Richmond has unleashed a beast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dustin Martin’s landmark re-signing at Richmond is of course perfect timing for the Tigers, right on finals’ eve, when it comes to reinforce confidence among his teammates and coaches.
Belief is a massive factor in finals.
And then there is the roaring, parochial Tiger Army.
National Football League club Seattle Seahawks calls their version of the phenomenon the 12s – the fans whose support is considered a massive advantage for the 11 players they have on field.
So revered are their fans, the Seahawks have long-retired the club’s number 12 jersey and there is a flag raising ceremony for the 12s before each home game.
Seahawks fans repay as one of the loudest stadium crowds in the world. Their roar is louder than a jet take-off and their stomp has literally made the earth shake.
Dusty’s signing fuels a ferocious ambush of Tigers.
Footballers and coaches, even at grassroots level, tend to no longer draw on milestones or big team news (good or bad) for player motivation. The focus is on the job at hand, tributes come later.
Fans, however, can make sure they let their emotions collectively be felt.
Tiger fans are already firing up after finishing top-four for the first time in 16 years. A huge proportion have never felt premiership glory – the Tigers’ last flag was 1980 – yet even in a club notorious for inflicting heartbreak and demanding resilience, fans have good reason this season to keep the faith.
For added boost, the Tiger Army even dares to utter the B-word with Dusty keeping his good record intact to the final home-and-away game and Cat Patrick Dangerfield out of the Brownlow race.
So now, imagine the Tigers’ roar for a qualifying final against Geelong at the MCG on Friday night.
Keep in mind, the Tiger fan passion is so strong microwaving memberships is common when feeling let down. Or dumping a truck load of chicken manure right at the Punt Road front door for bad play.
Tiger fans will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with now they know their main man has signed for another seven years – turning down more than $2million from a rival club to remain yellow-and-black.
Home crowd advantage is an edge that has softened a lot in the AFL, particularly for Victorian clubs, despite club efforts to try and stamp their mark in home games. Western Bulldogs got a good taste of this in a ‘Dog-sided Ballarat. Geelong does it best in this state when in its Cattery.
There is something special as an athlete at any level and in any discipline when you feel crowd support.
Expect Richmond to take this to a whole new level for the first final. The club was quick to feed fans has already fuelled this, peppering social media posts and emails to fans once the Dusty news officially dropped on Thursday night.
Will this be year of the Tiger? The Richmond faithful knows better than anyone there are no guarantees. But a roaring Tiger Army adds a power that will be hard to beat. Finals momentum is a formidable tool and this is only the beginning.