The proud Tasmanian Tiger premiership-connection tradition continued at Richmond this year . . .
Every one of Richmond’s six premiership sides since 1967 has contained at least one player recruited from Tasmania.
Brilliant, young key forward Royce Hart kick-started this Tassie Tiger tradition back in 1967, when he played a pivotal role in the Club’s drought-breaking Grand Final triumph over Geelong (its first premiership since 1943).
Hart, recruited from Tasmanian club Clarence, booted 55 goals in his ’67 debut season of league football, including an equal game-high three in the Grand Final.
He was the sole Tassie Tiger again in 1969, when Richmond defeated Carlton in the premiership-decider.
The next time the Tigers took the competition’s ultimate prize, in 1973, Hart had three other Tasmanian-born teammates alongside him – champion centreman and triple Brownlow Medallist Ian Stewart (originally from Hobart, before joining St Kilda), gun midfielder Paul Sproule (also initially from Hobart, before playing with Essendon), and promising, young rover Noel Carter (from Ulverstone).
When Richmond made it back-to-back flags in 1974, with a runaway Grand Final victory over North Melbourne, Hart and Sproule were there again in the line-up, joined by talented teenager Cameron Clayton (from New Norfolk).
Six years later, the Tigers captured their 10th league football premiership, demolishing Collingwood in the Grand Final, with high-flying, superstar spearhead Michael Roach (from Longford) and capable centre half-back Stephen Mount (from Sandy Bay) flying the flag for Tassie.
And on September 30, 2017, when the longest premiership drought in Richmond’s history was broken (37 years), the triumphant Tigers’ team featured two players from Tasmania – star key forward Jack Riewoldt (Clarence) and valuable No. 1 ruckman Toby Nankervis (North Launceston).
