True Tiger fans roar too earlyElise Potter
Geelong Advertiser
April 5th, 2012NOT since George W. Bush went searching for weapons of mass destruction has there been misguided optimism to match the annual pre-season hopes of Richmond fans.
They are a special breed of supporter fiercely proud and vocally scathing when their team under performs, but curiously amnesiac when a new pre-season comes around.
This is a team that has won fewer finals than Fitzroy since 1980.
A team much maligned for its work at the draft table (Richard Tambling anyone? Aaron Fiora?)
A team that comes back again and again for a demoralising opening round clash against a team they haven't beaten in their last eight clashes.
And yet, year after year, the Tiger faithful continue to believe and sign up in their tens of thousands for the emotional rollercoaster ride that is the Richmond Football Club.
It is a passion and an optimism to be admired. And this year it was at fever pitch.
Sure, things are on the up for the league's worst performing team over the past 30 years they have a promising batch of youngsters, a popular coach and put in some impressive pre-season performances.
But while the rest of the footy world saw the 59-point NAB Cup win over Geelong as a pre-season curiosity and their follow-up thrashing of newbies Greater Western Sydney as a foregone conclusion, Tigers fans were booking a finals spot.
And when, in the days before the season's start, they extended the contracts of coach Damian Hardwick and young forward Tyrone Vickery who Tigers legend Kevin Bartlett subsequently labelled a potential superstar and signed Brett Deledio to a five-year-deal, the hype was so elevated, there was nowhere to go but down.
It was a path so well-worn, most footy fans could have scripted it.
Yet the fans still believed. They believed when recycled veteran Brad Miller missed a gimme goal from directly in front in the opening minute of last week's game against Carlton. They believed as their young players repeatedly succumbed to the Blues' implied pressure and coughed up the ball. They believed despite having only had two marks in their attacking 50 up until half time.
And they surely believed when they pegged back the deficit to a single kick in the last quarter. But as Dustin Martin's wayward shot on goal faded, so did the Tigers' optimism.
In the cold light of day, the Tigers had been disappointing. Vickery, with two kicks and one handball, was nothing short of terrible. Deledio got enough of the ball but failed to make a real impression on the game.
Only Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt really performed to a standard to match their fans' high hopes.
And suddenly that other great virtue of the Tiger faithful had taken over.
For as fierce as their optimism, is a Richmond fan's outrage when the inevitable disappointment hits. There is no harsher critic of their own, than a Tigers fan scorned.
Talkback radio went bananas. Bartlett was apologising for his over enthusiasm. Experts were questioning the wisdom of the long-term Deledio deal.
Reality lies somewhere in between. The Tigers of 2012 will improve on their previous seasons without being a powerhouse. The youngsters will continue to improve and take down some big name scalps as the year progresses.
In the meantime, the rest of us will continue to marvel at their fans' passion and tune in to talkback radio after a loss for the entertainment.
And maybe, next March, the fans' pre-season hopes might be realised.
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2012/04/05/318221_footy-columnists.html
