During the fiery build-up to the 2019 AFL Grand Final, a hilarious sequence of events took place inside their club’s training facility. It included Richmond player Pat Naish and really made the club laugh. On a recent Monday morning, Naish took a nap on a tumbling mat. In the meantime, the rest of the team had diverse adventures. The surprise development delighted head coach Damien Hardwick, who was forced to rouse Naish from his sleep.
Designated Player pat Naish signed a two-year deal at the beginning of the 2019 season. He only had nine games with Richmond before making the move to West Coast. The incident took place in a period where Craig McRae, then-VFL coach, allowed a loose player code. According to McRae’s regulations, players were allowed to drink a bottomless supply of hard seltzers. Along with this came the flexibility to sleep whenever they desired, provided that they remained in the on-site bubble.
Coaches and staff alike were both shocked and intrigued to find Naish napping on the mat. It has been reported that all the other players selected the massage tables in the clubrooms. These clubrooms often came with changerooms too. Naish, perhaps being of a more adventurous ilk than most, decided to make the gymnastic tumbling mat his bed. When Hardwick finally woke him up, he certainly wasn’t laughing. Instead, he said he was caught off guard by the turn of events.
In retelling this funny story in describing the incident, Pat Naish told his story on Episode 3 of the podcast What Could’ve Been with Pat Naish. The podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Naish remembered how his teammates, fellow Tigers Alex Rance and now Collingwood coach Craig McRae, first covered for him.
“It’s my fault.” – Alex Rance
“It’s my fault.” – Craig McRae
The verbal jousting didn’t stop there as Naish recalled Hardwick’s response when he found Naish asleep in their shared tent. “Hey Dimma, how are ya mate? How good’s this, we just won a flag!” Naish, with characteristic humor, didn’t have problem recalling what would happen when you woke Naish up.
This incident not only highlights the camaraderie within the Richmond Football Club but serves as a reminder of the lighter moments that can occur even in high-pressure situations like preparing for an AFL Grand Final. This perfect storm of relaxed rules fostered a magical world where players made friends and got wild. In this environment, they received the comfort and confidence they needed during a formative time.
