Richmond’s 2019 fixture is the biggest gift to any club this season: Kane Cornes

[one-eyed]

Is Richmond’s 2019 fixture the biggest gift to any club this season?

By Kane Cornes
SEN
23 Aug 2019

Without question, Sunday's game between Richmond and West Coast was the match of the year.

Heading into round 23 this week, West Coast sits third on the ladder, Richmond are fourth but right now they are the best two teams in the competition.

Most footy experts were lauding Richmond and the coaching of Damien Hardwick after his side came from 24 points down at quarter time to win by a kick.

Hardwick and his impressively resilient team deserve so much credit for the position they are in, particularly after the injury cloud that threatened its season.

However, the difference between the AFL’s best two sides on Sunday was something totally out of the control of the travelling Eagles.

The facts are this - In the last six weeks, West Coast have travelled just shy of 15,000 kilometres and have spent 21 hours on aeroplanes.

Add in the time it takes to pack your life up every second week, the drive to and from the airport, the check in, the wasted hours waiting for the plane to board, hopping on and off, getting on the team bus and sitting in Melbourne traffic.

It’s safe to say you can triple those 21 hours of travel time.

No wonder the Eagles looked slightly weary after quarter time.

Conversely, in the last six weeks, Richmond has not left the state of Victoria.

That’s just not even close to an even playing field.

And more than that, the Tigers haven’t even been asked to drive down the highway and play in Geelong. They have not left the MCG!

So whilst the premiership winning Eagles are packing luggage, negotiating transit, hopping on and off planes and sleeping in foreign beds, the Richmond players are living, training, recovering and sleeping they way they have always been accustomed to.

Richmond’s 2019 fixture is the biggest gift to any club this season.

No wonder they have made a late season charge.

15,000km and 21 hours spent on a plane for West Coast, 0km and 0 hours of travel for Richmond.

That was the difference between the two teams on Sunday.

Its an absolute credit to Adam Simpson and his players that they didn’t complain about this post-match. Many other coaches in the competition would have if their side were in the same position.

I understand there isn’t much that can be done about the travel factor for West Coast and I get that it hasn’t stopped them from being a powerhouse of the competition.

But my issue is the gold clad fixture that was gifted to Richmond. The last seven games of the season at the MCG.

In its 2017 premiership winning year, they were also granted the ultimate finals present when the AFL decided to play the qualifying against Geelong at the MCG and not in Geelong despite the Cats finishing first and Richmond 4th.

Would the Tigers have won the flag if not for this advantage? Who knows.

The text machine will go into meltdown with defensive Tigers fans.

‘Where do you want Richmond to play Cornes?’ is the gist of most of them. This argument isn’t going to be popular when broadcasting to a Victorian audience.

But popularity has never been high on my priority list since I started in this role.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/08/22/is-richmonds-2019-fixture-the-biggest-gift-to-any-club-this-season/

[Diocletian]

Was this stuffwit or anyone else complaining when Collingwood used to play 18 home games a year?

How about when he won a flag due largely to Brisbane being buggered after they were forced to play a home prelim. in Melbourne?

[Owl]

BAHAHAHAHAH  This prick is priceless, dripping with bitter jealousy

[Diocletian]

Never forgiven us for ruining his 300th/farewell party.

Mind you m the Cornes family have often made me feel ashamed of the Tigers and the yellow & black..


























...of Glenelg...

[cub]

4 True home games as opposed to all teams out of Vic that get 10-11 and if they are 1/2 decent get gifted a finals berth.
Oh the tears, God I hope we win again

[WilliamPowell]

Haven't read it, won't read it

Ignore anything by the failed fireman   

[mightytiges]

4 True home games as opposed to all teams out of Vic that get 10-11 and if they are 1/2 decent get gifted a finals berth.
Oh the tears, God I hope we win again

Bingo, cub! 

I'll just repeat what I posted 3 weeks ago when Rucci in the Adelaide Advertiser had a similar sook.

All those interstaters whinging about our finals being played at the 'G always conveniently leave out that interstate sides get a massive advantage during the H/A season of 10 home games against opposition sides from outside of their state. It gives them an easier opportunity to finish higher on the ladder. Likewise, Geelong have the advantage of their own exclusive home ground for 7? home games.

We, on the other hand, get just three such home games this year (our recent win over Port plus the Eagles and Lions games coming up). Our 'home' game against the Swans was at Docklands. Clashes with other MCG tenants are neutral derbies so there's no advantage.

No one sooked when we sucked for three decades even at the 'G. The salty tears have only kicked in since September 2017 .

Cornes also ignores that 5 of our last 7 H/A games are HOME games because they were all backloaded by the AFL fixture until later in the season. The other two were derbies against Melb and Coll. Blame Gill if you don't like it, Kane, or do you want our home games moved away from the 'G as well .

[Tigeritis™©®]

Actually I was listening to the whole radio program that day. He actually said multiple times that’s it’s not Richmond’s fault nor did he blame Richmond at any time. He was however having a go at the AFL for the fixture that allowed for that to occur considering we were the predominant team the last two seasons.

[mightytiges]

By cherry picking the last 7 rounds when 5 of them were our home games, Cornes is still ignoring the fact that we had few M.C.G. games early on in the season. From rounds 3 to 8 (6 weeks) we only played once at the 'G and even played a home game 'away' at Docklands. All but 3 of our games at the 'G have been home games and between rounds 2 & 18 none of our away games were at the 'G.

Away games:
MCG - Carl (R1), Coll (R19), Melb (R20).
Docklands - Dogs, Norf, Saints.
Interstate - GWS, Port, Freo, Adel, GC.

As an aside: Up until round 18, Cornes' Port Adelaide played more games at Adelaide Oval than we played at the 'G.

Cornes is also ignoring that when this year's fixture came out late last year, the AFL had us playing the other three top 4 sides of 2018 in the last month. Not our fault that Melbourne has imploded although that has been offset by Brisbane. So we will have still played three of the top 4 in the last 5 weeks. Compare that to Collingwood's soft last month playing poor-to-mediocre sides ... oh that's right Cornes says nothing about the Pies' fixture despite them coming off a Grand Final appearance.