TheGeoffRe(y)port

There is something about football players, that makes you appreciate the ugly ones more. Steve Silvagni might be the Full Back of the Century - but everyone loved Mick Martyn (possibly the ugliest Full Back of the Century) a whole lot more. And while magpie scum supporters might cheer a goal from Chris Tarrant, they roar when Anthony Rocca (a face that even his mother isn’t that keen on) kicks one.

And we don’t want our heroes to be the blameless, clean-cut, goody-two-shoes. We want our heroes flawed, preferably really flawed. Which brings us to Matthew Richardson. Richo. Now Richo is the epitome of flawed. There are few star full-forwards in the game who can kick the ball out on the full from 15 metres out. Richo has done that on more than one occassion. He is big, he is dumb, and he is very, very ugly.

But when the big man is on, he is on. I remember vividly the day I saw him kick 10 against the Bulldogs. It was in the year we won the wooden spoon, and if it wasn’t for Richo we’d have been walloped that day. I can just remember thinking that this was how other supporters must feel every time the ball goes into the forward line. Because for that day, you believed that Matty Richardson was going to kick a goal. Didn’t matter how difficult the mark. No matter how close to goal he was. He was just kickin’ them.

And to beat a team like Essendon, who have inflicted more than their fair share of pain on us in recent times, is a beautiful, beautiful thing. And nine goals is a big game in anyone’s books. So you can keep your clean-cut (and injured) Matthew Lloyd - it’s the big, dumb and ugly Matthew Richardson for the yellow and black!

Richmond 20.9 (129)

def.

Essendon 16.17 (113)