To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1974 premiership, Richmond Media is transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2024 to follow the Punt Road path to that tremendous triumph. Today we take a look at Peter McFarline’s match review in The Age newspaper of Richmond’s victory over St Kilda at Moorabbin in Round 5 of the ’74 season . . .

St Kilda coach Allan Jeans’ fondness for constant positional changes finally cost his team victory at Moorabbin on Saturday.

Jeans made so many changes in the second quarter against Richmond that even his own players didn’t know what was happening.

In the confusion that followed, Richmond wingman Wayne Walsh was left on his own, half-forward Robert Lamb had no-one minding him and centre half-back Francis Bourke roamed the defence with no cares – St Kilda had no centre half-forward!

The result was inevitable. Walsh, Lamb and Bourke ran riot and the Tigers, outplayed in the first quarter, got back into the game to lead at half-time and then proceeded to outclass the Saints in the last half.

It was half-time before Jeans could get around to putting Neil Besanko on to Walsh, Stephen Theodore on to Lamb and reminding Allan Davis that he was centre half-forward for the day.

But the damage was done.

Richmond could just about have gone home at half-time if its forwards had kicked straight.

As it was, 3.10 in the second quarter only served to keep the optimistic St Kilda fans thinking they still had a chance.

They didn’t – as Richmond proved by kicking 8.9 to 6.7 in the second half.

While Jeans was confusing everyone, it was a shrewd move by Richmond coach Tom Hafey that had a dramatic effect on the game.

Mid-way through the second quarter, he switched Mal Brown to full-forward and Rex Hunt to centre half-forward.

Brown had been held kickless by fellow West Australian Russell Reynolds until then, while Hunt had been shockingly inaccurate.

Their troubles ended with the switch. Hunt dominated to such an effect that he took 13 marks and had 17 kicks (most of them long and straight).

Brown, resisting the obvious urge to tangle with the fearsome Kevin Neale, marked well, kicked three goals, and used his great football brain to set up about five others for team-mates.

St Kilda just fell apart while all this was happening.

The handball which had helped the Saints kick 6.4 in the first term went haywire and players started making elementary errors – mishandling in the surprisingly good conditions and kicking straight to opponents.

St Kilda kicked 2.5 in the second and third quarters and although it came home strongly in the last, it was only because Richmond relaxed slightly.

The Tigers’ performance merely underlined their great strengths. They had fine defenders in Bourke, Laurie Fowler and Robert McGhie, enterprising forwards in Lamb, Stephen Rae, Hunt and Brown and, of course, Kevin Bartlett.

Bartlett had his worst tally of kicks for the season – 29 – but he made the Saints, who said their roving worries were over, look sick.

Paul Callery and Bruce Duperouzel just couldn’t match him in any department despite the fact that Brian Mynott and Jeff Sarau held a slight edge in the ruck.

St Kilda had its triers – none better than ruck-rover Travis Payze, Mynott and Sarau and Stuart Trott, who played in defence for much of the game.

But it was a bitter lesson for Allan Jeans.

He knows now what he has always suspected – juggling his players against the very top sides just won’t work.

Match details

Richmond            4.1           7.11        11.13     15.20 (110)
St Kilda                  6.4           7.5           8.9           13.12 (90)

Goals – Richmond: Brown 3, Hunt 3, Green 2, Rae 2, Bartlett, Carter, Lamb, McKellar, Sheedy.

Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Bartlett 29, Lamb 23, Rae 22, Sheedy 21, Hunt 20, Walsh 19.

Best players – Richmond: Hunt (best on ground), Bourke, Bartlett, Walsh, Fowler, Rae.

Goals – St Kilda: Payze 3, Bell 2, Davis 2, Duperouzel 2, Callery, Elliott, Reynolds, Young.

Leading disposal-winners – St Kilda: Theodore 24, Davis 22, Payze 22, Duperouzel 21, Elliott 19.

Best players – St Kilda: Payze, Sarau, Mynott, Duperouzel, Trott, Davis.

Attendance: 29,784