"Richmond cant win outside the MCG" - The Broken Myth of 2020

Oct 2, 2008
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Round 6 2017 - The Richmond Football Club entered Adelaide Oval, in front of 51,069 fans - five wins on the trot.

All at the MCG of course, oh, except one other win against Brisbane at the GABBA... but we will get to that later. The Tigers booted six opening term goals whilst the Crows landed five. Two of the seasons three undefeated teams of the 2017 season dazzled us up until quarter time. It was a high scoring, free flowing blitz. Richmond seemingly embraced the occasion.

Adelaide then nailed 13 of the next 15 goals. A 76 point drubbing. The Tigers were annihilated by the eventual minor premiers and out right premiership favourites. These two sides wouldn't meet again until the 2017 Grand Final, and thats where this myth truly manifests itself. For how could a team, especially the lowly basket case Richmond, how could they turn this around? There has to be a reason and to this very day, the neutral media 'expert' and big footy troll had it all figured it - Richmond have an advantage playing football on a different patch of grass. Surely it couldn't be that this side is good? Could it?

Tex Walker had a vacant seat on the plane - for the premiership cup to return to the city of churches. The side was highly fancied, destroying the cats and giants on their way to their third Grand Final berth. Former champion Mark Riccuito boasted that Adelaide never lose Grand Finals. This Adelaide behemoth hadn't put one foot wrong. Whilst the Tigers? Well, theyre Richmond and the penny surely would drop at some point? Richmond would do Richmond-y things.

Fast forward to the Grand Final itself, the intensity was at fever pitch and Nick Vlastuin was the first to give the neutrals what they all expected next in this neverending narrative. He fumbled the hot potato into the lap of the smooth moving Eddie Betts, who broke the dam wall only five minutes into the game.

But he didn't.

Riewoldt took a hanger, missing three gettable shots.

Rance, Grimes, Vlastuin and Astbury blanketed this imposing Crows forward line - deemed the most dangerous of all, with superstar Walking Texas Ranger, The Texan of Adelaide, Tex Walker leading his troops.

Dustin Martin morphed into the minotaur - the Greek Mythological half man, half bull. He was unstoppable.

The Tigers crushed the Crows. An unbelievable 124 point turn around.

The media narrative shifted when the fairytale concluded. Richmonds incredible MCG record became the new narrative, the Crows salty - like the Nile River, wanted a 2 of 3 finals series, even a few of them played in Adelaide. This is proof within itself that it wasn't only the media that became sceptical over Richmonds sudden ascendency - it was people within the footy bubble too.

The Tigers have had to overcome many doubts.
Can Richmond win without the Big four? The team with the weakest depth is now the team with the strongest depth. If the narrative could be spilt into two categories, 90% of discussion was the discussion about the lack of depth, 10% on the quality of depth and not one person admitting fault. Lou Richards was an endearing media personality because he made bold predictions, but also ensured he was kept accountable if he was wrong. It was entertainment, slapstick comedy. Sam Newman much the same, he would wear a tutu if he was proven wrong.

The media vultures of 2020 dont care for accountability, they simple throw s**t at the wall, hope it clicks and hope it stinks. There is no spotlight shon on them.

Once the Tigers proved their depth, the new criticism was based around the travel.

In 2020, The Tigers remain the only undefeated team in the Queensland Hub. Unbeaten at the GABBA since 2004. If 2020's premiership comes to Tigerland- with only two MCG games, then officially we can rule a line through another myth that's sole focus is to discredit and take away from a champion team in a country plagued by Tall Poppy Syndrome.

In 2021 - Richmond will need to win in China, to prove they can win with depth, interstate and overseas. The myth doesn't disappear, it only changes narrative.
 
Last edited:
Jan 3, 2012
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I don’t think it’s fair to say that people’s opinions of Richmond haven’t changed; at the very least, we’ve gone from being the worst team to win the premiership to being the worst team to win two premierships
Can you do some pixel art
 

aislegi

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May 18, 2008
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Can you do some pixel art

45B6E61E-F10C-4BB3-A9B9-A381E589E650.png
 

Shaks

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Aug 15, 2009
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You are a much better team this year.
Perhaps you would even beat us at Optus.
Of all the teams that will be playing finals going by the form at the moment you guys are the team to beat.
If we do win our finals and get to cross paths with you I don't know if we can win with our current game plan. I hope Simmo does something about that. But anyway good luck.
I hate you all with a passion!
 

Shaks

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Also, apparently we only left Queensland once this year since entering the hub and we’ve had extra days break advantages against every team we played.
I've already posted my views about that in other threads. No point in me going on about that in your board. Those are the cards that have been dealt and we just have to go along with the VFL centric decisions.
 

Jono_Hain97

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Dec 25, 2014
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I don’t think it’s fair to say that people’s opinions of Richmond haven’t changed; at the very least, we’ve gone from being the worst team to win the premiership to being the worst team to win two premierships
There is still finals to be played but ‘worst team ever to go back to back and win 3 flags in 4 years while also surpassing Geelong’s best ever dynasty of 3 flags in 5 years’ has an awesome Ring to it. Hopefully we can make it happen
 
Jan 3, 2012
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From the interview room
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I've already posted my views about that in other threads. No point in me going on about that in your board. Those are the cards that have been dealt and we just have to go along with the VFL centric decisions.
Are you suggesting that we didn’t play in Darwin, Adelaide on more than one occasion?
 

roacheee

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Aug 25, 2015
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You are a much better team this year.
Perhaps you would even beat us at Optus.
Of all the teams that will be playing finals going by the form at the moment you guys are the team to beat.
If we do win our finals and get to cross paths with you I don't know if we can win with our current game plan. I hope Simmo does something about that. But anyway good luck.
I hate you all with a passion!
Funny....we don't care about you guys at all
 
Pretty sure we were the only team this year to play in 5 different states and territories and won in all 5.

Won in VIC, NSW, SA, QLD and NT. But of course we never left Queensland since entering the hub so vic bias.
 

Cotcho

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Jul 4, 2012
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I posted on the pies board that they got ripped off against the E-girls and boy oh boy did those bogan WA w***ers pile in lol Anyway long story short, I did some research because one of their fans had a sook about our "7 games in a row at the MCG" last year.

Anyway if you actually look at it. Richmond didn't play a game with a home ground advantage until Round 12.
12 games in a row at either a neutral venue or worse to start the season....and even then, the 12th game was against the Cats who have plenty of exposure to the G. Not sure if that's been pointed out before, I knew the start to the year was tough but didn't realise it was that extreme.
 
Jan 3, 2012
43,321
87,966
From the interview room
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Chelsea FC, Victory, All Blecks,
I posted on the pies board that they got ripped off against the E-girls and boy oh boy did those bogan WA w***ers pile in lol Anyway long story short, I did some research because one of their fans had a sook about our "7 games in a row at the MCG" last year.

Anyway if you actually look at it. Richmond didn't play a game with a home ground advantage until Round 12.
12 games in a row at either a neutral venue or worse to start the season....and even then, the 12th game was against the Cats who have plenty of exposure to the G. Not sure if that's been pointed out before, I knew the start to the year was tough but didn't realise it was that extreme.
Pies haven left the gabba last two months
 

The Mighty

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May 20, 2019
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I don’t think it’s fair to say that people’s opinions of Richmond haven’t changed; at the very least, we’ve gone from being the worst team to win the premiership to being the worst team to win two premierships

Well hopefully we become the shittiest 3 time winners of all time too and then the worst 3 peaters of all time with 4 flags in an era.

I can deal with that as I'm sure everyone else can.
 
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