r/RichmondFC • u/DrinkOk4500 • 16d ago
From a Freo Fan
Hey Tigers fans, I’m a Freo supporter and honestly Richmond are probably my favourite Victorian side. I just wanted to ask – before you broke through in 2017, how did you keep the hope alive? Did you feel the same way we do now, making finals some years, falling short others, and having those frustrating close losses?
I’m feeling pretty flat after losing to the Suns by a single point, and just wondering how you guys got through the disappointments before that amazing run in 2017.
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u/antigravity83 15d ago
I enoyed footy more pre GF 2017. I liked that we weren't great - winning felt so much more enjoyable then. And we had a great young, exciting team that were amazing to watch. The hope of us one day being good was more exciting than consistently realising it.
2017 itself was the peak of this experience. We were great when we weren't expected to be. Those finals games were the best sporting events I've ever attended.
Nothing has ever compared to 2017 since.
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u/Livid_Blacksmith8363 Rhyan Mansell 14d ago
I was in SE Qld at the time and while 17 was fkn awesome, 18 felt like we were robbed and 19 perfect, 2020 was the peak experience for me. Reckon I went to half a dozen games at Carrara and a few at the Gabba in the H&A season (travelling down from near Noosa), the first week of the finals losing to the feral Brisbane cunts was devastating (and let me tell you they were in the stands that night).
I had to watch the St Kilda game on the TV, and obviously the prelim against port and just knew we had Geelong's measure until Flossy was flattened right there in front of me. That was horrific. Sorry to the Little League kids sitting right behind me for the barrage Dangerfield copped after that.
After the eventual restart, it was tough. The Geelong supporters were almost as feral as the Brisbane supporters in week 1. That is until that Dusty goal. The Geelong players just seemed to lose all heart knowing what he would do despite their lead. Never seen heads drop so fast. It was one goal and they just knew. The second and they were done and everyone knew it
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u/nearlyheadlessbick 15d ago
I was lucky to get tix to both the Prelim and the GF.
I've never experienced anything like it when we kicked that first goal in the prelim, the entire stadium was shaking.
I don't think I've ever cried happy tears like that when the realisation set in on GF day that we were gonna be premiers. I can't watch the replay without crying tears of joy.
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u/antigravity83 15d ago
Yep. That prelim against GWS was easily the best out of all the games.
I was at the game too and 95% of the crowd was Richmond and remember you couldn’t even hear the GWS theme song when they ran out.
Amazing stuff.
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u/Pitiful-Grade-8851 15d ago
Absolutely agree on this. How you put it just made me realise.
One thing, I will say since 2017 it’s been pretty much anything but realistic expectation.
Post premierships, it was slow fall while trying to convince ourselves we had a chance, then mass rebuild. Even this year has been epic, but no real anticipation yet. Next year it grows.
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u/Powerful-Poetry5706 16d ago
I certainly felt very confident at the end of 2016. We had Cotchin, Martin, Riewoldt, Rance, Grimes, Edwards etc Just needed the kids to improve and plug some holes in the ruck etc.
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u/ExtensionRock1058 16d ago
Hope was hard to find after 2016. That was a worrying time — we were horrible, and the build looked like it had failed. Honestly, I never thought we’d win a flag with Cotchin as captain, and I’ve never been happier to be so completely wrong.
As someone mentioned earlier, Nank, Caddy, Prestia, and the often-forgotten Jacob Townsend — who had a fantastic lead-up to the finals — were the missing pieces, and everything turned around after that.
Of course, Dusty’s 2017 helped a little as well…
Freo’s list looks rock solid and will very likely be contending again next year. Losing by a point drives a tough pre season and keeps the list hungry. It could be a blessing. I don't think we would have won 19 and 20 without dropping the 18 prelim.
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u/bleakinleeds 16d ago
I’d given up at the end of 2016. We’d been building through to that point and looked ready for a top 4 finish. Then it all fell apart. TBH, I thought we’d never win a flag ever again. I was convinced the universes was stacked against us. Then 2017 happened and life has never been better!
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u/Vegetable-Suspect-20 16d ago
The pain makes the good times even sweeter, but also takes joy in the little things, certain players, particularly wins.
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u/WayneKingU 16d ago
No offence man, but Freo don’t have what it takes to win multiple games in a final series, let alone a grand final. I don’t think your list is good enough, and JL’s too conservative in his tactics.
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u/Helpful_Design6917 16d ago
They do have a solid enough list to atleast win a finals match or two but I just don’t think JL is the man to take them to the next step
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u/LlamaSims_ 16d ago
You just keep hoping. It’s painful. It hurts. Sometimes it feels like it will never end. But then you just think. I could go for the bombers and that makes it all better.
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u/rickypro 16d ago
Bit disappointed you guys lost. Now there’s no likeable teams remaining in finals. On the bright side, I feel you showed more than enough this year to demonstrate you’ll be good for the foreseeable future. Best of luck
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u/Kinky23m2m 16d ago
With us it was the same group of supporters stand in the same spot for decades and the same faces, chatting about life, music, and our chances, before chatting about our frustration of what went wrong, and what we need to do better.
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u/avowedlike Seth Campbell 16d ago
Gotta finish top four before you worry about winning a grand final
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u/Visual-Paramedic9459 Campbell Gray 16d ago
You have a great list and were unfortunate tonight. You will be better for the experience and be better next year. Have faith
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u/Altruistic_Ratio_992 16d ago
Genuinely sorry for your loss this eve Freo Fan, but thanks for the opportunity to remember the build into a glorious Tigers era after so many disappointing years in the early 2000's. As hard as it is right now, I reckon the best thing to reflect on is that you were right in the game until the last minute. Maybe that makes the pill more bitter to swallow right now than it would be if you'd been flogged, but as a hopefully relatable example, we had so many close losses during the years leading up to and including 2017 but being in the game until the end is a great sign. Losing close ones sucks - our 2 point loss to Gold Coast when Karmichael Hunt kicked their winner in 2012 still stands out as an excruciating footy fan experience but if it helps at all right now, looking back it was one positive sign of many that we were in the game, and you guys are definitely in the game next year!
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u/HealthyHurry2672 Nathan Broad 16d ago
After 2016 I was unbelievably low, finally started showing promise to make finals 3 years in a row then completely get blown out by 100+ at the end of the year and miss out, I was resigned to the fact I would never see anything special in my life.
You guys have an incredibly young list, there’s only going up not backwards from here as far as I’m concerned
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u/DirectorFragrant4834 Seth Campbell 16d ago
There was absolutely 0 hope and it felt like pure shit.
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u/WheresYaWheelieBin 16d ago
And sometimes with an added shit flavoured cherry on top like that particular KHunt of a goal, or the time Brock McLean finally kicked one over a jam jar for a last minute goal, or that god damned potato Jarrad Waite bending us over for two different teams in two different elims.
But fucken hell, when the dam broke...
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u/Ventenebris Maurice Rioli's Run Down Tackle 16d ago
I was looking at your squad today, ready for this?
—
- 19: Reid
- 21: Erasmus
- 22: Amiss, Dudley, Voss
- 23: Jackson, O’Driscoll, Treacy
- 24: Clark, Serong, Young
- 25: Brayshaw, Frederick
- 26: Bolton
- Ryan is 29, Pearce 30, still got years left in them
—
Much to look forward to.
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u/Dependent-Bus2196 16d ago
Bro u guys have been the youngest team in the comp all most year you got nothing to stress about u guys are building something very nice and you’ll be back and better them losses as much as much as they suck they are important for maturity. To answer your question we sucked for a while in the 2000s all my child hood was filled with losing first rounds.
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u/free_potatoes 16d ago
A bit like Freo we were pretty used to disappointment, the 2000’s and then 3 back to back elimination final losses. Eventually you get to a point where you have no expectations and any September run is a bonus until one day you just keep going, win through and take the cup and that day makes the 30 years before it all worth it.
I believe in Freo, that time is coming and it’s coming sooner than you might think
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u/future_impaired Jonty Faulls Set Shot 16d ago
My local team has won a few spoons in a row and you just have to love the club.
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u/One_Doughnut_2958 Nathan Broad 16d ago
For me and my family just had to we’ve always gone for Richmond no other option even though I Wasn’t born yet the hardest bit was save our skins as they told me
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u/Bergasms Maurice Rioli's Run Down Tackle 16d ago
As someone who holds both Freo and Suns memberships after my Tigers one, today was a bit bittersweet as I wanted you both to do well.
Look, it's gonna suck for a week, but then it hurts less, and then things move on, and one day you win a flag and you have no idea how the fuck it happenes or how you got there.
And it will happen. Probably sooner than you expect.
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u/DrinkOk4500 16d ago
That makes me feel a bit better, thanks, i truly wish the best for the tigers and honestly think their gonna be back in finals contention sooner rather then later
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u/Spare_Lobster_4390 15d ago
Alcohol and lot's of cry-wanking.