It’s a brave man to outshine Matthew Richardson right at the moment.
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The retired Richmond great is getting over the week of his life.
From completely tearing up on commentary sitting on the boundary line to soon after presenting the AFL premiership cup to his beloved Tigers, Devonport’s favourite son is still yet to come off that high.
He dashed out onto UTAS Stadium on Saturday evening for the Relive the Rivalry charity clash looking like he hadn’t missed a step seven days on.
First two kicks for two goals, and a hand in the third, Richardson had the Tasmanians up three goals while making their Victorian rivals appear to be suffering jetlag from their journey across Bass Strait.
Enter Brendan Fevola.
No one could miss Fev.
The rotund version of the two-time Coleman Medallist turned the always fun game in under 15 minutes.
Four goals by quarter-time to the man who ruled the Carlton goal square.
Then the Victoria All-Stars – a core group of players from the garden state and a loose number from nearly every other mainland state – were up seven goals to four.
Fevola started his first shot from a handball off one step from the 50m mark. It was just a sign of things to come.
But it all started when St Kilda goalsneak Stephen Milne, who also scored two opening-quarter goals, hit Fevola on the chest 45m out.
To a single cry in the crowd of “barrell”, he launched one old-fashioned torpedo punt that sailed through the goals above post height.
The at times partisan Launceston crowd watching the set-in-stone Hobart interstate battle for the first time couldn’t help by woo Fevola and applaud some more.
The 36-year-old would kick another two in each quarter to cooly finish with 10 goals.
Not just 10 – but with three hit-the-post shots at the same end, another few careless misses that would force David Parkin to drag him off in his day and just as many pass offs to teammates.
Fevola was so popular that he was the last one to leave the ground, swamped by fans wanting a selfie.
But it was hard to ignore the who’s who of AFL and Tasmanian football in the Launceston twilight fixture.
Adrian Fletcher was never the quickest in his day, but the four-club AFL centreman was probably the greyest on top. Though Shaun Smith could rival him on that.
Fletcher did look quicker on the ground than teammates Simon and Paul Atkins.
The Tasmanian twins who appeared like they were wearing Tasmania – not the Map on their guernsey – can argue that genetics played a part in the one-time Bulldogs recruits landing in a fair paddock.
Russell Robertson was still flying high in the air, Ang Christou was still booting his trademark long bombs, Peter Street could win the tap outs without even getting off the ground and former Sydney teammates Paul Williams and Michael O’Loughlin scuffled comically.
All the while Dustin Fletcher held Richo quiet for the last time in the Vics win.