There is something special about playing at the MCG.

It’s the ‘home of football’ and hosts the biggest games of the season – including the Grand Final. It is also where players can really make a name for themselves by performing on the big stage.

I still remember when guys like former North Melbourne Captain Wayne Carey used to strut around the MCG as though he owned the place – and he did. I can’t count the number of times he almost single-handedly won games for the Kangaroos off his own boot in finals at the ground. He just seemed to lift a notch when he played there in front of big crowds.

Jared Brennan really kicked on as a player after booting seven goals against the Pies at the MCG back in 2007 while young Essendon midfielder David Zaharakis just recently etched himself in MCG footy folklore with a match-winning goal against Collingwood in their traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster.

I guess I am fortunate enough to have had some very fond memories at the ‘G’ having been part of three premierships sides with the Lions – but our recent history at the venue hasn’t been quite as memorable.

We lost both matches there last year including a belting from the Bulldogs and a one-point loss to the eventual wooden-spooners, Melbourne.

In fact, we haven’t won a match away from the Gabba in almost a year. It’s an amazing stat considering we travel every second week.

We really need to start winning games away from home to get a bit of momentum and make up some ground on the rest of the competition. There is no point just winning our Gabba games and treading water around the middle of the pack.

While a win interstate would generate some confidence among our playing group, I’m sure it would also be well received by our Victorian members who haven’t had too much to cheer about in the past year.

We lost a few heart-breakers down in Melbourne towards the end of 2008 and copped a fair few sprays from our fans down there. Hopefully we can keep them happy with a win over Richmond this Saturday.

One guy who won’t be out there on the weekend for the Tigers is Matthew Richardson who hurt his hamstring last week against the Swans and is probably going to miss the next 10 weeks.

Richo is a fantastic bloke and I wish him all the best with his recovery. I think pretty much everyone in the football world loves watching the big fella play.

The cheers he received at the Brownlow Medal dinner last year when he almost took out the award were testament to his popularity among his peers.

He is a unique creature in that he seems to have gotten better with age. He is 34 years old, 197cm tall and has the endurance equal to that of a midfielder in their prime. He is just a phenomenal athlete.

I can’t start to imagine what I’ll be doing in seven years time when I reach his age, but it’s probably fair to say you won’t see me running around on the wing in the AFL.