Richmond and Hawthorn will meet in an AFL/VFL final for the first time when they kick off the 2018 finals series next Thursday night at the MCG. They have, however, shared the big September stage once before, as detailed in this 2010 Grand Final replay ‘AFL Record’ article by Tigerland history guru Rhett Bartlett.

“At the end of the 1977 drawn Grand Final between Collingwood and North Melbourne, the VFL moved swiftly to organise the pre-match entertainment for the following week.

By the following morning, an announcement had been made. Richmond, knocked out by North in the semi-final, would play Hawthorn (which also lost to the Roos in the preliminary final) in a curtain-raiser match.

Dubbed the $20,000 challenge match, the winner would effectively call itself the third best team of the season but, more importantly, would receive $12,500 in prize-money. The runner-up would receive $7500.

Played at 11.15 am, both teams took the game seriously, although Richmond fielded nine members of its reserve-grade premiership team (including Mick Malthouse).

Hawthorn flew Peter Hudson back from Tasmania in what was his last game for the Hawks.

By half-time, Richmond led by four points, with Bruce Monteath, who would skipper the Tigers to the 1980 premiership, kicking five goals in the first half.

Hudson dominated, finishing with seven goals, as the Hawks got over the line by three points.

Tiger Kevin Bartlett, who just a week earlier had been named Richmond’s Best and Fairest for the fifth time, badly sprained his ankle just before half-time and took no further part in the game.

The injury forced him out of the following week’s historic State-of-Origin clash between Victoria and Western Australia, which the Vics lost by 94 points.

“I got selected 21 times for Victoria – but only played 20 times. That was the only Victorian game I missed,” Bartlett recalled.

As a bonus for the crowd which attended the replay (98,366), the theme from the movie ‘Rocky’ blasted through loudspeakers as new world light-middleweight champion Rocky Mattioli was driven around the MCG twice.”

Match details

Hawthorn 15.15 (105) defeated Richmond 15.12 (102).

Goals – Richmond: Monteath 6, Balme 2, Hummel 2, Laughlin 2, Wood, Walsh, Gaunt.
Goals – Hawthorn: Hudson 7, L. Matthews 3, Geoff Ablett, Bennett, Rowlings, M. Scott, Murnane.