To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1969 premiership, richmondfc.com.au is transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2019 to follow the Punt Road path to that fabulous flag triumph. Today, we take a look at The Age newspaper’s review of the Tigers’ Round 6 match in the ’69 season against Melbourne. The clash took place at the MCG on Saturday, May 10, 1969, before a crowd of 26,848. Here’s how The Age football writer Ken Hooper reported on Richmond’s 28-point win, under the heading: “Tigers still need polish”.
Richmond crushed Melbourne at the Saturday with a three-quarter effort which showed the Tigers’ coach Tom Hafey that he still has a lot of rough edges to polish if Richmond is to pose a premiership threat.
For three quarters Richmond scrambled goalwards against much weaker opposition, but it faded completely when Melbourne produced fast, play-on football in a do-or-die last quarter bid.
Even the seagulls on the grandstand had given the game away as a dead loss when John Beckwith “roasted” his players on the field at three-quarter time.
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His call for the Demons to forget the score on the board and play football paid dividends – Melbourne scored 4.7 in the last term to Richmond’s five points.
Hafey said later that the last quarter fade was not worrying because Richmond had shown it could play 100 minutes of good football against good sides.
However, the lapse was a dangerous one, and against a more competent team, Richmond could have been in more trouble.
But for three quarters, Richmond had complete command. It should have notched a higher score, but wasted many opportunities and kicked inaccurately.
The big feature of Richmond’s game was the ability of Bill Barrot, Royce Hart, Kevin Bartlett and Ray Ball to send the Tigers into attack with raking drop kicks.
But this was where much of the team’s high tally of behinds came from. Players on the run were kicking the ball up to 50 and 60 yards into the teeth of goal, where it was rushed through for a behind.
Big Rex Hunt solved the problem to some extent when he started moving out for the ball, but all too often he missed easy shots.
Hart showed that he is right at his peak with a fine exhibition of high marking and kicking.
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The Demons made their comeback in the last quarter when Ross Dillon, Trevor Rollinson, Dennis Clarke and Ray Biffin suddenly found form. Biffin, who had taken a pounding from the Richmond rucks, started dragging down strong marks and repeatedly drove the Demons goalwards.
However, Melbourne had left its run far too late and never really posed a threat to the Tigers.”
Match details
Richmond 4.4 11.13 16.20 16.25 (121)
Melbourne 3.3 7.4 9.8 13.15 (93)
Goals – Richmond: Hunt 4, Bond 3, Dean 3, Northey 2, Bartlett 2, Ronaldson, Hart.
Best – Richmond: Bartlett, Hart, Barrot, Ronaldson, Clay, Hunt.
Richmond player statistics
Kevin Sheedy: 8 kicks, 4 handballs, 3 marks
Barry Richardson: 4 kicks, 0 handballs, 2 marks
John Ronaldson: 13 kicks, 3 handballs, 5 marks
Geoff Strang: 12 kicks, 1 handball, 3 marks
Ray Ball: 15 kicks, 1 handball, 5 marks
Des McKenzie: 11 kicks, 1 handball, 3 marks
Francis Bourke: 20 kicks, 5 handballs, 4 marks
Bill Barrot: 23 kicks, 3 handballs, 8 marks
Dick Clay: 23 kicks, 3 handballs, 12 marks
John Northey (off): 12 kicks, 5 handballs, 1 mark
Royce Hart: 18 kicks, 4 handballs, 12 marks
Roger Dean: 17 kicks, 1 handball, 5 marks
Mike Patterson: 13 kicks, 2 handballs, 5 marks
Rex Hunt: 13 kicks, 2 handballs, 9 marks
Graeme Bond: 15 kicks, 6 handballs, 3 marks
Mike Green: 6 kicks, 3 handballs, 5 marks
Mike Bowden: 4 kicks, 9 handballs, 2 marks
Kevin Bartlett (off): 26 kicks, 5 handballs, 8 marks
Derek Peardon (19th man on 4th quarter): 0 kicks, 0 handballs, 0 marks
Brian Shinners (20th man on, 4th quarter): 0 kicks, 0 handballs, 0 marks
