Illustration: John Spooner
It is hard waiting for something that you so desperately want, but it's even harder when there are several hundred thousand others who have been waiting for the same thing themselves for 12 years. For Richmond players and fans the excitement, anticipation and nervous energy will be at fever pitch ahead of the elimination final against Carlton at the MCG.
Whether you love or despise these two powerhouse clubs, there's no doubt this is what finals football is all about. All week I've been excited at the thought of the atmosphere at the MCG for this big game - it will be like a grand final.
The game will be Damien Hardwick's 89th as senior coach of Richmond - his first in a final. It is the culmination of the slow rebuild of the Tigers. Every decision he has made has been about the long-term future of the club and ensuring sustained success. In his first year, 2010, Richmond won six games, after losing the first nine of his coaching career. Since then he won eight games in 2011, 10 in 2012 and 15 this year - the highest tally of wins in a season since 2001 when Richmond played in a preliminary final under Danny Frawley.
I was fortunate to have Hardwick as a teammate for seven years at Essendon and while I never thought he would become a senior coach, I knew from day one that he was as tough and ruthless a competitor as I had seen. He wasn't always the best trainer but he was uncompromising on game days and you just knew that his opponent was about to cop a two-hour physical barrage from him.
Hardwick was always someone I was grateful to play with and not against and it is clear he has instilled a harder edge to Richmond this year.
The Tigers' ability to defend has improved dramatically and this has resulted in them being ranked behind only Fremantle and Sydney for points conceded. Last year they were the 10th-ranked defence, but they now look to have the perfect balance between attack and defence.
Hardwick is said to have ripped the paint off the walls in the Monday review meeting when assessing the Tigers' defensive performance against the Blues three weeks ago. One Richmond player said that his teammates were squirming in the their seats at the ferocity in Hardwick's eyes.
I can well imagine how this impacted on Hardwick's players given the way many opposition half-forward flankers reacted during the tough backman's playing career at Essendon.
Sydney and Hawthorn have set the benchmark in list management over the past five years in covering team weaknesses with select, older draftees. Brian Lake is a perfect example of that this year at Hawthorn as Josh Gibson was a few years previous. Sydney and Hawthorn have also recruited fringe players from other clubs who seem to blossom due to the confidence and opportunity given by the new club and coach.
Ted Richards, Rhyce Shaw, Josh Kennedy, Ben McGlynn and Shane Mumford are all prime examples of that at Sydney.
I was critical of some of Richmond's recruiting at the start of the year because the Tigers seemingly filled their list with recycled players from other clubs. But Hardwick learnt his lessons well having spent three years at Hawthorn as an assistant coach to Alastair Clarkson and has seen the benefits of acquiring ''role'' players from other clubs. Who could forget the role Stuart Dew played in the 2008 grand final?
Troy Chaplin, Bachar Houli, Shaun Grigg and Ivan Maric have all made significant contributions from the day they were recruited to the Tigers. Chaplin was the tall back they so desperately needed, Houli offered the precise foot skills off half-back, Maric is the quality ruckmen that they had lacked and Grigg has added greater midfield depth. Aaron Edwards was another specific choice as too much ball was going through Jack Riewoldt. Edwards is more of a natural forward than Luke McGuane and Tyrone Vickery and now looms as a real wildcard who could kick big bags of goals if given time and space.
Steven Morris has also been an inspired selection as you just know he will get the job done on the opposition's most dangerous forward. Morris' season has been exceptional and he will get the big job on Eddie Betts or Jeff Garlett on Sunday. The form and experience of those recruits has taken the pressure off Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin and Riewoldt to be the match winners every week.
Making poor choices at the draft table set Richmond back for a decade but securing players of the ilk of Brandon Ellis, Reece Conca and Nick Vlastuin on top of the young champions it already has should help shore up the next 10 years. All three look capable in time of being All-Australian players.
The 1999 preliminary final loss that I endured with Essendon still haunts me to this day and Carlton would love nothing more than to end Richmond's season having come from ninth at the expense of the Bombers. With four wins more throughout the season, Richmond is the better team but the Tigers can't afford to switch off at any moment as they did in round 21 in their loss to the Blues.
The Tigers must weather the early storm and match the hardness of Judd, Simpson, Robinson, McLean and Curnow around the ball, I believe they will have too much run and midfield depth on the outside for Carlton.
For the Tigers, 4369 days was a long time to wait for a finals appearance and in that time many of us have taken great delight in hearing of yellow and black memberships getting microwaved, animal manure being left on the doorsteps of Punt Road and five-year coaching plans having to be abandoned. On Sunday the Tigers will look for a measure of redemption.
Since 1994 they have also finished ninth on six occasions. How sweet it would be for the Tigers to bury the 'ninth place' Blues.
