Each year a group of 8-10 Taswegians head across Bass Strait to Melbourne for a Thursday to Sunday weekend.
It starts with an old fashioned pub crawl on the Thursday afternoon (this year North Carlton / North Fitzroy) followed by a lunch on the Friday (this year at the Nth Fitzroy Arms with Percy Jones and The Footy Almanac crew) and a number of games of football (four this year). The weekend takes its toll, so by Sunday it is normally a weary and diminished bunch that appears.As a Melbourne born local (and resident) I float in and out of the festivities. This year the Mother's Day game Richmond (my team) plays Fremantle, so with a couple of other MCC members we organised the group to come along to the balcony.
We (Nick, Peter "El Toro" from Brisbane and myself) made the brisk walk from Hawthorn to the MCG, dodging the queues outside florists, the cafe crowds and dads with young children buying breakfast to take home to the mothers, arriving to find only four of the Taswegians fit enough for the game.
Seats obtained on the balcony then the Percy Beames Bar and a quiet ale while the four Taswegians sipped on lemon squashes.
For two-and-a-half quarters the game was pretty horrible. Despite perfect conditions both teams fumbled the ball continuously and it was turnovers that characterised the game. Sure there was pressure - but there’s pressure in every game.
The only "highlight" was the bird noises over the PA. This is first time I have heard this at the MCG, presumably done to scare away the seagulls, but I wonder, wouldn't the seagulls be more scared of the noise of cats or, better still, lions rather than other birds? I digress.
Half-time, Rance and ‘Chiko’ Rioli are the best for the Tiges, Walters and Hill chalking up multiple possessions for Freo giving them a five-point lead.
Beef and Guinness pies from the Midfielders Bar settled the nerves, but soon after the restart Freo kicked away and led by five goals at three quarter time.
Then the Tigers hit back with three quick goals and the game and crowd come to life.
Then for about 10 minutes the game was a stalemate, points scored and lost opportunities until Riewoldt gets us within four points and regular "time remaining" updates are passed on from those with eyesight good enough to see into the coaches box. After a couple of bad misses from Richmond, Brandon Ellis snaps and puts the Tigers in front.
"Never in doubt," comes the cry (early crow) from the Taswegian Tiger Peter.
Twenty-one seconds, the word gets past around. Ball up. Sandilands taps to Neale, he passes, Mundy marks, siren goes, all Tigers are head in hands,. Mundy kicks it and the Tiges lose. We are all stunned.
We say farewell to the Taswegians who are off to see the North Melbourne v Sydney game. El Toro and I head onto the ground to take in the players' view and the ground that looks so large from a distance seems small when on the field with a thousand kids kicking footies around. I look for solace but I keep seeing the scoreboard, so I head home to worry about my English Premier League side Crystal Palace's game later that night to avoid relegation.
My day can't be ruined twice, can it?
But, seriously, never go the early crow!
Greg Sheehan is a lifetime Tigers fan who has witnessed five Richmond Premierships. Fortunately Crystal Palace won on Sunday night 4-0 and for has survived relegation – yet again.
RICHMOND 2.1 5.1 5.5 10.10 (70)
FREMANTLE 2.3 5.6 9.11 10.12 (72)
GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Caddy 2, Cotchin, Castagna, Martin, Rioli, Ellis
Fremantle: Taberner 2, Kersten 2, Mundy 2, Hill, Fyfe, McCarthy, Pearce
BEST
Richmond: Rance, Martin, Grigg, Cotchin, Grimes
Fremantle: Walters, Hill, Johnson, Langdon, Hamling, Mundy
INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Fremantle: Sutcliffe (cut head)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Deboy, Mollison
Official crowd: 31,200 at the MCG