In the lead-up to tonight’s historic Richmond v North Melbourne clash at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena, Tony Greenberg takes the Tiger ‘time machine’ back almost 50 years to the day, when the two teams fought out a thrilling draw.

Richmond entered the Round 8, 1966 encounter with North Melbourne as a hot favorite, following a flying start to that season under new coach Tommy Hafey.

The Tigers had won six of seven games to that stage and were in third place on the ladder, while the Kangaroos, who were coached at the time by Alan Killigrew, were ninth (in the then 12-team competition), with two wins and five losses.

There was little to suggest the drama that was about to unfold on the Queen’s Birthday Monday holiday of 1966 (June 13), when the resurgent Richmond hosted the struggling Roos at the MCG.

Both teams went into the match with key players missing due to their involvement with Victoria in the interstate carnival being held in Hobart at the same time. 

Richmond was without the services of its captain/star ruckman Neville Crowe and dynamic centreman Bill Barrot.  North also had its skipper Noel Teasdale and talented wingman Michael Gaudion on ‘big V’ duties.

A sparse crowd of 33,959 indicated the anticipated one-sided nature of this contest.  It, however, turned out to be quite the opposite.

After a tight opening quarter, with just three goals scored in total, it was the visitors who held a slender four-point lead at the first break.

The Kangaroos had slightly increased their advantage, to nine points by half-time, but they should have been a lot further in front. They peppered the ‘big sticks’, but managed just two goals from nine shots during the second quarter. 

A four-goal third term by the Tigers saw them claw their way level with North at three-quarter time. 

Then, in a gripping last quarter, the wayward Roos could manage only two goals from 10 shots, with Richmond kicking 3.2, to have the scores all tied up when the final siren sounded. 

Here’s how the exciting events of that Queen’s Birthday Monday at the MCG, in June 1966, were reported in ‘The Age’ newspaper . . .

“North Melbourne, let down by shocking inaccuracy, and Richmond, worried by an attack which never functioned systematically, fought out a nerve-tingling draw before 33,959 spectators at the MCG yesterday.

The scores were level for the last six minutes, and in that time winning chances were created and then lost.

At one stage, the Tigers had play pinned in their forward pocket for three minutes.  First (Peter) Hogan, and then (Mike) Patterson, twice, grabbed the ball from the throw-in, and kicked out of bounds when it seemed they must score.

Then it was North’s turn, but a costly fumble at centre half-forward, and shortly afterwards a slurred kick by Rogers from well within range left the scoreboard unchanged at 71 points each.

North looked unlucky not to have caused the upset of the day.

Richmond scored 1.5 in an inaccurate first quarter, but after that received good value from most opportunities by kicking 9.6.

In contrast, the Northerners, after scoring 2.3 in the first term, dismayed its supporters with spendthrift kicking which registered only 6.20 from as many shots.

The ruck duels were not decisive, although North probably finished a shade ahead there through the efforts of Quade and Allan.

But it was across the centre that Richmond, without (Bill) Barrot, was embarrassed almost to the point of losing the game.

North, particularly in the first half, was powered into attack almost monotonously through the dominance of Dwyer and Johnson on the wings, while Benton, although less effective, still had (Eric) Moore well covered in the centre.

Richmond swung (Roger) Dean to the centre from half-forward in the third term, and he did much better, although not sufficient to alter the balance of power.

Both North wingmen were creative, Johnson to the point where he ended as best man on the ground; his pace, determination and uncanny ball handling doing much to push attacks past what, at best, was a spasmodically effective half-forward line.

One of the reasons North struggled so hard across half-forward was because Richmond’s Michael Perry, switched from full-back to centre half-back in a pre-game defence reshuffle, marked brilliantly and cut short many dangerous moves.

The Tigers never developed any real purpose and understanding in attack – reflected in that 10 different players kicked their 10 goals.

Men like big Paddy Guinane, at the spearhead, and half-forward flanker John Northey, who must play well for the Tigers to “fire” up forward, were, for the most part, bottled up by a defence that gave nothing at all away.

Another problem was the eclipse of “boom” recruit Dick Clay at centre half-forward by Peter Steward.

One thing the Tigers did not lack was determination – and this enabled them to go from eight points down to eight points up midway through the last quarter.

It was not enough, however, to hold an equally determined North, which rebounded to level the scores, and could have won but for a string of five behinds when goals were badly needed.”

Match details

Richmond            1.5          3.7          7.9          10.11 (71)

North Melb.       2.3          4.10        5.16        8.23 (71)

Goals – Richmond:  Hammond, Dean, Ronaldson, Dimattina, Sheahan, Hogan, Guinane, Brown, Northey, Clay.

Goals – North Melbourne:  Goode 3, Rogers, Ibrahim, Quade, McCarthy, Delanty.

Best – Richmond:  M. Perry, Dean, Madigan, Dimattina, Patterson, Northey, Strang.

Best – North Melbourne:  Johnson (best on ground), Steward, Dwyer, Allan, Dugdale, Dowdle, Goode.

The Richmond team, Round 8, 1966

B:  Madigan, M. Perry, Ronaldson

HB:  Jewell, Gahan, Strang

C:  Brown, Moore, Sheahan

HF:  Northey, Clay, Dean

F:  Guinane, Hammond, Hogan

R:  Patterson, Richardson, Dimattina

Reserves:  Busse, Dickeson