Tassie pride swells14/08/2009
Sports editor ROB SHAW talks to King Islander Angus Graham about the increasing Tasmanian influence at Richmond. THE Tasmanian Tigers used to be just a cricket team.
Now it just as accurately sums up the Richmond Football Club.
The appointment of Burnie's Brendon Gale as chief executive all but confirms Punt Road as a Tasmanian enclave in the centre of Melbourne.
The Tigers already have Tasmanians as their caretaker-coach and marque player, in Jade Rawlings and his fellow Devonport product and brother-in-law Matthew Richardson.
Add to that three more players - Burnie's Tom Hislop, Jack Riewoldt, of Hobart, and King Islander Angus Graham - and the Tigers appear to have as much right to the prefix Tassie as the Hawks.
"I used to be one of the only Tasmanians here but now we're running the place!" joked Graham who, like Hislop and Riewoldt, has become a regular fixture in the side this season.
"It's not a bad place to be a Tasmanian at the moment. When I first came to the club I did not really have anyone else from back home to talk to.
"But now it's good to have a few other guys from home to talk to about Tassie and its players and history."
The 201cm 22-year-old ruckman spent last year playing under Rawlings for Coburg in the VFL after breaking an ankle late in 2007.
This year Graham has played 13 games in the yellow and black, chipping in with five goals, with his best game of the season coming in round seven against Brisbane, when he amassed 19 disposals, eight marks, six tackles, 21 hit outs and one goal.
The Currie giant has enjoyed the influx Tasmanians but said they are still well short of rivaling Victorians.
"We have an Allies versus Victorians game in training as a bit of a muckaround. I think there are 25 Vics and 20 from elsewhere so we could still do with a few more Tasmanians because the Vics think they run the place!"
Riewoldt, 20, has missed just two games this year, amassing 53 goals in his 43 career appearances, including a match-winning six against Essendon last month.
After just seven games with the Bombers, Hislop, 21, has played 11 times since crossing town to the Tigers, including the last eight.
Meanwhile, after finishing third in the Brownlow Medal and leading Tigers goalkicker for the 13th time last year, 34-year-old Richo took his career goal tally to 800 in 282 games in round six. But a serious hamstring injury has kept him out of action since.
"Jack came as a high draft pick (in '06) and I had played with him at the state carnival," Graham said. "He's a very outgoing bloke, very talkative and a great result for the club. He is a 10-12-year key position player for Richmond.
"Tom I did not really know much about when he was at Essendon but he has fitted in really well and cemented his spot as a midfield-forward. He is great for the team and a terrific bloke.
"Richo is one of the greats from Tassie and he looks after all of us. We chat about Tasmania a lot because he's got a lot of friends there and my mum lives in Launceston."
Graham said he was delighted with the appointments of both Rawlings and Gale this season.
"Jade has been terrific since he came here as an assistant three years ago. When he took over Coburg he got to know what we were all about. He is not intimidating at all and really easy to chat to."
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