To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1973 premiership, we are transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2023 to follow the Punt Road path to that fabulous flag triumph. Today we take a look at brilliant rover Kevin Bartlett’s column in The Age newspaper reviewing Richmond’s qualifying loss to Carlton at the MCG on Saturday, September 8, 1973.

We got to within nine points – but that’s about all you could say for Richmond’s performance.

I’m talking about the last quarter, of course – I know we hit the front in the second quarter but it doesn’t matter then. The last quarter is the one that matters.

We were too slow, our kicking was bad and we weren’t holding our marks. And our forwards let us down badly.

Dinkum, you couldn’t get another game where so many forwards played so badly. Only Royce Hart held our attack together, but that is a big consolation.

Any bloke who kicks 5.2 from a forward flank in a losing side has every reason to be pleased. And if that bloke is Royce Hart that is good reason for cheer.

I feared for him at one stage when we went down heavily and came up limping and holding his knee. Royce is sure to be sore for a few days, but he’ll be all right.

The heart-breaking thing about Saturday’s game was that it wasn’t as if we weren’t getting enough of the play, especially in the first half and the last quarter. But we just couldn’t do anything with the ball when we got it.

As Tommy Hafey pointed out to us at half-time, we had many opportunities and a great percentage of the play. We were in attack a lot of the time but we couldn’t score.

Just have a look at the first quarter. We scored 3.2 and 3.1 of that came off Royce’s boot. And worse, the other behind was rushed. I think that makes my point about our failure in attack.

Carlton took the ball away from us far too easily and we’ll have to look at that point carefully.

We did have some pretty good players, all the same. Paul Sproule turned in one of his best games, especially when the side was down.

Kevin Sheedy tried 100 per cent all day and his courage and dedication were an example for many of us.

Dick Clay at full-back held the great Alex Jesaulenko scoreless and Jessa had to be shifted in the last quarter to a flank.

Young Mervyn Keane showed that he is a great contester – in fact, he’s played like that all year and that’s how he held his place in the side.

I also thought Stephen Rae added a lot of life to our forward line when he came on in the last quarter. He might have clinched his place in the side next week.

Carlton, of course, had some very fine players, too.

Geoff Southby was unbeatable at full-back. Though Ricky McLean tried hard, he was never really in it. But then Southby is hard to crack. He is a superb full-back.

David McKay’s high marking and surprisingly good ground play gave the Blues great drive and he was a big help to Percy Jones in the ruck.

And there was John Nicholls. His marking and palming down on the forward line were constant dangers to us.

Next week? Well, as I said, I don’t think we could put in another one like that for a long time. And we have beaten St Kilda twice so far this season.

I reckon we’ll do it again – we’d better, it’ll be our last chance.

Match details

Richmond         3.2       5.4       7.7       10.11 (71)                                

Carlton             4.4       6.9       10.13    13.13 (91)                                                        

Goals – Richmond: Hart 5, Balme 2, Bartlett, Cumming, Roberts.

Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Bartlett 24, Keane 22, Stewart 22, Walsh 22, Sproule 20.

Best – Richmond: Hart, Walsh, Stewart, Clay, Keane, Sproule, Bartlett.

Goals – Carlton: Nicholls 4, Davis 3, Walls 3, Armstrong, McKay, Walsh.

Leading disposal-winners – Carlton: Doull 24, Armstrong 23, Crosswell 22, Pinnell 20, Walsh 19.

Best – Carlton: Southby, McKay, Walls, Nicholls, Jones, Armstrong, Crosswell, Doull.

Attendance: 86,386.