Roos, Richmond to do battle for workers
The Age | March 27, 2008 - 7:12PM
Richmond and North Melbourne have no excuses not to produce a spirited AFL game on Sunday night at the MCG in a match dedicated to Australia's workers.
The Tigers and Kangaroos will contest the inaugural Eureka game, a theme match devised by the AFL's master spruiker Kevin Sheedy and featuring two clubs with strong working-class backgrounds.
Although times have changed to the point where North Melbourne and Richmond are now two of Melbourne's more yuppified suburbs and the launch of the game was held on the 88th floor of the swish Eureka Tower, both clubs predicted spirit would be high.
Richmond coach Terry Wallace said he expected North to rebound at full throttle following their 55-point defeat to Essendon last Sunday and that the Tigers had to be ready for it.
"We know that they'll be steeled up and we know the Kangaroos' spirit and we know a little bit about what this game's about," Wallace said.
"The Eureka game's about the spirit of the two football clubs.
"I'm hoping that's on display from both teams. I'd be disappointed that the Kangaroos, because of their result last weekend, they show more spirit than our guys.
"We've got to match them and equal them in that part of the game and then see who wins the game on their natural abilities."
North coach Dean Laidley agreed, saying both sides would be primed for an unflinching contest in recognition of Australia's working classes.
"Both clubs embody the spirit of the Australian worker, particularly where they've come from, their backgrounds and where they've been situated," he said.
"You'd like to think now that this concept's been born, you see that spirit from both clubs and it's a hard, tough, competitive game of football.
"We need to get back to playing that sort of footy this week because we were pretty poor in that area last weekend."
Laidley said his defence would be "steeled" for a big performance to curb the Matthew Richardson-led Richmond forward line, which outgunned Carlton last Thursday night.
The AFL has its share of themed matches and rounds, but Wallace believed the Eureka game could eventually come close in popularity to the Dreamtime game, the annual clash between the Tigers and Essendon which celebrates Aboriginal heritage.
"For the workers of Australia, it's not only looking back on history but it's also an opportunity for celebration of what they do in our society on a day-to-day basis," he said.
"To be able to celebrate that is a great thing for the clubs and it will be up to the clubs to build it."
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