Richmond has its best chance to conquer its Kardinia Park hoodoo against Geelong this weekGlenn McFarlane,
Herald Sun
11 August 2017JOEL Bowden could feel his anxiety start to rise almost as soon as his car hit the Princes Freeway.
As a Richmond footballer across 14 seasons, he normally felt composed headed into AFL matches, but playing Geelong at Geelong always seemed a different proposition. Five times he made the trip to Kardinia Park (now known as Simonds Stadium), and only once — in 2006 — did the return trip coincide with a Tigers victory.
“I drove down there knowing that I was going to be playing on Brad Ottens when Geelong was at their absolute zenith,” said Bowden, who played 265 games between 1996 and 2009.
“I can tell you it was never a very pleasant drive down there. They were always a good team when we played them, and we weren’t a very good side.”
The venue that has had more name changes than John Cougar Mellencamp has had one constant — it was near impossible to conquer.
Long before the national competition was created, when Geelong was the “road trip” for Melbourne teams, it was always a formidable challenge. It hasn’t become any easier in the AFL era, with the Cats embarking on one of their golden eras, making the ground one of the game’s few remaining fortresses.
Richmond has fared as poorly as any clubs in recent times. They have won there only four times in the past 40 years.
Saturday marks the Tigers’ first venture to Simonds Stadium in five years, and while it is far from a welcome one, given the fixturing will see many of the club’s members unable to get a ticket to the 34,000-strong venue, it does give Richmond a serious chance of breaking a long drought.
The club is not only chasing its first win at the ground since Bowden and his teammates — along with coach Terry Wallace — produced a stunning upset in 2006; it is also trying to win its first game against the Cats anywhere since that day.
In between have sat 12 consecutive losses — a few heartbreaking ones, and more than a few one-sided, embarrassing encounters.
Bowden, who now works with AFL NT in Darwin, expects that to change on Saturday. In a year in which the club is trying to exorcise past demons, it seems an opportune time to do the same against the team and the venue that has caused them so much pain.
“We probably went down there with a negative mindset because of what had happened in the past, but I don’t think that will be an issue to the players of today,” Bowden said.
“The new guys haven’t played there. They will drive down there knowing they have just beaten Hawthorn, and knowing Geelong are susceptible at home because Sydney touched them up last week. They also won’t have (Joel) Selwood, Tom Hawkins and Mitch Duncan, so I don’t think history matters anymore.”
Eight of Richmond’s 22 players have never played at the ground in an AFL match. None of the other 14 others have won a game there wearing a Richmond jumper, albeit Josh Caddy had first-hand experience in his time at Geelong.
Richmond’s two most recent wins at the ground — 2006 and 1990 — came as boilovers. Given Geelong’s outs and Richmond’s more trusting form this season, the Tigers will go into Saturday’s game as clear-cut favourites.
Wallace, who oversaw that 2006 win, has tipped the Tigers, but knows they still have some significant factors to overcome.
“They’ve always been tough to beat down there,” Wallace said. “Teddy Whitten (13 losses and a draw) never played in a winning game down at Geelong ...”
“You have to factor in a bit of extra travel, the advantage of a home crowd, the flukiness of the wind, even with the new grandstand, the fact the ground is so skinny and there are certain nuances of playing there which the home side knows so well.”
One ex-Tiger said the narrowness of Simonds Stadium made opposition players feel “claustrophobic” at times. The ground, which measures 170m x 115m, is much narrower than the MCG’s 173m x 148m, making it a unique experience.
Kevin Bartlett this week recalled how Richmond used to hire two train carriages for the journey to Geelong during the 1960s and ‘70s.
“Tommy (Hafey) would get us to stop off at Werribee, so we could stretch our legs a bit,” Bartlett said. “We used to have a team meeting on the train.”
One year, when Barry Richardson was coach, they even stayed the previous night in Geelong, but it still resulted in a loss.
Bartlett is convinced the Cats’ “fortress” is about to fall: “Even if Geelong had their full side in, I reckon the Tigers would still be a great chance.
“But they haven’t got Selwood or Hawkins or Duncan, so there are no excuses this time. There has never been a greater opportunity to beat them down there over the past 20 years ...”
Even if the long-suffering Richmond fans are content taking it one hoodoo at a time, Bartlett believes Saturday’s game could provide a harbinger for something even bigger next month.
TIGERS AT THE CATTERYGames: 50 Wins: 15 Losses: 35
Games in past 40 years 24: Wins: 4 Losses: 20
Saturday’s 22 players and total games at Kardinia Park
Geelong: 471 games
Richmond: 45 (includes 20 from Josh Caddy when he was playing for Geelong)
- Eight Tigers will play their first game at Simonds. No Tiger, other than Caddy (when in Cats colours) has won a game there.
- Richmond hasn’t played at the ground since 2012, and hasn’t won there — or against Geelong at any other venue — since Round 9, 2006
- In the past 15 times the Tigers have played at the venue, only once have they managed to score more than 100 points (in 2006)
FOUR WINS IN 40 YEARS
RICHMOND’S LAST FOUR WINS AT THE GROUNDROUND 9, 2006 — RICHMOND 17.8 (110) D GEELONG 12.18 (90)
One of Terry Wallace’s most impressive wins as Richmond coach came off the back of playing star forward Matthew Richardson as a decoy to keep Matthew Scarlett out of the play. The Tigers found their goals from unlikely sources. Chris Hyde kicked four goals, Kayne Pettifer and Troy Simmonds scored three each and the ever-reliable Chris Newman won the three Brownlow Medal votes. Richmond overcame deficits at every change to kick five goals to nil in the final term.
ROUND 7, 1990 — RICHMOND 13.18 (96) D GEELONG 9.28 (82)
No one gave the Kevin Bartlett-coached Tigers a chance, so much so that not one tipster other than The Sun’s Kiss of Death selected the team that was then second bottom. Bartlett reminded the players of this fact in a stirring pre-game speech. Somehow, it worked. Four goals to Jeff Hogg, three goals to Des Ryan, who was alternating between the forward line and the wing with his brother Stephen, and a best afield performance from Tim Powell made the difference.
ROUND 8, 1982 — RICHMOND 11.23 (89) D GEELONG 12.15 (87)
A number of Richmond players planned to stay in Geelong after this game with former Cat turned Tiger Paul Sarah organising a big Saturday night out. But coach Francis Bourke threatened to put an end to those plans. In one break in play, Bourke told them if they didn’t win, they were all headed straight back to Melbourne that night. Sarah earned his night out with three goals and Dale Weightman recalled this week the celebrations went long into the night. Kevin Bartlett was reported for the only time in his career, for striking Bruce Nankervis, but ultimately got off.
ROUND 20, 1977 — RICHMOND 19.18 (132) D GEELONG 5.16 (46)
The outcome of this match, which took place 40 years ago tomorrow, was never in doubt. Five players kicked three goals apiece — David Cloke, Emmett Dunne, Bruce Monteith, Alan Noonan, and Geoff Raines — while Bartlett scored two and had 33 disposals. Neil Balme defeated Sam Newman in the ruck, and Mick Malthouse had a career-high 30 disposals.
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