No blues for Tigers on road trip Roger Vaughan
From: AAP
June 14, 2011 4:49PMTHE road trip made cult heroes out of the Blues Brothers - and maybe it will help Richmond become a better team as well.
Certainly the Tigers' unscheduled bus ride from Sydney to Melbourne had all the makings of a disaster - a grumpy team narrowly beaten the day before, no flights because of some volcano they'd never heard of on the other side of the world, and an 8am start.
It wasn't quite the epic drive by Jake and Elwood Blues into Chicago, but the Tigers used their 10-hour trip as a bonding experience for a young, emerging team.
"It wasn't too bad, I thought it would be worse," Nathan Foley said.
"A few DVDs and a few of the boys were entertaining. Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt were very good.
"A few card games and time passed by pretty quickly.
"When you were trying to get a little bit of shut-eye, Alex Rance took the cake there as well. He was both entertaining but at times also very loud and annoying."
Riewoldt, dubbed by Foley as "the king of Twitter", kept the public appraised of how the trip was progressing with regular posts on the social networking website.
Foley is also adamant that the trip will not hamper them, particularly given they only have a six-day break before another away game on Saturday night against Brisbane.
The bus was well-stocked with ice packs and the players had regular stops to stretch their legs.
"It won't affect us at all," Foley said.
"It was a good bonding experience, sitting on the bus for 10-11 hours with the boys, it was good fun.
"To be honest, for a Tuesday after a Sunday game, I don't feel any different at all."
Foley, 25, will play his 100th game against the Lions and in his case the milestone is a reward for patience and diligence after a shocking run with injuries.
He has played 11 out of 12 games this season, after just four senior appearances the year before.
"It has been a tough couple of years with injury," he said.
"Patience is one thing, I always feel like I've been quite diligent over the journey, in doing all the right training and all the right things.
"Just make the most out of when you're out there playing and enjoying the journey."
Foley admitted there were doubts about returning to the AFL.
"When you're injured for so long and dealing with it seven days a week, there's no doubt those sorts of thoughts do creep into your mind," he said.
"But all along, the fitness and medical staff were really supportive.
"They assured me I'd be back playing in due time."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/no-blues-for-tigers-on-road-trip/story-e6frf9jf-1226075109672
