Simon Richards to play on for St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers
Former Tigers captain Simon Richards is the last of the premiership players coached by Luke Beveridge still at the club. And the good news for SBMT is he’s going on in 2021.
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He’s the last of “Bevo’s boys’’.
Simon Richards turns 32 in October, which, in football terms, means he’s getting on a bit.
But the year off because of COVID-19 has freshened up a body that has taken a lot of knocks and he’s committed to playing on at St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers next year.
And so the Tigers will continue to have a playing link to their spectacularly successful years under Luke Beveridge.
Beveridge steered St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers to the 2006 premiership in C grade, the 2007 premiership in B grade and, crowning all, the 2008 premiership in A grade, making VAFA history.
Richards is the last of the premiership players at the club. He laughs that he “parachuted in’’ for 2008 with his twin brother Chris, who left ahead of 2020 to play with Old Mentonians.
Both made an impressive landing, and gave the Tigers sterling service.
A St Peter’s junior, Simon attended St Bede’s College and was good enough to be on the lists of the Sandringham Dragons in 2006 and Sandringham Zebras in the VFL in 2007.
He was with the Tigers full-time in 2008, just in time to get a piece of the premiership action under Beveridge.
In a grand final that former VAFA scribe Jonathon Horne positioned as the “upstarts taking on the aristocrats’’, the Tigers defeated Collegians by 30 points to complete their herculean hat-trick.
For Richards, it seems a long time ago. He was 19 and with Chris, Jack Hellier, Peter McGettigan, Brett Collins and Dean Porter was part of a youthful influx to the senior side.
“I don’t even remember much about the granny, really,’’ he was saying last night. “So many years have gone past now … but what I do remember is we were OK that year, but not amazing.
“We were ageing. We had a pretty old list. But now that I look back I realise our young blokes were really good and brought something to the team.
“The granny, it was windy — one of the worst, windy days I’ve played footy in — and it was just howling straight into the goals. We basically kept them to a nil-all draw in the first quarter and then we kicked six goals in the second quarter.
“At half time were wondering how it was happening because we were heavy underdogs. No one had given us a shot to get close to them because of who they had in their side that year. The feeling after the game was amazing. I was with all these senior guys. ‘Juice’ (Luke Wintle) taught me at school, Sammy Anstey taught me at school. It was pretty special.’’
Richards was grateful to have played under Beveridge (and more recently has enjoyed playing alongside his son Kye).
Richards said he made mistakes in his first year of senior football and would “cop a spray’’, but “you always felt like Luke was on your team’’.
“He wasn’t yelling at you because he didn’t like you or he thought you were no good. It was the exact opposite. He cared so much. He was upset for you that you’d made a mistake,’’ he said.
“Everything was about the team. There were tough calls that needed to be made and he would always back his decision.
“In the granny he told ‘Juice’ to kick against the wind if he won the toss. And everyone thought we were mad. But he had so much belief in how he saw the game going.’’
Richards thought premierships would come to St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers every year, such was the air of invincibility that had swept through the club.
His attitude, he said, was “come on, get those medals ready, put our names on them.’’
“C, B, A … in 2009 I thought we’d just do it again, because we had such a good, strong culture,’’ Richards said.
“Even if we lost, we’d sort of celebrate our losses. Well, not celebrate them, but our culture was, you play the game and if you win, great, and you went as hard even if you lost. ‘Rat’ (Paul) Wintle would always come up to me if I was sitting there in the dumps after a game and say, ‘Move on mate, that’s it, we’ve got to play our game after the game’.’’
But premierships have been elusive since 2008 for Richards and the Tigers. He’s played in three more grand finals — 2011 and 2013 in A grade and 2016 in B grade — and each was lost.
He was made captain in 2012, taking over from James Tyquin.
It came at a time when the club had farewelled some of its most accomplished players. He felt he got the job in “default setting’’ circumstances.
“I didn’t warm to it as quickly as what people wanted me to, because I felt there was no one else to do it sort of thing,’’ Richards said. “But I’ve been told since that they thought I was the right person regardless.’’
He was skipper for six years.
What’s next for the last of “Bevo’s boys?” Midfielder Richards is sure his best football is behind him, but he wants to ensure the Beveridge years go through the ears of the next group of Tigers.
“I love watching the young blokes and I need to see them put the place in a good position before I go,’’ Richards said.
“The baton has to be passed on to ensure the uniqueness of the joint, that fabric, is never lost. That’s what the older blokes showed me. They showed me the time of my life.’’
The 2008 St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers premiership team
Paul Wintle, Luke Wintle (c), Sam Anstey, Ben Phibbs, Brett Collins, Jonathan Kane, Anthony Scafidi, Andrew Scafidi, Chris Richards, Simon Richards, Sam Hecker, Paul Groves, Michael Hazell, Daniel Poynton, James Tyquin, Jamie Maddocks, Jack Hellier, Dean Porter, Michael Wintle, Peter McGettigan, Patrick Nicholls, Luke Terrell.
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