The final analysis
As Kamdyn McIntosh and Taylor Hunt are sent to the middle of the Tigers huddle and doused with Gatorade in a ritual that seems vaguely metaphoric, it’s time to sift through the remains of this Richmond win.
Having lost Dale Thomas to a nasty shoulder injury only moments into the game, the Blues jumped out to a surprising lead in the early stages of the game, up by as much as four goals at the start of the second term. That was as good as it got though. The Tigers were dominant thereafter.
Despite winning the clearances 37-28, the stoppages 21-18 and the contested possession count 127-121, the Blues struggled to compete at times. Richmond was well served by Taylor Hunt (27 possessions), Kamdyn McIntosh (23 and a goal in a brilliant debut) and Brandon Ellis (26), while forwards Jack Riewoldt (4 goals) and Ben Griffiths (3) showed what a handful they can be when they’re in sync. Sam Lloyd (3) and Shaun Grigg (2) also did more than their fair share of the scoring.
What were the positives for the Blues? Bryce Gibbs (26 touches) and Tom Bell (25 and probably a better game than I gave him credit for earlier) tried hard, as did Chris Judd. Liam Jones kicked 2 goals but did little else, ditto Sam Rowe. They were undermanned and outgunned in the end. The final margin perhaps even flattered them. Moments ago Shane Warne tweeted his congratulations to the Tigers but soon deleted it. Carlton might want to do the same with the game tape.
That’s all from me. Thanks for joining us for this season-opening clash of the 2015 AFL season. There’s plenty more where that came from.
Updated
In a roundabout way, did Richo just ask him if he's thirsty?
— Glenn Valencich (@glennvalencich) April 2, 2015
For the record a "Kamdyn" is a valley. #AFLBluesTigers
— Tony Tea (@AfterGrogBlog) April 2, 2015
The Tigers win it by 27 points
Carlton goal on the siren! - Carlton 11.12 (78) vs Richmond 15.15 (105)
Rowe marks and goals on the siren for the Blues, an event that is met with Sheffield Shield levels of crowd enthusiam. Seconds later the siren sounds and the season opener is done. The Tigers have prevailed.
Interviewed out on the ground, Tigers debutant Kamdyn McIntosh admits that tonight was the very first time he’d even stepped onto the MCG. “It is, it’s in pretty good nick as well,” he notes cheekily. It’s his 21st birthday tomorrow and he’s got an early present; a Tissot watch for Man of the Match. Sure beats a novelty beer mug.
Richmond goal! 4th quarter (0:50 remaining) Carlton 10.12 (72) vs Richmond 15.15 (105)
Griffiths has some confidence now and unsuccessfully flies for a big mark over the pack. A minute or so later Shaun Grigg gets on the end of a handball and sends a beautifully-curving snap straight through the middle. Party time for the Tigers.
83,400 people have packed in for this game, by the way. This is what happens when a city like Melbourne is starved of football.
Carlton goal! 4th quarter (3:03 remaining) Carlton 10.12 (72) vs Richmond 14.14 (98)
Chris Judd is still hammering away like a battering ram in the centre of the ground and he puts on an extra step of pace to break free and find Bell inside 50. He hasn’t had a lot of impact tonight, Bell, but he makes no error with the kick from 35 out on a slight angle. It’s into face-saving territory now for his side.
Richmond goal! 4th quarter (3:55 remaining) Carlton 9.12 (66) vs Richmond 14.14 (98)
Bang! Now the sub Gordon gets in on the act, strolling towards 50 with barely a Blue in sight and hammering a goal from right on the arc. This one is done and dusted folks.
Richmond goal! 4th quarter (5:08 remaining) Carlton 9.12 (66) vs Richmond 13.14 (92)
The Tigers are doing just enough here as Carlton try to pull this one out of the fire. Mick Malthouse looked like he wanted to murder Kristian Jaksch earlier and after he gives away a soft free kick only 30 metres out to gift Griffiths a goal, he probably wants to bring him back to life and then murder him again. This is slipping away for the Blues. Griffiths has been a huge winner tonight for the Tiges.
Carlton goal! 4th quarter (7:11 remaining) Carlton 9.12 (66) vs Richmond 12.14 (86)
If you were a pessimist - and I know I certainly am - you’d say that the Tigers are missing an opportunity to boost their percentage here. He’s been excellent tonight but Troy Chaplin errs when he wrestles Sam Rowe to the ground only 15 metres from goal, directly in front. From the resultant free kick the Blue dobs it. How are Carlton still within 20 points?
Love Carlton's mentality. Kick wide to a flank, hold it, let the Richmond defence setup. Bomb in a predictable lolly. #Whiff #AFLbluestigers
— Scott (@Scottlb_) April 2, 2015
Richmond goal! 4th quarter (9:52 remaining) Carlton 8.12 (60) vs Richmond 12.14 (86)
Anything Simpson can do, Sam Lloyd can do better. Well, in front of goal at least. Lloyd is 40 metres out on the ‘snapping’ angle for a right-footer and he threads the eye of the needle. “There’s certain players who know where the goals are,” says Cameron Ling, “and he’s one of those.” That’s just clever enough to work, I reckon.
Carlton goal! 4th quarter (12:22 remaining) Carlton 8.12 (60) vs Richmond 11.14 (80)
There’s a heart-in-mouth for Richmond fans when the injury-cursed Grimes jars his knee awkwardly as he attempts a mark but it looks like he’s okay. With that, Kade Simpson speeds around the back of a contest, accepts a handball with space and dribbled through a goal from 15 metres out. He was a bit lucky though; Tom Bell had given away a clear free kick during that passage of play.
Richmond goal! 4th quarter (12:22 remaining) Carlton 7.12 (54) vs Richmond 11.14 (80)
Gordon makes an immediate impact, sprinting towards 50 and marking right on the arc from Taylor Hunt’s pass. Then...he boots it straight into the man on the mark before winning a free kick for deliberate out of bounds. Not even Tom Waterhouse would frame a market on the probability of that entrance.
Anyway, the Tigers resume normal service through Riewoldt, who marks strongly overhead 35 metres from goal and then from directly in front, makes no mistake. The Tigers swamp him. They’re hunting in packs tonight.
Carlton goal! 4th quarter (15:38 remaining) Carlton 7.12 (54) vs Richmond 10.14 (74)
When did Carlton last score a goal? Five minutes into the second term, which as all you mathematical scholars will know, is not much chop. Finally they get one though and unsurprisingly, it’s as a result of more hard work from Henderson, who slaps the ball out to the open Menzel and watched him snap accurately from close range. As that happens, Brett Deledio is somewhat surprisnly subbed out for Gordon. Hmm, it’s not like he’ll be playing next week after that report...
Richmond goal! 4th quarter (18:38 remaining) Carlton 6.12 (48) vs Richmond 10.13 (73)
With Dale Thomas gone for the night so early in the piece, a betting man would assume that the Blues will run out of legs in this game. The Tigers still have their sub Ben Gordon to come, too. The final quarter gets under way with another Rieowldt goal, a set shot during which he eases back like he’s about to fall onto a hammock. The Tigers fans probably aren’t quite as relaxed.
Three-quarter time - Richmond leads by 19
Carlton 6.12 (48) vs Richmond 9.13 (67)
Chris Yarran almost commits a monumental blunder when he drops an uncontested mark inside his defensive 50 but recovers with diligence to win himself a free kick and clear the danger. Who else will stand up for the Blues though? Andrew Carrazzo? Maybe not as he’s been nailed in a tackle by Taylor Hunt.
At the boundary, Mick Malthouse is beside himself, issuing Kristian Jaksch a real spray. He should save one for Andrejs Everitt too because when the latter misses a tackle in eyebrow-raising fashion, Brandon Ellis all but goals with a snap. Still, the Blues are only 20 points behind and not technically out of this game.
Henderson has a chance late in the piece, but he’s put off his kick ever-so-slightly as he runs into an open goal and you have to feel that such near-misses will be costly in the final analysis. He really should have kicked earlier. Riewoldt thinks he’ll have a late shot on goal from a mark inside 50 but the umpires correctly rule that he had his hands planted firmly in his opponents’ back. Like the glorious, golden genius he is, he looks up at the scoreboard for the replay and then gives the official a rueful thumbs up. With that, this third quarter is done and dusted.
The Tigers lead by 19 points. Will they hold that advantage?
Richmond goal! 3rd quarter (5:38 remaining) Carlton 6.11 (47) vs Richmond 9.11 (65)
Houli pumps it into the goal square in search of either Riewoldt or Lloyd’s chest but it spills towards the boundary instead. A similar chance goes begging when Maric flies at it with only one rather flimsily-raised hand. Carlton get it forward but they’re making entries inside fifty look like a ship’s voyage into the Bermuda Triangle, so Rance and Chaplin are intercepting and repelling everything.
Given the flow of the game and Carlton’s increasing ineptitude, Richmond are missing a trick by not making their dominance count on the scoreboard. Will it hurt them later? Finally Cotchin gathers a crumb inside 50, fires it off to Riewoldt and the big forward snaps an emphatic goal.
@rustyjacko I'd be calling the Maric mullet a top quality example of a VanDamme Not curly enough to be a BillyRay #AFLBluesTigers
— Sayings McSayings (@GreenNGoldMatt) April 2, 2015
Richmond goal! 3rd quarter (11:42 remaining) Carlton 6.11 (47) vs Richmond 8.11 (59)
We’re back and after an interminable period of scrappy, unscrupulous play the ball ends up in the hands of Andrejs Everitt, 25 metres out on an unkind angle. In keeping with the pattern of this third term he boots it out of bounds on the full across the face and worse for Carlton fans, Chris Yarran is soon limping off the field.
McIntosh is in the thick of it again when he tackles Ed Curnow to the ground like a particularly ferocious sheep-dog. The Tigers sweep it down the other end quickly and Sam Lloyd bobs up again, thundering a goal home from close to the 50-metre arc.
Brendan Brown is back too. “Just heard during the half time break Dustin Martin offer to mentor the younger players at the club. That would seem about as appropriate as seeking anger management advice from Mick Malthouse or being lectured to about ethics by [name of prominent administrator redacted].” Brendan, my takeaway from that segment was absolute bafflement that he was allowed to go holidaying with Dane Swan. The Christian Slater film ‘Very Bad Things’ came to mind, I’ll admit.
Thanks also to Will Macpherson for alerting me to the video below. I was actually beaten out of the ground by the cricket pitches on Sunday night. Remarkable stuff from the ground staff.
Tigers speed great that 2nd term. +26 disposals, +9 uncontested marks, -4 turnovers, +5 inside 50's. Carlton stagnant +5% time in possession
— Scott (@Scottlb_) April 2, 2015
A touching moment for @JackRiewoldt08 #AFLBluesTigers (Photo: @MichaelCWillson) pic.twitter.com/0uoXMMUYwH
— AFL (@AFL) April 2, 2015
Some stats out of that first half
Richmond now lead the disposal count 175-154. They nearly suffered leather poisoning in the second term. Carlton still lead the clearances by a whopping tally, 22-11, but they’ve wasted that advantage to cough up the lead.
Bryce Gibbs and Sam Docherty have had 12 possessions apiece and Chris Yarran 11 for the Blues. For the Tigers, Taylor Hunt (14), Brett Deledio (13) and debutant Kamdyn McIntosh (13 and a goal) have been the best. McIntosh was simply superb in dragging his side into the game. I don’t want to curse him by invoking the name of Dean Polo, but can you think of a more assured Tigers debut?
Everyone is happy that footy is back
Reader and Tigers fan Diego del Mercato certainly is. “To be honest, I’m not sure I can take - physically, mentally - another season like last year’s, but then again, I think I say that every March.Mascohism is a fundamental part of being a Tiger supporter, a fact that is often overlooked amidst all the fun, hype and excitement of the membership card-microwaving and animal shit-dumping.”
“I think I’d be a completely different, lesser, person if I didn’t barrack for Richmond. Sure, I’d be happy. And I’d have experienced true elation and fulfillment. But I wouldn’t have that knowledge, that certainty, that I’ve suffered more than anyone else. That I’ve been there. And that that makes me worthy.”
You’re worthy Diego.
But first, an update on Ivan Maric’s mullet
1/2 time - Richmond 7.10 52 to Carlton 6.9 45. Four unanswered goals getting us back in it #gotiges #AFLBluesTigers pic.twitter.com/DxmG1itKIX
— Richmond FC (@Richmond_FC) April 2, 2015
Half-time - Richmond lead by 7 points
Carlton 6.9 (45) vs Richmond 7.10 (52)
Just as his side had their foot on the oppositions’s throat, Jack Riewoldt gives away an unnecessary free kick when he pushes Kade Simpson in the back seconds after he’s kicked inside Carlton’s 50. That means a set shot for Liam Jones but that raps the post so the Blues miss their chance to stem the tide. After a minute with the ball in dispute, the half-time siren sounds.
What a comeback that was by the Tigers in the second term. Alex Rance has a brief word to Matthew Richardson on the way back to the rooms, huffing and puffing as he says something unintelligible about cutting angles. What has undoubtedly been cut is Carlton’s lead. It was four goals at one stage. Now they trail by 7 points and look shaky. We’ll be back in a moment with some stats.
Richmond goal! 2nd quarter (1:31 remaining) - Carlton 6.8 (44) vs Richmond 7.10 (52)
The Blues held a four-goal lead only moments ago but now they’re butchering it like rubes. Ben Griffiths marks 20 metres from goal on a 45-degree angle but fails to ride his side’s momentum and misses to the near side. There’s an opportunity for Riewoldt a minute later but his centering ball is a little too laconic and Cameron Wood cuts it off before it reaches its intended target in Griffiths.
Everywhere you look at the moment there’s a Tigers player loose. Ellis latches onto the ball in the centre and chips to Houli but he absolutely murders his ball inside fifty so the Blues can clear. No matter, it’s soon back inside 50 and Lloyd goals in the goalsquare playing the advantage of a free kick to Steven Morris. Richmond are really turning it on now. The last 11 scores have been theirs. Crazy stuff.
Will Macpherson is following from London, emphasizing the barnstorming global appeal of this fixture. “Interesting that people bothered to turn up for the G for this one with the actual big game on Saturday between the Dees and Gold Coast,” he says. “Sure fire sellout, that.” Call me a masochist but I’ll be heading down to St Kilda v GWS, another clash of the Titans.
Richmond goal! 2nd quarter (8:39 remaining) - Carlton 6.8 (44) vs Richmond 6.5 (41)
Where on earth has this come from? Dustin Martin wins it out of the centre and after a string of handballs, the last of which is fired off by Shane Edwards, Shaun Grigg boots another for Richmond. They’re officially awake now and so is the season.
Richmond goal! 2nd quarter (8:55 remaining) - Carlton 6.8 (44) vs Richmond 5.5 (35)
The Tigers are alive after all! Now it’s pumped deep into the forward line to Deledio and though he can’t control an overhead mark, the crumbs are expertly gathered by Jack Riewoldt who snaps the goal and then sets off on a lap of honour. He’s wearing a black arm band in honour of his cousin tonight. What a lovely moment as he points to the sky.
Richmond goal! 2nd quarter (10:02 remaining) - Carlton 6.8 (44) vs Richmond 4.5 (29)
The problem for Richmond here - and it’s not the only one, I will admit - is that they’re moving the ball at such a glacial pace that Carlton can quite easily set up to repel almost every forward thrust. Also disappointing is that Sam Lloyd, normally sharp shooter, fluffs a set shot when they do manage to get it inside 50. He’s more tanned than Shane Warne though, so at least he has that going for him.
Deledio’s stinker of a night turns a corner when the third in a rapid series of possessions ends up in the hands of Kamdyn McIntosh, 25 metres out. He hits the post but on the run only moments later, he absolutely nails one and soon finds himself swamped by teammates. He looks an absolute weapon, this kid. The shot came after he’d accelerated away from the pack like the Roadrunner. He’s been Richmond’s best by the length of Brunton avenue.
“Missed the start of the game,” says reader Brendan Brown, “as I was watching the latest on the Al Jazeera journalists imprisoned in Nigeria for asking the questions the local journos are too afraid to ask. Perhaps they could do the same here to Mick Malthouse after their release.”
Carlton goal! 2nd quarter (17:02 remaining) - Carlton 6.8 (44) vs Richmond 3.3 (21)
They’re not giving me much time to weave any magic at the moment. Anything Martin can do, Menzel can do better. Hair troubles behind him, he tackles Troy Chaplin to the ground only 20 metres from goal and converts his chance. I never doubted him. Chaplin? He was made to look a bit dim there.
Richmond goal! 2nd quarter (17:46 remaining) - Carlton 5.7 (38) vs Richmond 3.3 (21)
Richmond respond! The ball is into their 50 in a flash from the restart and Dusty Martin latches onto a loose ball like a shark, shimmying left and snapping accurately at goal. Someone get that man another neck tattoo.
Carlton goal! 2nd quarter (18:10 remaining) - Carlton 5.7 (38) vs Richmond 2.3 (15)
The second term begins with a set-shot miss by Menzel, who seems a little too pre-occupied with his hair for an old-fashioned footy idealist like me. A little more traditional is a lovely shot at goal from close to the boundary by Jaksch. Bang!
Quarter Time - Carlton lead by 16 points
1st quarter - Carlton 4.7 (31) vs Richmond 2.3 (15)
That opening term was nothing like we expected, was it? Going in as raging favourites, the Tigers are only still in touch on account of Carlton’s goal-kicking yips and the stellar work of Ben Griffiths, who has both of their goals. Kamdyn McIntosh has also been impressive on debut, winning 9 possessions in that term.
The other stat Kings: Yarran and Gibbs have had it 7 times for the Blues, Jones has 2 goals, while Tuohy and Gibbs have 1 each.
Carlton have won the clearances 11-5 and inside-50s 16-8, which says it all. They’re getting their hands on it and not giving it back.
Carlton goal! 1st quarter (0:13 remaining) Carlton 4.7 (31) vs Richmond 2.3 (15)
Just when the Tigers thought they’d trimmed back the Carlton advantage, Judd strolls through the centre and bombs long, where Liam Jones marks inches from the line (or was it over?). He runs around the mark and snaps accurately for the goal. Jones has had it twice, I reckon, and he’s made both of his opportunities count.
Richmond goal! 1st quarter (0:57 remaining) Carlton 3.7 (25) vs Richmond 2.3 (15)
There’s relief for Tiger fans when a forward raid results in a strong overhead mark to Ben Griffiths only 20 metres from goal. Jaksch didn’t get much help from Daniel Menzel there, to be fair. Griffiths makes no mistake with his set shot.
Carlton goal! 1st quarter (2:08 remaining) Carlton 3.7 (25) vs Richmond 1.3 (9)
It has to be said, the Tigers haven’t been very impressive so far, disjointed in their linking play and generally lacking in polish. With 5 minutes left in the term, Mick Malthouse moves down to the interchange area to engage in an animated discussion of tactics with Chris Judd. It looks friendly though, at least by Mick’s standards.
The Tigers trap it inside their attacking 50 for a couple of minutes and the pressure tells when Cameron Wood hacks a kick out of bounds and gets pinged for doing so deliberately. Somehow the Blues clear it from their defensive fifty and stall long enough to set up their own forward thrust. Then Henderson - impressive so far - marks at half-forward and dinks a lovely pass inside 50 to Chris Yarran. Yarran flicks a handball out to Zac Tuohy and that man nails a goal on the run from just outside 50. The Blues are looking very sharp. The Tigers, not so much.
Carlton goal! 1st quarter (5:18 remaining) Carlton 2.7 (19) vs Richmond 1.3 (9)
The Tigers are cooking with gas now. The ball is pumped inside 50 and it’s skipper Trent Cotchin who latches onto it this time. Unlike Griffiths though, he sprays his kick to the right, spurning a very gettable chance. No matter, Shane Edwards is buzzing around and soon chips across the face of goal into the hands of debutant Kamdyn (what cruel parent dreams that up?) McIntosh. From 40 metres out on an unkind angle, he sends it across the face for a minor score.
Carlton rebound well, sweeping it down the other end into the normally reliable hands of Bryce Gibbs but he misses a chance from 40 metres out. Brett Deledio does likewise down the other end as both sides fluff their lines and generally hack the ball about in artless fashion. It’s not exactly Premiership football, that’s for sure.
After a period of congestion, Carlton win the ball down the wing with a string of clean footpasses but Simon White (who was the man almost KO’d by Deledio) misses to the right from 35 metres out. Can someone please convert a set shot? Anyone? No?
I’m going to make a bold statement here: it’s possible that the disposal accuracy will be better in the half-time Little League game. None so far is worse than Cameron Wood’s miss from approximately 12 metres out on a 45-degree angle. Finally Chris Judd marks 45 metres out directly in front, dishes off to Bryce Gibbs and the latter threads his chance. Phew.
Confirmation on that Dale Thomas injury: it’s a dislocated shoulder. Not ideal.
Richmond goal! 1st quarter (16:20 remaining) Carlton 1.1 (7) vs Richmond 1.0 (6)
Well, Deledio’s report could be the story of this game and the incident occurred only seconds after the first bounce. He absolutely poleaxed his Carlton opponent (still awaiting confirmation of that players’ identity). That looks like weeks.
Dale Thomas, meanwhile, is clearly injured badly so debutant Clem Smith will discard the sub vest and come straight into the game. As he does, a long pass deep into the Tigers forward fifty ends up on the chest of Ben Griffiths and he makes no mistake with his set shot from 25 metres out on a slight angle.
A report to start the game!
Carlton goal! 1st quarter (18:43 remaining) Carlton 1.0 (6) vs Richmond 0.0 (0)
A report? And it’s Brett Deledio for charging in the wake of the opening bounce. He really crashed through. It doesn’t look good on the replay. The ball goes down into the Carlton forward line and new boy Liam Jones crumbs one off the back of the pack in the goal square and boots the opening goal of the game.
Meanwhile, Dale Thomas has suffered what looks like a shoulder or collarbone injury. He’s not happy.
The toss
“They need some goals from them players,” says Wayne Carey about Richmond’s forwards, setting a rather alarming template for tonight’s punditry. Blues captain Marc Murphy wins the toss and Carlton will kick towards the city end.
The teams are through their banners
“I’m an optimist,” says Blues coach Mick Malthouse, who goes on to explain that he will arrive at every game this season believing that his men can win. Optimistic is one word for that, I suppose.
“The Tiger Army is ready to soar in 2015” says the Richmond banner. Flying Tigers? The ball sponsor tonight will be William Hill, the bookmakers. Presumably there’s something on the other side about gambling responsibly, lest players become confused. I’m old enough to remember the good old days when the ball was not only free of advertising, but constructed out of rolled-up newspapers and fishing wire.
We're back! pic.twitter.com/mcDwU1gAwB
— AFL (@AFL) April 2, 2015
Gunners and Gurners
Whilst I’d normally applaud the use of Guns n Roses’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ in a sports broadcast, it’s no ‘That’s the thing about football’. It’s also a rather depressing reminder of how I spent my day today; reading Ricky Nixon’s ‘It’s a jungle out there’. I’m deadly serious about that, by the way.
Meanwhile, the players are back in the rooms now making their final preparations for tonight. Matthew Richardson is down in the Tigers’ inner sanctum and Wayne Carey in Carlton’s. If this game is to mimic Richo’s facial expressions it’s going to be manic. If it replicates Carey’s, it will be transfixing but eerily lacking in action.
There’s no other way of putting this
...Carlton are struggling so badly that they’ve resorted to entertaining their fans with hovercrafts. It’s no Arden Street Elephant...
So proud of my football club. pic.twitter.com/Z9879phQcZ
— Anthony Costa (@costasports) April 2, 2015
Things I’m looking out for tonight, in no particular order...
- Early indications of just how bad Carlton might be this year. Am I being pessimistic? I guess expectations are at least low.
- What will Taylor Hunt add to the Tigers midfield other than a bit of pace? On paper the Tigers on-ball brigade should dominate this game but we all know the trouble with Paper Tigers...
- Is there merit to all of the frothing about Chris Judd’s pre-season? He’s seemed close to retirement at various points in the last two years. Selfishly, I hope he kicks on again and rediscovers the magic.
- Whether we’ll get any indication of where the improvement (if any) is going to come from in both of these sides. They certainly need some.
- Last but not least, I guess we should be keeping tabs on the first time that the Seven commentary team gets us reaching for the mute button. I’m setting the under/over at the 3rd minute of the opening term.
Our teams tonight
Though the bookies have this one as a bit of a mis-match, it’s worth noting that these two sides tend to produce close ones. In their last five meetings the margin has never exceeded 12 points. Can the Tigers put their foot down and burn this one off early?
Carlton
Kristian Jaksch, Michael Jamison, Sam Rowe, Sam Docherty, Zach Tuohy, Simon White, Tom Bell, Chris Judd, Dale Thomas, Marc Murphy, Liam Jones, Andrejs Everitt, Chris Yarran, Lachie Henderson, Troy Menzel, Cameron Wood, Andrew Carrazzo, Ed Curnow
Bench: Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson, Patrick Cripps
Substitute: Clem Smith (debut)
Richmond
Troy Chaplin, Jake Batchelor, Alex Rance, Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, Dylan Grimes, Brandon Ellis, Trent Cotchin, Kamdyn McIntosh (debut), Steven Morris, Shane Edwards, Brett Deledio, Jack Riewoldt, Ben Griffiths, Sam Lloyd, Ivan Maric, Dustin Martin, Taylor Hunt
Bench: Chris Newman, Shaun Grigg, Anthony Miles
Substitute: Nathan Gordon
Preamble
Welcome to the 2015 AFL season. Yes, it’s finally here. A mere four days after the completion of the World Cup final, the MCG will now host the opening game of the AFL season. The proper stuff! It’s here! Carlton. Richmond. Umpires. The bright lights. The roar of the crowd. I love this moment of the sporting calendar so much I want to take it to dinner at the kind of restaurant that doesn’t accept coupons.
What did you do in those excruciating 96 hours between sporting seasons? Watch repeats from last year? Fill a few more pages of your ASADA scandal scrapbook? Personally I was at a loss, aimlessly surfing the lifestyle channels and...whisper it...resorting to reading books and even engaging in human interaction. But fear not, we can now rid ourselves of these concerns. Tonight the semi-traditional Round 1 rivals clash and the rest of us rejoice.
If you’re looking to get in touch with me throughout the night - and I strongly encourage you to do so because it makes it a lot more fun - you can email me at russell.jackson@theguardian.com or via twitter: @rustyjacko
Before I get to tonight’s teams, give Greg Champion a blast. I always start the season with this slice of delicious, delicious cheese. Bonus features: Bears-era Adrian Fletcher doing weights, fans brandishing fake coffins, a James Manson sighting, Sydney-era Dermie and perhaps best of all, Paul Roos dressed as a sexy pirate. What more could you want? Your own ‘West Coast Wankers’ sticker, I guess.
A very (overly?) excited Rusty will be with you shortly so why not have a read of the Guardian writers’ team-by-team guides to the new season, starting with Richmond:
The Tigers appeared to be right on the cusp two years back. After dominating Carlton in the first half of the 2013 elimination final, they crumpled into a heap and lost in scenes that felt a cruel and capricious blow by the footballing gods. Even through that heartache, it became hard not to think of them as a side on a steep upward trajectory. Then came an even bigger crash in the first half of 2014 before a miracle nine-game winning streak to scrape into the finals but what, if anything, has actually improved since then?
Read the full article on the Tigers and the other contenders for the finals here.
Here’s Carlton and the rest of the also-rans:
A well-entrenched idea within American consciousness is the idea of all things relevant coming from either the East or West coasts. Within American media, the majority of their portrayals of life come from either ends of the country. News networks, situation comedies and international magazines see this wide middle as an afterthought. Within AFL’s flyover country (the middle of the ladder), resides Carlton. This year they’ll celebrate two decades from their last flag, still suffering the residual effects from their post-millennium meltdown.
And whilst we’re at it, here are the cellar-dwellers and the premiership fancies.
