Tiger Newman works his way to the top
By Sam Edmund
March 29, 2008
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23450047-23211,00.htmlHE has spent just two hours on the field as vice-captain but Chris Newman finds himself Richmond skipper in the inaugural Eureka Game against North Melbourne.
And, fittingly, it is the hard-working Tigers defender who will lead the yellow and black into a match dedicated to Australia's workers.
Newman said it was a huge thrill to captain the side, made possible after skipper Kane Johnson suspended himself for one game after he was arrested for urinating on the wall of the St Kilda Rd police complex.
"It's a great buzz and obviously something that I'll treasure and take very seriously," Newman, 25, said. "It probably wasn't expected so early but I'm really looking forward to the challenge.
"I've learned heaps off Kane throughout the time he's been there and if I can take a little bit of his leadership into the game it will be great.
"It will be a huge thrill to lead the boys out. That's what I'm looking forward to on Sunday. With all the hype about the Eureka Game, hopefully a lot of supporters get down and support it so we can build it over time and turn it into an iconic game much like the Dreamtime At The G."
Before the game 100 workers in uniform representing their profession will march on to the MCG to create a guard of honour for the two teams to enter the arena. The Eureka Game, an initiative of Kevin Sheedy, aims to recognise and educate fans about the important role workers have played in shaping Australian life.
Newman said the Tigers had put the excitement generated by the round one win over Carlton behind them in a bid to overcome the Kangaroos.
"North Melbourne will be a huge challenge for us. They're very competitive, probably the most competitive side in the league, so you know what you're going to get with them and we've got to be prepared for that," he said.
Kangaroos midfielder Daniel Harris said it was far from all doom and gloom at Arden St and predicted the six-day turnaround after the loss to Essendon would help his side.
"That's the best thing about it - we can focus on the Tigers and get straight back into it," Harris said.
"All the boys are pretty positive. We've got last week out of the way with our match review and Dean (coach Dean Laidley) has said, 'Learn from it, put it behind you and focus on Richmond'. It is a long year. We made the preliminary final last year and we lost the first three, not that we want to do that."
