To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1973 premiership, we have been 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 Richmond’s team selection for the ’73 Grand Final against Carlton in an article from The Age newspaper by its chief football writer at the time, Percy Beames.
Richmond selectors played it tough last night. Ruck-rover Kevin Morris’ reward for training his heart out was to be chosen as 19th man for the Grand Final against Carlton.
If Morris does as well as captain Royce Hart did last week the Tigers will be happy.
Hart helped swing the preliminary final against Collingwood Richmond’s way when brought on as 19th man after half-time.
This week the Tigers are not taking half-measures with Hart. He is back in his old place at centre half-forward.
Rex Hunt has got the big job of looking after Carlton captain-coach John Nicholls.
The half-back line remains Francis Bourke, Robert McGhie and Mervyn Keane.
Morris’ lack of hard match conditioning influenced selectors against gambling on him for a full game.
The ruck-rover had got up limping after a fierce tussle with team-mate Laurie Fowler.
Morris had trained vigorously for just on 70 minutes before coach Tom Hafey called him to the centre of the MCG for a final test.
Ordinary training, in which he had sprinted, twisted, turned and competed for marks, failed to fault his hamstring injury.
Twice Hafey kicked the ball out towards the fence, sending Morris and Fowler in hot pursuit.
The next time Hafey hurled the ball low at their feet, yelling to Fowler to tackle Morris hard.
Fowler did, Morris was crashed to the ground and, in the mix-up, Fowler fell across the ruck-rover’s ankle.
Morris limped on getting up but Hafey sent him on another 50-yeard tussle for the ball with Fowler.
By then Morris had reached exhaustion point and he had to return to the medical rooms at Richmond to recuperate.
Morris had only one fault to find with the test: it came too late in the training session.
“My hamstring and ankle went well and I thought I had done enough to prove my fitness in the early training sessions,” Morris said.
The doctor feels Morris is fit enough to stand up to part but not the whole of a tough Grand Final.
“You need to be able to play five quarters when it comes to a Grand Final. Morris, because he has been out for a month, is not fit enough for that,” the doctor said.
The Tigers are banking on Hunt’s marking and greater pace getting results against Nicholls.
“We have given Hunt the first crack at Nicholls. We believe he can do the job and now it is up to him to prove we are right,” chairman of selectors Alan Cooke said last night.
Hunt has turned on several good displays at full-back and centre half-back and he did well when shifted to the back pocket against Collingwood last week.
But if Hunt fails, Hafey will not be slow to swing McGhie to the back pocket, Bourke to centre half-back and Kevin Sheedy to a half-back flank.
Sheedy starts on a half-forward flank where he has replaced Robert Lamb.
Bourke took things easy last night and spent most of the training session in kick-for-kick with Hart. Bourke is still troubled with calf soreness but he is not worried.
“The soreness is clearing up and I’ll be all right,” he said.
Full-forward Neil Balme felt twinges of hamstring soreness last night but the doctor is not worried.
Balme said he felt a few twinges but he had been told the soreness would not get worse.
Balme left the field early when training at the MCG last Tuesday.
