Missed chance hurts Matthew RichardsonMatt Windley | August 03, 2009
RICHMOND veteran Matthew Richardson has revealed his disappointment at never having captained the club Richardson, who will have scans today on his injured hamstring, said he wanted the job when Kane Johnson was appointed skipper before the 2004 season.
"I think my chance was when Kane got the job," Richardson told Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan on Fox Sports.
"I put my hand up then and wanted the role, but in saying that, Kane was an outstanding captain.
"It ended up he was voted in by his peers so, yeah, that was probably the chance I thought I probably had."
The 282-game forward said perceptions of petulance had counted against him.
"I reckon the reason I never got it was because of perceived body language issues," he said.
"I needed to straighten that out earlier than what I did but I think that probably cost me in the end. As a person I am fairly emotive in the way that I express myself.
"Playing footy, that's where I get my most enjoyment, so I guess I get my most frustration there as well.
"Early in my career, and right up until probably three or four years ago, I didn't display it in the right manner and it can have a negative effect on the team.
"A lot of the time . . . people misconstrued it. A lot of the time I was more frustrated at myself than any teammates."
Richardson said he had never seriously considered retiring after a hamstring injury in Round 6, which required surgery to repair a torn tendon.
He played for Coburg on Saturday, but left the field after 10 minutes.
"I'm coming off a major surgery . . . I got out there and it just wouldn't warm up," he said yesterday.
"It was just really tight."
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