Esteemed veteran Chris Newman has provided an interesting insight into his emotions leading into Richmond’s elimination final clash with North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, as he edges closer to retirement.
Newman announced three weeks ago that he would retire from league football when the Tigers’ 2015 campaign was over.
“It’s a different sort of feeling . . . a little bit of a weird feeling. I actually thought that I’d be feeling a little bit more tense knowing that, potentially, it could be the last time that I’m doing things around the Club, or something like that, but I don’t. I feel at ease,” Newman told ‘Roar Vision’.
“The boys think that’s the general sort of feel at the moment.
VIDEO: Tigers train for the Elimination Final
“We’ve done everything that we’ve done in the past, nothing’s changed this week, and we’re just looking forward to a big challenge.
“North are obviously going alright, they’re a good team and we respect them a lot.”
Newman believes Richmond is now far better placed to advance further into the finals series.
“We’ve had three successive finals campaigns, so hopefully we’ve matured a little bit from the first time we had our experience,” he said.
“I think the boys are just really excited and looking forward to it.
“It’s a different group to when we played Carlton two years ago and even last year.
“We feel like we’ve been practising the same things, so hopefully this time round it goes our way.”
Newman is delighted to have the opportunity to play at least one more time at the MCG.
VIDEO: The Tigers’ 2015 road to the finals
“I’m glad that I can get out on the MCG and play in front of a big crowd,” he said.
“I look forward to running down that Punt Road end and hearing the roar again pre-game.
“Everyone still talks about when we played Carlton here two years ago.
“The result didn’t go our way, but that’s a memory that I’ll always keep.
“I’ll always remember that roar. The ground was shaking.
“We’re going to have a lot of supporters there again on the weekend, so we look forward to that.
“Obviously, the trick is to try and embrace the support, but then put it to bed and concentrate on getting off to a good start . . . don’t worry about the occasion too much, and just play our best footy.”
