PROUD TIGER PROWLS DEEP IN ENEMY TERRITORY
HERNE Hill’s John Pratt grew up in a family and city obsessed with the Geelong Football Club.
His parents and seven older siblings all barracked for the Cats, and so did most of his Geelong schoolmates. But John was a black (and yellow) sheep.
He was 10 years old when Richmond beat the Cats in the 1967 grand final, and decided it was time to tell his family the terrible truth — his heart lay with the Tigers.
Now 61, Mr Pratt has been an agent for the Tiger army in enemy territory for half a century.
And with his team taking on the Cats in Friday night’s preliminary final, the brave soldier was already firing shots when he caught up with the Geelong Advertiser yesterday.
“Geelong should get ready for Mad Monday; that’s what they’re best at,” he said with a grin.
“I reckon we can do it. We won’t underestimate the Cats, but we’ve got Dusty (Martin), Cotchy (Trent Cotchin and (Daniel) Rioli.”
A long-time Tigers member, Mr Pratt attends all of Richmond’s Victorian games, and even some interstate with a close-knit group of mates, including Peter Visser, a member for more than 50 years.
He even used to be the volunteer bus driver for the club’s now defunct Geelong-based supporter club.
Aside from converting one of his 27 nieces/nephews to the Tigers, he relishes his role as a rogue Richmond supporter among an extended family that now numbers almost 50, most of them Cats fans.
“I went along with the family until I was 10. We used to go to all the Cats home games. But it was the Tigers theme song that got me — that and Royce Hart.
“Whenever Richmond beat Geelong I used to deliberately go into the (Geelong) city in all my Richmond gear and make a point of walking around. Admittedly there was a time when that didn’t happen very often, especially when Gary Ablett Senior was playing.”