Against a backdrop of complex issues named for a man of multiple talents, Essendon and Richmond’s contrasting styles delivered sweet pandemonium
Football is constantly lurching from the sublime to the farcical and the execrable. The Sir Doug Nicholls Round was no exception. Like the man it honoured – a boxer, footballer, professional sprinter, Minister, social worker, Governor and leader of his people – the round contained multitudes. From the riveting (Collingwood), to the rickety (Carlton) and wretched (West Coast), this round had the lot.
You have to suspend disbelief as a football fan sometimes. An hour after a coach who denies an accusation of pressuring a First Nations couple to terminate a pregnancy stepped down, the league endorsed a voice to parliament. A few days later, the same coach was given a round of applause at the 23rd minute mark of the first quarter. A few hours later, his team was denied its tenth win in three years because of an interchange infringement.
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