Richmond 'just another club', says GWS Giants' Brett DeledioAndrew Wu
The Age
September 17 2017 - 6:37PMGreater Western Sydney recruit Brett Deledio has viewed Richmond as "just another club" this year but the Tiger army will not be seeing their former favourite son as just another player.
After dreaming almost his entire career of a flag with the Tigers, Deledio will be out to spoil the yellow and black party in the preliminary final on Saturday.
Taking on the former club for the first time can be an emotional time for players, as Essendon's Brendon Goddard showed in a teary interview in 2013, but few will be doing so in Deledio's position.
Deledio has never pushed this deep into September. He is celebrating a major milestone - game number 250 - against the club he called home for 12 years and won two best and fairests.
And he is likely to have close to a full house of success-starved Tigers fans cheering their side to their first grand final appearance in 35 years.
Deledio marked a major land mark on the weekend, tasting victory in a final for the first time after 249 games - only eight men have played more matches before breaking their September duck.
The 30-year-old remains friends with several former teammates and has keenly followed the Tigers' progress but that is where the emotional ties end.
"They're just another club I've got a lot of great mates at. I'm rapt for them that they're playing good footy after the year that we had last year," Deledio told Fairfax Media on the eve of the finals.
"I'm rapt for my close mates that are there, that they're getting to taste finals again. I keep in contact with a lot of them regularly. That's about where it ends.
"We don't talk about us versus them even when the Giants are playing the Tiges. It's more about us being friends than us as opponents.
"I know them inside and out pretty much after being there for 12 years, it's hard not to keep a close eye and tabs on what's going on because you know the players, you know what they're doing. You watch a lot of their games and see how the boys are going, which is good. But it all ends when we're playing."
First-season Tiger Josh Caddy says Deledio should expect a fiery reception from the Tigers faithful.
"I don't know Brett, the Tigers supporters loved but I'm sure they'll be right off him this weekend," Deledio said.
"It's amazing how footy works and how things like this happen. I'm sure Brett's still happy he's playing in a preliminary final but it will be mixed emotions for him, I'm sure."
Deledio described the build-up to the finals at the Giants as like "chalk and cheese" compared to the Tigers' ill fated September campaigns in 2013-15.
"They're two different cities. Down in Richmond you're completely in the bubble with a huge supporter base with a club that has a rich history for over 150 years," Deledio said.
"We're a brand new baby club, a club in its infancy and building a pretty strong supporter base already coming into our second finals campaign. You look no further than supporter bases and how old the clubs are."
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-tigers-just-another-club-says-gws-giants-brett-deledio-20170917-gyj64t.html
