To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1980 premiership, Richmond Media is transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2020 to follow the Punt Road path to that fantastic flag triumph. Today we take a look at ‘The Age’ football writer Damien Comerford’s review of Richmond’s Round 15 match of the ’80 season against Fitzroy at the Junction Oval, which took place on Saturday, July 12 before a crowd of 11,362.
“There were some strange happenings at the Junction Oval on Saturday.
The Fitzroy fans were singing ‘The Way We Were’ and Robert Walls had traded in his player’s uniform for blue tights and a red cape with the familiar ‘S’ insignia.
But the strangest of all were the numbers on the electronic scoreboard – Fitzroy 15.10 (100) Richmond 12.16 (88).
Yes, Fitzroy, suffering at the bottom of the ladder had defeated Richmond, which had an unshakeable belief in its own invincibility and a record to prove it.
The Lions, with the exception of a night premiership in 1978, haven’t won so much as a kewpie doll since its last VFL premiership 36 years ago, steamed out on to the ground, pawing at the turf and hungry for a piece of the action. On the other hand, the League pacesetters were strangely indifferent.
In the first quarter Fitzroy, with a wind the strength of the roaring 40s behind it, kicked eight goals before the Tigers’ previously steel curtain defence could draw breath.
David Cloke and Michael Roach seemed to forget where the goals were located. They managed only four between them for the game.
Roach, who loves to mark and kick goals almost as much as to boogie at the Underground disco couldn’t shake the shadow of Fitzroy full-back Chris Hansen.
Cloke fared little better. He is normally an unreliable kick for goal and on Saturday his 2.5 did little to improve his reputation.
Tiger forward Kevin Bartlett, who is said to suffer withdrawal symptoms if he wins less than 20 kicks, did some good things in the first half but faded into obscurity after that.
Indeed, the Richmond small brigade was outclassed by its Fitzroy opponents.
Unlike all of this season the Lions kept moving, Garry Wilson and Warwick Irwin marking up the kilometres as they roamed together, first the forward line and then the backline.
And half forward Michael Poynton scouted the packs like a terrier, kicking four goals when they were needed.
But surely the greatest surprise of all was Walls who outplayed and out-thought Jim Jess.
Walls’s clever disposal brought smaller players such as Michael Conlan and Frank Marchesani into the game.
The Tigers’ Bruce Monteath with four goals and Bryan Wood tried desperately but unsuccessfully yo motivate Richmond, but their team-mates would have none of it.
Fitzroy captain Ron Alexander put the sudden transformation in context. It was, he said, for coach Bill Stephen, who announced last week he would retire at the end of the season.
“People have been jolted out of complacency into reality,” Alexander said. “We all feel responsible. It was our fault he resigned.”
Tony Jewell talked like a man who knew that, win or lose, Richmond would still be on top of the ladder. “They wanted to win more than we did,” he said.
It seems that Bill Stephen’s future is still undecided.
When asked what he might be doing at the end of the year Stephen said he might become a football writer or coaches coach – touche Bill.”
Match details
Richmond 2.4 6.10 8.12 12.16 (88)
Fitzroy 8.3 9.5 14.13 15.19 (109)
Goals – Richmond: Monteath 4, Roach 2, Wiley 2, Cloke 2, Tempany, Strachan.
Best – Richmond: Monteath, Wood, Tempany.
Goals – Fitzroy: Poynton 4, Conlan 3, Walls 3, Irwin 2, Quinlan, McCarthy, Wilson.
Best – Fitzroy: Walls, Wilson, Poynton, Hansen, Smith, Irwin, Marchesani.
