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 look at Footy Week’s review of the Tigers’ Round 15 match in the ’69 season against South Melbourne. The clash took place at the MCG on Saturday, July 19, 1969, before a crowd of 21,959. Here’s how Footy Week scribe, David Lee, reviewed Richmond’s convincing 67-point victory, under the heading: “Tigers in a savage mood” . . .

“Look out, you Cats and Hawks! The Tigers are on the prowl – and they’re hungry for a place in the finals.

That message came through loud and clear at the MCG on Saturday as Richmond gave perhaps their best performance of the season to wallop South Melbourne.

CROWD Guess the Crowd for our Round 18 match with Port Adelaide and go into the draw to win

The victory left Richmond only half a game behind fourth team Geelong on the league ladder, and a game behind third side Hawthorn, who have a poor percentage.

Nobody who saw Saturday’s game could question the validity of the Tigers’ claims for a place in the final four. For the sake of the finals as a football spectacle, it will be a shame if they don’t make it.

South Melbourne never looked like making a game of it. The Tigers were more than five goals in front at the first change – and they went right on with it.

South played their best football in the final term, but by that time Richmond’s tally looked like a cricket score.

The Tigers had stars everywhere. Certainly, they had no passengers.  South, on the other hand, had more passengers than reasonable players.

Richmond’s strength started at full-back, where Barry Richardson made John Sudholz look second-rate and Kevin Sheedy was brilliant, and extended to full-forward, where Rex Hunt spoiled an otherwise excellent performance by kicking poorly for goal.

They won clearly across the centre, where wingmen Dick Clay and Francis Bourke were supreme and Bill Barrot warmed up after a slow start to take the points against Peter Bedford.

Bourke played a magnificent first quarter, roaming far and wide and getting kicks wherever he went.  Clay was a dominating player all day and Barrot capped off a fine performance with two magnificent goals in the second half.

Royce Hart was another brilliant Tiger. His strength in the air, his cleverness on the ground and his fine kicking to position was more than Tony Haenen could handle.

Richmond skipper Roger Dean had a great tussle on his half-forward flank with Wayne Walsh. The South man battled hard all day, but Dean’s experience – and his four goals – gave him the honours.  Dean took a little lustre off his performance by foolishly handballing a couple of times and getting a team-mate into difficulties.

In the first quarter, he watched helplessly as rover Kevin Bartlett accepted a handpass and ran into a wall of South defenders. Bartlett went down heavily and was never a real force thereafter.

Richmond’s teamwork was good, their handball usually effective and their foot-passing neat. South were “handball happy” and when they did decide to put boot to ball, the kicks lacked penetration.”

Match details

Richmond             5.5           12.6        18.9        22.12 (144)

South Melb          0.2           3.2           6.6           11.11 (77)

Goals – Richmond: Dean 4, Hunt 4, Bourke 3, Hart 3, Barrot 2, Brown 2, Judd 2, Green, Jewell. 

Best – Richmond: Clay, Sheedy, Barrot, Bourke, Strang, Richardson, Hart, Jewell.

Richmond player statistics

Kevin Sheedy: 24 kicks, 2 handballs, 9 marks 

Barry Richardson: 16 kicks, 4 handballs, 9 marks

Tony Jewell: 18 kicks, 3 handballs, 8 marks 

Geoff Strang: 19 kicks, 5 handballs, 8 marks 

Ian Owen: 6 kicks, 5 handballs, 1 mark 

John Ferguson: 5 kicks, 6 handballs, 0 marks 

Francis Bourke: 20 kicks, 2 handballs, 9 marks 

Bill Barrot: 22 kicks, 3 handballs, 7 marks 

Dick Clay: 26 kicks, 3 handballs, 12 marks 

Roger Dean: 15 kicks, 8 handballs, 9 marks

Royce Hart: 17 kicks, 2 handballs, 6 marks 

Wayne Judd: 7 kicks, 1 handball, 0 marks 

John Ronaldson: 4 kicks, 3 handballs, 2 marks

Rex Hunt: 10 kicks, 1 handball, 6 marks

Billy Brown: 11 kicks, 5 handballs, 2 marks

Mike Green (off): 8 kicks, 2 handballs, 6 marks 

Mike Bowden: 13 kicks, 14 handballs, 9 marks

Kevin Bartlett: 14 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark

Mike Perry, 19th man: 1 kick, 0 handballs, 0 marks

John Perry, 20th man: 2 kicks, 0 handballs, 1 mark