There’s nothing more tigerish than a wounded tiger

On a Monday morning, I wrote a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), about a bloke called Simon Matthews. He works for the Richmond Football Club. I posted a photograph of him, pulled from the club’s website. 

This is who he is.

I’m squaring up to him, letting him know what’s coming.

And yes, it’s personal.

Because Simon Matthews long ago played the man with me. He was rude, disrespectful, ungenerous – to me, to my family, to all who I had written about, all those voices in the outer, barracking for a team – a club – we hold as one. His behaviour came from a position of power. A big bloke, throwing his weight around.

He didn’t have to, not with all I was doing for him, for so many others.

I’m not afraid to stand up to one like him. 

He ought to know this.

Cause there’s nothing more tigerish than a wounded tiger.

It’s how it is and always should be in Struggletown.

Just ask one of finest, maybe our greatest.

Dusty.

Has he ever taken a backward step for the yellow and black?

I am emboldened. By all who joined Chris Rees and I and others at the Cherry Tree Hotel in the backstreets of Richmond before the Dreamtime Game. It was a beautiful crowd. By all who’ve emailed and texted, made contact, offered support. And especially by those who posted comments on my recent Tiger Tiger Burning Bright post. 

If you care to read them, look here: An open letter to Richmond fans (about Simon Matthews, recycling, and this Saturday afternoon). 

Two pieces of correspondence illustrate the range of responses.

One, from Mark Romage via X, read:

@MarkRomage

May 25

Wow! I don’t know you and don’t even think I’ve heard of you, so to read of your contribution to the 2017 flag was a bit of a surprise. You come across as bitter that you got no recognition. 1/2

May 25

I also don’t know S. M, but if BG endorses him, that’s probably good enough for me. I’m sure he wants the club to flourish in his absence. You’re not the 1st bloke to be sacked from a footy club, (what is it you did?) and you won’t be the last. Move on and let Richmond do the same.

The second, from Judith Taylor, was written as a reply to the post, and sent as a comment:

I’m so sorry to hear that you have fallen on hard times, Dugald. I don’t know you personally but I wrote to you to do a story on my dad Jack Lanigan who lived in Port Fairy. You could not get to Port Fairy but you rang him up. I think he told you some poetry. I just wanted to say, I loved reading your stories about how much people loved Richmond. My father has passed away and not having the best time in his final years the 2017, and the 2019 premierships made his life so much happier. He never made it to see the 2020 grand final. But reading your story made me think of him, Jack used to say that football used to bring people together and it meant so much to him. He used to hate the off season. I am still a mad Richmond supporter and going to the first match of the year, down at the Gold Coast I love the Richmond Supporters. We were getting a belting and in the third quarter we all came together yelling and shouting to spur the boys on. For that third quarter when the Tigers made an effort, it was like we were all family.
All the best and I hope things get better for you.
Take care.

This is what I did for the Richmond Football Club.

I acknowledged people, gave them my time. 

I listened to their stories, and then shared them, wove them into a greater narrative.

One of togetherness. 

I telephoned an old man who lives in Port Fairy, to respect his story, who he was, to let him say what he needed to say. And my goodness I gave him the opportunity to entertain me with his poetry!

For no financial gain, no personal aggrandisement. 

I did it because I believe in the crowd, in the power it can harness, in what it can do. Every voice counts. And I know of my capacity to help, on what I could do to help turn the woebegone fortunes of Richmond. 

We have to believe in ourselves, in our abilities to make a difference.

In answering to Mark Romage, this is part of what I did.

And in time I will make contact with Brendon Gale to ask if he does, indeed, endorse Simon Matthews as the club’s next CEO.

And if he does, I will disagree with this decision.

And explain why.

Week-by-week, for this season, I’ll write about Simon Matthews.

And the politics of our football club, how it has chosen to undertake its business.

But now is not the time for that.

Ours is a week for celebration, rejoicing.

A great win away in Adelaide, and a distinguished milestone game for the greatest ever warrior for our footy club. 

Nobody will ever again do what Dusty has done.

It can never be taken from him. 

But a reminder to Mark Romage, and all others: our Dustin Martin once did toy with leaving Punt Road. 

Simon Matthews was implicated, through his brother, the CEO of GWS.

An AFL appointee.

It was in the 2013 off-season, and Dusty caught a plane to Sydney, and all our hearts were in the air, and I wrote an open letter to him, and will never have any idea if he or his manager ever read it, but it doesn’t matter, because the putting down of the words is sometimes enough. 

I’ve not read it again, but others might like to: An open letter to Dusty | dugald jellie (wordpress.com)

This Saturday afternoon I’ll be going to my first game of the season, alone, for him.

Tiger tiger burning bright