Call it TFFS
Jack Riewoldt is the latest victim of Temperamental Full-Forward SyndromeBy Leigh Matthews
Wed 20 Apr, 2011AS A KID living in the country, I was often told of the old wives' tale that if you were bitten by a blue-tongue lizard, the wound would never completely heal and would flare up every now and again.
After a bit of volatile theatre from reigning Coleman medallist Jack Riewoldt last week I was reminded of this urban myth, because it has a football cousin in the form of the Temperamental Full-Forward Syndrome or TFFS.
Young Jack is just the latest victim of this disease which has afflicted many of the game's goalkickers, and history would tell us that he will never be completely cured, public apology or not - the symptoms of petulance and visible frustration will likely pop up again.
With the Riewoldt episode in mind we had a light-hearted discussion about TFFS last Saturday with the 3AW commentary team, which included former full-forwards Brian Taylor and Matthew Richardson, two players who would be automatic inclusions in the TFFS Hall of Fame.
And as much as we can joke about it, it's actually a very real thing. It is, in general, that goal-kickers are the game's highly-strung artists.
TFFS comes in different forms, and while it manifests itself in different ways with different players, there is an undeniable link to the high-pressure footy life of a deep forward.
Overt aggression towards opponents is one highly visible sign. Among the elite in this category we think of Tony Lockett, Gary Ablett Snr and Wayne Carey, who all displayed occasional outbursts of TFFS symptom. And more recently, Barry Hall. True TFFS legends.
I've got to admit that in the latter part of my career, when I was playing predominantly at full-forward, I was myself an occasional victim of TFFS.
On that ill-fated day in June 1985 when, as a veteran player caught up in the frustration of not getting a kick I lashed out at Geelong's Neville Bruns, it was basically because of Temperamental Full-Forward Syndrome.
So what is TFFS?
Playing deep forward as a team's primary goalkicker is an extremely difficult task from an emotional perspective, especially in a struggling side.
Why? Because the ball only comes into your area if your teammates have won it up the field, and because you've got an opponent hanging off you all day whose primary focus is more to stop you than to try to win the ball himself.
If things are not going well it's easy to get frustrated and anxious, and as much as the coach will urge them to contribute to their team through competing, chasing, tackling and harassing, full-forwards are measured essentially by how many goals they kick.
Sometimes the result of this undeniable pressure and frustration is an outward show of petulance or surliness. Sometimes it's that outburst of physical aggression.
Jonathan Brown had that latter TFFS symptom in his early days, but maturity seems to have him completely cured.
Other full-forwards have been known to exhibit a different strand of TFFS simply by being laws unto themselves - like Warwick Capper, Allen Jakovich, Mark Jackson and Brendan Fevola, who will be remembered by many for their headline-grabbing antics rather than their football prowess.
And while coaches may not always appreciate their individualistic behavior, they are invariably adored by fans who love their spectacular goalkicking feats - always tinged with the unpredictable intrigue of knowing that their TFFS could bubble to the surface at any time.
Of course there is always an exception seemingly overloaded with TFFS anti-bodies, like the great Jason Dunstall, who was the most controlled and seemingly unemotional full-forward you've ever seen.
TFFS is often the reason a player, like Riewoldt, will wear his heart on his sleeve and have that ticking time-bomb look about him.
The Richmond full-forward is still coming to grips with the emotional pressure of life as the predominant goalkicker in a struggling team and hopefully his mild case of TFFS is something he will leave behind with experience.
While we might debate where BT and Richo sit in the TFFS Hall of Fame, there's no denying the evidence that supports membership for both.
We've all seen that often-replayed TV footage of BT vehemently arguing with the umpire, and I recall the occasion when Richo was suspended by Richmond over his poor on-field demeanor and body language.
As the opposition Brisbane Lions coach the following week I was overjoyed to see a fully fit Richo sitting in the grandstand.
These days I share various media roles with the 13-time Richmond leading goalkicker and hasten to add that he's one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. His TFFS only ever raised its head on the inside of the white line.
But there's no denying that both he and Taylor had that TFFS tendency.
And the more I think of it, my two 3AW colleagues should very definitely be classed as true TFFS HOF legends.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/112053/default.aspx
