This is a tale of a day at the G where all the football was watched from behind glass.
Growing up, our father gave his three sons no choice about which footy team we’d barrack for. I can remember at the age of five going to every Richmond game in 1960 - the year we "won" the spoon with two wins and two draws for the entire season.
It’s still the only season where I went to every game. We didn't play at Geelong that year which was fortunate as the trip from Greensborough, then on the outskirts on north-east Melbourne, was a trip too far even for my fanatical father.
The MCG was a different experience back then. It had seats, lots of them, at a time when the outer of suburban grounds had one weathered old form and you had to arrive when the gates opened at 11am to get a seat on the fence.
When Richmond moved to the MCG in the mid-60s we’d sit on level 2 in the Northern Stand on the wing, though if rain was forecast we’d be in the front row of the Southern Stand.
I didn't get to visit in the MCC members until 1977 for a day of the Centenary Test. My next visit was for the 1997 Australia v Iran World Cup qualifier, a game that I took a long time to get over. Not as long as the 1972 VFL Grand Final though, which still hurts to this day.
My life watching football has taken me to some incredible games, the Windy Hill brawl which was nearly as willing on the terraces as it was on the ground; the day the pie-stand exploded at Arden St, a night grand final against the Swans at Artic, sorry VFL Park, sipping smuggled port from a Fanta bottle, five Tigers flags and the one Saints flag.
My MCC membership came through in the early 2000s and since then the balcony seats below the coaches’ box is my go-to spot. I have been to the Long Room twice previously, the more recent was for the ICC Cricket World Cup where there were about 15 people in the Long Room and 80,000 at the ground. It seemed like Eden Park.
This week I decided it was time to widen my MCC experience, so along with my partner Micha, my son Scott (who didn't get a choice of who to support either) and friends Andrew and Carla, we dressed up, arrived at midday on a sunny but chilly, no bloody cold, Melbourne winter Saturday.
With the idea of spending some time sitting outside we got seats on the balcony but then moved into the Long Room dining area for lunch.
After a couple of pre-game drinks we headed downstairs to the Long Room proper and, given the weather, passed on the thought of going outside. The Lions gained an early lead but then we steadied to kick the next five and after that the game was never in danger.
What was most noticeable was the quiet! At times, silence! Sure Richmond versus Brisbane was never going to be a blockbuster but in the Long Room where there might have been 30 people at most there was no barracking, cheering, nor taunts at the umpire or clapping and only muffled cheers heard from the outside when the Tigers scored. Maybe in the Long Room you can hear no one scream (apologies to Alien).
Following advice from the lovely ladies on the MCC staff (thank you Felicity) we moved to the Members Dining Room and the girls were able to sit on a leather couch with a glass of sparkling each, facing but hardly watching the game while we guys watched the game from the nearby window and chatted with some former colleagues discussing whether Dusty Martin was a Brownlow chance given he was dominating the game. We also contemplated the issue of why "don't argues" aren’t recorded as a stat.
At half-time we met up with some more work colleagues in the Percy Beames Bar, with the girls having to be dragged away reluctantly from their prime spot. The sun was streaming through the windows giving an impression of warmth outside, though it didn't fool us.
With a 38-point lead to the Tigers at half time the game seemed to be in control, so the social side of the day took over (to an even greater extent) and the game became somewhat irrelevant. We pondered the question of who would win the flag – a question which has generated much discussion in the bars and dining rooms of the MCC.
Football highlights included:
- Lids crashing into the point post showing he is tough but was no Lethal Leigh Matthews.
- Hampson proving his doubters wrong and I admit I was at the front of that queue, although getting injured towards the end was a downside.
- How good the old Fitzroy jumper looked.
- The Tigers season showing slight signs of life at least for another week.
It was a great day, though I might sit outdoors next time. I like to feel the noise.
Greg is a sports and music tragic whose football career was short-circuited by being selected as a wingman on the AK Lines Reserve in Watsonia which has the bleakest widest wings of any football ground in the world.
Match Summary
RICHMOND 5.4 9.8 14.11 17.15 (117)
BRISBANE LIONS 2.0 4.0 6.3 11.9 (75)
GOALS Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Edwards 2, Menadue 2, Lloyd 2, Vlastuin 2, Deledio, Cotchin, Vickery, Miles, Ellis
Brisbane Lions: Hipwood 3, Taylor 2, Green, Walker, Schache, Jansen, Martin, Hanley
BEST Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Vlastuin, Ellis, Menadue, Rance
Brisbane Lions: Hipwood, Mayes, Rockliff, Jansen, Mathieson
INJURIES Richmond: Hampson (knee)
Brisbane Lions: Robinson (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Fisher, Margetts, Dalgleish, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 28,883 at the MCG