My story on players being great with kids....
We were at Subi oval to watch the players train the day before a game against West Coast. It was the year Ben Cousins had just joined the club, and there was a big crowd there.
My son was 5 years old at the time and desperately hoping to get Richo to autograph his cap. Of course, as Richo came over to meet the fans he was mobbed and unfortunately my son couldn't get near him. And it was pretty clear Richo had some other commitment because the club people were trying to get him to go down the race. Richo persisted with signing stuff, but eventually he had to leave and we were nowhere near him.
So my son, pretty disappointed, went down to the fence to get a few other signatures as players walked in to the rooms. The players were sort of walking along the boundary fence signing stuff, and I was actually pretty appalled at the way heaps of these kids were just shoving stuff at the players to sign, no please or thank you. So I reminded my son to say please and thank you when getting an autograph.
Anyway, after getting some autographs, Joel Bowden comes along. My son says to him ''Could I please have your autograph?".
Bowden says to my son words to the effect of "you are the first kid here who has used some manners asking for my autograph. Good manners will take you a long way in life", and then starts chatting to my son. He asks my son who his favourite player is, and my son says Richo, and then Bowden finds out we couldn't get his autograph.
So he tells me son to wait there, and takes his hat.
Probably 25 minutes later, the crowd is pretty much gone, and Joel Bowden comes back out of the rooms with my son's cap, signed by I'd reckon every player, with a small signed poster picture of Richo.
It cemented my son's love of the Tigers through thick and thin in a state were every one of his mates was an Eagles or Dockers fan (and my son has copped his fair share for following the Tigers), but also, he never, ever forgets to say please and thank you.
