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 look at Footy Week’s review of the Tigers’ Round 17 match in the ’69 season against Melbourne. The clash took place at the MCG on Saturday, August 9, 1969, before a crowd of 23,519. Here’s how Footy Week scribe, David Lee, reported on Richmond’s 40-point win under the heading: “SLEEPY TIGERS” . . .
“Richmond showed on Saturday why they never quite make it. They go to sleep!
For three quarters against Melbourne they looked like the answer to a Tiger supporter’s prayer: Good.
For the other – the second – they were awful.
It has been typical of Richmond’s hot-and-cold performances since they turned it on in the 1967 Grand Final.
The Tigers jumped away to a commanding lead in the first quarter on Saturday. They deserved to.
Still smarting from last week’s defeat, Richmond started the game as if they planned to wipe the Demons from the map.
They were faster, more determined – and their kicking was superb.
They led 7.1 to 1.3 at quarter-time – but what happened after that?
What happened was that the Demons started to play in front. And they started to look for two of the best forwards in the business – Greg Parke and Ross Dillon.
Parke, at centre half-forward, Dillon at full-forward, ruckman Max Walker and the Melbourne little men began to make their presence felt.
The Richmond centreline – Dick Clay, Eric Moore and Francis Bourke – clear winners in the first quarter, seemed to take a rest as Melbourne surged forward.
Players like Roger Dean – who had collected the Tigers’ first three goals and a couple of Oscar nominations in the first quarter – didn’t appear as Melbourne slammed on seven goals to tie the game up at half-time.
Tom Hafey must have really said something at half-time.
With Rex Hunt switched from full-forward into the ruck, and Mike Perry lining up in front of goal, the Tigers were really in business. Perry kicked three goals and was instrumental in a couple of others.
And Hunt, who’d had his problems with Paul Rowlands, looked better when he had room to move.
The Richmond centreline – with Clay dominant – again showed its worth, and rovers Kevin Bartlett and Bill Brown were ever hungry.
Melbourne made the mistake of kicking wildly in their forward line, where Parke and Dillon were positioned to take the big mark.”
Match details
Richmond 7.1 9.1 15.7 19.11 (125)
Melbourne 1.3 8.7 10.10 12.13 (85)
Goals – Richmond: Dean 4, Brown 3, M. Perry 3, Bourke 2, Hunt 2, Bartlett, Green, Hart, Moore, Northey.
Best – Richmond: Clay, Sheedy, Hart, Moore, Bowden, Bourke.
Richmond player statistics
Kevin Sheedy: 23 kicks, 3 handballs, 9 marks
Barry Richardson: 10 kicks, 1 handball, 8 marks
Colin Beard: 10 kicks, 2 handballs, 2 marks
Geoff Strang: 8 kicks, 0 handballs, 4 marks
Ian Owen: 8 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark
Tony Jewell: 8 kicks, 3 handballs, 3 marks
Francis Bourke: 12 kicks, 5 handballs, 0 marks
Eric Moore: 18 kicks, 7 handballs, 1 mark
Dick Clay: 21 kicks, 3 handballs, 5 marks
Roger Dean: 17 kicks, 4 handballs, 6 marks
Royce Hart: 21 kicks, 3 handballs, 9 marks
John Northey (off): 8 kicks, 3 handballs, 2 marks
Mike Perry: 5 kicks, 3 handballs, 2 marks
Rex Hunt: 8 kicks, 2 handballs, 7 marks
Billy Brown: 15 kicks, 2 handballs, 3 marks
Mike Green: 15 kicks, 5 handballs, 12 marks
Mike Bowden (off): 10 kicks, 3 handballs, 3 marks
Kevin Bartlett: 30 kicks, 2 handballs, 3 marks
Anthony Smith (19th man): 1 kick, 0 handballs, 0 marks
Graeme Bond (20th man): 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark
