In the 18th of a special richmondfc.com.au nostalgic series celebrating Richmond’s 50 years at home at the MCG, Tony Greenberg takes a look at the Tigers’ amazing 2003 comeback against Hawthorn.
Richmond looked like being on the end of a 100-point drubbing when it trailed Hawthorn by 51 points late in the second quarter of their Round 5, 2003 clash at the MCG on Saturday, April 26.
Incredibly, less than a quarter later, the Tigers had hit the front – and they stormed home to an awe-inspiring 20-point triumph.
It was the greatest comeback win in Richmond’s league football history and ranks among the best ever in the competition.
Even more meritorious was the fact that it came off the back of just a five-day break, compared to Hawthorn’s seven-day rest.
The Tigers had defeated St Kilda by 26 points at Etihad Stadium the previous Monday night, while Hawthorn had beaten Sydney by 42 points at the MCG two days earlier.
When the Hawks burst out of the blocks, and built that 51-point lead 22 minutes into the second term, not even the most one-eyed Tiger supporter could have dreamed what was about to happen next.
Richmond somehow managed to not only stem the bleeding before half-time, but hit the scoreboard, too, kicking four quick goals.
The deficit at the main break, however, was still a sizeable 27 points and, given the advantage Hawthorn had with that extra couple of days’ rest, it certainly appeared a mountain too high for the Tigers to climb.
A slice of brilliance from clever small Tiger forward Andrew Krakouer at the start of the third quarter was the catalyst for the Yellow and Black onslaught.
In Richmond’s forward pocket, at the Punt Road end of the ground, Krakouer threw himself underneath a Hawthorn opponent, emerged with the ball, and fired out a handpass to big ruckman Greg Stafford, who snapped a goal on his left foot.
Moments later, Stafford goaled again from point-blank range after receiving a free kick for being held without the ball.
Stafford, although predominantly a ruckman, was always dangerous when ‘resting’ forward, due to his powerful build (204cm and 106kg), mobility for a big man, and football ‘smarts’.
He played an important role in the tremendous Tiger turnaround against the Hawks, along with his little partner Krakouer.
Several years later, star Tiger midfielder Kane Johnson, who received two Brownlow votes for his excellent performance in the mighty comeback victory over Hawthorn, spoke about the impact both Stafford and Krakouer had deep in the team’s forward line, during a special ‘Roar Vision’ interview with another former teammate, Matthew Richardson.
“The instruction was to just get it long down to the big ‘fella’ (Stafford). He’s got a big frame on him and if we can get it down long to him, he could at least get it front and square for blokes like (Andrew) Krakouer, David Rodan and Kayne Pettifer,” Johnson said.
“And, it seemed to work early in the (third) quarter, because the big fella was holding his ground and making sure we got first use of the ball.
“On that day, when ‘Staf’ went forward, and was getting the ball to the ground, ‘Krakky’ (Andrew Krakouer) was really, really dangerous . . . he was causing havoc down there.
“Whether he was kicking a goal, or actually handing one off, or just getting the right hand in there at the right time, he created a lot of opportunities for us that day . . .”
Johnson also paid tribute to the team-lifting efforts of fellow Tiger midfielder Mark Coughlan.
“In that third quarter, he had a couple of attacks on the ball that really set the rest of the team up, which was inspiring for the rest of the team to follow,” Johnson said.
Unbelievably, Richmond hit the front with seven minutes still left on the clock in the third quarter, when captain Wayne Campbell (he picked up the three Brownlow votes in the match) took a mark on the 50-metre arc and dished it off by hand to super-talented rebounding defender Leon Cameron, whose kick floated through for a goal.
The Tiger Army went wild . . . And their delirium continued when ‘pocket rocket’ David Rodan raced into an open goal shortly afterwards.
By three-quarter time, Richmond’s lead was out to 15 points, and its stunning goalkicking run continued into the final term, before the Hawks finally broke the sequence, kicking their first goal in about 50 minutes of game time.
All-up, Richmond had scored 14 unanswered goals in one of the most spectacular attacking barrages ever seen from any team in league football history.
The final siren signalled a 20-point win for the Tigers, much to the utter delight of the Yellow and Black faithful.
They had been fortunate to witness something very special indeed on that late April Saturday in 2003 at the MCG.
Match details
Richmond 2.1 8.3 15.5 18.7 (115)
Hawthorn 8.3 12.6 12.8 14.11 (95)
Goals – Richmond: Coughlan 3, Stafford 3, Campbell 2, Chaffey 2, Krakouer 2, Richardson 2, Cameron, Houlihan, Johnson, Rodan.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond: Johnson 30, Campbell 29, Tivendale 21, Coughlan 19.
