Brendan Fevola slams Richmond’s decision to have Ash Barty present the premiership cup
Brendan Fevola has slammed Richmond’s decision to choose Ash Barty to present the premiership cup if the Tigers win on Saturday night, saying the honour should be reserved for someone with a closer connection to the club.
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Brendan Fevola has slammed Richmond’s decision to choose Ash Barty to present the premiership cup on Saturday night.
The former star footballer said it might be an unpopular opinion, but he’s accused the Tigers of virtue signalling by having the world no.1 tennis player fulfil an honour normally given to a past champion of the club.
“I just don’t think it’s football,’’ Fevola said on his FOX FM breakfast show, Fifi, Fev and Byron.
“She’s a supporter, she was in the grandstand about 150 rows back last week with a pot going, ‘yes’.
“I love Ash Barty. Yeah she’s a supporter, she’s like a cheer squad member.
“But should she be giving away the premiership cup to the premiership captain and coach? I don’t think so. I think it should be a past player, she has nothing to do with the Richmond Football Club apart from being a supporter.
“We’re not going to see (Richmond captain) Trent Cotchin hand her the Australian Open at Melbourne Park come January. They would never do that the tennis association.”
Fevola said if she hadn’t been shown on TV with a beer supporting in the stands the Tigers wouldn’t have made the decision.
“I love Ash Barty, she’s brilliant and a great person,’’ Fevola said.
“If she wasn’t at the footy when they played Brisbane in the first final drinking a pot of beer and cheering when Daniel Rioli kicked a goal, she wouldn’t be giving the cup away today. She got so much publicity. The next match on the Gold Coast they got her a Richmond jumper with Barty on it, we’ll get on the coat tails of this.
“I know waht they’re trying to do, they’re trying to look good.
“Virtue signalling, that’s the one.”
Fevola’s co-host Fifi Box was also surprised and said she would like to see the honour go to Kevin Bartlett.
Fevola said he knew he may not be expressing a popular opinion.
“I never played in a Grand Final, it’s probably not my space so might be unpopular,’’ he said.
“But.. tradition is big in the AFL. And it’s a thing we live by in the AFL.
“I love the history that our game has. In the history of our game on grand final day when it comes to the end and a team wins, a past champion will present the cup, which is great.
“Last year was Tommy Hafey’s wife, she was with Tommy for a long time, she lived football and she took people in. And Tommy couldn’t be there because he’s passed away.
“This year they’ve got Ian Nankervis who’s a great of the Geelong Football Club, past captain, he would present if they win. This year the Tigets have nominated Ash Barty, a tennis player, and I don’t like it at all.”
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