Only four current-day Richmond players - captain Chris Newman, Brett Deledio, Daniel Jackson and Shane Tuck - have been part of a winning Tiger team against this Sunday’s Round 20 opponent, the Western Bulldogs.
The Tigers haven’t beaten the Bulldogs since Round 3, 2005 at Etihad Stadium, or Telstra Dome, as it was known back then.
That was Terry Wallace’s third game in charge as Richmond’s coach - ironically, against the club he’d played for and coached.
Richmond scraped in by four points in that encounter - 12.16 (88) to 11.18 (84) - with another ex-Bulldog in Nathan Brown, kicking three goals and picking up one Brownlow vote, and superstar Tiger spearhead, Matthew Richardson, booting four goals.
To highlight how long ago since that victory over the Dogs, it was Newman’s 57th game, Jackson’s ninth, Tuck’s sixth, and Deledio’s third.
Round 8 the previous year (2004) was the last time Richmond beat the Dogs at the MCG. On that occasion, ‘Richo’ bagged a career-high 10 goals to lift the Tigers to a 23-point win - 15.15 (105) to 10.22 (82).
Richmond has lost eight of its past nine clashes with the Western Bulldogs and drawn the other one, in Round 5, 2008 at Etihad Stadium.
The Tigers’ average losing margin against the Bulldogs during this period is 50 points.
Clearly, Richmond will be very keen indeed to make amends on Sunday afternoon . . .
Tigers strive to snap Dog hoodoo
Only four current-day Richmond players have been part of a winning Tiger team against this Sunday’s Round 20 opponent, the Western Bulldogs.
