A cold ,wet, blustery , saturday morning,  in Melbourne.

A small inner city football oval , the Peanut Farm Reserve , Chaucer st , St Kilda . A ground steeped in history , it sits in the shadow of Luna Park , and the beach .

VFL Vintage Saints

Two teams of young men playing AFL Football. The Home side dressed in the famous red, white  and black,  traditional strip , of St Kilda Saints. Playing are  amateur side , St Kilda City ,versus a team dressed in the red , yellow and black, traditional indigenous strip .

Each is  playing footy , proudly wearing their team's , football jumpers , jerseys , guerneys .

Thousands of young people , male and female ,all around the country, take to footy ovals on a wet , cold, saturday morning , to play the game they have grown up with.

Clearly, its a game they have also grown to love . Why else would they brave the artic weather conditions, mud slides, and an early rise on a winters saturday morning .? Its all part of the fun .

Supporters too , meet , greet ,cheer , have a yarn and a laugh , all barracking for their team in their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys .

Maybe they'll witness a future Robert Harvey take a screamer , or maybe not .

Its just good fun at the footy .

St Kilda City

Matthew Richardson the likeable Tasmanian footballer announced his retirement from the Richmond FC over the summer break.

Tonight he will be honoured as one of the all time great players when he walks a lap of honour around the MCG.

This walk is pre game entertainment prior to the first match of the 2010 AFL Season between Richmond and Carlton .

There has been much coverage of this event in the media and cardboard cut out face masks of 'Richo' are available .

Large numbers of fans off both teams will be at the game in their team colour jumper , jersey , guernsey , some with the masks.

This repeats a trend that has developed when great players retire . A recent example was when Robert Harvey retired from the St Kilda Saints.

Avid supporters will wear or hold up the "Richo" mask above their jumper , jersey , guernsey.

It raises the question about other players retirements.

When Barry Hall retires from the Western Bulldogs will the MCG be awash with cardboard cut outs of his face . A very scary thought!