Tigers fans loom as Richmond’s secret weapon
Related Story: Jack Higgins stuns with controversial AFL goal in Tigers' win over Magpies Related Story: Tigers flex their AFL premiership muscle in victory over Magpies
As the great Richmond coach Tom Hafey liked to tell his players "there's nothing more tigerish than a tiger".
But if that is amusingly self-evident, there is now something even more tigerish than the tenacious Richmond team that is moving inexorably toward back-to-back premierships — the Tiger fans.
The MCG has heard many mighty roars: Dennis Lillee knocking over Viv Richards with the last ball before stumps, the Socceroos' first two goals against Iran in that inevitably ill-fated World Cup qualifier, and Betty Cuthbert breasting the tape at the 1956 Olympics are just some of the moments that rocked the old girl's foundations.
But the ear-splitting, guttural noise that rose from the crowd of 88,110 when the grinning Tiger Jack Higgins kicked his miraculous party trick of a goal against Collingwood on Saturday surely earned a place on the MCG's list of greatest audio hits.
AFL rules have more grey areas than George Clooney's melon, so Higgins' spontaneous decision to toss the ball up like pizza dough, run around the post and kick the ball from mid-air created some contention. Was this a throw or a kick?
But not even the usually deflating pause caused by the AFL's goal review system could quell the primal bellows of those in the Richmond throng.
Tiger fans were more likely to be convinced light beer was superior to full strength than Higgins' goal was in technical breach of the rules.
To behold the Tiger Army at that moment was to believe the MCG crowd had become Richmond's 19th Player or a weapon for a very good team with a handful of bone fide stars on the verge of statistical greatness as the 22nd VFL/AFL team to defend the title.
While running over the injury-depleted Magpies by 28 points, Richmond celebrated two significant milestones — the registration of their 100,000th member and a record 18th consecutive victory at the MCG.
Rivals struggling to find a pin to prick the Tiger balloon might suggest those 100,000 include non-game day members as well as a few pet goldfish and Labradors — as do the colossal memberships of every AFL club — given about 10,000 seats were empty.
But if there were a few suspiciously shiny new yellow and black scarves in the grandstands on Saturday, it is not merely the number of Tiger fans that is impressive but their intimidating ferocity.
Every Richmond attack was met with rapturous acclaim, every Collingwood free kick was disputed with outraged jeers and every final-quarter goal caused a major eruption as the tiring Pies were put to the sword.
Yellow and Black! drowns out MCG neutrality
The MCG is a supposedly neutral venue, particularly against co-tenant Collingwood which markets itself as "Australia's biggest football club".
But as the Tiger faithful belted out another thumping chorus of Tigerland — Yellow and Black! — with bloodthirsty venom, the territorial war had been won.
Measuring the advantage such raucous support provides is impossible and, for the Tigers, the comforts of home include more than just the most emotionally invested fans Melbourne have seen since The Beatles toured.
The midfield pairing of Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin and the pillars provided by Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt at either end of the ground create a dependable structure around which a fleet of fast, well-drilled and still underrated players exert a crushing pressure; fanatical run-and-chase and tough tackling stifling the opposition as much as it arouses the Tiger fans.
There has been much talk about the "noise of affirmation" at Perth and Adelaide where lopsided free kick counts are supposedly the result of umpires influenced by the vocal home crowd.
But despite the constant craving of the Tiger fans, the umpires had little impact on Saturday.
Rather, the Richmond crowd produced the "noise of confirmation"; a bloodcurdling postscript to the heroics of their players that seems to inspire them to even greater heights.
Playing with a smile, the heart-on-the-sleeve Riewoldt particularly seems almost as pleased by the eruption his goals cause as their influence on the result.
Right now there is no other noise in Australian sport quite like it.
Richmond to lap up hometown advantage
Whether the return of the Tiger roar is a part of Richmond's success or merely a consequence of it, in a competition where the levelling impact of the draft/salary cap have taken hold, they enjoy an enormous, potentially conclusive, advantage. One that makes the groans that travel sick Richmond have lost all four games interstate this year entirely irrelevant.
With top place almost sewn up, the Tigers can again march through September without seeing an airport lounge.
And the non-Victorian clubs aghast about the $500 million deal that will keep the Grand Final at the MCG for at least 40 years?
They can mutter their complaints while the Tigers polish the silverware.
Unless, that is, one of the chasing pack is able to silence the MCG throng.
Collingwood might flatter themselves that they can "get 'em next time" given they entered Saturday's game without star midfielders Adam Treloar and Jordan De Goey, lost defenders Jeremy Howe and Matt Scharenberg to injury and still stayed within four points at three quarter-time.
But over the past 12 months a lot of teams have fancied they are getting closer to the Tigers.
All of them have trudged from the MCG with another thumping chorus of Yellow and Black! pounding in their ears.
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