Richo longs for Tassie side

TASMANIAN-BORN Richmond Tiger Matthew Richardson says a proposal for North Melbourne to increase its commitment to Tasmania was a “viable option” although he longs for the day his home state has an AFL team of its own.

A relocation strategy put out by Craig Hutchison, host of Channel 9 show Footy Classified, on Monday involved the Kangaroos playing nine games in Tasmania, nine in Melbourne, and establishing a permanent training base in the state.

Richardson, who was in Hobart to support the Cancer Council of Tasmania, saw merit in the plan, and potential unrest among North fans.

“That would be tough to take if you were a North Melbourne fan because I’m pretty sure you’d want to see most of your games in Melbourne,” Richardson said.

“But it’s a viable option.

“For me, being Tasmanian, the main thing in the future would be to have a standalone Tasmanian team, not a relocated team.

“You want to have footy down here though so if that’s the model they want to pursue then at least there will be some games of footy in Tasmania.

“Overall, I think the best option is a Tasmanian team.”

But Richo cannot see that happening any time soon.

“I think that will be a long way off at the moment,” he said.

“They are still trying to establish these new teams in the new areas — the new franchises in Western Sydney and the Gold Coast.

“There are still issues there with those teams. I don’t see a new standalone team here while they are still trying to get those up and running.”

Richardson supported the push to bring AFLW games to Tasmania.

“I saw North Melbourne might be involved in a women’s franchise down here and that would be great,” he said. “But, again, I’d like to see our own women’s team, not a Victorian team that comes and plays a couple of games.

“It’s better to have some footy than none so if that’s the way we can have a women’s team down here at the moment then that’s the best option.”