Former GWS coach Kevin Sheedy backs Giants to handle Tiger army ahead of club’s first MCG final
INAUGURAL GWS coach Kevin Sheedy says he would be disappointed if the Giants are overawed by a 90,000-strong Tiger army on Saturday. But the Tigers have another massive weapon.
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INAUGURAL GWS coach Kevin Sheedy says he would be disappointed if the Giants are overawed by an expected 90,000-strong Tiger army at the MCG on Saturday.
Ticket sale websites went into meltdown on Monday as more than 75,000 Richmond members snapped up seats for the match at a rate of up to 1200 a minute.
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A record 95,028 fans attended the Tigers’ qualifying final against Geelong — most in yellow and black — and the Richmond roar around the MCG is set to be even louder this weekend with only a few thousand Giants fans set to travel south for the clash.
GWS has played in front of average crowds of 20,819 this season, with the biggest attendance it has ever had for a game being 60,222 for its qualifying final clash with Sydney at ANZ Stadium last year.
But Sheedy, who also played 251 games for Richmond, said the crowd would be only a small factor in the contest and GWS had to tackle the first MCG final in its short history sooner or later.
“I can only go back to when I played. I never worried about the crowd, I just worried about the ball,” Sheedy said.
“I’d be disappointed if they were (overawed), but it will be a great experience for them. They’re a six-year-old club. You’ve got to start sometime in the journey, coming to the MCG.
“The power of concentration is fantastic but a lot of people don’t talk about it. That’s all you’ve got to do in this situation. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Giants player or a Richmond player, you just need total concentration on the ball when you have it and when you have to get it back.”
While GWS has won just one of 11 matches at the MCG in its short history, Richmond has made the ground a fortress this season both due to its game style and large supporter base.
The Tigers have won 10 of 12 games at the venue in front of average crowds of 62,959, with their two losses coming to Sydney (nine points) and Fremantle (two points).
Statistics show Richmond defends the MCG better than any other team, the club conceding an average of just 67.9 points a game which is more than 20 per cent better than the AFL average of 85 points.
The Tigers also rate better than the AFL average for restricting opposition inside-50 counts and end-to-end transitions at the ground.
Sheedy was coy when asked about his allegiance for Saturday’s match given his close ties to both clubs.
“I think I’ll wear a Collingwood scarf,” he joked.
RICHMOND AT THE MCG
P12 W10 L2 131.4%
1 Carlton — Won by 43
2 Collingwood — Won by 19
3 West Coast — Won by 11
5 Melbourne — Won by 13
8 Fremantle — Lost by 2
10 Essendon — Won by 15
13 Sydney — Lost by 9
14 Carlton — Won by 26
18 GWS — Won by 19
20 Hawthorn — Won by 29
23 St Kilda — Won by 41
41 QF Geelong — Won by 51
Source: CHAMPION DATA
Originally published as Former GWS coach Kevin Sheedy backs Giants to handle Tiger army ahead of club’s first MCG final
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