I WILL GET BETTER - Richo on a decade of football
AFL Record: Round 1, 2002.
He's had an uninterrupted pre-season and has the talent to match his ambitions. This is the season - his 10th at the highest level - to silence the critics, according to Matthew Richardson.
By Ben Collins.
Matthew Richardson is on a collision course with destiny. His 10th AFL season has arrived, so, too, his moment of truth.
But while Richardson is judged harshly by many observers, he is perhaps his own toughest critic. In a wide-ranging interview with the AFL Record on the eve of round one, a forthright Richardson declares:
* He is not among the best players in the AFL.
* 100 goals in a season is beyond him.
* His body language can be ordinary, but he is working on it.
* His shooting for goal is better than many think.
* He is a footballer, not an athlete.
* He wants to become a good finals player.
.....
Like many football followers, Richardson rates James Hird, Nathan Buckley, Michael Voss, Andrew McLeod, Anthony Koutoufides and, before his recent demise, Wayne Carey, as the best players in the AFL. He insists he is not in their class.
"No way, I'm not up there with those guys," he says with an adamant shake of his head. "They're all known for their consistency over a long period. To get into their class, you need to be doing the right things 99 per cent of the time, not 90 per cent of the time.
"I'm working hard on my consistency, but obviously I've still got a fair way to go. I've got to eliminate the mistakes I make, for a start."
Richardson says he needs to improve his occasionally wayward shooting at goal. He is equally aware that he must modify the body language that sometimes outlines his frustration and the occasional wayward acts that frustration sometimes produces, such as in the Wizard Home Loans Cup Grand Final. Although he stresses he is working on both areas, he is bemused by the attention paid to them.
"My goal ratio is not too bad," says Richardson, who has a 61.7 per cent strike rate in front of goal. (Dual Coleman Medallist, Essendon's Matthew Lloyd, has an accuracy rate of 67.6 per cent). "I've just got to eliminate the easy ones that I miss once in a while, which tend to get blown out of proportion.
"The body language is definitely an issue and I'm working on it. I'm never going to be a deadpan type of character; that's just not in my nature. I think I've improved over the past few years, but it's something that 1 have to keep on top of.
"I do wear my heart on my sleeve and I'd like to think that I play with a bit of passion and emotion. I play my best footy when I've got a bit of passion about me.
"I'm aware that it can look ordinary, but it's happening less and less now. It happens once in a blue moon, but the perception is that it happens every week. I've just got to make sure there are no instances so that people can't talk about it."
What Tiger fans would love to talk about is the potential for Richardson to bag 100 goals in a season - this season. But the man himself, whose personal best was 91 goals as a 21-year-old in 1996, says for him it is not possible.
"No. I think maybe if you played mostly at fullforward, you might be able to do it. But I think we've gone past that in modern footy where one guy kicks all the goals," he says.
…..
Richardson’s standing in the game is hard to define, as he divides opinion like few of his peers. Some people rate him a superstar, or on the verge of that status, while others brand him a frustrating talent. (Former Collingwood coach Tony Shaw even suggested last year'that the Tigers should consider trading him.) At the very least, few would argue that he is a very good player capable of winning matches off his own boot.
He confesses that he underachieved in last year's finals series and says he desperately wants to build a reputation as a big-game performer.
"I'd like to eventually be remembered as a good finals player," he says. "Obviously, I can't be seen as that at this point, but I've got five years to do that and hopefully be part of a successful finals team. That's my goal for the next five years.
"I learnt (last year) that to play well in finals, you've got to play hard, honest football. You can't expect to get on the end of too many easy balls. The pressure and intensity is a lot higher and you can't afford to make mistakes."
Although he is in great condition, Richardson says his football future will increasingly depend on his body shape.
"The fitness guys at the club think that for my longevity, I have to stay the same weight or lose a bit," he says. "If I can do that, I might even play a bit longer than I think. I don't think I've slowed down at all pace-wise. In fact, I feel stronger than ever in my running ability.
"I'd like to think that I'll be able to move around pretty well even when I am 32-33."
While he is aware of negativity about his football from certain quarters, Richardson says he is unsure how the general public perceives him.
"I want to succeed and sometimes people might take that the wrong way. I'm more worried about how I'm perceived in this place, among my teammates, the coaching staff and the inner sanctum here. If you worry too much about the outside stuff, I reckon it can divert your focus from things.
"I'd like to be seen as a good player - whether people think that or not, it's up to them. Hopefully, around here I'm considered a vital part of the team."
That you are, Matthew, that you are. .
