Royce Hart was born to play - and star - in Grand Finals at the game’s highest level.
Hart’s reputation as one of the all-time greats of not just Richmond, but league football in general, clearly was enhanced by his performances on Grand Final day.
A teenage Hart had a huge instant impact in his debut season with the senior Tiger team in 1967. Such was his early influence in the Tigers’ key forward posts, that he won selection for the Victorian State side, in a match against Western Australia at the MCG - and duly kicked seven goals in a superb display.
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In the ’67 drought-breaking premiership triumph over Geelong, the then 19-year-old Hart was rated Richmond’s third best player. He had 13 kicks, six handballs, seven marks and was the team’s equal highest goalkicker, with three.
During the frenetic last quarter of the ’67 Grand Final, with the scores level, Hart soared above Cats’ defender Peter Walker to pull down a breathtaking mark. It ranks as one of the greatest marks in league Grand Final history, and is an enduring memory of a fantastic day in Tigerland history.
Two years later, Hart had 14 kicks, three handballs, five marks and kicked a goal, to be a valuable contributor in the Tigers’ Grand Final success against Carlton. After just three seasons of league football, Hart was a dual premiership player . . .
By the time the 1973 Grand Final against the Blues came around, Hart was Richmond’s captain - and an inspirational leader at that!
His capacity to perform at the optimum level, when it mattered most, was a major factor in the Tigers’ dominance during that time.
Hart entered the ’73 Grand Final with a severe knee problem that had restricted his preliminary final involvement against Collingwood the previous week to just the second half. He left the arena after two hours of “fierce combat” with the “bitter enemy”, having gathered 16 kicks, shot out three handballs, taken seven marks, kicked three goals, and proudly lifted the 1973 premiership cup in his role as Richmond’s skipper. The experts rated him in the top two Tiger players on the ground.
The following year, with the Tigers seeking greatness by becoming back-to-back premiers, Hart again turned it on in the Grand Final. On this occasion, it was North Melbourne who bore the brunt of his brilliance. Hart had 19 kicks, four handballs, five marks and booted three goals as the Tigers romped away from the Roos to win by 41 points.
If he wasn’t Richmond’s best player on the day, he was second best.
True to form, Royce had risen to the occasion and produced something truly special for the Tigers at the most opportune time.
