Round 1 – Carlton v Richmond: An MCG Minute

 

 

 

 

On Thursday night a large parochial crowd cheered Sam Docherty whenever possible. First, during the warm-up, they were urged to by the stadium tannoy. Then they spontaneously applauded his first mark and disposal. Finally, they revelled with him on the southern wing, celebrating short chips back and forth as he iced closing seconds off the clock.

 

But in a night loaded with highlights, one minute will live long in the memory of all there.

 

Docherty marked the ball beside the centre circle during the 17^th minute of the second term and was quickly offered a 50m penalty. As he ambled towards a set shot at goal, the enormity of his return seemed to dawn on the stands. I can’t be the only supporter who had various friends and family members front-of-mind, equating Sam’s journey with others dealt similar hands. Docherty paused twice, once to pop his mouthguard into his left sock, and once at the top of his mark. These pauses allowed time for our contemplation, though I doubt the score line was considered by many.

 

When his shot split the middle, barrackers of both sides stood spontaneously and saluted number 15. Several of the players that mobbed their former captain were wearing short hair for the first time in their football life, a remnant of club-wide solidarity shown by their collective October head-shave. With one kick our summertime anxieties were alleviated. Is an emotional lump in the throat an upper respiratory symptom of concern?

 

‘Doc’ knows that he gives hope to a broad cross-section of the community, and on Thursday night he represented survivors with a complete display. Behind-the-goals vision and GPS monitoring allows no room for sentimental selections in the modern game. Docherty’s body through summer was sickly skinny, but by the third week of March he was somehow built like a footballer again. If there were any lingering doubts over his match fitness, then Docherty’s work rate quickly put them to bed. His rebounding runs and long kicks into attack saw him impact each part of the field. He finished the game as a key influence on the result.

 

Talkback radio the following morning was quick to move on. For each fan revelling in Tom de Koning’s match-turning ruckwork, Cerra or Hewett’s impeccable debuts, or Patrick Cripps’ smooth gait, others had dialled in to complain about matchday traffic and the fluctuations of our hospitality workforce during a pandemic.

 

No matter what happens this season, I’m going to remember to pause and reflect on one minute in March at the MCG.

 

 

CARLTON            1.3       5.9       7.12       14.17 (101)
RICHMOND        4.5       4.7       10.9     11.10 (76)

 

GOALS  
Carlton: Cripps 3, Durdin 2, Docherty, Hewett, Kennedy, McKay, Silvagni, O’Brien, Cerra, Fisher, Martin
Richmond: Bolton 3, Balta 2, Lynch 2, Aarts, Baker, Martin, Riewoldt

 

BEST  
Carlton: Cripps, Kennedy, Docherty, Cerra, Hewett, Saad
Richmond: Short, Pickett, Bolton, Martin

 

INJURIES
Carlton: McGovern (back/hip)
Richmond: Prestia (hamstring)

 

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Nil
Richmond: Ralphsmith (for Prestia in second quarter)

 

Crowd: 72,179 at the MCG

 

 

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