Summary
Where do I start? It was a game that had everything, except a crowd that would have lapped up the drama played out on the field. Much was expected of this match - the first of the rebooted 2020 AFL premiership season - and though it wasn’t a classic in terms of quality, it was a tense encounter that ebbed and flowed from start to finish.
Collingwood jumped out of the blocks to establish a four-goal lead at quarter time, dominating stoppages and moving the ball with ease. But from then on it was a case of holding off the surging Tigers. Richmond had most of the play for the final three quarters, and it’s a credit to Collingwood’s defensive structure that they managed to force a stalemate despite scoring just one goal in the final three quarters - and none since halfway through the second term.
Brodie Grundy was influential in ruck for Collingwood, with Scott Pendlebury (31 disposals) and Steele Sidebottom (27) finding plenty of ball. Dustin Martin grew in stature as the game progressed while Tom Lynch topped the scorers’ list with three majors. Despite Grundy’s dominance, though, Richmond led the way in clearances and this was reflected in an inside-50 count of 43-32 that will leave them wondering what might have been.
This was just the second draw between these two teams, and the first since 1917. It was the kind of result that nobody saw coming, but in a year like no other should surprise no one. Thanks for your company. Isn’t it great to have AFL footy back? Be sure to return for our liveblog of tomorrow night’s Geelong-Hawthorn clash. But it’s bye for now.
Updated
FT: Collingwood 5-6 (36) draw with Richmond 5-6 (36)
Collingwood have the last crack at it but Richmond hold firm - Vlastuin laid a big tackle in the closing seconds - and there is no more scoring to be done. The first game back in season 2020 is a draw. Remarkable.
Q4: 1 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-6 (36) The Tigers go inside 50 but the Pies show good composure to get out. But the Tigers are set up behind.
Q4: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-6 (36) Bodies everywhere in the middle of the ground. Crunching tackles. No quarters given. None taken. 120 seconds to go.
Q4: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-6 (36) Martin sends the Tigers forward but Howe punches the ball into next week for a throw-in. Tense stuff. No system or style from here on. It’s all desperation. The Pies then rush a behind and we’re all square. Scores level!
Q4: 4 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-5 (35) Good penetration on Lynch’s kick and Higgins gets the free for front-on contact. He’s well within range. Surely he can kick the goal that might separate these teams? No, he misses to the left.
Q4: 5 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-4 (34) Collingwood get a stoppage deep in their forward 50 but the Tigers work their way out. Now inside their own 50, Riewoldt does his best Steven Bradbury - last man standing at the back of the pack - to take a nice mark. He’s well within distance but somehow his kick falls short and into the hands of a Collingwood defender.
Q4: 8 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-4 (34) Phillips has a set shot from 50 out but hooks it badly for out-on-the-full. It’s been 50 minutes since Collingwood have scored a goal.
Q4: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-4 (34) Soldo gets in Martin’s way but Lambert mops up the loose ball to send Richmond forward. Lynch then puts his hand square in Roughead’s back but doesn’t concede a free. He charges towards goal, hard on the right flank, but kicks across the face. The full-forward has another chance soon after but can only dribble through for a behind. Who will blink first here?
Q4: 12 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-6 (36) vs Richmond 5-3 (33) De Goey has a clear shot at goal but his snap misses to the right. The Maggies can’t afford to squander these opportunities.
Q4: 14 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 5-3 (33) Collingwood just can’t getr any penetration and the ball rebounds back into the Richmond inside 50. Lynch is under it and looks very unlucky not to get a free for over the shoulder. Riewoldt - so quiet tonight - then bombs the ball long, leaving Pendlebury with no option but to rush a behind.
Q4: 15 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 5-2 (32) Collingwood win the centre clearance but Houli is ready and waiting for the loose disposal. The Pies will need to find something if they’re to stop Richmond.
3QT: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 5-2 (32)
Richmond were threatening to get on top in the second quarter - and in the third, they got on top. The Tigers have kicked five of the past six goals - Collingwood have booted just one major in the past two terms - and look back to their high-pressure best. Collingwood’s slick ball movement seems a thing of the past and though they lead the possession count by 259-219, many of these are either rushed touches or ones that are directed sideways trying to get through the Richmond defensive set-up. Richmond were relentless in that term, now on top in inside 50s by 32-25 when they’ve trailed in that area for much of the night.
Welcome back to footy @jackhiggins99 #footygoals #AFL #AFLPiesTigers #richmondfc pic.twitter.com/6MhbyXiz9I
— Robert Winstone (@RobertWinstone8) June 11, 2020
Q3: 1 min remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 5-2 (32) Goal! And then from ANOTHER attacking thrust, Martin unleashes from range but sprays the ball right. It looks like nothing more than a point but Higgins manages to snaffle the ball just inside play. Wow, there must have been a centimetre of leather still in the field. From the set shot, Higgins snaps truly and - ladies and gentlemen - we have a game on our hands.
Q3: 1 min remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 4-2 (26) Richmond AGAIN go forward and Lynch is under the high ball but Roughead spoils nicely. Soon after, Howe takes an assured mark to snuff out another attacking move.
Q3: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 4-2 (26) Goal! Richmond again go inside 50 and after what seems an endless stream of holding-the-man appeals, Bolton is awarded the free kick. And he kicks truly from straight in front to make it an eight-point game. That’s four of the past five goals for Richmond - and the first for any Tiger who isn’t called Tom Lynch.
Q3: 4 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 3-2 (20) Collingwood are under immense pressure as De Goey sprays the ball across half back and Pendlebury can do no more than boot the ball further wide in search of space, and safety. Collingwood have done well to keep the Tigers from scoring but if they can pierce the defensive spread it will come soon.
Q3: 6 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 3-2 (20) Collingwood move the ball forward carefully but they’re a little too careful as Mihocek butchers his foray inside 50. At the other end, some manic forward pressure from the Tigers keeps the Pies at bay. The scoreboard doesn’t say so, but the Tigers are on top in this term.
Q3: 8 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 3-2 (20) Cameron takes a timely mark deep in defence but Collingwood are finding it hard to work the ball forward. Grimes cuts the move in its tracks and Richmond again are on the move.
Q3: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 3-2 (20) Richmond’s pressure has been cranked up a notch. Hoskin-Elliott is mobbed and despite no deafening call of ‘baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllll!’ from the crowd, he is penalised for holding the ball. To quote Bruce, you just sense that Richmond are coming.
Q3: 12 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 3-2 (20) Collingwood surge forward again but Broad takes a towering mark at half back, returning to earth with a thud that robs him of plenty of wind. The Tigers go down the corridor and Martin’s long kick is heading towards goal, Higgins claiming he got a boot on it but replays show a touch from a Collingwood defender and it’s a behind only.
Q3: 15 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-4 (34) vs Richmond 3-1 (19) Collingwood win another centre clearance from the restart and De Goey has a shot at an early goal but his radar is off and it’s a behind only.
Good question, DrRudi. Good question. I tipped Collingwood but if I’d tipped Richmond I’d keep it as is.
HT: Collingwood 5-3 (33) vs Richmond 3-1 (19)
That was better from Richmond, who ran a little harder, cleaned up their ball handling and made Collingwood more accountable than in the first quarter. That was three goals to one in the second term for Richmond - all from the boot of Lynch - but it’s still Collingwood who hold sway. Grundy is giving his runners plenty of opportunity, with Sidebottom helping himself to a goal and 20 touches - seven more than the next best. So a late flurry from the Tigers, but Collingwood are still on top. The Pies are winning the stoppages and defending well, even if they did lose that quarter. But 14 points is nothing in the modern game.
- Worse places in the world to listen to #AFLPiesTigers #FirstGameBack #FootyIsBack #AFL pic.twitter.com/JVBgINuehM
— J.D. Williamson (@kongekrabbe87) June 11, 2020
Q2: 1 min remaining: Collingwood 5-3 (33) vs Richmond 3-1 (19) Goal! Richmond stream forward from the kick-in and the momentum carries the ball into the hands of Lynch, who has enough time to steer the ball through for a major that makes things very interesting indeed.
Q2: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-3 (33) vs Richmond 2-1 (13) De Goey simply wanted the ball more than anyone from the throw-in, draws the free-kick for too high and lines up from 50 metres out. But he struggles for distance and the ball dribbled through for a behind.
Q2: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-2 (32) vs Richmond 2-1 (13) Huge leap from Mayne at half-back quashes a Tigers move forward. The cardboard crowd, flanked by banners - real and virtual - is suitably impressed.
Updated
Q2: 4 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-2 (32) vs Richmond 2-1 (13) From the centre bounce, Collingwood get an easy clearance into the hands of Mihocek but he misses his set shot from directly in front. That would have been deflating for Richmond but they are only three goals, plus change, down.
Updated
Q2: 5 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-1 (31) vs Richmond 2-1 (13) Goal! It is hard to keep a good team down, though. Lynch converts from a sharp angle on the right and I do believe he has the entire Richmond score. Gruyndy has been getting his right side rubbed but he’s back on the ground now.
Q2: 7 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-1 (31) vs Richmond 1-1 (7) Howe collects Castagna with a high tackle but the Tiger chooses to centre rather than go for goal. And Collingwood have this move covered, even without Grundy lurking back there. The Tigers have a goal but there is no discernible difference to the state of play just yet.
Q2: 9 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-1 (31) vs Richmond 1-1 (7) Grundy leaves the ground for some medical attention. No details yet but it’s not what Collingwood fans want to hear.
Q2: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 5-1 (31) vs Richmond 1-1 (7) Goal! Fast response from Collingwood, who slingshot from the back half courtesy of sure handling and relentless running. Elliott finds himself with some space on the right flank, finding Phillips with a deft pass and Collingwood answer back in the best way possible.
Q2: 12 mins remaining: Collingwood 4-1 (25) vs Richmond 1-1 (7) Goal! Great body work from Darcy Cameron to win a contested mark but the entry inside 50 amounts to nothing. Now Richmond go forward on the back of some old-fashioned Martin grunt work and Lynch draws the free kick in the pocket before converting from the set shot. The Tigers are away.
Q2: 14 mins remaining: Collingwood 4-1 (25) vs Richmond 0-1 (1) Richmond go inside 50 but Grundy drops back to lend his enormous fist to the task at hand. The Tigers will need to come up with more than bombing long. What’s Plan B, Damo?
QT: Collingwood 4-1 (25) vs Richmond 0-1 (1)
A dominant quarter from the black-and-white. Brodie Grundy is winning the ruck hands down and the Pies runners are proving far cleaner with the ball than their Richmond counterparts. The famous Tigers pressure looks a little absent and the sheer weight of numbers going forward has made scoring almost inevitable. When Richmond advance they are looking tentative and the errors are showing, highlighted in no small part by a Collingwood defence that is setting up well. It’s early, but first blood goes to Collingwood. Over to you, Richmond.
Q1: 1 min remaining: Collingwood 4-1 (25) vs Richmond 0-1 (1) Goal! All Collingwood here as Brown crumbs off the pack and converts with very little defensive pressure from the Tigers. Worrying signs for Richmond.
Q1: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 3-1 (19) vs Richmond 0-1 (1) Goal! Composed contested work from the Pies releases Sidebottom, a player who doesn’t need to be asked twice. A crisp left-foot snap splits the uprights and the Maggies are on a roll. Judging by the simulated crowd noise, the fans loved that one.
Q1: 4 mins remaining: Collingwood 2-1 (13) vs Richmond 0-1 (1) Impressive work from the stoppage puts Collingwood on a forward thrust and the decisive move is Sidebottom fairly well hoofing it off the deck inside 50. Nice pass from Daicos to Phillips, but the half-forward can do no more than hit the post from 40 metres out.
Updated
Q1: 5 mins remaining: Collingwood 2-0 (12) vs Richmond 0-1 (1) Martin is starting to get his hands on the ball more but Collingwood continue to have the answers in their defensive third.
Q1: 7 mins remaining: Collingwood 2-0 (12) vs Richmond 0-1 (1) Richmond again go long to Lynch - Collingwood have set up very well defensively - and off the pack Lynch misses his snap to at least get the scoring going for the Tigers.
Q1: 8 mins remaining: Collingwood 2-0 (12) vs Richmond 0-0 (0) Goal! Really clumsy attempt at a contest from Edwards gifts Phillips a free kick 35 metres out slightly to the left. Straight through the middle. Advantage Collingwood.
Q1: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 1-0 (6) vs Richmond 0-0 (0) Grundy again dominates in ruck as Mihocek goes inside 50. No addition to the score but already it seems the Tigers have an issue in the air with Soldo v Grundy.
Updated
Q1: 12 mins remaining: Collingwood 1-0 (6) vs Richmond 0-0 (0) Sloppy from Richmond inside their forward 50 - Cotchin was one to butcher a forward move - and in the end the Tigers just go long to Lynch. But Howe is there to take a big mark over the pack. Pies have started the better.
Q1: 14 mins remaining: Collingwood 1-0 (6) vs Richmond 0-0 (0) Goal! Stunning tapwork from Grundy from a throw-in to feed Adams, who snaps truly to get the scoring underway. That was a bit too easy.
Q1: 15 mins remaining: Collingwood 0-0 (0) vs Richmond 0-0 (0) And we’re away. De Goey wins a free kick at the opening bounce. But Richmond rebound and there’s no scoring threat.
Updated
I take that back. Players are ‘taking a knee’ in the middle, a unified stance against racism. All are wearing black armbands. Cotchin has won the toss. And now positions are being taken. We’re ready.
Updated
Players are in their huddles, the warm-up is done. Positions are now being taken. We are a minute away from action. Get excited.
Loves a laugh, does Trent.
To rotate or not to rotate, that is the question. It was noteworthy that teams left plenty of rotations in the bank in round one. Shorter quarters would explain that tendency, but players were off a full pre-season in March. Now they’re off stack of solo training and a handful of contact sessions. I’ve been wrong before, but I’m expecting more rotations across the board in round two. Thoughts, learned friends?
25 MINUTES TO GO!
I was supposed to do this on the half hour, but I didn’t. My bad. The countdown really is on, however. So close you can smell the deep heat.
So good to have Snags back 🌭#AFLPiesTigers pic.twitter.com/azI1ehA6kE
— 7AFL (@7AFL) June 11, 2020
Updated
Speaking of human beings, it’s good they’re being trickled back into stadiums. Good for the corporates, good for the board members and good for the members.
For the rank and file, however, this is where it’s at right now. Planted on the sofa. Posters on wall. Having a ball. All in a socially distant way, of course.
#AFLPiesTigers #Gotiges pic.twitter.com/VsUj51moLg
— Trenton Frost (@TrentonFrost) June 11, 2020
And a good evening to you, WinnieOfOz. I agree the atmosphere in round one wasn’t up to much. But hopefully the canned applause and cardboard crowd will change all that.
Very happy the Guardian has a blog on this, open to comments is the cherry on top.
Evening to all the regulars. Must say I was underwhelmed with the atmosphere in the first round, but after the last few months am pathetically grateful for whatever we're able to have.
Trip down memory lane, anyone? If not for the footy, this hark-back to the 1980 VFL grannie is worth a look for the hairdos and soup-strainers alone.
Thanks Jonathan. Stellar work from your good self. Four hours of power. So good in fact that if there wasn’t a match to cover, I’d be tempted to shut the whole thing done now, safe in the knowledge the Guardian faithful got their fill.
But there is a match to cover. Oh yes there is. And befitting the AFL’s return after an 11-plus week sabbatical, it’s a rather large one. Richmond v Collingwood. The MCG. Night footy. I saw the contest described today (on a rather reputable website) as a ‘monster blockbuster’, which not only made me chuckle but got me wondering if there are indeed degrees of ‘blockbuster’.
Is it possible to have a ‘mild blockbuster’? Have we ever witnessed a ‘friggin’ epic blockbuster’? Is the zenith, perhaps inevitably by definition, a ‘blockbuster blockbuster’? If such a list exists, if someone has gone to the trouble of classifying these things, I’d like to know. And I’d like to put it to work. Because I just don’t think the term ‘blockbuster’ is used enough in sport.
But to the nitty gritty of tonight’s game. No Mason Cox for Collingwood. There goes the US audience. No Josh Caddy for Richmond. There goes the golfing audience. Who’ll win? Both teams should be there when the whips are cracking in December, when likely the night grand final in Launceston will be played. Richmond are the better side, but this whole affair is just so weird that it makes perfect sense to tip the roughies. And this is the kind of game Collingwood win. So the Pies for me.
Looking forward to your company tonight. To get involved, send me an email or tweet @scott_heinrich.
Updated
ONE HOUR TO GO!
Ok, thank you all for your company this afternoon. With one hour until the bounce I’m going to handball to Scott Heinrich who will see you through the next historic four quarters. I’ll be back tomorrow for the Geelong v Hawthorn grudge match. See you then!
Happy to be home 😁 #AFLPiesTigers #gotiges pic.twitter.com/CNmurgvOgj
— Richmond FC 🐯🏆 (@Richmond_FC) June 11, 2020
Matt Archer has dropped me an email to let me know that if you are out and about tonight in the vicinity of the MCG and are itching to hear your club song, you can do so by visiting the Federation Bells at Birrarung Marr. Just remember to do so with responsible social distancing.
Here’s how they sound, playing the rarely-heard chimes of a Melbourne win.
Breaking news... Caroline Wilson has reported on 3AW that the AFL has extended its broadcast deal, putting one awkward situation to rest.
Big news from Caroline Wilson.
— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) June 11, 2020
She says the AFL and its TV broadcast partners have officially reached a new deal.
"My understanding is it's been done. It would extend the Channel 7 and AFL's TV deal to 2024."
ONE AND A HALF HOURS TO GO!
Scott Heinrich will be with you before 7pm to guide you through tonight’s action. Before then, you should check out his piece on the complicated situation facing the AFL around the resumption of the season, including competitive fairness for teams west of Geelong, a tricky broadcast rights deal, and the difficulty keeping pace with the Peter V’Landys-inspired NRL.
Where V’landys moved ahead without the initial buy-in of government and health officials, the AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan engaged in working relationships with states and territories. Where V’landys likes to fan the flames – “I do like annoying the Victorians … at times I’ve looked at them and had a giggle” – McLachlan plumps for diplomacy. “I don’t pay any attention,” he said this week on Fox Footy. “For those who want to compete, let’s see where we are at the end of the year and what the scoreboard looks like. For the rest like me who don’t really care, good luck to all sports to get through this.”
More news, this time from Fremantle, where Cam McCarthy has been diagnosed diagnosed with epilepsy following his collapse at training last week. The 25-year-old fell without contact, with tests revealing undiagnosed epilepsy as the cause. He is receiving treatment and expected to resume his career soon.
In other footy news just in, Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines has been suspended for one week for breaking Covid-19 quarantine protocols. He will miss Saturday’s Showdown with the Crows.
The breach? Wines was interviewed by local news outside his house, instead of at his club or via Zoom.
Footy might be back - albeit nowhere near here - but I'm still struggling to find any of the enthusiasm I might feel in a normal season. I guess I'll know whether I can be bothered caring in 2020 when the Eagles show up on Saturday night.
That said, my three year old is now word-perfect on the Eagles club song (the traditional version). Hope he has reasons to sing it this year.
I’m with you on the song. Nice video though.
I feel I will tear up, if the Pies & Tiges take a knee(or a similar act) tonight. All the spectacular magic that the Indigenous players have brought to this game, has made the code much more than it would have been without them. To have incidents like the banana lobbed at Eddie Betts, still occurring as recently as 2016, must be a big kick in the guts for all Indigenous players.
I hope that if a show of solidarity with the BLM movement is made this round by the players, along with acknowledgement of the suffering of our own Indigenous people, that it really helps to keep driving conversations around racism for the better.
TWO HOURS TO GO!
Before the opening bounce players and staff from both teams are expected to take a knee in solidarity with protests over the death of George Floyd. The player-led demonstration has the endorsement of the AFL and both clubs, with Collingwood CEO Mark Anderson telling the ABC “it’s something they felt strongly about, and we certainly strongly support.”
The AFL community has been mobilising in recent days with Hawthorn’s Chad Wingard, Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield, and Western Bulldogs’ Jason Johannisen all speaking out about race and inequality. “All I ask for you to do is simply, with an open heart, just listen and understand what people of colour have been through,” Johannisen wrote.
Ray Reardon (not that one) has logged on. Great to have you back Ray!
“The K-League in South Korea heavily fined FC Seoul for a breach of “pretend” audience guidelines, when they used blow up sex dolls, in their audience. Will the AFL be equipped and endowed enough to come down as hard, if Collingwood have images of their own sex symbol Joffa, in his flowing hair locks and gold “lamé “ or lame Jacket?”
I know he invites ridicule from opposition fans, but I have a soft spot for Joffa, gold jacket and all. He does a mountain of charity work.
Look who's back... #AFLPiesTigers pic.twitter.com/vTQ90wrh3B
— AFL (@AFL) June 11, 2020
I wonder if they have a gold jacket cutout on standby?
Updated
But on the issue of fans returning to footy as paying spectators, there is some research suggesting attendances may struggle to return to pre-pandemic heights.
Qualtrics has published a study titled Return to Work & Back to Business, which reveals what it would take for Australians to feel confident about re-entering public life as restrictions ease.
- Their findings indicate that while sporting events like the NRL and AFL have restarted and will soon welcome back spectators, two-thirds (66%) of respondents said they wouldn’t feel comfortable attending a live sporting event until 1 September or later.
- This number increases to 76% when applied to attending a live concert until 1 September or later
- Almost half (49%) of Australians think we will never “get back to normal”, when it comes to interacting with each other.
TWO AND A HALF HOURS TO GO!
There will be no fans inside the MCG tonight as per Covid-19 protocols, but it is hoped that the state government in Victoria could allow as many as 10-15,000 fans into grounds as soon as round four as lockdown protocols are eased throughout the country. In South Australia 2,000 members can already attend this weekend’s Showdown, while a few hundred hardy souls will be permitted to watch GWS against North Melbourne.
That Peters and Lee clip is pure 70s MOR gold, thank you. Weren't they one of the acts (along with the Swingle Singers ... ) who used to pop up in the middle of "The Two Ronnies" at about 8pm on ABC TV on a Friday night?
I confess to not being an expert on the Peters & Lee oeuvre but a cursory internet search suggests you might be thinking of the Des O’Connor show. I wish there was video evidence, but alas it is not at my fingertips.
Walking out onto the @MCG 😍
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) June 11, 2020
We’ve got our Magpie Army here in the Ponsford Stand. #gopies pic.twitter.com/HHU5ytAvPp
And why wouldn't the AFL go hard for the US audience? I am sure there are literally tens of people on the US West Coast who will be thinking "It's 3 am Thursday morning. I feel like watching a sport I don't understand".
Genuine question: is there any data on this? Have any clubs reported increased revenue, memberships, or anything from these kinds of activities?
On a tangent, this conversation about cricket featuring Jarrod Kimber and Wright Thompson is a fun listen that treads similar ground.
We've missed this sound. Footy's back! 🙌#MyMCG. pic.twitter.com/6eqmN9Osl1
— Melbourne Cricket Ground (@MCG) June 10, 2020
THREE HOURS TO GO!
To get some kind of footy fix during the hiatus fans have been delving into the archives and spending time reliving former glories. The AFL turned its eye towards the past too, with its latest batch of inductees to the Australian Football Hall of Fame. As Jonathan Horn writes, this list includes John Kennedy Sr, and not a moment too soon.
No football person personifies their club the way Kennedy does Hawthorn. There are statues of Jack Dyer at Punt Road and Bobby Rose and Lou Richards up the road at Collingwood. But they don’t stop you in your tracks the way the Kennedy one does. It captures him perfectly – the gabardine coat, the towering physical presence. When those great Hawthorn sides were training for their grand finals a few years ago, you could almost hear that shin-shuddering voice of his ringing out. Kennedy is Hawthorn. Now he’s an official Australian Football Legend, and not before time.
I think Mason Cox is a big out for Collingwood. When he is playing well he straightens them up nicely.
I agree, but perhaps this isn’t a bad game to miss. The pace will be early-season frantic, Richmond are only going in with one tall, and the impact of the shorter quarters has yet to play out. It looks like a game that will have to be played at ground level though, which is normally just how the Tigers like it.
Either side of the lockdown Australian sport has been thirsty for American attention, and the great quenching isn’t coming soon.
It's the greatest game you’ve never heard of… This is Australian Rules Football, @GWSGIANTS style 😎
— AFL (@AFL) June 11, 2020
🎥: @GWSGIANTS pic.twitter.com/P06mKyO2Qx
Sorry, just to labour on the point of the inner-Melbourne mo sported by Darcy Cameron - how is this still a thing (I ask as a befuddled inner-Melbourneite)?
For a while I presumed it was a Movember hangover (great initiative, not knocking it) but now it just seems to have slithered its way onto the upper lip of the zeitgeist. Maybe I’m just getting old...
As you can tell from these images, it has been a glorious winter’s day in Melbourne. Conditions tonight will be crisp and still under the lights.
Still here with us 💛
— Richmond FC 🐯🏆 (@Richmond_FC) June 11, 2020
98 guernseys to represent our 98K members. #FightAndWin #gotiges pic.twitter.com/spnnThXfsz
Collingwood meanwhile have named a debutant with Darcy Cameron pulling on the black and white stripes for the first time after his trade from Sydney. The 24-year-old appeared once for the Swans before his move south and he comes in for Mason Cox who has failed to shake off a niggling injury.
“Darcy’s major attribute is his aerial strength,” coach Nathan Buckley said. “His ruck work is definitely something that’s clear to see, and coming along into our program and seeing Brodie (Grundy) and Darcy go head to head in the ruck has really lifted Brodie’s standards.” Soldo, Richmond’s lone tall, will have his hands full.
As well as Cox, the Pies are missing a few names that would push for their best 22, including Adam Treloar, Tom Langdon, Levi Greenwood, and Ben Reid, while Dayne Beams remains on the club’s list despite the midfielder appearing unlikely to continue his AFL career.
B: Jack Crisp, Jordan Roughead, Jeremy Howe
HB: Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, John Noble
C: Will Hoskin-Elliott, Scott Pendlebury, Chris Mayne
HF: Tom Phillips, Brody Mihocek, Callum Brown
F: Jordan De Goey, Darcy Cameron, Jamie Elliott
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom
Int: Josh Daicos, Josh Thomas, Tyler Brown, Jack Madgen
Emerg: Jaidyn Stephenson, Rupert Wills, Mason Cox, Jay Rantall
In: Darcy Cameron
Out: Mason Cox (omitted)
THREE AND A HALF HOURS TO GO!
Richmond’s 22 posted last night contains two changes from the group that swatted aside Carlton an aeon ago. In come Jack Higgins and Bachar Houli for the injured Josh Caddy and dropped Toby Nankervis. That means 19 members of last year’s premiership side will suit up, and just one big man, Ivan Soldo.
The selection of Higgins is a heartwarming one. The 21-year-old hasn’t featured for over a year, during which time he’s undergone two bouts of brain surgery to correct a blood vessel weakness after presenting with a brain bleed.
“There was a chance he may never play again,” coach Damien Hardwick told reporters yesterday. “His professionalism and his dedication to his craft is incredible. The one thing he’s done is gone away and improved some facets of his game as well.” And to think we were measuring achievements during lockdown around the maturation of a sourdough starter.
B Nathan Broad, Dylan Grimes, David Astbury
HB Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, Jayden Short
C Daniel Rioli, Dion Prestia, Jack Graham
HF Shai Bolton, Shane Edwards, Jason Castagna
F Tom Lynch, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt
Foll Ivan Soldo, Trent Cotchin, Kane Lambert
I/C Marlion Pickett, Liam Baker, Jack Higgins, Sydney Stack
Emg Jack Ross, Patrick Naish, Toby Nankervis, Kamdyn McIntosh
In: Jack Higgins, Bachar Houli
Out: Josh Caddy (calf), Toby Nankervis (omitted)
Updated
The Stones clip linked to below by @Mystere_Cygne looks like a Mick Jagger parody. Gawd love ‘im.
Maybe just one bottle of wine, and sadly no Puerto Rican girls are dying to meet me. I've missed the footy: https://t.co/vGFnY1lmHd
— Mystère_Cygne (@Mystere_Cygne) June 11, 2020
And, some clubs need to be starting something.https://t.co/2pi3FqYFcY
FOUR HOURS TO GO!
Who better than RoCo to set the scene for the resumption of the 2020 campaign?
As Rohan explains, there is plenty at stake, not least the financial viability of the competition and its clubs, with the footy economy suffering a massive hit and large number of staff furloughed or laid off. There is the possibility of even more jeopardy if the hiatus, and the return to play without fans in attendance, causes a cultural shift within the game. “Will AFL football still mean as much now, even to those who have followed it most fervently?” Rohan asks. “Maybe even that can no longer be taken for granted. And that could prove every bit as much of a challenge to the AFL as anything which lies ahead on the field for its 18 constituent clubs.”
Should it be business as usual after that opening bounce, or are adjustments necessary? Perhaps this is an opportune moment to strip the game back to its core after years of corporatised growth?
This will not be a forgotten year after all.
FOUR AND A HALF HOURS TO GO!
Collingwood arrive for tonight’s match stalked by negative headlines. The Black Lives Matter protests are forcing Australian sport to confront issues of race and inequality, topics the AFL in particular haven’t always addressed adroitly.
To make any progress in stamping out racism in Australia and working towards equality you HAVE to HAVE the uncomfortable conversations. Time to step up. Enough is enough https://t.co/GgzIW8KVmn
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) June 11, 2020
How have you been passing the autumn-winter weekends without footy? Have you established a new routine? Will you now have to drop something to get back on board with your team? In the AFL’s absence did you *gulp* check in with the NRL?
Me, I’ve been binge-watching Queer Eye and heading to bed around 9pm. It’s going to take some adjusting to remain awake for some second-halves during these early restart rounds.
Preamble
On a Thursday evening in March Richmond notched the first win of the 2020 AFL premiership. A bit has happened since.
Eighty-three days later round two has finally arrived – on another Thursday, with another blockbuster Victorian derby.
So much has occurred in the intervening 12 weeks almost every aspect of life has been affected. That includes footy. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic the season will restart with a revised schedule in largely empty venues with players and staff adhering to strict biosecurity protocols. Because of the global response to the death of George Floyd, Collingwood come into tonight’s fixture fending off scrutiny of their treatment of Héritier Lumumba. Because of the timeless and tiring code wars the AFL’s best attempts at fanfare have fallen flat in the face of NRL grandstanding over the resumption of its season a fortnight ago.
How does all this make you feel? Excited? Indifferent? Where would you rate your enthusiasm, on a scale of Big Kev flogging kitchen spray to Lenny Hayes lifting the 2004 Wizard Cup?
Let me know via Twitter @JPhowcroft or drop an email to jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com, about this, or anything else footy related.
I’m going to be here for the remainder of the afternoon then as night falls Scott Heinrich will take over and steer you through the action. Get in quick, there’s only...
FIVE HOURS TO GO!
Updated
Okay BTLers, who tipped Richmond and wishes they could change their selection at half-time?