Great story, but does it have a happy ending for Tigers? Garry Lyon
The Age
August 30, 2014You know you have well and truly crossed the line from former player to media person when you find yourself barracking for the story when confronted with a particularly significant game of football, as opposed to who you want to win, or analytically think might win.
And that's what I find myself doing this weekend in relation to the Sydney-Richmond game.
Hell, I didn't even really know what that meant when I first heard the doyen of football journalists, Mike Sheahan, first use that phrase in my presence.
But, as I sit down to write about the game between the Swans and the Tigers on Saturday afternoon, I fully understand where he was coming from.
While it is the game that has dominated conversation all week, and will capture the attention of all football supporters, regardless of who they support, the reality is, it is not even the most important game of the round, let alone the year.
That honour belongs to the Fremantle-Port Adelaide game in Perth, where the winner will find itself in the top four at the end of the home-and-away round, with the subsequent double chance, and the very real chance of contending for the AFL premiership.
The loser, despite at various stages this year being among the outright favorites for the flag, will be faced with the almost insurmountable task of having to do so from fifth place. Now that is a game of enormous consequence, and should be the one that captures the undivided attention of the football-loving nation.
And it will be followed closely, but outside of Freo and Port supporters, most eyes will be on the Swans and Tigers. And more particularly, on whether Richmond can salvage something from what was the wreck of a three-win, 10-loss start to the season.
I wrote two weeks ago that anything short of a finals win would be a failure for the Tigers, and I stand by it. What they have been able to achieve in the past eight weeks is highly commendable, but the fact is they are, for the first time this year, where they would have planned to be when they did their post-mortem review of season 2013. At a bare minimum.
A win against the top-of-the-table Swans gives them a chance to improve on last year's exploits, and the circumstances around the game give them an undeniable chance.
When one team sits clear on top of the AFL ladder, with no chance of being unseated, it is a reasonable question to ask whether, despite public utterances and assurances, they will be able to muster the same frenetic, unconditional approach to the game that will be beyond doubt seven days later when the "real" stuff commences.
When you consider the win-at-all-cost mentality for this game, it really only applies to Richmond. And that is even taking into account the enormously respected, unconditional attitude that has punctuated Swans performances over the past decade.
But if the Tigers can be close enough at three-quarter time, you have to wonder whether the price that Sydney will have to pay for a meaningless victory will be too high, given the Swans are a week from embarking on their premiership campaign.
I can fully understand the Swans' coaching staff, players and supporters bristling at the suggestion they will be anything other than manic in their approach to this game, and that they would be loath to deviate from the path of success that has led them to the minor premiership.
But the more football I watch, the more I am convinced that what is going on above the shoulders determines the outcome of games, and that will be one of the determining factors on Saturday. On pure talent, and performance this year, the Swans win.
But we are barracking for the story, and the story has the Tigers charging into the finals on the back of nine wins. And what a story that would be, and it would have to have chapters of page-turning storylines.
Like the one surrounding Jack Riewoldt, the designated villain who was on the receiving end of the wrath of the senior coach for speaking out of school earlier in the year, sharing the secrets of the inner sanctum. It is set up for Jack, a man who loves the big stage, and you get the feeling he would love to upstage the Coleman medallist at the other end of the ground.
Or it could be the latest chapter in the life of Dustin Martin, who effectively walked out on the club at the end of last year, in an attempt to secure a monster deal, only to return with his tail between his legs a month or so later. He has had a brilliant season and is the Tigers' genuine wildcard and match-winner. On Saturday he could stamp himself as a Tiger favourite for life.
And what about skipper Trent Cotchin, who, with a decent nudge from his teammates, has fully embraced the notion of leadership and now cuts a far more demanding presence on the playing field.
Or Anthony Miles, the elevated rookie who has almost become the No. 1 midfielder. Or Brett Deledio, who can have a bigger impact with 15 possessions as a permanent forward than he could with 35 as a free-wheeling midfielder.
Or Alex Rance, who will go to the most damaging forward of the modern era, Buddy Franklin, and attempt to quell his influence, with Big Bud in the richest vein of form.
Or Ivan Maric, whose honesty about the issues the Tigers had earlier in the year seems to have been part of the catalyst for their revival. Not to mention his presence out on the playing field after a prolonged absence in the first half of the season.
If you're not barracking for Sydney on Saturday, I suspect you're hoping the Tigers can complete the dream. There is no doubt they will ask the question of this mighty Sydney outfit; whether they are prepared to risk life and limb in what is a game of little consequence for the Swans, but is a game of almost unprecedented importance to the Tigers.
It would be a great story. But not all great stories have a happy ending. I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect this might be the case for Tigers fans.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/great-story-but-does-it-have-a-happy-ending-for-tigers-20140829-109wcp.html
