Author Topic: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener  (Read 7277 times)

Offline mightytiges

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Hopefully Andy D's good mood today lasts until the 2011 fixture is done in October. Our large supporter base hopefully has saved the Club's bacon in retaining this game next year. It should be a Carlton home game next year anyway I'm presuming so our next home season opener won't be until 2012 when hopefully we are a much better side by then with everyone having a further 30-40 games under their belt, another two drafts worth of kids (another 10 or more newbies?), and the list being familiar by then with Hardwick's gameplan.
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Game 1 of the season is tradionally the apex of the nocturnal emmission for most Richmond fans. Despite what reality tells us we flock to the G just on the off chance that we might produce something special more in fear hence we miss it and beating Carlton is oh so sweet. I'm sure round 1 2008 is still ingrained on our minds.

Now that many of us have unloaded and have woken up wet warm and sticky lets restrain ourselves for the rest of this season wait and see what picking we have from the draft at least and build up to 2011 and the expectant 70-75000 crowd for March 24 next year.

The AFL would not take Anzac Day away from Collingwood and Essendon regardless of how bad either of those clubs are travelling over the course of a few years.

Offline mightytiges

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57k on a Friday night between superpower Geelong and a side that made the top 8 last year in Essendon.

I hope Benny Gale mentions to Demetriou that we even in a 'transformation' year got 15k more on a work/school night  :thumbsup.
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Offline one-eyed

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #18 on: March 18, 2011, 07:00:48 PM »
David King and Dwayne Russell also claimed tonight if we get thrashed again on Thursday night then we will no longer deserve the season opener. It's a massive game for the Richmond to step up and show something.

Offline Tigeritis™©®

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Game 1 of the season is tradionally the apex of the nocturnal emmission for most Richmond fans. Despite what reality tells us we flock to the G just on the off chance that we might produce something special more in fear hence we miss it and beating Carlton is oh so sweet. I'm sure round 1 2008 is still ingrained on our minds.

Now that many of us have unloaded and have woken up wet warm and sticky lets restrain ourselves for the rest of this season wait and see what picking we have from the draft at least and build up to 2011 and the expectant 70-75000 crowd for March 24 next year.

The AFL would not take Anzac Day away from Collingwood and Essendon regardless of how bad either of those clubs are travelling over the course of a few years.
Spot on :thumbsup
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Offline smasha

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #20 on: March 19, 2011, 01:35:51 AM »
The only Anzac game I've been to had a crowd of around 55k.

Now we had a crowd of 72k last year knowing fully well Richmond would finish near the bottom.

Also Richmond Collingwood games were an Anzac tradition in the 70s way before the Veruca Salts pinched it.

If anyone whinges about Round 1,perhaps they should look in their own backyard.

Offline one-eyed

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Truly a lame start to AFL season (Courier Mail)
« Reply #21 on: March 21, 2011, 03:10:12 AM »
Another article in the media bagging us opening the season .....  :sleep

Truly a lame start to AFL season

    * by Greg Davis
    * From: The Courier-Mail
    * March 21, 2011


THE AFL rarely get it wrong when it comes to maximising a spectacle, due to its bulging war chest and its sense of occasion.

It is the master of the big event. Just cast your mind back to the AFL grand final replay when US entertainer Lionel Richie had them dancing on the ceiling and made what the NRL served up at the next day's decider look second-rate.

But now look at how the AFL has stuffed up round 1 of the 2011 season. Carlton and Richmond will kick off the season at the MCG in Thursday's opening game. The long-standing rivalry between the Tigers and Blues deserves respect, but this game features an over-hyped, under-performing blue-chip club against a perennial battler that has been a stranger to September for some time.

It would have been a cracking season opener in 1974.

But as our man Lionel would say, "Hello" - it is not 1974.

Geelong play St Kilda the following night at the MCG. Why not that as the pipe-opener? Why not reigning premiers Collingwood or even the brand new Gold Coast team? The Suns don't even play in round 1, which is an indictment on the draw.

The AFL could have had the Magpies unfurling their premiership flag at the "G" on the same night they play Gazza and the Suns. Gold Coast could have taken on Brisbane in round 1 to celebrate the game's latest local derby.

The AFL gets hundreds of requests from the clubs about the draw and it is a difficult task to please everyone. But this should have been easy. Easy like Sunday morning, even. Apologies, Lionel.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/truly-a-lame-start-to-afl-season/story-e6frepex-1226025031132

Offline WilliamPowell

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #22 on: March 21, 2011, 07:01:47 AM »
I know people wont agree with me but I actually agree that based on the last 2 years we don't deserve to opening game of the season. We've been deplorable

And I reckon that if we dish up an other performance like last year or heaven forbid 2009 then we deserve to have the opening game taken away from us.

As much for our own benefit than another reason

 

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Offline Smokey

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #23 on: March 21, 2011, 07:37:07 AM »
I disagree with you WP.  The opening game of the season has only been turned into an 'occasion' since we started to play Carlton.  Before that it was anyone vs anyone but there was no build up apart from the normal "footy's back".  We helped turn this into a game second only to Anzac Day (certainly on a par with Dreamtime at the G) as far as home and away fixtures go and we deserve to keep it regardless of the results.  Unless you put Collingwood or Essendon in that game against a Carlton or maybe a St Kilda or Geelong, you will not get anywhere near the crowd and hence the build up and sense of occasion.  And to put Collingwood or Essendon in would just serve to widen the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.  In the past 10 years of Anzac Day games the average winning margin has been 33 points with only 2 games being decided by less than 2 goals.  For 3 years running the closest margin was 33 points.  Yet no-one in the general public is suggesting for even a fleeting moment that this game should be removed from Collingwood or Essendon because of poor performance - other reasons maybe but not poor performance.  Carlton have only won the past 2 in a row and no-one advocated taking it off them after we spanked them by 56 points.  Since the AFL began the Thursday night opener the crowds have been 40k at Subiaco to watch West Coast vs St Kilda, 33k at the Gabba to watch Brisbane vs St Kilda, then 72k, 87k and 72k to watch us vs Carlton.  We are a big and integral part of making that game what it is turning in to (a blockbuster if you want the AFL's favourite term) and past results should not dictate who plays in the game we have helped make an important part of the AFL season.  But sadly, I do agree that the AFL is likely to be swayed by the media whores and that just won't be fair.

Offline Infamy

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #24 on: March 21, 2011, 08:26:56 AM »
I'm a bit on the fence, I definitely think the fixture draws a big enough crowd to justify its position as season opener, however if we get smashed again I think we're a good chance to lose the spot and I really wouldn't blame them

Offline WilliamPowell

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #25 on: March 21, 2011, 09:01:32 AM »
No problems with you disagreeing Smokey - it makes the world go round  :thumbsup

I disagree with you WP.  The opening game of the season has only been turned into an 'occasion' since we started to play Carlton. 

For a few years we played Collingwood in round 1 with a view to making that an occasion but because of our own stupidity the Pies said we don't want this anymore. So we moved on to Carlton and have played them the last 3 years

Quote
Before that it was anyone vs anyone but there was no build up apart from the normal "footy's back".  We helped turn this into a game second only to Anzac Day (certainly on a par with Dreamtime at the G) as far as home and away fixtures go and we deserve to keep it regardless of the results. 

Sorry smokey but I don't believe it is 2nd only to ANZAC day with regard to signifigance to the H&A fixture. I would thinkt he replay of the GF would have far greater impact during the course of the season.

Actually I reckon it should be the game that launches the season but that's my view

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Unless you put Collingwood or Essendon in that game against a Carlton or maybe a St Kilda or Geelong, you will not get anywhere near the crowd and hence the build up and sense of occasion. 

Disagree see above

Quote
And to put Collingwood or Essendon in would just serve to widen the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.  In the past 10 years of Anzac Day games the average winning margin has been 33 points with only 2 games being decided by less than 2 goals.  For 3 years running the closest margin was 33 points.  Yet no-one in the general public is suggesting for even a fleeting moment that this game should be removed from Collingwood or Essendon because of poor performance - other reasons maybe but not poor performance. 

Understand your point smokey but I view the ANZAC day game very differently. It is something that the 2 clubs have built over a number of years & IMHO it goes much deeper than a game of footy

Quote
Carlton have only won the past 2 in a row and no-one advocated taking it off them after we spanked them by 56 points. 

True but that was the first one and lets be honest no-one expected us to win so the margin became irrelevant. However the last 2 years the margin has reflected what everyone outside of the Tiger fans was expecting and there in lies the problem IMHO. The results have been embarassing as the showcase to launch the season and I say that as a footy fan not a Tiger fan

Quote
We are a big and integral part of making that game what it is turning in to (a blockbuster if you want the AFL's favourite term) and past results should not dictate who plays in the game we have helped make an important part of the AFL season.  But sadly, I do agree that the AFL is likely to be swayed by the media whores and that just won't be fair.

It's not the media smokey it's also the powers at AFL headquarters

IMHO the only reason we've hung on to it this year is because of Benny Gale and the fact that Andy D has great respect for Benny, If we didn't have Benny G then I reckon we would have lost it by now
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Offline Penelope

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #26 on: March 21, 2011, 09:09:07 AM »

Sorry smokey but I don't believe it is 2nd only to ANZAC day with regard to signifigance to the H&A fixture. I would thinkt he replay of the GF would have far greater impact during the course of the season.

Actually I reckon it should be the game that launches the season but that's my view

From a marketing point of view, this would be a waste. The grand final final replay is always an occasion so to do so as the opener, which itself is an occasion would detract from that.

I think as long as the crowd keeps turning up and probably more important it gets the TV ratings the league will be happy with that. Being first game of the season and so many people hanging out for a footy fix i'd imagine that would not be an issue
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Offline Infamy

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #27 on: March 21, 2011, 09:49:33 AM »
I disagree with you WP.  The opening game of the season has only been turned into an 'occasion' since we started to play Carlton. 

For a few years we played Collingwood in round 1 with a view to making that an occasion but because of our own stupidity the Pies said we don't want this anymore. So we moved on to Carlton and have played them the last 3 years
We were getting screwed in that deal so I don't see it as a bad thing that we ended the agreement
Don't let the fact Eddie got in a bit of a tanty about it on the Footy Show blind you to the fact that we were losing something like $250k a year from it

Any gate sharing agreement with a club that has more members, more supporters and bigger crowds means the other club loses out.... always!

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #28 on: March 21, 2011, 10:00:17 AM »
If the deal was still in place today we'd be up the creek without a paddle. The losses would be huge as Collingwood has bounded away in terms of membership numbers.

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Re: Richmond & Carlton don't have a mortgage on season-opener
« Reply #29 on: March 21, 2011, 10:02:57 AM »
Who the stuff is Greg Davis? Courier Mail  :lol LMFAO

I agree with Smokey