Round 2 – Collingwood v Richmond: An MCC debut to remember

Friday night was the first time that my mate Clarkey and I had used our brand new MCC memberships, and we could not have gone to a better game.

We’re both Dogs members as well, delirious with optimism at the moment, and figured that, even though the match could be one-sided, or we would definitely have to sit next to Collingwood or Richmond fans, who cares because we get in for free. Even in my short period as an MCC Member I can see flaws in the “it’s free!” argument for using an MCC Membership to attend an event at the ‘G, but I’m prepared to roll with it here.
It certainly shaped up as an interesting game, given that the upside to both the Pies and Tigers has undoubtedly lured many into thinking that one of these teams can break into the top four this season. I must admit that I have rated Collingwood’s list high enough that I had them finishing fourth or fifth, but I haven’t voiced that opinion since shortly after the opening bounce of their match against the Swans last week. Richmond weren’t at all convincing in their win over the Blues, and Hardwick haters would surely jump all over talkback lines and newspapers with a second round loss to Collingwood.

The first half was played like a final, but with less intensity. That’s the nice way of saying that it was an unattractive, low-scoring half of footy. Neither side looked like blowing the other away, which took away the potential for a bit of a laugh at the losing team’s expense. Our hopes for a bit of excitement rested on Dusty Martin breaking the game open or Travis Cloke nailing a couple of bombs. Pendlebury had been brilliant for the Pies up to half-time, showing composure whenever he had the ball, but most of his teammates seemed rushed and made poor decisions, resulting in too many turnovers. Richmond would turn to Houli or Martin to get some drive through the centre, but nobody was creative enough to give them options, so Collingwood’s defenders had a fairly easy time intercepting hopeful kicks inside 50.

The second half had the potential of turning into a Supercoach watch, but Collingwood had soon erased Richmond’s small lead, which brought the Tigers to life. First-gamer Jayden Short kicked his third, after having scored with each of his first three kicks, which we thought had to be some kind of obscure record. Then Alex Fasolo matched Short’s tally after some great work from Adam Treloar, who had been copping it all night from Richmond supporters angry at his decision to choose the Pies as his Melbourne-based club. Surely the foul abuse Treloar was hearing just reassured him that deciding not to play in front of those fans was a brilliant call, I assume it just spurred him on.

Both sides kicked 4.4 in the third quarter, but Richmond took the initiative in the final term. Jack Riewoldt kicked his team’s fifth goal of the last quarter shortly into time-on, which put the Tigers up by three goals. I had a text from Dad, who quoted Betfair odds of $1.40 for Richmond despite their relatively comfortable buffer. I thought about responding with something about how they should be much longer odds, given their tendency to do the opposite to what everyone thinks they’ll do, but I texted back, “Should be safe.”
Cotchin had racked up well over 30 touches by this stage but at no stage had he done a heap with it. Collingwood’s Adams, Ramsay and Treloar didn’t gather the ball as much, but they always tried to drive it forward with purpose. Most of the game they had been finding Rance with their kicks, prompting a Pies fan in front of us to dub him “A f***ing magician”, but in the last quarter they found Fasolo. They found him thrice, and each time “Faz” was able to convert. His final goal was his sixth, very useful for my Supercoach team, and reduced Collingwood’s deficit to five points at about the 30th minute.

From there, it must have been a horrible, torturous nightmare for every Richmond supporter. Adam Treloar, who they were surely about to get one over and laugh spitefully at, claimed possession and took the ball from the middle, belting it long into the forward line. After a bit of a scrap, Nick Vlastuin bombed the ball towards the boundary, but it rolled over the line, inviting the umpire to call deliberate. Darcy Moore took the free, choosing to loft it to the top of the square instead of have a shot, much to the horror of Pies fans who expected the siren to go with every second that ticked by. No mark was taken, but the ball fell into the hands of Brodie Grundy, who swung his foot and kicked a goal.

It’s fair to say that the celebrations/fury that followed was more subdued in the MCC than, say, on the ground level of the Southern Stand, but it was still a remarkable scene to be part of. We didn’t know how to react, so we applauded and laughed that our first time as MCC Members was such a classic.

 

 

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Find all Round 2 Collingwood v Richmond stories here

About Tom Riordan

Tom Riordan is in his second year of a Bachelor of Journalism at Swinburne University. He loves all sports, and plays for Brunswick Cricket Club. He supports the Western Bulldogs and can be found on weekends among half a dozen others in Q38 on the top level of the MCC.

Comments

  1. Once you go MCC, you never go back Tom.

    We don’t get too over enthusiastic in the Members, because we’re nice and refreshed thanks to the fact that we can drink real beer, in glasses, at pub prices. The watered down swill on offer in the Southern Stand is what makes the proletariat go psycho at games.

    You’re not a real MCC member until you’ve ‘watched’ a full game from the Percy Beames bar drinking schooners all day long as opposed to watching form your seat. Good times.

  2. Chris Weaver says

    Welcome aboard, Tom. Three words – Frank Grey Smith.

  3. Cowshedend says

    Excellent Tom….do they suspect anything?….now that you have infiltrated the Tory basilica, the great army from the West lay ready and await your signal.
    Stand up all victims of oppression………..

  4. Haha…Brunswick Grammar is moving in!
    Chris Weaver – I reckon the dining room is a great option on busy days. As a Bulldog I don’t like the crowds so, if necessary, you have to don a suit and then have easy bar access and usually scam a seat.
    Stone Cold – pls let me mentor young Tom!

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