Baffled by 'home' game at Saints' home: March

[one-eyed]

Tigers growl at Saints' home away from home
May 4, 2008 | The Age

RICHMOND president Gary March is baffled by the AFL's decision to make the Tigers play a "home" game against St Kilda at the opposition's home ground Telstra Dome for the second straight season.

Richmond has consistently called for more matches at its traditional home ground, the MCG, but three of its 11 home games have been fixtured at Telstra Dome this season, including last night's clash with the Saints.

"I've got to say … it doesn't really feel like a home game," March told a guests at a club function ahead of last night's match.

"It's one of the anomalies of the AFL competition that for two years in succession the Richmond Football Club have been drawn to play St Kilda Football Club at Telstra Dome, their home ground. "I find it baffling … that we are continually drawn to play a home game against an opposition at their home ground."

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/tigers-growl-about-away-home/2008/05/03/1209235235332.html

[mightytiges]

We have to squeeze into the Dome while less than 20k turn up today for the Dees and Freo at the 'G. The price of getting a Ch 10 game on Saturday night.

And we also play Melbourne in round 12 at the Dome despite both of us being MCG tenants  .

[WilliamPowell]

And we also play Melbourne in round 12 at the Dome despite both of us being MCG tenants  .

The er.... reason... given by the AFL in their official 2008 fixture on page 35 says:

"Richmond & Melbourne play at telstra Dome because of a fixturing clash, with Collingwood-Carlton at the MCG. Both Melbourne & Collingwood require a six-day break following the Queen's Birthday Clash the previous Monday"

Yes well .. what CRAP

[mightytiges]

And we also play Melbourne in round 12 at the Dome despite both of us being MCG tenants  .

The er.... reason... given by the AFL in their official 2008 fixture on page 35 says:

"Richmond & Melbourne play at telstra Dome because of a fixturing clash, with Collingwood-Carlton at the MCG. Both Melbourne & Collingwood require a six-day break following the Queen's Birthday Clash the previous Monday"

Yes well .. what CRAP

More like the AFL are contracted to play a certain number of games at the Dome and we get lobbed there by the dictatorship  . The AFL even came to the RFC before the draw was released and asked us to play more home games at the Dome. The Club rightly told them where to go.

The problem we have is the AFL will look at 40k turning up and say playing the game at the Dome was justified despite the reality that we would've have got a far bigger crowd  at the 'G. We really need a lockout at the Dome with fans not able to get in on time or at all to embarrass the AFL and force them to move all our home games to the 'G. I can't see that happening in round 12 with a number of our supporters hating the Dome and Melbourne struggling. It seems like ages ago but it was only 2 years ago we got 60k to the 'G for our clash with the Dees. 

[Stripes]

Our game is better suited to the bigger spaces of the 'G. In fact I am certain TW has built a team around speed, skills and space and the Telstra Dome is much harder for this style of play to execute.

The reason we have played better over the last few weeks at the Dome against the Dogs and Saints, is because we have changed our style of play to shepperd, block and tackle to create the required space rather than run ahead to recieve. The run and recieve tactic was too esily shut down and buckled under pressure too much where the shepperd/block tactic creates room behind the opposition to better despose of the ball.

I think it is a bloody joke that we have to play at the TD full stop but to play an opposition as our home game at their home ground is rediculous! The Melbourne game I can slightly understand but if we have to play another team at their home ground as one of our home games then (to quote our coach) I'll spew up

Bloody unfair draw! If we miss out on the finals by a game and a half I won't be happy!

Stripes

[julzqld]

Does the club get extra for playing their home ground at another ground?

[mightytiges]

Does the club get extra for playing their home ground at another ground?

We use to Julz when we had that 4 home game deal with the Dome. Well actually it was more like a guaranteed return no matter the crowd size which came in handy when Spud's gameplan was putting everyone to sleep.

Now it's back to the standard 3 the AFL hands out so I think we just make out of it whatever we get in terms of crowd size. 40k wasn't bad on Saturday night but we would've got more people if the game was played at the 'G. The crowd would've been larger too if more Saint fans turned up. It was by far a dominant Richmond crowd.