Raines shines in Tigers’ lair
23 June, 2004
Tony Greenberg
richmondfc.com.au
Although the weather is far from what he’s used to, and Richmond is far from the powerhouse club his father served with such distinction in the late 1970s-early 1980s, Andrew Raines wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world right now . . .
The 18-year-old, who was taken by the Tigers at pick 76 in last year’s National Draft, has adapted extremely well to life away from his family, and the warmth of the Queensland climate.
“I was fortunate enough to get picked up by the Tigers. I always wanted to come down to Melbourne and play for Richmond, so it was a lucky thing for me to end up here,” Raines said this week on “Tigers’ Club Corner”.
“Greg Miller (Richmond’s Director of Football) approached me and my family during last year and basically said that I had two options . . . ‘throw yourself in the draft this year where anyone can take you – and we’d like to take you with a late selection – or you can wait out, finish your under-18s football, and come through via the father-son rule’.
“I thought I’d love to come down to Melbourne and get in the system as soon as I could. So, I went through the draft and got picked up by Richmond.
“Last year I didn’t have a great season in the under-18s, but despite that Richmond saw a few things that I could develop, and decided to get in early and pick me.”
Richmond’s lowly position on the ladder over the past few seasons is in stark contrast to the all-conquering 1980 Tiger team that Andrew’s father, Geoff, was such a key member of. Young Raines, however, has no regrets whatsoever about being at Punt Road . . .
“I wasn’t really worried about where the team finished up last year. I was just really excited and fortunate to get here because I’ve always barracked for the club,” he said.
“I suppose if you’re at a club like Brisbane, it’s really hard to crack into the team and you probably won’t play senior footy for a while. But there’s probably a fair opening at Richmond over the next few years for us young blokes. So, I’m just happy to be where I am.”
And, Raines senior is pretty pleased, too . . .
“Me going to Richmond was the first option in Dad’s mind . . . He really wanted me to play here because, obviously, he did, and we’ve always supported the Club,” Andrew said.
It’s fair to say the teenager from the Gold Coast has exceeded all expectations in his first year at the club, having a real impact with Richmond’s VFL affiliate the Coburg Tigers.
“Andrew has consistently given us a lift with his run, pace and enthusiasm when he’s come off the bench during games,” said Coburg Tigers coach David Flood.
“His hands at ground level are very good and his turn of speed helps us to break the game open.
“He has had an excellent start to his first year of football at this level.”
Comparisons between Andrew and Geoff Raines are, not surprisingly, commonplace among Richmond supporters.
Andrew, of course, has a long way to go to match the deeds of his triple Tiger Best and Fairest winner ‘old man’. But there is a striking similarity in their on-field appearance . . .
“Yeah, I always get that (comparison with Geoff) . . . they yell out over the fence at Coburg something like: ‘You look like your old man, and play like him’,” Andrew said.
“I don’t worry about it too much – I’m just my own person. But, yeah, I’m obviously a pretty similar sort of player to what Dad was . . . same height and he played in the midfield, which I’m hopeful of doing down the track.”
For that to happen, Raines knows he’ll have to continue to be particularly diligent in the weights room.
“I’m still fairly lightly framed, but I was really struggling with the weight side of things early on,” he said.
“I was 71-72kg when I got drafted, and it’s really hard playing senior footy at that sort of weight. But I’ve put on 6-7kg in the gym this year, and that’s certainly helped me . . . you get a bit of confidence with it.”
Although Raines is very much a “project player” at Punt Road, a call-up to AFL ranks this season may not entirely be out of the question, with the Tigers expected to give youth a good go in the remaining home-and-away rounds.
“I’m not really sure about that . . . I’m just happy at Coburg and in developing my footy. There’s no rush, I suppose. But if I can keep developing, you never know,” he said.
As for the cold Melbourne winter, well, it’s not totally foreign to the former Queenslander.
“I was born in Melbourne, although I can’t really remember much about it back then,” he said.
“But we’ve always come down here as a family with holidays and things like that. So, I’ve experienced a bit of the cold weather before, and I played down here with the Queensland team (under 18s) last year.
“You do notice the difference, though. I mean, winter up in Queensland is unbelievable . . . the sunshine, beautiful 20-22 degrees and you play in great conditions. You come down here and you’re in mud and slush and things like that. But I’m getting used to it now, and actually enjoy it.”
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