By Tom Pagonis
What do l hunger for? The ability to instil fear, the fear Richmond could implant into opposition supporters; I savoured that capacity up until my early twenties. Imagine losing a game, which didn’t happen too often, and glaring at the winner’s supporters and declaring, ‘you shouldn’t have done that’! Abruptly their joy would convert to uneasiness; images of a frightful loss would emerge and visualizations of the punishment to be dealt out next time would stream into their consciousness. And losing a final meant double the shellacking for the offender; while the loss of a Grand Final predestined devastation for the culprit that administered this travesty for years to come.
l’ve now travelled a distance of more than 30 years since this charmed time came to a close. In due course, strategies that fashioned champions were cast aside, premiership recipes were discarded, and an outlook which delivered untold riches is now frowned upon. In its place we founded a sea of philosophies and tactics that made support and gratitude obligatory for Richmond teams that were crowned with a pedestrian tag. To the average supporter it seemed bewildering that the once fiercest Club, which found defeat abhorrent and unacceptable, unearthed an alternative route onto the marsh of the mundane every year.
Nevertheless this plummet into mediocrity did not detour me, I endured many twists and turns, always anticipating a return, a return to a primal time, a winning time, and a premiership time. I reasoned that reaching the plateau of prominence was worth a bit of time and effort.
Finally the wait is over; we are ready to roar again. 2013 is not a corner we must turn or a milestone we need to reach, its delivery time; success and winning time, and the joy of administering retribution to all rival clubs.
I can’t wait…..
Hi Tom. Boy I hope you are right! It’s been a long wait.
I remember standing on Richmond station on the last Saturday in September 1967 in a daze Tom. I’d been a card carrying member since 1950, and we’d arrived. Since 1982 is a long wait. Hope you’re right.
It starts with Carlton. They must be put to the sword, then we will have a more clear vision as to whether this is just another false dawn or “the wait is over”.