Images from Richmond’s 1928 runners-up season has surfaced online as a result of the digitisation of The Richmond Guardian newspaper.
They were photographed by Mr J. Webber, on request of the newspaper who “realising the great interest taken in the doings of the Richmond Football Club” created a football section that season which they claim “has not been attempted before by any local paper in Australia.”
Their announcement was published to their readers on page 3 of the April 21st, 1928 edition.
Webber’s images were a vast improvement to the previous season’s coverage by the Richmond Guardian, where they would print player caricatures in their match reports instead of images from the match.
Below is a sample of the images, with additional context by Richmond Historian Rhett Bartlett, who financed the digitisation.
PRE-SEASON
This image below from the April 14th intra-club practice match shows backman Bennie Lunn marking over Jack Baggott.
Paddy Scanlan, pictured on far left, only ever played Reserves for Richmond, never Seniors. It’s interesting to note that one team is wearing a version of the vertical striped Richmond guernsey last worn in 1909.
Baggott, seen below marking unattended, would lead the club goalkicking this year with 61, including a then-club record of 12 goals in a match.
Humphries, second from the right, never played a Senior or Reserve game despite being named as emergency a couple of time.
ROUND 1
Action shots show the play very close to the camera, allowing us to see 6ft 1 future Hall of Famer Tom O’Halloran rise for a mark.
Notice North Melbourne’s V guernsey design – worn until the end of the 1932 season.
Full-back Jack Bisset is seen here on his Richmond debut, clearing the kick out of defence. He would later coach South Melbourne in their 1933 premiership win over Richmond.
ROUND 3
Below is as close to the action as a photographer can get!
Joe Murdoch, future Hall of Famer, tussles with Harry Collier (future two-time Collingwood Premiership captain.)
One of the best images of the whole season, rover Doug Hayes receives a spray of water during the three-quarter time interval against Collingwood.
ROUND 4
Joe Murdoch, Harry Weidner, Jack Bisset, and George Rudolph walking off together at half-time.
ROUND 5
One of the most striking footy compositions – Jack Baggott claims a mark near the boundary (he would go on to kick the goal), while Footscray’s Charlie Gaudion is snapped mid-flight. On the left is Basil McCormack, who won win his second consecutive Best and Fairest this year.
ROUND 6
A previously unseen team photo, from the Tigers seven-point loss against Essendon at Windy Hill.
Roy Outram, in his third senior game, is seen here on the boundary line about to turn towards goal, while George Rudolph prepares to come in to shepherd. Outram would only play one more senior match.
ROUND 9
A rarely seen historic Richmond photograph.
The team photo from the day the Tigers kicked a then club record 21.16.142
Jack Baggott’s 12 goals 6 behinds was a club record at the time, and is still the second most in our history. “There were no gifts in his twelve goals; he earned each and every one of them.”
ROUND 13
Another rarely seen team photo surfaces.
Only 15 of the 18 players line up for their picture, before the clash against Carlton at Punt Road.
Unnamed in the printed image, I’ve attempted to name the players:
Don, McCormack, Harris , Baggott , Bisset , Goding , Weidner , Bentley, Murdoch, Judkins, Gallagher , Reg Baker , Fincher, O’Halloran, Lilburne
Not in photo: Empey, Rudolph and Watson.
