On May 29, 2010, Richmond recorded its first win under Damien Hardwick, ending a run of nine-straight losses that had opened the rookie senior coach’s career. Tony Greenberg reflects on that historic, major upset victory over Port Adelaide at Adelaide’s Football Park.
Richmond entered its Round 10 match of the 2010 season against Port Adelaide at Football Park as a rank outsider.
The Tigers were winless and on the bottom of the ladder with a percentage of just 56.2, while Port was eighth, having won five games and lost four.
It had been a baptism of fire for new Richmond coach Damien Hardwick, but ‘Dimma’ managed to maintain a positive attitude throughout and his enthusiasm was filtering through to the players.
In Round 8, the Tigers were unlucky not to knock off Hawthorn, going down by three points, and the following week against Essendon they fought hard, but came up six goals short.
Although the recent signs had been more encouraging, Richmond still was given virtually no chance by the football pundits of toppling the Power on its home deck.
That deck turned out to be waterlogged by the time the Tigers arrived at Football Park for the Saturday afternoon clash, with torrential rain lashing the ground.
The visitors, however, were not put off by the big wet. On the contrary, they steeled themselves to produce something truly special and break Dimma’s duck.
Richmond started well and took a seven-point lead into the first change.
With midfielders Brett Deledio, Shane Tuck, Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin and Ben Cousins thriving in the atrocious conditions, Jack Riewoldt dangerous deep in attack, flanked by nippy small forwards Robin Nahas and Ben Nason, and skipper Chris Newman mopping up everything that came his way in defence, the Tigers’ confidence grew appreciably the further the match progressed.
They took a 29-point advantage into the half-time break, still led by a comfortable 25 points at three quarter-time, and finished full of running to run out shock 47-point winners – 10.17 (77) to 3.12 (30).
Port scored only one goal (1.9) after quarter-time, underlining Richmond’s dominance on the day.
Another significant statistic was the then all-time competition-record 142 tackles that the Tigers applied over the course of the four quarters. Tuck and ruckman Angus Graham led the way in this area with 14 tackles apiece, which also was a Club record at the time. Andrew Collins had 12 tackles, Shane Edwards 11 and Nahas 10.
Tuck finished with the most disposals by any player on the ground – 31. Deledio racked up 29 and Cotchin 25.
Riewoldt booted a game-high four goals (more than Port’s entire team), with Nahas and Nason scoring five goals between them.
The three Brownlow Medal votes for the match went to Newman, two to Deledio and one to Tuck.
Tiger tall forward Ben Griffiths, in his AFL debut, had only five disposals, but took a superb high mark that highlighted the talent he possessed.
Griffiths was presented with his Richmond guernsey in the dressing-room pre-game by Tiger ‘Immortal’ Kevin Bartlett.
After the match, half a dozen mud-soaked players and the beaming coach crowded inside the outer ring of more experienced players to belt out the Club’s famous theme song for the first time.
Defender David Astbury was among those six first-time Tiger winners, playing in just his sixth game.
So was the future Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin (in his ninth game), who had spent the day collecting the football from the Football Park swamp to win 11 clearances and subsequently earn an AFL Rising Star nomination.
In the outer circle, tasting that rare win for Richmond then, were three other teammates who would go on to join Astbury and Martin as dual Tiger premiership players – Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards and Jack Riewoldt.
“It was funny. The number of people inside the circle was huge. I remember thinking after the game, ‘Geez, I could get used to winning’,” Astbury told AFL.com.au years later.
Match details
Richmond 3.4 6.9 7.11 10.17 (77)
Port Adelaide 2.3 2.4 3.10 3.12 (30)
Goals – Richmond: Riewoldt 4, Nason 3, Nahas 2, Tambling.
Leading possession-winners – Richmond: Tuck 31, Deledio 29, Cotchin 25, Newman 23, Martin 21, Cousins 20.
Goals – Port Adelaide: Ebert, Hitchcock, Thomas.
Leading possession-winners – Port Adelaide: K. Cornes 26, Thomas 24, Carr 23, Boak 21, Cassisi 19, Chaplin 19.
The Richmond team, Round 10, 2010
David Astbury
Andrew Collins
Trent Cotchin
Ben Cousins
Brett Deledio
Shane Edwards
Mitch Farmer
Angus Graham
Ben Griffiths
Jake King
Dustin Martin
Luke McGuane
Kelvin Moore
Robin Nahas
Ben Nason
Chris Newman
Graham Polak
Jack Riewoldt
Richard Tambling
Shane Tuck
Jeromey Webberley
Matt White
