Richmond knows it is treading a fine line with its unorthodox methods, writes Jon RalphJON RALPH,
Herald Sun
July 9, 2018RICHMOND’s greatest opponent this season might just be the fun police.
In an era where people delight in being outraged, Richmond knows it is treading a fine line with its unorthodox methods.
Clearly, being a Richmond player is a heck of a lot of fun — and why not, when the players enjoy each other’s company so much?
As the Tigers celebrated another goal on Friday night, Jayden Short planted a big fat kiss on Dan Butler’s cheek instead of the customary high-five.
Only minutes before they ran out pre-match, Dylan Grimes played the oldest trick in the book on Daniel Rioli with hilarious effect.
He took the receiver off a wall-mounted phone and with mock-gravity handed it to Rioli as if either the Pope or Damien Hardwick were on the other end.
It took a few moments and a dial tone for Rioli to realise he had been had.
As Brendon Gale told the Herald Sun this week, any organisation which enjoys its workplace will always perform to maximum effect.
Yet the club’s delicate handling with new cult hero Jack Higgins shows how much it is trying to eliminate hubris at the same time.
Higgins famously delivered a series of halftime rev-ups that by all accounts put Jerry Seinfeld to shame.
On Friday night as the cameras watched, they were nowhere to be seen.
When Higgins was encouraged by a roaming Brian Taylor to interview teammate Butler, an invisible hand intervened.
Teammate David Astbury’s hand came into the TV frame to quickly push the microphone back to Taylor.
The message was clear: pull up, son.
The club that brought you Jake “Push Up” King knows it has a cult hero on its hands.
It refuses to apologise for its brand of togetherness, shown so emotionally in the response to Reece Conca’s dislocated ankle.
That doesn’t mean it wants to mock or belittle its opposition.
Asked on Friday, Gale was adamant there is a difference between showboating and showing you are having fun.
“They are very driven and serious competitors,” he said of the moments of levity.
“They are very respectful of their opponents but footy is a tough caper so they do try to have fun.
“For anyone — if you are having fun when you are training and working you do a better job.
“So at appropriate moments they take the opportunity to enjoy themselves.
“But they are not flippant, or arrogant. They are very respectful of who they are playing and by and large they know when it is on, they are able to shift up a gear or two.”
Higgins has had his share of media, still on Channel 7 on Sunday telling weird stories about his practice of getting into his clothes post-shower without drying himself off.
As Alex Rance told Fox Footy on Friday night, the players want Higgins to be authentic without providing ammunition to rivals.
Rance is the perfect role model — once building a slip-slide in the Punt Road changerooms but one of the AFL’s fiercest competitors.
In an era when contract impasses and succession plans have impacted premiership races, the Tigers are determined not to beat themselves.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/expert-opinion/jon-ralph/richmond-knows-it-is-treading-a-fine-line-with-its-unorthodox-methods-writes-jon-ralph/news-story/9f86a6870555c50154aad66532e5f481
