CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Victorian AFL club, Richmond Tigers’ stirring run to the Grand Final has awakened thousands of latent football fans, and it seems they have spent the week painting Inner-East Melbourne yellow and black.
Cafes, mechanics, hairdressers to watering holes and even the town hall, the famous Richmond colours can be seen everywhere if you look in Victorian footy hub.
Surprisingly, nearly 900 kilometres North-North-East, the New South Wales town of Richmond is also painted in yellow and black, but more much different reasons.
“Yeah, it was a busy weekend for my boys” says local police chief, Officer Rusty Martin.
“It’s always gets a bit testy around this time of the year. You’ve got grand final sport, heatwaves – as well as a rise in betting errors leading into the Spring Carnival”
The Richmond, NSW, police station say that eighty percent of their foothill town is wrapped in yellow and black police tape, as the townsfolk witness the last of the Sydney-based NRL sides get dismissed from the national rugby league competition last weekend.
“Yeah it’s never a good thing to see a Queensland and Victorian grand final like this one” says Mr Martin.
“It usually results in a fair disputes across town, both argumentative and physical. My officers have been flat chat”
“We also had all the local Mad Monday’s as well… It’s just been so full on”
The overworked local policeman says it’s shame the recent plastering of yellow and black streamers isn’t due to something as positive as what’s happening in Richmond, Victoria – but even if the Swans had made the Grand Final, no one in his precinct would care.
