes think you've achieved anything, well, you haven't.
"'You've hit rock bottom and you're still down there at the moment clawing your way back up'."
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