Richmond fans flock to Tigers' Punt Road base to cheer premiership heroes
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They came in their thousands, a sea of yellow and black. Many were still struggling to comprehend what they had witnessed at the MCG and on television screens less than 24 hours earlier.
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Tears streamed down Matthew Collins’ face as Richmond’s premiership team were presented to the ecstatic crowd at Punt Road oval on Sunday.
He wasn’t the only one – the tears of the Tiger faithful fell all over Richmond’s spiritual home.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s the best thing since electricity.”
He flew down from Brisbane to watch the historic game, which ended Richmond’s 37-year premiership drought.
Unfortunately he missed out in coveted tickets to the grand final but watched the game with thousands of Tigers fans at Punt Road.
“It was Tiger heaven,” he said. “I want the whole week to go again, I’m still struggling to comprehend that we were in the grand final and then we won the thing.”
The crowd kept getting bigger and bigger. Photo: Daniel Pockett
Matthew Collins. Photo: Henrietta Cook
Cheers erupted from the crowd as each of the 22 premiership players made their appearance alongside the gleaming cup.
Fans are still celebrating their fairytale premiership. Photo: Daniel Pockett
“I just worried about that cup right there,” Richmond star Dustin Martin told the jubilant crowd.
Nursing sore heads from the previous night’s celebrations, thousands of Tigers fans flocked to Punt Road on Sunday morning to watch a replay of Richmond’s historic grand final win on large screens.
Fans are flocking to Tigers’ heartland. Photo: Daniel Pockett
Many had only had a few hours sleep. But that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm, with cheers erupting from the crowd every time one of their beloved players took a mark or kicked a goal.
“I’m running on adrenalin,” Andrew Ferraro said. The 45-year-old was among the thousands of people who took part in Saturday night’s impromptu premiership party on nearby Swan Street, which brought the inner-city street to a halt.
“It was like New Years Eve times 10. It was total euphoria. It was total friendship.”
His partner Katy Rowland watched the game at home, because she was unable to secure a sought-after ticket. “I was laughing and crying at the same time,” she said.
Fans look at a Dusty ‘statue’. Photo: Daniel Pockett
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Fans flock to Tigers’ Punt Road base
At the oval, fans were draped in Richmond flags, decked out in yellow and black, with many young boys sporting Dustin Martin’s signature Mohawk mullet. Even so, it was impossible to miss Jimmango Rusan.
Mr Rusan wore his hero on his pants – a painting of Daniel Rioli and an Aboriginal flag runs up his leg. Richmond cheer squad member Brett ‘Trout’ Beattie had painted the jeans for him.
“We were always going to win, it just took 37 years,” Mr Rusan said.
Mr Rusan, who is known as the “mango man” and sells the yellow fruit to raise funds for the Noosa Tigers Club, estimates that he’s spent $67,000 on airfares over the past decade in his quest to see his team.
“There was no way I was going to miss this one. I don’t know if I want to cry or laugh.”
How many times have you watched the game?
Joe Martin has already watched the grand final four times. The beaming 16-year-old didn’t go to sleep until 2am after celebrating the Tiger’s victory on Swan Street and then rewatching the game at home.
“I’m over the moon,” he said.
He joined hundreds of people who were queuing for merchandise at Punt Road Oval. He has his eyes set on a $40 premiership T-shirt.
“I came here to celebrate with the fans,” he said.
The Dusty do
The ‘Dusty cut’ was also spotted on the heads of fans at Punt Road Oval.
Seven-year-old Tiger fan Baden Vandenberg is so enamoured by Dustin Martin he not only has the kit and the cut, he’s also got a Tigers tattoo.
It’s stick on and, unfortunately for Baden, the haircut is temporary too. “He’s got until the end of the school holidays to rock the Dusty,” Baden’s father said.
Fourth time lucky
Richmond fans are divided between those who can remember their last grand final victory in 1980 and those who grew up with its legend.
But even those that can lay claim to that honour have got nothing on Monica Perilli. The 84-year-old from Ormond was at the MCG on Saturday to watch her fourth grand final live from the stadium.
Monica and Antonio Perilli. Photo: Joe Hinchliffe
Mrs Perilli saw Richmond beat Carlton in 1973 as a young woman. In 1980 she couldn’t secure a ticket but as the defeated Collingwood fans began filling out, she snuck in with 10 minutes to go. In 1982 she watched the Blues turn the tables on her Tigers. She was there on Saturday to break the 37-year drought.
So how did it compare? “They’re all wonderful,” she said. “When you win.”
Mrs Perilli was at Punt Road with her husband Antonio. A good sport and a better husband, Mr Perilli sported a Richmond scarf but he did have a quiet admission to make: “They’re my second team,” he said, quietly. “I support North Melbourne.”
A long drive home
Andrew Black has clocked up a lot of kilometres over the past few weeks. He is the president of the Sunraysia Richmond supporter’s group and is based in Mildura. He has another 5.5-hour drive ahead of him on Sunday afternoon after his heroes appear at Punt Road clutching the premiership cup.
Andrew Black (centre)
“I’m in disbelief,” Mr Black said. “At the start of the year I didn’t think this was possible.”
Iain Peterken travelled from Crib Point to attend the celebrations at Punt Road Oval. He was a young boy when the Tigers last played in the grand final. He watched the game at the MCG with his three sons Josh, Tyler and Levi.
“There’s a big contrast between the ‘Crowbots’, who stood there with their power stance and regimented drill team against a team with grit and determination,” he said, in reference to the Adelaide Crows.
‘I wouldn’t miss it’
Like all fans at the oval on Sunday, Ana Apiti was there to cheer her heroes. She watched the game from her South Melbourne home with her father and grandfather. But the 17-year-old fronted up to Punt Road on her own on Sunday.
Ana Apiti
“I’ve only waited half as long as everyone else, but this doesn’t come around too often,” she said. “I wasn’t going to miss it.”
Richmond swells with pride
Cafes up and down Swan Street are also packed with punters wearing the yellow and gold.
Mates Chris McKenzie and Andy Nobel went out for breakfast to soak up the excesses of the night before. “The hangover is fantastic,” Mr Noble said.
Both were at the MCG on Saturday to see the historic game.
“After that we hung around in the bullring for another hour, just soaking up the atmosphere,” Mr McKenzie said.
Like many, the Bayside pair headed down to Swan Street to celebrate afterwards.
They described the atmosphere as “electric” – but other fans lamented how a festival atmosphere in Tigerland eventually “turned feral”.
“It was fantastic until about midnight, then it just got out of hand,” Richmond cafe owner and Tigers fan Peter Laliotis said.
“That’s when the argy-bargy with police started and it was after six hours of partying – it was only going to turn ugly, and it did.”
But before that, Mr Laliotis said Swan Street was like a festival.
“I was here [when Tigers last made the grandfinal] in ’82, I was here last night and I’ve been here every grand final in between,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before, not even Collingwood 2010 came close.”
Also on Sunday morning Cole Spender and his dog Fender were enjoying a walk along Swan Street, a day after Mr Spender went to the MCG to cheer his team onto premiership glory.
Mr Spender, who works in health care technology, said as soon as tickets sold out he got onto the phone to everyone he knew to try and coax tickets for himself and a relative a ticket – at any cost. They’ve been going to Tigers games together for 22 years, Mr Spender said.
Eventually he got hold of tickets – they were $750 each. Mr Spender said he paid $1500 for the “once-in-a-lifetime” chance to see his beloved Tigers play their first grand-final in 35 years – and doesn’t regret a thing.
The 34-year-old and dog Fender walk down Swan Street everyday. But this day is not like every other day, even for Fender.
“He picks up all the uneaten Souvlaki and kebabs,” Mr Spender said. “So today is an extra special day for him too – because more drunk people means more spoils.”
Article source: http://watoday.com.au/queensland/alleged-whistleblower-cop-rick-flori-to-run-for-election-20170924-p4yw2j.html
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