AFL rewind: Matthew Richardson looks back at the umpiring decision that pushed him over the edge

Matthew Richardson was known for wearing his heart on his sleeve. But one night at the MCG, an umpiring decision pushed him over the edge. Get the inside story on what Richo was thinking.

Matthew Richardson was fuming following a late free kick.

As a Richmond man playing through one of the club’s bleakest periods, champion forward Matthew Richardson swallowed his fair share of bitter pills.

But a matchwinning mark and goal denied by umpire Brett Allen in the 2007 Dreamtime at the ‘G match against Essendon rankles like no other.

“That week one of the famous emails of the week went around and they changed the ‘hands in the back’ interpretation,” Richardson recalled this week.

“You used to be able to rest your hands on the back and sort of just hold your weight and then fall back into the mark.

“It was something I had been doing from the day I started in 1993.

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Push in the back? Picture: Channel 10

What’s your decision?

“So I thought I had taken a fair mark. I heard the whistle blow, Mal Michael was in front of me, I turned around, there was space and I thought, ‘Oh, well, I’m going to play on here and have a shot’, which I did, and kicked the goal, which I thought was a pretty good one from 50m on the boundary line and duly started celebrating.”

Richo’s goal would have put the 0-8 Tigers up by a goal in the dying minutes but umpire Allen had other ideas. He got it spot on in accordance with the league’s new ‘hands in the back’ interpretation.

“I thought it was the sealer but as I turned around to celebrate Brett Allen was motioning for a 50m penalty against me for playing on when it was a free kick to Mal Michael for a push in the back,” Richardson said.

Matthew Richardson was far from thrilled with the decision.

“I lost the plot. Essendon proceeded to go down the other end, kicked a couple of points and then Matthew Lloyd took a mark and kicked a goal after the siren to give Essendon the win.

“Lloydy has that smirk that you just want to wipe off his face.

“I’ve gone from thinking I’ve won us the game to having to watch bloody Lloydy win the game for them down the other end.

“But the thing that really annoyed me was that at the start of last year they actually changed the interpretation back again, where now you can rest your hands in the back and take a mark, as we’ve seen.

“So I want that goal back and I want the result changed.”

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Incredibly, Richardson had played at the MCG that night just seven days after cracking his cheek bone and slicing his eye socket against Port Adelaide at Football Park.

He was ruled out for four weeks but decided to play against the Bombers.

“I thought I was the bravest man in history to even play to be honest. I was going to be the hero and I ended up being the f … g villain again.

“It was a bitter pill to swallow.”

How bitter?

“Well, mate, playing for Richmond in that era, probably about the 45oth bitter pill.”

Originally published as AFL rewind: Matthew Richardson looks back at the umpiring decision that pushed him over the edge