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 reproduce a review of Richmond’s first semi-final victory over St Kilda at the MCG on Saturday, September 15, 1973, by The Age newspaper’s then chief football writer Percy Beames.

Six St Kilda defenders should have walked off the job in Saturday’s first semi-final against Richmond and complained to the football union.

They were grossly underpaid for the amount of work they were called upon to do.

In fairness to them history should record that Richmond beat the St Kilda defence at the MCG and not St Kilda.

The Saints’ rucks, rovers, forwards and the centre line might just as well stayed at home for all the use they were.

They were champs turned chumps in a matter of a week.

Why did it happen? Was it the fickleness of form, complacency after the win over Essendon or simply a case of too many ordinary players found wanting because of overwhelming Richmond supremacy?

Richmond, of course, is hoping that its supremacy was the true reason for it would mean the Tigers are right back in the premiership fight.

Yet it is only a week since they were the chumps. Against Carlton in the qualifying final little went right for them – and good players were scarce.

It was so different on Saturday. The poor player was the exception. No matter where the ball went Richmond could rely on one of its players winning a kick.

Some, like Kevin Bartlett and Paul Sproule, never stopped winning kicks – and how this embarrassed St Kilda.

Bartlett and Sproule would find it hard to remember many easier League games.

More often than not they did not have to battle for the ball – a depressing commentary on the St Kilda small men’s pace and pressure.

Richmond is entitled to be happy with the win.

It proved for one thing that the composition of the team against Carlton was a selection blunder.

There is no chance of the Tigers sacrificing mobility for muscle power in the preliminary final against Collingwood next week.

Selectors know they must use two players with pace and alertness to take a handpass on the half-forward flanks. They also know Rex Hunt is better value in defence than attack.

But still a few problems remain, like getting Francis Bourke and Kevin Morris back in the side, and getting results in front of goals.

Neil Balme flopped at full-forward on Saturday and selectors have to decide whether to try someone else.

Confident and in form, Balme could do the job, but he is going through a horror stretch.

Daryl Cumming in the forward pocket also had a disappointing day, but the return of Morris will help selectors. Morris can ruck-rove and Sproule can become second rover.

“We are getting back fast to something like our true form of earlier in the season,” happy Richmond officials said after the game.

They could be right, but Richmond would have a lot more to go on had Saturday’s match been any sort of a pressure game.

In this regard it was a flop.

St Kilda’s intention of making the semi-final a tough, tight affair, fell flat because it was found lacking in attack, determination and pace.

But pressure or not it was impossible not to admire Richmond’s handball. Without question this was its strength on the day.

Seventy-one handballs for the match cut St Kilda to pieces. They were invariably set up so perfectly that seldom was a Richmond player put under the “hammer”.

In footpassing, too, the Tigers were just as superior.

Had the Saints set out to try to find Richmond players with their kicks they could not have done a much better job.

In the end, Richmond won by 40 points and St Kilda can count itself lucky it was not nearer 60.

Finally, the Tigers deserve for cutting the Saints’ Star forwards out of the game. The greatest triumph was the blanketing of George Young on a half-forward flank by Kevin Sheedy.

Here is how Richmond coach Tommy Hafey and captain Royce Hart assessed the Tigers’ semi-final success against St Kilda . . .

Tommy Hafey: “We were so much more mobile than the previous week, and everyone contributed so much better, too. But we still have some problems – mainly down on the forward line. I thought the game would have been harder than it turned out to be. We did well – but we can still do better.”

Royce Hart: “We’re always better with our backs to the wall – and we really had them against the wall this time. We were the underdogs, but we took the bit in our teeth, and didn’t let up. Even in the third quarter, when St Kilda did so well, we were still in control. We had the pressure on for the full time. And in the last quarter they wilted, and we finished strongly. The way we finished made me very happy.”

Match details

Richmond         2.6       6.11     9.15     15.18 (108)                                          

St Kilda             1.5       3.8       8.14     9.14 (68)                                  

Goals – Richmond: Bartlett 2, Hart 2, Rae 2, Sproule 2, Cumming, Dean, Green, Lamb, Roberts, Stewart, Wood.

Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Bartlett 36, Sproule 31, Hart 25, Walsh 25, Rae 21, Sheedy 21, Stewart 20.

Best – Richmond: Bartlett, Stewart, Sproule, Sheedy, Walsh, Green, Rae, Hart.

Goals – St Kilda: Menzie 2, Moran 2, Davis, Mynott, Stephens, Trott, Young.

Leading disposal-winners – St Kilda: Besanko 26, Davis 23, Reynolds 21, Judson 18, Lawrence 18.

Best – St Kilda: Neale, Besanko, Lawrence, Davis, Judson, Sarau.

Attendance: 86,483.