Round 8: What the Terry Wallace?

There are always a million reasons that you might win or lose a game. Even if they’d played exactly the way that they did, an unlucky umpiring interpretation, or a freakish bounce could have been enough to turn a three point win into a three point loss. But there was one thing for sure, the main reason we won the game was that our coach gave our players a game plan that outsmarted the other team.

It wasn’t nice football. It wasn’t even really football at all. It was keepings-off.  We just had more of the ball than they did. It was like watching a man being stabbed to death with a needle. It was slow, it was painful, and you weren’t always sure that it was going to work. But for a team who was playing against the premiership favourites and a team who had been beaten by 118 points the previous week, the plot was genius.

And you’ve gotta be happy with the team. Pettifer, that paradox of a player, put in one of his best, if not his absolute best games for the club. Joel Bowden was dominant up back. Andrew Raines, a kid who last year could only got one game, held an absolute superstar in Mark Ricciutto to only 4 possessions. They tackled with a ferocity that reminded of you of Wallace’s Bulldogs in their prime. They wanted that win so badly, and they got exactly what they deserved. We aren’t a good side. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. But we saw a team that had heart, a team that wanted their mate to have a winning 200th game. We saw a team that made you proud to barrack for Richmond, and it’s certainly been a while since I’ve been able to say that!

Richmond 10.9 (69)

def.

Adelaide 9.12 (66)