By Cam Lucadou-Wells
AFL superstar and commentator Matthew Richardson perhaps faces the ultimate nightmare for a Tiger fan on Grand Final Day.
A week after Collingwood knocked out Richmond from the premiership race, Richardson is booked in for a Grand Final Day Breakfast hosted by the Magpies.
If only he knew beforehand.
The man known as Richo shared grand tales and Grand Final predictions at a Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce charity lunch on 26 September.
He graciously posed for photos and signed books, footballs and programs for a packed Southern Golf Club function room in Keysborough.
The Chamber was hopeful of raising more than $13,000 at the lunch for charities Make A Wish Australia and the Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation.
That sum was nearly as much as Richardson earned in his first year at the Tigers in 1993.
He played 14 games for $16,000 in his debut year.
Signing up as a father-son recruit, he was put on a four-year contract on “ordinary coin”. Players were part-time, and Richardson would sell insurance at MLC before driving to training at Punt Road.
But most of his career, he prospered as the game turned professional.
He told of some of his highlights such as his late tilt at the Brownlow Medal in 2008, and presenting the premiership cup last year.
Richardson tipped that this year’s cup would go to Collingwood – and perhaps surprisingly he wanted them to win.
“They’ve almost based it on Richmond a little bit of last year – that high-octane, great pressure.
“They’ve got a great system. Whenever someone gets injured, they’re not relying on individual talent. They’re just bringing in a player who plays a role.”
Captain Scott Pendlebury and 2018 All-Australian Steele Sidebottom were possible Norm Smith Medallists – for best on ground.
The side also boasted a dangerous forward line full of goalkickers, and the best ruckman in the game, Brodie Grundy.
Though their opponents West Coast Eagles couldn’t be discounted in fine, high-marking conditions, he said.
In that case, Jeremy McGovern would have to have a huge game down back.
As everyone expects, Gold Coast gun forward Tom Lynch was a “done deal” for Richmond –which would unlock a welcome tweak to the Tigers’ game plan next year.
It wasn’t announced yet, but you could lock it in “150 per cent”, Richardson assured Tiger supporters.
He conceded the free agency system enabling the Lynch deal wasn’t perhaps fair. It wasn’t initially envisaged that the minor premiers snared the best talent from one of the bottom clubs, he said.
“(However) when Tom Lynch leaves from Gold Coast, he’s not going to go to a team not in contention.
“The good thing he hasn’t gone for money. He could have got more from Hawthorn or Collingwood.
“He’ll be getting less money than when he was at the Gold Coast.”
