Scars of the past make Tigers fans nervous as perfect storm brewsMatt Cunningham
Herald-Sun
September 01, 2015 10:39AMBEING a Richmond supporter can have a dramatic effect on one’s personality.
On the plus side, 35 years of unparalleled pain tends to develop the kind of resilience not seen in other supporters.
How else could so many fans keep turning up after three decades that have produced just two finals victories?
But the curse of the Tiger fan can also invoke what others might consider an unreasonable sense of dread.
It’s a feeling that anything that can go wrong almost certainly will.
A feeling enhanced by games like the one against the Gold Coast in 2012 when the Tigers managed to lose with a Karmichael Hunt goal after the siren despite leading by 16 points with less than two minutes to play.
Or the 2013 Elimination Final when Richmond dominated Carlton for a half but still managed to lose to a side that was only there because of the Essendon supplements saga.
It’s these scars that have Tiger fans fearing the worst heading into the final round of 2015.
Despite an exceptional season, a perfect storm is brewing that could leave Tiger fans left to deal with another year of what-ifs.
If Richmond loses to North Melbourne on Friday night, there’s a good chance the Tigers will be off to Adelaide to take on the red-hot Crows in the first Elimination final.
Despite nipping at the heals of the top 4 for weeks, there’s now a real chance the Tigers could face sudden death on the same ground where last year’s fairy tale run to the finals came to such a brutal end.
A game against Port Adelaide that was over in 10 minutes after we decided to kick against a howling gale.
One positive is that the Kangaroos are considering resting some of their biggest stars.
It looks like they’d rather lose this week’s game — and avoid any chance of that Adelaide trip themselves — than win it.
But that will be cold comfort to Tiger fans who would fancy the chances of the Fish Creek seconds if they were playing Richmond this week.
If the perfect storm does develop, let’s at least hope we decide to kick with the wind.
http://www.news.com.au/national/scars-of-the-past-make-tigers-fans-nervous-as-perfect-storm-brews/story-e6frfkp9-1227507416008