Round 19 - Hawthorn v Richmond

Saturday 3 August, MCG

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

Bob Dylan - saw this one comin'
- photo the guardian.com

During the third quarter of Saturday’s match, the live weather radar was beamed from the giant scoreboard accompanied by an announcement that a big storm was on its way and that patrons should make their way undercover.  With nowhere else to go for shelter, the Hawthorn players retreated into themselves, or just got spooked, and as with the corresponding match last season, we were completely overrun by Richmond, who from that moment kicked 8 of the next 10 goals to run out easy winners.

After producing one of our best performances of the season the previous week against Essendon, it was somewhat disappointing and unexpected that we’d follow it up with one of our worst. It was like when Oasis released Be Here Now as the follow-up to Morning Glory. 

The match began well enough, after Jack Riewoldt kicked the first for Richmond, Buddy kicked one for us, followed by Lewis. Riewoldt kicked his second which was answered by Buddy taking a nice grab. Hopes of a shootout between two of the competition’s best goal kickers soon dissipated however, as Buddy’s shot went sailing out on the full.

And from there it was all Richmond as they continually won the ball and moved it quickly and accurately, adding four more goals to take a three goal lead to the break. At quarter time the clearances were 16–2 in Richmond’s favour and the only surprise was that we weren’t further behind.

Hawthorn played it tough and tight in the second quarter, stemming the flow and adding three goals while keeping Richmond goalless. The inaccuracy continued with Hale and Gunston both hitting the post, but finally Guerra, playing his 250^th match, put us in front at the 27 minute mark. From here I thought we’d gradually edge further ahead with those players who hadn’t been able to get into the match- Roughead, Rioli, Gunston et al –taking over.

A miss to Buddy on the siren and another to Burgoyne not long after the restart, however,  sapped any momentum we might have been building and undermined the advantage players like Smith and Mitchell had worked hard to build up. Even when new boy, Ceglar, marked strongly and goaled, our quarter and a bit of near dominance had yielded just a 9 point advantage. 

When the rains hit, Hawthorn continued to play a quaint possession game built on precise passing, which is fine if you’re moving goal wards, but winning the uncontested possession count doesn’t mean much if you can’t clear the half-back line.

Richmond, on the other hand, played a more dynamic game that involved winning the ball – usually Cotchin - and getting it out to its runners, who continued to surge forward. The inevitable goals ensued.   

Okay, so it’s only our third loss for the season so perhaps it would be overreacting to read too much into it or assign it too much significance. Yet with the skies darkening, the wind blustering, the rain tumbling down in sheets, and the ground announcer’s ominous storm warning, it’s difficult not to think of Bob Dylan’s early song, ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’, in which a young man returning from his travels is questioned as to where he’s been, what he’s seen, what he’s heard and so on. Over five long verses, the ‘blue-eyed son’ recounts the apocalyptic visions and portents that assailed him on his journey. 

Had Bob seen this match, he might just recast some of the lyrics…

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?

And where have you been, my darling young one?

I’ve stumbled to the ‘G’ on a day of dire warning,

I’ve walked down the aisle but found no seats undercover

I’ve sat in the middle of a dozen rabid Tigers

I’ve queued at the bar for half the third quarter

I’ve trudged ten thousand miles to Flinders Street station

And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard

It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?

And what did you see, my darling young one?  

I saw Jack Riewoldt mark out in front of Gibbo

I saw Ceglar give away free kicks at the stoppage

I saw DeLidio and Dusty break clear frequently

I saw Buddy and Burgoyne both miss from 30

I saw Cyril miss targets, Sewell and Savage spill marks

I saw black and yellow flags right in front of my face  

I even saw Daniel Jackson slot one from the boundary

And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard

It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son ?

And what did you hear, my darling young one ?

I heard the sound of Tiger fans roar out a warnin’

I heard Hawthorn fans moan and say “pick up ya man”

I heard people shout “BALL!” for no reason at all

I heard the umpire’s whistling and nobody comprehendin’

I heard the siren that signals the end of the world

Heard the song of the Tigers shouting “Yellow and black!”

Heard the sound of yellow and brown cry in the alley

And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard

It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

Final scores: Richmond 16 11 107  d  Hawthorn  9 12 66

What we learned: A shot of Dermie and Dunstall in the Fox commentary box was flashed on the big screen to remind us ever so gently, of the good old days. Much has been made of the fact that Richmond has now defeated Hawthorn in two consecutive matches. Some are even calling it a streak, but I prefer my streaks a tad longer, like the one that spanned almost the entire length of Dermie and Dunstall’s playing days together, when Hawthorn defeated Richmond in 16 consecutive matches over 10 years from Round 16 1985 to Round 21 1994 - including Round 7 1992 when Dunstall kicked 17.5.

The only occasion I can find when Richmond defeated Hawthorn in a match with both Dermie and Dunstall playing was Round 5 1985, Dunstall’s first year at Hawthorn. That day Dermie kicked 6.1 and Dunstall 1.5.

"Do you recall ever playing in a loss to Richmond?"
" No, you?"
- photo: thecorporatemethod.com.au

The streak was finally broken at Waverley in Round 3 1995, after Dermie had left Hawthorn, when Richmond kicked 4.16 to Hawthorn 5.4 to win by 6 points – but even then we kicked one more goal than them.   

What we already knew: A series of baffling free kicks both ways suggested the umpires could easily find a role officiating in one of The Ashes Tests underway in England. Thank God there’s no DRS in AFL. Oh, there is.