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02 April 2004 Herald Sun
Grantley Bernard
THE opponent didn't really notice and the subject reckons it might have been the burgers from his waterfront cafe. So what's the buzz about Matthew Richardson and his new, improved body look?
The buzz that is chainsaw loud among footy fans is merely a humming bee at Punt Rd, where the men of Richmond, including Richo, are playing down his buffed appearance. No big deal.
"It's maybe been blown out of proportion a bit," Tigers football manager Greg Hutchison said. "He's always been a pretty big man."
It's just that Richo is looking bigger and better. Don't ask Magpie Simon Prestigiacomo, who suffered against Richo last Friday. His message through a Magpie intermediary was he didn't think Richardson looked any different.
But when Richardson hooks into the first game of the season with five goals and 13 marks, people are going to notice. Many left the MCG or flicked off their TVs last Friday believing Richo, who's listed as 105kg, was looking more muscled and bigger than when last season ended.
The consistent line from Richmond is Richardson is only 2kg heavier than last year. There was no specific gym work beyond three solid sessions a week. There was no special diet except, according to Richo's relayed message, for a few of his joint's burgers.
"Having added a couple of kg and extra strength, he does look a little more barrellish," Tigers assistant coach Darren Crocker said.
"He worked on his upper body strength, and a good example of that was in the goalsquare with Presti and he pushed him off a couple of times and got the footy."
If that reminds Collingwood fans of a dirty memory from successive Septembers, it wouldn't surprise. Does the name Alastair Lynch come to mind?
"We just wanted him to be a little bit stronger in the mould of Alastair Lynch," Crocker said. "If you're going to be better inside 50m, you've got to hold your position.
"The beauty of Lynch and Richo is they're big enough to hold position, but they've got the explosiveness to get on the lead and that was no more evident than against Collingwood."
Where a rope tied to the goalpost was once needed to keep Richo inside the 50m arc, now it is to become a mindset and a feature of his game.
That's why the Tigers recruited Shane Morrison to play across half-forward.
Then Richo doesn't need to cover more grass than a creeping weed. He can get to more contests more often, while anchoring the forward line from where he is more dangerous -- within goalkicking range.
Richardson might not be able to clock a sharp 13 minutes for a lap of the Tan any more, but when did you ever see Jason Dunstall or Tony Lockett on a wing, except in the breaks between quarters?
The idea is for Richo to simply play smarter, stronger and deeper. So far, so good. Which is no surprise for the men of Richmond.
The only surprise is the buzz, which might soon require earmuffs.
If Round 1 Richo continues, the buzz is only going to get louder. Much louder.
Grantley Bernard
THE opponent didn't really notice and the subject reckons it might have been the burgers from his waterfront cafe. So what's the buzz about Matthew Richardson and his new, improved body look?
The buzz that is chainsaw loud among footy fans is merely a humming bee at Punt Rd, where the men of Richmond, including Richo, are playing down his buffed appearance. No big deal.
"It's maybe been blown out of proportion a bit," Tigers football manager Greg Hutchison said. "He's always been a pretty big man."
It's just that Richo is looking bigger and better. Don't ask Magpie Simon Prestigiacomo, who suffered against Richo last Friday. His message through a Magpie intermediary was he didn't think Richardson looked any different.
But when Richardson hooks into the first game of the season with five goals and 13 marks, people are going to notice. Many left the MCG or flicked off their TVs last Friday believing Richo, who's listed as 105kg, was looking more muscled and bigger than when last season ended.
The consistent line from Richmond is Richardson is only 2kg heavier than last year. There was no specific gym work beyond three solid sessions a week. There was no special diet except, according to Richo's relayed message, for a few of his joint's burgers.
"Having added a couple of kg and extra strength, he does look a little more barrellish," Tigers assistant coach Darren Crocker said.
"He worked on his upper body strength, and a good example of that was in the goalsquare with Presti and he pushed him off a couple of times and got the footy."
If that reminds Collingwood fans of a dirty memory from successive Septembers, it wouldn't surprise. Does the name Alastair Lynch come to mind?
"We just wanted him to be a little bit stronger in the mould of Alastair Lynch," Crocker said. "If you're going to be better inside 50m, you've got to hold your position.
"The beauty of Lynch and Richo is they're big enough to hold position, but they've got the explosiveness to get on the lead and that was no more evident than against Collingwood."
Where a rope tied to the goalpost was once needed to keep Richo inside the 50m arc, now it is to become a mindset and a feature of his game.
That's why the Tigers recruited Shane Morrison to play across half-forward.
Then Richo doesn't need to cover more grass than a creeping weed. He can get to more contests more often, while anchoring the forward line from where he is more dangerous -- within goalkicking range.
Richardson might not be able to clock a sharp 13 minutes for a lap of the Tan any more, but when did you ever see Jason Dunstall or Tony Lockett on a wing, except in the breaks between quarters?
The idea is for Richo to simply play smarter, stronger and deeper. So far, so good. Which is no surprise for the men of Richmond.
The only surprise is the buzz, which might soon require earmuffs.
If Round 1 Richo continues, the buzz is only going to get louder. Much louder.
