In the build-up to his final game as Richmond coach, Jeff Gieschen went to great lengths to ensure his team was fired up for the encounter against arch rival Carlton.
But Gieschen and his Tigers did not expect the sparks were also flying off the ground. The main MCG scoreboard was on fire as the match in round 22, 1999, was due to start.
Flames engulfed the scoreboard at the city end, forcing thousands of fans to evacuate the Ponsford Stand.
“It escalated really quickly as the flames started shooting up and the whole scoreboard looked like catching fire,” Gieschen said.
At one stage the match was in danger of not going ahead, but swift action by the fire brigade ensured the blaze, caused by an electrical fault, was contained quickly.
But not before it wiped out 20 percent of the scoreboard with a damage bill of almost $4 million.
“When I got out onto the ground, I could see fiery stuff dripping off the scoreboard and you could smell the smoke,” Gieschen said.
He did not even make it to the coaches' box before being told by CEO Wayne Jackson and AFL ground operations manager Jill Lindsay that the players had to return to the dressing rooms.
“Wayne and Jill informed us that if the game was delayed more than an hour they were going to postpone it,” Gieschen said.
As the Tigers and Blues prepare to do battle again on Saturday night, he recalled the emotional build-up to his 49th match as senior coach.
A few days earlier Gieschen had received a surprise visit at home from Richmond general manager Jim Malone, who informed him the Tigers were actively pursuing former premiership players Kevin Sheedy and Mick Malthouse.
The club's intent to chase experienced coaches was clear. After discussing his position with his family, Gieschen decided to quit.
“There was no guarantee they were going to get either coach, but the messaging I got was that they were pretty confident they'd get one or the other,” he said.
“I spoke to Jim on the Monday morning and made a decision that I'd resign.”
As it turned out the Tigers missed out on luring Sheedy or Malthouse back to Punt Rd and eventually settled on former St Kilda captain Danny Frawley as Gieschen's successor. ‘The Giesch', who was unleashed late in 1997 after the sacking of Robert Walls, recalled he was relaxed in the lead-up to his final match but determined to go out with a bang.
“Deep down I really wanted to win,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I left on a good note and that the boys put in a really strong performance.”
Chasing only its ninth win for the season, an undermanned Richmond was without champion forward Matthew Richardson as Carlton was preparing for another finals assault.
“We hadn't been great at various stages of the year,” Gieschen said. “We hadn't been consistent and we had a number of injuries to key players.”
As part of his pre-match preparation, Gieschen wanted to thank Richmond fans for the support they afforded him in his time at the club and arranged for members of the Tigers' cheer squad to be invited into the dressing rooms.
While the players were in a brief final meeting, supporters quietly filed in. When the players emerged to begin walking down the race, they were met with a powerful roar from the cheer squad.
But the night took a dramatic turn as the scoreboard fire forced players from both teams to stop their warm-up routines and return into their rooms.
Gieschen was deflated.
“I knew the boys were pretty pumped and our fitness staff made a decision to calm them down. Most of them put their feet up, wandered around or read the AFL Record as we kept updating them on what was going on,” he said.
Eventually the game started after a 25-minute delay. Gieschen was concerned the disruption could unsettle his team after such an emotional build-up, but instead the players responded strongly to take a 23-point lead into the first break.
“I was worried we might be a bit flat but I needn't have because the boys were magnificent,” he said. “To make a great start (4.7 to 1.2) after having them up, then down and bringing them back up probably won us the game.”
As rain continued and ground conditions deteriorated, Richmond increased its lead in the next two quarters, but Gieschen remained anxious at the final break as the Tigers held a six-goal lead.
Star Carlton midfielders Brett Ratten and Craig Bradley, who had been kept quiet, were instrumental in the Blues' last-quarter resurgence as they drew within a goal in the dying minutes.
But Ben Holland's late goal sealed an 11-point win for Richmond, much to the relief of Gieschen and the Tiger army.
“I was really thrilled that we were able to hang on,” he said. “We had worked really hard but we were very young.”
After the match Gieschen thanked the players for their efforts during his time with Richmond.
As he prepared to leave the MCG for the last time as senior coach, he described it as a hollow feeling. But there was one final moment which lifted his spirits.
“The cheer squad had waited outside our rooms to give me a terrific clap and send-off,” he said.
Gieschen would go on to become the AFL's umpires manager until 2013. These days he does coach and player mentoring in all levels of football and has been helping his son Jarrod, who is coaching the VAFA representative team against the Goulburn Valley Football League at Elsternwick Park next Saturday.
“When anybody speaks to me about my time at Richmond, a lot of people say, ‘What about the night the scoreboard caught fire?'” Gieschen said.
“If the scoreboard hadn't caught fire, my last game would have faded into oblivion.”
