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. We take a look today at Richmond’s Round 8 victory over North Melbourne at Arden Street via a match review column that appeared in The Age newspaper by Tigers star Kevin Sheedy.

“It certainly is a world in which winning counts for a lot.

Richmond are back as premiership favorites and the knockers have hopped into North Melbourne . . . all because we beat them by 25 points on Saturday.

I’m sure we’re capable of winning the flag, too, but I’m also just as certain that it would be foolish to sell North short.

We got the four points, but they will benefit tremendously from the match.

Make no mistake, they are a good side, much better than last year, and the pressure we applied will teach them a valuable lesson.

They were eager to prove themselves a top side, but the build-up to the match gave us that extra spur we sometimes need.

I think it was the best Richmond performance of the season because we had experience, youth, initiative and desperation, and the challenge of a pressure game.

I love football any time, but finals and games we are tipped to lose seem to bring that extra something from a lot of us.

Royce Hart showed his best form for quite a while and Francis Bourke, Bryan Wood and Kevin Bartlett never stopped winning kicks and applying pressure.

Our goal-to-goal line was probably the biggest factor in the win, but it was an overall effort.

We were told and told again how important the game was and everyone chased, spoiled and put the opposition under pressure all day.

Woody was the perfect example. Keith Greig played well, but it wasn’t his Brownlow Medal form because Bryan put him under so much pressure.

Woody is one of the best young players I’ve seen.

Richmond are notorious for slow starts the season after a premiership, but we’ve won six out of eight this season, and we’re improving steadily.

We must make better use of shots for goal – that’s one lesson I learned from the game.

I missed a goal in the last quarter because I misjudged the wind, but I’ll know the next time we play at North.”

Match details

Richmond                              5.7           7.9           11.15     13.17 (95)                                                

North Melbourne              1.3           5.9           6.12        9.16 (70)                                                                                                                           

Goals – Richmond: Hart 3, Balme 2, Green 2, Morris 2, Bartlett, Keane, McLean, Stewart.

Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Bartlett 32, Sheedy 26, Hart 21, Bourke 18, Morris 16, Walsh 16.

Best players (by Mike Sheahan) – Richmond: Hart (best on ground), Bartlett, Sheedy, McGhie, Balme, Keane, Morris, Cloke.

Goals – North Melbourne: Kekovich 3, Cowton 2, Wade 2, Feltham, Schimmelbusch.

Leading disposal-winners – North Melbourne: Davis 34, Burns 24, Rantall 23, Pagan 22, Feltham 21.

Best players – North Melbourne: Rantall, Davis, Greig, Burns, Cowton, Kekovich, Montgomery.

Attendance: 22,841.