In the lead-up to Richmond’s elimination final against Brisbane at the Gabba tomorrow night, Tony Greenberg reflects on the Tigers’ first-ever elimination final, which took place 47 years ago.

Richmond’s bid to keep its premiership hat-trick dream alive throughout the 1975 season depended on victory over Collingwood in what was the Club’s inaugural elimination final.

After winning back-to-back premierships under coaching ‘Immortal’ Tommy Hafey in 1973-74, the Tigers had endured a somewhat patchy season, finishing fourth at the end of the home-and-away rounds with 13 wins and nine losses.

They were ahead of Collingwood by percentage only (113.5 to 93.9), although they had decisively beaten the Magpies on both occasions during the home-and-away season (50 points in Round 6 at Victoria Park and 46 points in Round 17 at the MCG).

Before a crowd of 65,512 at Waverley Park on Saturday, September 6, the Tigers appeared well and truly headed for another convincing win against Collingwood, when they burst out of the blocks in the elimination final to lead by 28 points at quarter-time.

That lead had stretched to 32 points at the long break, and the Tiger Army was in full cry.

But in keeping with Richmond’s fluctuating ’75 season, the team fell away in the third term, being outscored by 17 points (4.1 to 1.2) to lead by just 15 points at the final change.

The Magpies, with the scent of victory in their nostrils, stormed home.

They were completely outplaying a Richmond side that had stopped to a walk, but simply couldn’t make the most of their opportunities on the scoreboard.

Time and again, they missed shots for goal they should have converted, as the Tigers lay on the ropes desperately trying to avoid the knockout punch.

With only a few minutes remaining in the contest, Collingwood had crept to within a goal and appeared set to surge ahead.

Enter Bill Nettlefold . . .

The 22-year-old, stockily-built ruck-rover (178cm, 89kg), playing just his 15^th senior game of league football, was on the end of a rare Richmond foray forward in the last quarter, taking a mark and then calmly slotting through what was to be the match-sealing goal.

It was his second goal of the final term in what turned out to be his last senior game for Richmond.

The Tigers managed to hang on, recording a four-point win – 11.11 (77) to 10.13 (73) – to keep their premiership hopes alive.

They won again the following week, beating Carlton by nine points in the first semi-final, before bowing out of the ’75 premiership race when they were downed in the preliminary final by North Melbourne, who would go on to win the premiership (their first one) that year.

Nettlefold went on to join the Kangaroos, and subsequently played in their 1977 premiership side, before finishing his league football career at Melbourne.

Here, in an interview with Tigerland historian Rhett Bartlett this week, are Bill Nettlefold’s recollections of his match-winning performance in the 1975 elimination final v Collingwood.

“That was my first final. Three years into the system, playing your first final, my 15th game, all I was really concerned about is getting ready for the game, hopefully winning, and hopefully getting a kick.

“It was a fairly wet, miserable day. My memories were that all the scribes put me in the best players. I had photographs in the paper, interviews and even on Channel Seven, I got the Mark Jeffries Player of the Week, to get a suit to the maximum value of $75.

“If I was really truthful to myself, I didn’t play very well at all.

“I remember my goals vividly. About the eight-minute mark (last quarter), I remember Bryan Wood got a free kick on the wing and he kicked it down and I was in front and took a mark around 40 metres out. The player on the mark, as I came in to kick towards the goal, jumped up in the air and I ran around him, which was highly unusual for me, then settled and kicked the drop punt and it went through. 

“Deep in the quarter we were behind . . . I took a mark around 30 metres out on a fairly tight angle and I tried to milk the angle by walking in. The umpire, Kevin Smith, wouldn’t allow that to occur, so he pushed me further back, around into the correct position. At that time, you just sit back and go right, I’ve got to do everything right, I've got to run straight, drop straight, and kick straight. And that’s what happened.”

1975 elimination final details

Richmond            5.5          7.8          8.10        11.11 (77)

Collingwood       1.1          2.6          6.7          10.13 (73)

Goals – Richmond: Edwards 3, Bartlett 2, Nettlefold 2, Balme, Green, Monteath, Wood.

Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Bartlett 20, Morris 19, Walsh 19, Balme 18, Monteath 18.

Goals – Collingwood: Wearmouth 3, Carman 2, Heard 2, Atkinson, Moore, W. Richardson.

Leading disposal-winners – Collingwood: W. Richardson 26, Shephard 21, R. Shaw 20, Wearmouth 18.