To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1969 premiership, richmondfc.com.au is transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2019 to follow the Punt Road path to that fabulous flag triumph. Today, we take a look at The Age’s review of the Round 12 match in the ’69 season against Geelong. The clash took place at Kardinia Park on Saturday, June 21, 1969, before a crowd of 24,27. Here’s The Age football writer Jim Robb’s report on Richmond’s 27-point loss . . .
Richmond’s “muscle” tactics in the first half of Saturday’s match at Kardinia Park did not help its reputation one iota – and certainly proved costly against the brilliant Cats.
Richmond went out with the thought that Geelong would succumb to physical pressure, as it had against Collingwood the previous week.
But whereas Collingwood played good football, Richmond did not, with the result that this time the Cats were able to cruise to a decisive 27-point victory.
Richmond hit Geelong from the first bounce.
Geelong, bumping just as hard as the Tigers, scored 8.3 to 3.1 in the first term through the brilliant play of Ian Nankervis, Billy Goggin, Bill Ryan and Tony Polinelli.
Facing such a big deficit so early in the game, it was expected that Richmond would change its tactics in the second quarter and try to outplay Geelong.
But, once more, it tried to knock Geelong off balance with tough, bruising play.
The home team’s effectiveness was reduced, but it still managed to outscore the Tigers – 3.1 to 2.2.
Richmond produced its best football in the third quarter, no doubt the result of a half-time post-mortem.
Bartlett, Barrot, Dean and Bond lifted their play, helping the Tigers to reduce the half-time leeway of 37 points, but the revival was shortlived.
Geelong was able to rally through the good work of Nankervis and young ruckman Ian Hampshire, and at three-quarter time had increased its lead to 44 points.
Inaccurate kicking for goal in this term cost Richmond the chance of getting back into the game.
One bright spot for Richmond was the play of full-back Barry Richardson, who held Doug Wade for three quarters.
It wasn’t until the 30-minute mark in the third term that Wade scored his first goal from only his second mark.
The final term opened on a fiery note, with Richmond in attack more often than Geelong, but Hampshire proved a stumbling block.
He was brilliant in the air and rarely missed a mark.
Nankervis, too, was still menacing, and his good work more than made up for the blanketing of Wade.
Several times when the Richmond backmen knocked the ball away from Wade, the nippy Nankervis “sharked” it and scored.
Royce Hart and John Northey were by far Richmond’s best forwards. The others were soundly beaten by Geelong defenders Rosenow, Ainsworth, Farman and Walker.
Match details
Richmond 3.1 5.3 8.7 12.14 (86)
Geelong 8.3 11.4 15.9 17.11 (113)
Goals – Richmond: Hart 5, Clay 2, Ronaldson, Hunt, Northey, Barrot, Bond.
Best – Richmond: Hart, B. Richardson, Bowden, Barrot, Northey, Bourke.
Richmond player stats
Bill Barrot – 22 kicks, 4 handballs, 11 marks
Kevin Bartlett – 25 kicks, 2 handballs, 1 mark
Graeme Bond – 14 kicks, 3 handballs, 3 marks
Francis Bourke – 17 kicks, 3 handballs, 1 mark
Michael Bowden – 9 kicks, 11 handballs, 4 marks
Billy Brown – 3 kicks, 2 handballs, 0 marks
Dick Clay – 11 kicks, 1 handball, 3 marks
Roger Dean – 15 kicks, 3 handballs, five marks
Michael Green – 8 kicks, 5 handballs, 5 marks
Royce Hart – 14 kicks, 6 handballs, 4 marks
Rex Hunt – 3 kicks, 0 handballs, 2 marks
Tony Jewell – 13 kicks, 1 handball, 5 marks
John Northey – 9 kicks, 2 handballs, 2 marks
Ian Owen – 8 kicks, 1 handball, 2 marks
Barry Richardson – 10 kicks, 2 handballs, 5 marks
John Ronaldson – 9 kicks, 0 handballs, 2 marks
Kevin Sheedy – 10 kicks, 5 handballs, 2 marks
Keith Smythe – 6 kicks, 2 handballs, 0 marks
Geoff Strang – 7 kicks, 2 handballs, 2 marks
Ron Thomas – 5 kicks, 3 handballs, 0 marks
