Richmond’s mighty unbeaten run came to an abrupt end at the MCG last Thursday night with the Tigers suffering a disappointing 32-point loss to Hawthorn.
It was the first time Richmond had been defeated since Round 13 last year, on June 13, when they went down by 33 points to Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
The Tigers subsequently produced a superb 12-game winning streak for the remainder of the 2019 season, including the Grand Final triumph over Greater Western Sydney.
They then notched a victory over Carlton in the opening round this season and drew with Collingwood in Round 2, before being beaten by the Hawks in Round 3.
That 14-game unbeaten stretch was the equal-second best in Richmond’s entire 135-year history.
Club historian Rhett Bartlett has provided the following list of the Tigers’ top unbeaten runs throughout that time . . .
15 – Round 3, 1903 to Round 17, 1903
14 – Round 12, 1905 to Round 4, 1906
*14 – Round 15, 2019 to Round 2, 2020
12 – Round 11, 1932 to Round 2, 1933
12 – Round 3, 1980 to Round 14, 1980
11 – Round 6, 1907 to Round 16, 1907