Richmond

There are a lot of things that were fantastic in the seventies but are a bit shit now. Discos, flares, drink driving, sexual harassment, women with big bushy body parts, men with big bushy body parts - all of these were top of their game in the "orange and brown" decade, but these days they're about as popular as Ricky Nixon at a year 10 social.  The Tigers were also unreal in the seventies but, these days, they look a bit like the only Leyland P76 in the AFL car park. It has been a very long time since Tigers fans have had anything to celebrate, so  they've learned to take their wins where they can get them. Drug addicted ex-Brownlow medallist getting a run at training?  The Tiger faithful turn up in record numbers and spend the pre-season planning where to watch the premiership. 

But the latest to get the Tiger’s fans in a frenzy is the rebirth of a Tiger’s institution - the temperamental forward. Following in the trail blazed by the likes of Brian Taylor and the recently canonised Saint Richo comes probably the world's greatest man-child, Jack Riewoldt.  Seemingly coming from nowhere, Juvenile Jack started the 2010 season determined to get more attention than cousin Nick (who had to resort to nude modelling to get more column inches in the Herald Sun).  And just as the P76 won Wheels Magazine Car of the Year award in 1973 despite its many obvious failings, Jack ended 2010 as the AFL’s Coleman Medallist.  Not one to let this attention go to his head, Jack has decided to put goal kicking on the back-burner this season as he follows his next passion – to lead the AFL table in public apologies.  So far this year Jack is sorry for giving the finger to the Hawks, sincerely sorry for that really creepy climbing the stairs incident after being concussed against the Saints, unmentionably sorry for yelling at the medical staff who told him he couldn't play with half his head hanging off, and only mildly apologetic for leaking the round 9 Rising Star nominee on Twitter (but he called a press conference all the same).

So to the Richmond faithful, forget about the 103 point flogging you got from the Blues – you’ve got a dead set star to get behind.  He’s only got a few weeks left, but Jack looks like a dead cert to take out the 2011 Wayne Carey Apology Trophy.  And that’s something worth celebrating.